Inside a Small Circle of Friends:
The John Street Jam
by Peter Aaron
“...Soon after, Tower began to adopt the graceful
and organic technique for which she is now so revered; taking
a leaf from her geologist father, several of Tower’s
greatest efforts reference the colorful worlds of minerals
and nature—“Black Topaz,” “Platinum
Spirals” (both 1976), “Silver Ladders” (1986),
“Big Sky” (2000), the ballet “Stepping Stones”
(1993), and “Sequoia” (1981), which resoundingly
evokes the imposing majesty of a massive redwood tree by utilizing
a full symphonic orchestra and some 25 percussion instruments.
“It’s a lot of work, but it’s really a labor of
love for us,” says Steve, who lives in Saugerties and commutes
with Terri to the private biochemical and biology research foundation
in Cold Spring at which they both work. “We have fun coming up
with the ideas for the fifth Saturday Jams, which are our ‘theme
nights.’ For those, we’ve had themes like ‘Guitar
Night,’ which highlighted solo–guitar pieces, and ‘Beatles
Night,’ where everyone did Beatles songs. The next theme night,
on March 29, is ‘ATF Night’—songs about alcohol,
tobacco, and firearms.”
Perhaps unsurprisingly, both Steve and Terri are longtime musicians
themselves and even performed at the Jam in its early days. Between
Jams, in addition to directing the children’s choir at Dutch
Arms, Terri plays bass in local combos Dick Vincent’s Big River
Band and the Cover Girls, while Steve gives guitar lessons in the evenings
at the couple’s home. But the Jam still takes center stage.
“It’s about the music, but not only the music,” says
Steve. “We really want to foster a spirit of community and friendship,
that’s what the Jam is really all about. Like it says on our
website, it’s like a circle of friends.”
CONTINUE...
|
