Music -- Jeff Lynne ELO / Now and Then

This is a written expression of the personal inspiration that I just experienced as I listened to the recording of an hour-long concert by Jeff Lynne’s ELO.  It was a live broadcast of a BBC Radio Theatre production performed earlier this month at the Broadcasting House, Portland Place, London. Having been motivated to search online and listen in conjunction with my desire to see a show tomorrow night at The Fonda Theatre in Hollywood—while realizing that my opportunity to actually do so is waning rapidly—I figured that if attending the local live show probably wasn’t going to happen, I could gain some small degree of consolation by garnering a few current updates to Mr. Lynne’s new musical production and tour.  A couple of days ago I viewed (several times) and shared the video of the new version of  Mr. Blue Sky which was excellent, and a couple of cuts from the new album that was officially released November 13^th have been getting some local radio airplay. Still, I was not expecting what I just experienced.

First off, I’m not a professional musician and I’m not associated with the industry here in L.A.  Nonetheless, I can claim to be a certified history major and, to a somewhat limited level, a bona-fide music minor. Next, I wouldn’t describe myself as overly emotional and I don’t make too many entertainment judgments without the backing of experience, study and reflection.  Finally, I can’t consider myself an overtly religious person nor one whom is highly committed to a single set of particular beliefs and practices. However, I do think that anyone who can regularly exclaim “It’s a beautiful new day” is defining a process of being born again. And, I know for sure, I am enthused by music which enriches my life.

Irving Plaza, New York City, 20 November 2015

The YouTube page that links to the concert’s archived recording—featuring decent audio and video qualities along with solid production values—complimented the performance with a nice summary [Published on Nov 16, 2015]:  “The BBC's Radio Theatre opens its doors to an iconic band that have been making music history since the 1970s. ELO and their frontman Jeff Lynne have sold over 50 million albums worldwide and created a back catalogue of chart-topping hits that include Mr Blue Sky, Telephone Line, Livin' Thing and Strange Magic. Jeff Lynne's ELO play his classic tracks along with some new songs from their first album of new material in almost 15 years, Alone in the Universe, to an intimate crowd of fans. Jo Whiley presents Jeff Lynne's ELO live from the BBC Radio Theatre in London. He's experienced global success as a singer, a composer, a producer and a songwriter but he's rarely seen performing live.” . To clarify a bit, this latest version of ELO (“Jeff Lynne’s ELO”) is the culmination of a long process that seems to have aged just right at just the right time.  Clearly the vision of its 67 year-old artist, producer and leader, the current touring ensemble includes pianist and vocalist Richard Tandy, “the only other link to the Seventies line-up.” (quoted from an online article that was published by rollingstone.com.

Listening to the recording of this concert took me back to the mid-to-late 1970s when I was but a teenager living in suburban Detroit.  Jeff Lynne and his Electric Light Orchestra were popular enough among my friends and I circa 1977 that we bought and listened to the group’s best-selling albums and managed to see a live show or two along the way.

One show in particular, (which I went to but I don’t recall a lot of the details particularly well), was staged at the Pine Knob Amphitheatre which is located at Clarkston, Michigan and is now known as the DTE Energy Music Theatre.  Most likely this show was one of three Pine Knob shows that ELO headlined in September, 1976.  What I do recall, albeit vaguely, is the light show which accompanied the music.  There was one or two of those mirrored, rotating ‘disco balls’ hung above the stage and/or crowd.  Laser lights were shot onto and reflected off the hanging fixtures, and the resulting color beams were somehow (perhaps a bit of strange magic?) digitally tied to the music which produced a dazzling live display akin to some of our more modern PC screen-saver apps or visualizations.

It’s fairly incredible how good a voice Jeff Lynne is in while singing these most popular ELO selections roughly four decades after they were originated. These updated arrangements strike a extremely pleasing chord that is highly reminiscent of the 1970’s records while technically current and professionally polished. The musicians—during both the London concert and the Tonight Show performance—were clearly enjoying themselves and their musical collaboration.  That said, what really moved me while watching and listening closely to the YouTube presentation from the BBC was how Mr. Lynne’s creative out-put was able to transport me between today and a specific time and place in my past; namely, Camp Dearborn (Oakland County, Michigan) and the summer of ’77. While the various forms of this “takes me back” cliché is more than tired, it can be applied in this instance because the music—the lyrics, vocals and instrumentation—did help me remember (more clearly than anything else has in a long time) so many elements from some happy times of nearly forty years ago. Names, faces, actions, happenings, news, and especially songs that return so easily to familiarity.  Maybe not so much for their meanings as for their feelings. Records that seem so suited to our histories now that we’ve had a few decades to realize it. Words that Jeff Lynne sang back then that still ring true "Oh I . . . I’m never gonna be the same again." So do words that he sings again with such timeless poignancy “I’ll remember you this way.” So it was in '77 and on it goes in 2015.

