This week's Issa's Sunday Service is conducted by the always amazing David Bromberg. This song was a big favorite of mine over 20 years ago and I'd completely forgotten about it until I started thinking about songs for this feature. The song is "Kaatskill Seranade" and I'm gonna guess that most folks aren't overly familiar with this old chestnut. The lit connection is subtle enough that some folks miss it; Mr. B. refuses to name it and I love him for it. But, here you go; the poster above and the passing of 20 years are a couple of big hints.
Enjoy.
Last week, I got so carried away with posting the Anne Sexton song that I completely forgot that I've been posting poems from the archive, ascending from #1. So, to make up for that goof, I'll post two today, with Issa closing up shop as usual. The first is from #12, in April 1990, he second from #14, June 1990:
Gullied Lives
Raw ravines
corrugated
by wind and rain
and time.
Hearts don't break.
They weather.Albert Huffstickler
Dean Martin Sings OtelloWhen the moon hits your eye
like a big pizza pie
Desdemona.Edmund Conti
over my midday nap
the scent of lotuses
meanders
Issa
translated by David Lanoue
best,
Don
PS One interesting aside about "Kaatskill Serenade:" it is one of the songs that surfaces now and again from the famous lost Dylan session of the early 90's that was produced by Bromberg.
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3 comments:
My Aunt and Uncle moved out of The City early 50's to Beacon Hills near Bear Mountain IN THE CATSKILLS upstate New York built a house outside of Beacon Hills near Fishkil where many poets,writers, singers, Broadway folk who were run out of their trades (and The City) by the McCarthy RED SCARE crap...
I used to spend a month or more up there summers
about 1950-56 or so
that beer was brewed all over NEW YORK and I think that they owned the basketball team at one point at least the them is named after them
there was also a fire or a roof collapse at the Knickerbocker Theater in which my great aunt (and many others) was killed
(Pete Seeger's daughter went to school (Fishkill, High School) with my cousin, Ellen, and Pete's daughter wrote the highschool theme-song)
tehere was a great deal more going on in The Catskills beside those cliched hollywood summer camps sturr-films
lots of muxid especially folk and symphony... and poets;artists galore.
One of my favorite Bromberg songs from my favorite Bromberg album. Haven't heard this in years. Last fall I pulled Irving's Shetchbook of the shelf & read a few peices including the story of poor old Rip.
Loving the Catskill memories ...
Bart, poor old Rip, indeed - we've all woken up and its 20 years later - new contrib issues going out today, with one of your little gems.
Don
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