John McLaughlin in New York City

The Jazz Bus: John McLaughlin in NYC
Sticking with as one reader suggested “what you know” and staying away from a political slant I hit the road again last weekend, heading west to the greatest metropolis in the world, New York City. Taking the Iron Horse into Penn Station, my friends and I headed to a favorite watering hole to rustle up some chow, and a few “diet cokes” before entering “Town Hall”, an intimate historical spot in NYC, which for the past 80 plus years has served as a cultural center for the performing arts. Originally built to house a “vibrant group of suffragists”, the hall officially opened to the public on January 12, 1921, after the 19th Amendment had been passed. Having in its design no box seats as to best “reflect the democratic principles” of its founders, the stage has been graced over the years by the presence of such artists as Edna St. Vincent Millay in her first performance as well as the debut of Marian Anderson, Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Cissey Houston, Carole King, and Woody Allen to name a few.
Our show was John McLaughlin, guitarist extraordinaire and his band. It’s been many a moon since his days with Miles Davis or the original Mahavishnu Orchestra, but since his latest release is a tribute to John Coltrane’s (my all-time favorite) influence on McLaughlin I felt it might be time to reacquaint myself with his music. With the seats being reasonably cheap I encouraged my two music compatriots to join me because as we say “this is what we do”. Remembering McLaughlin is an acquired taste I cautioned them, this could be very strange.
A beautiful fall evening in Manhattan, night fall, thousands crowding the streets from Penn to Times Square, yet eeriness was afoot. Many armed soldiers were patrolling the LIRR area and the streets outside of MSG. Down 7th Avenue, a few NYPD cars were noticed. The pedestrian mall once known as Times Square also had an armed presence.
The two hour show was quite enjoyable as McLaughlin led his band through his catalogue while emulating Coltrane’s sax runs. Outside as we walked back to Penn there were NYFD trucks, lights flashing, and firemen walking about with equipment, hoses, and radios blaring. Siren sounded in the distance. Walking on Sixth Avenue, just turning the corner to the Garden, seven NYPD patrol cars in succession, sirens blasting, sped by us toward Fifth. Strange night indeed.
One of my buddies had NY Giants tickets for that Sunday. The previous evening of noticing all the emergency services in the area did not truly register with me until the lights and TV feed went out in Giants Stadium that evening. He said inside was a bit chaotic, especially when cell phone service was non-existent during “the power outage”. Speaking to the other third of our trio on Monday he said something that totally alarmed me, “I always felt safe in NYC, but the other night (Saturday) was a bit surreal, and when the lights went out at the game I feared the worse”. Strange indeed. jazzbus@gmail.com