Me and my co-conspirators at Camp Dearborn (near Milford, MI) where, among various other acts and activities, records by Jeff Lynne and his Electric Light Orchestra were listened to in-numerable times c.1974-78.  We typically had a cheap turntable and stereo set up somewhere.

P.S. an image I captured during the Jeff Lynne, et al. show at the Hollywood Bowl / 09 Sept. '16

Exflorations - Pochote

Over the last 50 years, several species of imported trees have been added to the grounds at Mission San Fernando including a variety of palm trees and a couple of large redwoods. Among the Mission's col-lection of  transplants is a colorful tree with an interesting history that originated in some of the dry forest areas of Southern Mexico, Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Colombia, and Venezuela.

Pachira Quinata, commonly known as Pochote, is a flowering tree classified within the extensive (Malvaceae) family that includes the numerous varieties of okra, cotton, and cacao plants as well as the large Hibiscus genera.  Commonly grown on plantations, (mostly in Costa Rica), it produces a relatively cheap yet remarkably stable hardwood which is harvested and marketed for guitars, furniture, and other fine craft uses.

The trunks and limbs of the Pochote bear large, stubby thorns and these sturdy trees have often been utilized as living fence posts with barbed wire strung between them. The thorns have also been used in the making of small sculptures that characterize the longstanding sacred status of the Pochote in a number of American cultures.

In addition to its attractive flowers and leaves, Pochote trees produce large seed pods that contain a fluffy, cotton-like fiber. This natural “silk floss” has been utilized historically to make pillows, comforters, and other domestic items.

Imaging - Religious Architecture

It's nice to see this photo getting a little extended play online - mostly through the Catholic Archdiocese of Denver.  Also it's gotten a few hits via this National Geographic website.

During my visit to Denver the last week of May, I took a few shots of this imposing and historic structure from street-level while urban hiking on the 26th.  The next day, while on a tour of the nearby Colorado State Capitol, I was very pleased and surprised to get a nice exposure of this Catholic landmark as I walked around the building's open-air dome.

Construction of the Cathedral was substantially completed in 1911 before a lightning strike badly damaged the west tower on August 7, 1912. The local Denver congregation was still able to formally dedicate their church on October 27,1912. Afterwards, it was solemnly consecrated in 1921 prior to its designation as a minor basilica in 1979.

Detroit-based architect Leon Coquard's French Gothic design of the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception was inspired by the St. Nicholas Collegiate Church that was sited at Munster, a small village in the Dept. of Moselle in the Lorraine region of northeastern France. Legend ties the origins of this church to the 13th-century exploits of Lord Guillaume Torcheville.

(Image by Jean-Marc Pascolo)

ExFlorations - One More from Denver

Another result from my ongoing hunt for shape, texture, and color - this was captured during the last week of May at the Denver Botanical Gardens.

Imaging - Art in Denver

Who knew? Apparently, many people but not I . . . that Denver has this thriving art scene and tradition.  My recent trip and tour in May was highlighted by a brief visit to the Denver Art Museum complex, (where I could have easily spent a day or two), an abbreviated hike through the Denver Botanic Gardens, and plenty of trekking in and around various Downtown districts. These are some samples and / or details of a selection of works that I appreciated and favored while visiting.

The Frederic C. Hamilton Building within the Denver Art Museum Complex. 

