Greetings – Did we earn this weather, or what? I hope you have time to go outdoors and gulp a few lungfuls today. Every sort of music has good songs for spring. Fewer have songs for getting your garden started, or maple sugaring, and other homey pursuits. Good folks, this is our time to shine!
Many of you will have learned on Facebook that our music community suffered a couple sad losses over the past few days. Two greats of acoustic blues, John Hammond and Roy Book Binder, both passed away. Here’s what we shared: Hammond and Book Binder both played Caffe Lena throughout their careers. Roy especially was a bridge between the Lena years and our evolution into a nonprofit. He would always arrive hours early to just hang out and tell stories, and to find a good parking spot for his camper (he regarded hotel rooms as an unnecessary luxury). He brought the early days of the Caffe to life with his recollections of characters, details, incidents–all lovingly and wryly described. He’d test out any good guitars we had lying around, giving us a private moment with an extraordinary craftsman. He first showed up at the Caffe as the driver for Rev. Gary Davis, and he kept coming back every year. He would have played this May 1. Roy is truly part of the unofficial Caffe Lena Pantheon and this is a very sad loss for our community. Here’s a wonderful obituary written by Bob Carlin.
The great John Hammond was a less frequent guest, but left an indelible mark. In the words of our soundman and house photographer, Joe Deuel, “He was one of the most passionate performers I’ve ever seen, and one of the greatest.” Hammond’s first visit to the Caffe was with Bob Dylan in 1962. Years later he said, “I’m still the same guy, and I still play a lot of blues. I don’t go out with a set list. I just play whatever I feel like. It still amazes me how many years that Caffe Lena has survived. It’s wonderful. Once you’re there, you don’t forget it.”
Rest in peace, John Hammond and Roy Book Binder, and thank you for keeping the flame alive all these many years. We’ll see to it that it’s passed forward.
See you at the show,
Sarah
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