Yesterday I had the most me day since the plague started. In the afternoon I had therapy via phone, I’ve done that all along. The me part was the evening. I met Katherine at The Porch to see Tucci Swing. I’ve met Katherine at the Porch already this year and I’ve seen Tucci Swing before. What made this the most me day is that when we were there we ran into friends. Running into friends at a concert used to be routine, I hope it will be again. Four times I said, “Is that ____? Three times it was. The woman that looked like Coco from behind wasn’t, but it really was Sarah, Robin and Sean & Inna and their daughter Ruby. Sarah was not totally random as she was in Spuyten Duyvil along with Mark & Beth who own the Porch. Robin came because she saw me post on Instagram. Completely not random and expected there were Mark, Beth, their daughter Dena, and John who ran the sound. I’ve gotten together with groups of friends, but this was the first time it was not a planned as a get-together. This was serendipity; that makes it at once special and part of normal life.
The people I knew would be there but don’t know are the people in the band. I have seen Tucci Swing once before but had never spoken to them. Not only that but two of the three vocalists were substitutes. You would never have guessed that from listening. They did intricate arrangements perfectly. Sean who is a master of harmony himself, he was the guy in the dreads in Rockapella, commented on how sharp they were. He couldn’t believe that two of them were subs, one at the last minute. The only band regular was the semi-eponym, Katie Martucci. The trumpeter was the same one I saw perform with them before. All four of them rocked, or more accurately swung. What is swing? If you have to ask what swing is, you will never know. I researched that quote and found so many variations and attributions, Fats Waller, Duke Ellington, and Satchmo. Sometimes “jazz” is substituted for “swing.” Swing is a good word for it as when I listen, I want to move. It is the antithesis of the singer-songwriter drone I often complain about. The music the play is from the 20s and 30s, but it totally connects with me. Early in the evening they played Irving Berlin’s Alexander’s Ragtime Band. That was on one of my children’s records and was always a favorite, but because of the source I thought of it as a children’s song. Some parts of my musical taste have never changed, many have.
Katie and Caroline Kuhn, one of the missing members of the band, are also two-thirds of The Ladles, perhaps my top plague year musical discovery. I have never seen them live but I have played them on Gord’s Gold. I introduced myself to Katie before the show and told her that if Tucci Swing cuts a record to send it to me. Can you play swing music on a folk show? Of course, as Satchmo, or Duke, or somebody said, “It’s all folk music, you’ve never heard no horses sing.” It’s acoustic and it’s great.
I can’t keep myself from gushing. Not only was Tucci Swing great, not only was meeting friends great, but so is the Porch for creating the atmosphere and community. I heard the sound check as I came out of the uptown end of the 145th street subway station on the D line. In addition to everything else, it is super convenient for me; I’m two blocks from the D and the Porch is right at the station. That helps create the community. We were sitting by the railing, there’s a porch above the sidewalk, and both times there people came up from the subway and talked to us. There was a woman dancing with her dog. People walking babies and children stopped to listen. We talked to other people in the audience, it’s a space that encourages that. It gives the feel of Falcon Ridge, of folk festivals. You don’t just have a wonderful experience; you also share it with others. I had a delicious smoked barbecue chicken panini. I’m not a beer drinking but knowing Mark, I know the beer has to be good. Since we met Mark has given me most of the beers I have had, as I only like great beer.
This was the total me experience, all my favorite things except for baseball. What made it special was that it was not a special event, it was just life as it should be. You appreciate it more when you’ve been denied it so long. Unfortunately, the summer music season has ended, but I’ll probably be back for their Halloween Party. They know how to do Halloween. Come join me. Come see Tucci Swing and the Ladles with me. Live your own best life. Some people get overwhelmed with the world’s ills. You’ll be happier if you use those as contrast to highlight the world’s treasures, they are all around you.
Wise Madness 