The First Journey to New Haven

I just found this. I'm not sure why I didn't post it before, but it's pretty neat story about the beginnings of the Burr project.

- JB 12/6/12


Part One: The First Journey to New Haven

Somehow, before my last bout of M.M paper-writing, I am finding the urge to recount my experiences with the Burr Van Nostrand project suitable. It won't be easy, but I'm going to try to create a detailed report of the project, from the time it began to form up to now. This is the first of what I think will be 3 posts.

Soon after I wrote initial blog post in June, I was happy to connect with Burr via phone and email. I think our first conversation was on July 1st or 2nd. I remember this because a few days later, I was on the road with the Roma Band of Boston, playing numerous Independence Day events. Shortly after this, I received the score to Voyage in a White Building I, and booked the first of what would be five trips to New Haven to meet with Burr before what would be our April 22nd concert. That first trip took place on August 17th, which was, coincidentally, the first day of direct Boston-to-New Haven service from Megabus. This trip would have taken at least four hours on another local bus line, so I was more than happy to learn of this new service.

Just a few days before I left, my teacher Anthony Coleman was in Boston for a rare pre-schoolyear series of concert appearances at the Yes Oui Si space, and the Whitehaus in Jamaica Plain. After the Yes Oui Si show, he pulled me aside for a moment to tell me that a member of the New World Records staff saw my blog post, and was happy to see rekindled interest in Burr's music. Unknown to me at the time, NWR was thinking about trying to release an album dedicated to archival recordings of Burr's music around 2003, but due to the lack of a direct NEC connection at the time, a record failed to materialize. I will be eternally grateful for this, as it has made our work now shine with a greater sense of purpose. I blissfully thought that we could be the first to bring this music back. At the time, there were no plans, but they were "talking" about it, and this was a great sign. I told Anthony that I'd be going to New Haven in a few days, and he asked me not to say anything about NWR yet. I didn't, but this really helped to build a great fire, which had been started by my earlier trip to the ACA.

Also in the days before my first trip to New Haven, I toldJoe Morris (another one of my teachers) that I'd be in town. He lives in a New Haven suburb, and we made plans to meet on the night I got down there. I arrived in New Haven on the morning of August 17th. Burr told me that he was driving an old wagoneer, and would be wearing a brightly colored shirt, so I couldn't miss him.

He picked me up from Union Station at 9:08AM, and we drove directly to his apartment in East Rock, a pleasant neighborhood that is home to a number of families, and members of the Yale community. He and his partner Ron made coffee while I got settled, and was greeted by their Weimaraner, Hadyn. Their apartment was spacious, and very organized. Paintings and dioramas covered the walls, and the color original of TUBA-TUBA (the first of Burr's pieces I'd ordered from the ACA) was framed in a corner by the TV. We began going through the score of Voyage, and listened to a number of various other things that Burr and Ron were enthusiastic about, including Gluck, Ernst Chausson, The Shangri-Las, and Ernie Kovacs.

Around 2PM, I went down the street to get a sandwich at a deli about a block away. The weather was great, and I sat outside, watching the mid-afternoon buzz of people walking their dogs, and returning students. If there's one thing that Boston doesn't have, it's a thriving local deli scene, where in a quiet neighborhood, you can just sit outside and watch the world. I was on vacation, and really enjoying it there!

When I got back to Burr's apartment, we listened to 45-minute long Lunar Possession Manual, and continued to work through Voyage. Anthony remembered hearing Lunar when he was a freshman at NEC, and asked me to inquire about the piece. Before I knew it, it was about 5 o'clock, and I met with Joe, who give me the "Grand Tour" of New Haven.

Everybody told me that if I was going to New Haven, I had to eat pizza, and that's exactly what we did. In New Haven, there are two places in particular that are really famous. So famous that you sometimes have to wait 2 or 3 hours to get a slice. We chose not to go that route, and instead drove out to a place in West Haven, where Joe grew up. On the way there, we went through the city. He pointed out all the landmarks, including the concert hall, several secret society buildings, the Firehouse 12 recording studio, the Neighborhood Music School, and Wooster Square, that place where you have to wait in a huge line to get a slice of Frank Pepe's Original Apizza.

We crossed the bridge over into West Haven, and when we got out of the car next to Zuppardi's Apizza, Joe pointed out the house where he grew up, his elementary school, and the church his family attended - all on that same block! It was at Zuppardi's that I got my first taste of New Haven Pizza, and the equally famous Foxon Park birch beer. After pizza, we went back to Wooster Square for gelato. I was really reminded of Boston's North End, a place that I love, and though it can't be replaced, this part of town gave me yet another great feeling that New Haven was a home away from home.

By the time I returned to East Rock, I had been awake for about 18 hours, and felt ready to pass out. I think it was then that we listened to several Chausson songs, and a few hours later, I went to sleep in their guest room. I woke up around 11AM the next day, we had breakfast, did more score study, and by 5PM, I was back on my way to Boston. I was sad to leave, but not too sad, as I knew the project would continue to grow, and I'd already had more than enough reasons to return!

5/2/12