I remember being very young and sitting at the piano, hearing the notes and chords ring out as I played. I knew there was something special in that sound, some kind of freedom.
- Laura Nyro (October 18, 1947 - April 8, 1997)
Ingredients
1 Italian, Catholic, jazz musician, kind hearted father
1 Russian, Jewish, classical music loving, social activist mother
2 heaping cups of mid 20th century New York City
1 subtle sense of an early mortality
1 subtle sense of an early mortality
Season liberally with poetry and painting
Instructions
Combine ingredients and marinate for 17 years.
Could it be this easy? If you’ve done it correctly, you should be able to create a song like “And When I Die”, with all it’s musical homages and lyrical creativity and depth when you are 17 years of age. But don’t try it. You will only be disappointed. You can’t go back in time anymore than there will ever be another Laura Nyro.
On April 8, 1997, the world lost a true artist when Laura Nyro passed away at the age of 49 due to ovarian cancer. The disease also claimed the life of her grandmother, her aunt, and her mother, also at the age of 49. I don't use the term "artist" here lightly. Quietly in her writing Laura often grappled with the idea that she may have a short time on this earth, and yet she left us with a most glorious and celebratory music. She came of age in a time of great unrest in our country and the world which affected her deeply, and yet she transformed that angst into a very hopeful and purposeful music.
Laura Nyro was turned off by fame and celebrity and as her popularity grew beyond anything she was ever comfortable with, the people who were making money off of her asked her to do something that she didn't know how to do - stay the same. They wanted more "Wedding Bell Blues" and more "Stoned Soul Picnic", but Laura, ever the artist, saw it as if they were asking her to die. Laura was only comfortable in her music if she was exploring. Of her song "Wedding Bell Blues" she said, "It's a three minute song with a simple hook; the universe captured in a three minute song, like a painting on a page. It's a musical starting point and you could stay with it or take it to the ends of the earth, but, as beautiful as simplicity is, it can become a tradition that stands in the way of exploration.". She fought the industry "suits" for a few years before she "retired" at the age of 24 in 1971, and I thank God that she did as in 1969 she created a record that is one of the most important in my life, New York Tendaberry. All of Laura's music is a comfort and a joy and a companion and it reminds me to continue to explore, especially when it feels uncomfortable.
After years of advocacy by her fans, Laura will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in April 2012. It is not that I think this is needed to validate Laura's career, talent, and her influence, but I do take pleasure in her getting her due. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame eligibility criteria has become something of a joke, but they actually got this right. I just wish Laura was here to see it.
In case you were wondering, yes, there was "one child born", Laura's son, Gil, and "a world to carry on", us. It's like she knew. It's like she saw ahead.
On April 8, 1997, the world lost a true artist when Laura Nyro passed away at the age of 49 due to ovarian cancer. The disease also claimed the life of her grandmother, her aunt, and her mother, also at the age of 49. I don't use the term "artist" here lightly. Quietly in her writing Laura often grappled with the idea that she may have a short time on this earth, and yet she left us with a most glorious and celebratory music. She came of age in a time of great unrest in our country and the world which affected her deeply, and yet she transformed that angst into a very hopeful and purposeful music.
Laura Nyro was turned off by fame and celebrity and as her popularity grew beyond anything she was ever comfortable with, the people who were making money off of her asked her to do something that she didn't know how to do - stay the same. They wanted more "Wedding Bell Blues" and more "Stoned Soul Picnic", but Laura, ever the artist, saw it as if they were asking her to die. Laura was only comfortable in her music if she was exploring. Of her song "Wedding Bell Blues" she said, "It's a three minute song with a simple hook; the universe captured in a three minute song, like a painting on a page. It's a musical starting point and you could stay with it or take it to the ends of the earth, but, as beautiful as simplicity is, it can become a tradition that stands in the way of exploration.". She fought the industry "suits" for a few years before she "retired" at the age of 24 in 1971, and I thank God that she did as in 1969 she created a record that is one of the most important in my life, New York Tendaberry. All of Laura's music is a comfort and a joy and a companion and it reminds me to continue to explore, especially when it feels uncomfortable.
After years of advocacy by her fans, Laura will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in April 2012. It is not that I think this is needed to validate Laura's career, talent, and her influence, but I do take pleasure in her getting her due. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame eligibility criteria has become something of a joke, but they actually got this right. I just wish Laura was here to see it.
In case you were wondering, yes, there was "one child born", Laura's son, Gil, and "a world to carry on", us. It's like she knew. It's like she saw ahead.
