James Taylor Concert

Posted on by Thor

On May 18th The Friends of the Orlando Philharmonic met at the Springs Community, in Longwood for a James Taylor Tribute Concert. The event was catered by Bubbalou’s Bodacious BBQ. While it was still light, everyone got their fill of BBQ chicken and an open bar. As the sun set we all moved down to seating set up on the edge of the spring looking across from the stage. Others set up blankets on the grass hill that sloped down towards the spring with their own private picnics. The the annual outdoor concert at The
Springs featured an amazing tribute to the quintessential American
singer, songwriter James Taylor.

“Shower The People” was a faithfully rendered presentation of more
than two dozen James Taylor classics from his iconic pop masterpiece
“Fire And Rain” to the Carole King treasure “You’ve  Got A Friend.” These songs
have become entrenched as part of the musical landscape of our lives.
The presentation explored a retrospective journey of
James Taylor’s music and revealed anecdotal information about the history and
creative process behind many of these musical gems. “Fire and Rain” chronicled James’ experience in a mental institution the McLean Hospital in Massachusetts as a senior in high school. The fire in the song refers to his shock therapy. Rain is the cold showers that follow shock therapy. “Suzanne the plans they made put an end to you,” refers to Suzanne
Schnerr, a childhood friend of his who committed suicide while he was
away recording his first album.

“Shower The People” featured the voice and guitar work of Neil
Donell. Respected as Canada’s premier session vocalist and referred to
in the media as the “man of a thousand voices,” He was accompanied by a group of the most accomplished musicians and singers in
the country, including Kathryn Rose, Leah Salomaa, Paul DeLong, Bob McAlpine, Jay Speziale and Lou Pomanti. The entire Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra offered gentle backup. Heat lightning flashed on the horizon while star light flickered on the water. The concert ended with “How Sweet It Is” and as we walked under the huge Live Oaks up the grass hill back to the car, it began to rain. Some lady pushed and shoved past me, running over my toes with her beer cooler. I pushed and shoved right back. The magic of the music was gone and I fumed in bumper to bumper traffic.

Wedding of Jonathan David and Anna Marie West

Posted on by Thor

Jonathan David West invited me to sketch his wedding to Anna Marie. I met the couple for the first time at the Day of the Dead festivities at City Arts factory. The wedding took place at The Springs Gated Community (400 Woodbridge Road Longwood, FL).  I arrived early as groomsmen were getting dressed in their tuxedos. Jonathan, still in a T shirt, saw me and explained that the wedding would take place at the gazebo down by the spring.

I walked down to the water’s edge. The gazebo was dark. I picked my sketching spot because I liked the way a weather vane stork silhouetted against the sky. A Renaissance trio of musicians set up in the gazebo and Christmas lights flickered on.

The wedding was short, sweet and to the point. When the couple was pronounced man and wife, someone pulled out the plug by mistake and the gazebo wend dark. They must have scrambled fast because soon the lights came back on. The couple then ignited a flame that filled a paper bag hot air balloon. The glowing orb floated up, just missed some tree branches and then floated up to the clouds. Everyone was given sparklers. I decided my sketch was done, so I joined everyone forming a double sided line. All the guests raised their sparklers and the newly wed couple ran under the sparkling canopy.

The reception was held at the top of the hill in a club house. There were perhaps fifty guests but I didn’t do a head count. Every puppeteer in Orlando seemed to be there. Jonathan and Anna are both puppeteers. After guests had their meals, Jonathan and Anna put on a puppet show. They had made puppets in their own likeness and they told the story of how they met. They were childhood friends, that used to talk for hours on the phone and play together. For Anna’s 16th birthday, Jonathan took her out. She hoped he would kiss her that night, but the moment slipped by.  Once Jonathan walked an incredible distance, crossing townships, to see Anna. When she asked him why he had come, he unfortunately replied that he just wanted to go for a walk.

College sent the kids to different states.  They each got married starting separate lives and families. Anna had seven children. Those marriages eventually both lead to divorces. Many years later, Jonathan and Anna both moved to Orlando for different reasons. After so many years apart, there was still a spark that remained from their adolescent romance that burned bright. Once again Jonathan and Anna were inseparable. Their respective puppets took a bow and everyone in the room stood and applauded.