Designed by architect Daniel Libeskind and opened in 2006

Crow Medicine Man by John Nieto

at the Denver Art Museum

Wood Sculpture by Deborah Butterfield

at Denver Botanic Gardens

'East-West Source Point' Sculpture by Larry Kirkland 

at the Wellington E. Webb Municipal Building in Downtown Denver

Graphic Art at Lucky Pie Pizza and Taphouse

in the LODO District of Denver

Sculpture by [unknown]

at Denver Botanic Gardens

The Scalplock by Alfred Jacob Miller 

at the Denver Art Museum

Graphic Art in Storefront Window

on Washington Avenue at Golden, Colorado

New Street Mural Installation on the Nativ Hotel Building 

in the LODO District of Denver

Detail from the 'Inca Rulers Painting' done in Peru in the late-1800s

at the Denver Art Museum

Scottish Angus Cow and Calf Sculpture by Dan Ostermiller 

Near the Art Museum Complex at Downtown Denver

Buffalo Hunt No. 40 by Charles Marion Russell 

at the Denver Art Museum

Detail of Glass Sculpture by Dale Chihuly

at Denver Botanic Gardens

Exflorations - 9 from the 9th at Fullerton Arboretum

Nine images resulting from a Tuesday, June 9, '15 search for color, shape and texture whilst I (at the age of 55 years, 11 months) was lurking 'round the campus of California State University, Fullerton.

Imaging - Pluto and Our Solar System

A current event in science / technology / astronomy garnered the attention of many humans this week as the New Horizons spacecraft completed a long-awaited close encounter with Pluto, the outermost planet (or a "dwarf planet" by some measures) among our planet's universal neighbors. It has been generally reported in various media that this occurrence completes the initial survey of our (i.e. mankind's) native solar system.

The image shown above illustrates the New Horizons flyby of Pluto at about 1/10th of second past its closest approach while blasting through the outer reaches of Earth's solar system at nearly 31K mph. One of the first publicly available images from this event is a fitting conclusion to this expertly presented summary of the solar system produced by the L.A. Times which utilizes phenomenal content from NASA and ESA.  Everything at least remotely associated with the New Horizons project is easily seen online, and a good starting point is the amazing NASA's Eyes web site where the most recent Pluto imaging results are shared.  The following image of Charon, a primary moon of Pluto, was created less than two hours prior to this closest encounter event.

Local History - Verdugo Hills Golf Course

 

     There's a lot of local history associated with the current location of the Verdugo Hills Golf Course out along The 210 Freeway near Tujunga.  My own interests with the site go back to the late-1980s when I first golfed there.  After a lengthy hiatus, I  again played the hilly, 18-hole par-3 course on a regular basis from 2012 through March, 2014. The following image illustrates one of the high points of my [strictly amateurish] golfing experiences at Verdugo Hills.

     One of the best sources for historical and other information related to the Verdugo Hills Golf Course site has been nicely provided and summarized by Densho.org. Their entry for the Tuna Canyon site states:

     "A Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp  named La Tuna Camp opened in May of 1933 located at 6330 Tujunga Canyon Blvd. in Tujunga,  about  fourteen miles northwest of  downtown Los An-geles and six miles north of Glendale. The CCC camp was taken over by the U.S. Department of Justice, Immigration and Naturalization Service on December 8, 1941, for the purpose of detaining and identifying enemy aliens.  The official government name of the camp was 'Tuna Canyon Detention Station, Immigration and Naturalization Service'".

Tuna Canyon Detention Station c.1943

Courtesy of the Merrill H. Scott Family and Little Landers Historical Society

     More recently, the 60-acre site of Verdugo Hills Golf Course has been the subject of a developmental / legal matter between the owner Snowball Investments West, L.P., and local residents. While the issue of whether to build a new subdivision of homes or to preserve the recreational and historical aspects of this location has been played out over the course of several years, the Verdugo Hills Golf Course has remained a nice for option for those of us simply looking for a place to get outside for a little fresh air and exercise.

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Imaging - NASA Images by Luna Imaging

This new NASA Image website is an amazing archive. Take, for example, "A Change of Seasons on Saturn" which was released June, 7, 2001. Consider 'space' images we can see now compared to 50 years ago.

Imaging - Sport in America at Santa Anita Park

The field of thoroughbreds is tightly bunched at an early point in the first race at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California on Saturday, June 6, 2015.  Later, a simulcast of the Belmont Stakes from New York was shown and the large crowd watched on as California-bred American Pharoah became the first Triple Crown winner nearly four decades with a convincing wire-to-wire victory.

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Imaging - History in America at Denver

A quickly edited  preview of the scenic and enlightening sides of Denver that I observed last week.