Glenn Close recorded in U. P.

By STEVE SEYMOUR

You may remember Glenn Close for her Academy Award-nominated performance as Alex Forrest in 1987's "Basic Instinct," or as Madame de Merteuil in "Dangerous Liaisons" the following year.

Her most rabid fans, however, trace her professional beginnings to a record album which emanated from the Upper Peninsula's Mackinac Island in 1965.

Earlier that year, Close, born Mar. 19, 1947, formed a folk music group with three other young women, Jennie Dorn, Vee Entwistle and Kathe Green. Calling themselves The Green Glenn Singers, they sought "to write and sing songs which would give people a purpose and inspire them to live the way they were meant to live."

With that lofty goal, the quartet recorded two songs, both written by Close, for a long player called "Up With People," which, according to the jacket, featured the "Colwell Brothers and a cast of 130."

In fact, the Colwells--Ralph, Paul and Steve-- were also instrumental in conceiving and launching an "Up With People" organization, along with a couple of fellows named J. Blanton Belk and Herb Allen. Their intent was to to counter growing anti-establishment themes in popular culture with an inspiring music program aimed at reinforcing traditional American values.

The debut performance of "Up With People" came at a summer convention of Moral Re-Armament. Close was no stranger to the international group which sought to change society by changing individual behavior. Her wealthy family had been connected to the conservative evangelical organization since they sold their estate when Close was seven years old.

A native of Greenwich, Conn., Close joined "Up with People" upon graduation from high school.

As presented on Mackinac Island, the musical program was dominated by the Colwells, but also contained selections by Linda Blackmore and Charles Woodard, a 19-year-old operatic tenor.

Strumming an acoustic guitar, Close sang "Run and Catch the Wind" and "The Happy Song," neither composition lasting more than two minutes. Close's songs may not have been profound, but they weren't embarrassing, either. "Think of something big to do, run and catch the wind, someone else will follow you," she sings in language that might summarize the album's concept.

Meanwhile, "The Happy Song" urges listeners to abandon sadness and despair: "The sky will stay in your heart if you care, the sun will shine though the earth may be bare."

The LP containing her songs appeared in late 1965 or early 1966. The Colwell Brothers are pictured prominently on the color cover along with some celebrity endorsers, namely John Wayne, Pat Boone and Walt Disney. The three entertainment moguls, dressed in suits and ties, proudly associated themselves with the rightwing project.

"These are songs you'll never forget," exclaimed Boone. A pop music sensation in the late Fifties, Boone presumably knew what he was talking about. He had 16 Top Ten songs to his credit and toured with his wife and daughters during the time this album was introduced.

The Green Glenn Singers are captured in a group photograph on the back. Close and her partners are shown performing in identical costumes, complete with frilly sleeves and necklines, surely the fashion of the day for youthful conservatives.

With the performance broadcast on television, the myriad singers set out on an Asian tour at the request of the prime minister of Japan. There and in South Korea, The Green Glenn Singers performed their original material as well as Korean and Japanese folk songs, "electrifying audiences."

Upon the group's return to the United States, three additional "Up With People" casts were formed to spread over North America, Europe, South and Central American and Japan.

Close met her first husband, rock guitarist Cabot Wade, while on tour. They were married in 1969, but divorced two years later.

After four years, Close quit "Up With People" to attend the College of William and Mary where she earned a bachelors degree in drama and anthropology. Her first big- screen acting role came in "The World According to Garp" in 1982.

While Close calls her time with "Up With People" her "lost years," she hasn't given up singing. A diehard fan of the New York Mets, the Hollywood icon traditionally croons "The Star- Spangled Banner" for the club's home opening day game.

Now, Mackinac Islanders can add Close to the things they boast about. You know: carriages, the Grand Hotel and "Somewhere in Time." Oh yeah, I almost forgot the fudge. I wonder if Glenn Close has a sweet tooth?

Tech's jazz LP reverberates

By STEVE SEYMOUR

A jazz album recorded at Michigan Technological University in Houghton continues to echo persistently, although it was laid down more than three decades ago.

"Some Like It Hot, Some Like It Cool," was the brainchild of Don Keranen, founder of the jazz studies program, and featured the Jazz Lab Band on one side and the Larry Scott Quartet on the flip.

"It was Don's idea and we were all behind it," recalled Mike Irish, one of just two student musicians to appear with both bands on the recording.

Irish told me the album was recorded in Fisher Hall on the MTU campus in a "pretty hectic" two-day period in April, 1974. Tech student Rick Fisher produced the sessions for Fisher Sound and Recording using a top-of-the line Crown 2-track tape machine.

Keranen's involvement with the project went beyond conceiving the idea. As assistant professor of music, he had created the university's Jazz Lab Band in the fall of 1967. The band was composed of 20 students from all curricula except music, since the Upper Peninsula school does not offer a degree in that field.

The Jazz Lab Band proved to be quite popular, touring statewide from 1968-1974. They appeared at Bay de Noc Community College in Escanaba, Northern Michigan Uinversity in Marquette, Suomi College in Hancock and Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie. They also performed on campuses in Dearborn, Duluth and Eau Claire. The band hosted concerts by jazz greats Woody Herman and Maynard Ferguson. They also demonstrated their improvisational skills on WLUC-TV in Marquette.

With a core rhythm section of Irish on guitar, Dan Clore on piano, Bob Jacobsen on bass, and drummer Jeff Marcin, the Jazz Lab Band's impressive array of trumpets, trombones and saxophones was used to full effect in recording the five tracks for the "hot" side of the platter. Selections included "Shiny Stockings," "Eli's Coming," "Here's That Rainy Day" and "Bill's Blues." Irish's favorite from the top side is "A Little Minor Booze" by Willie Maiden. "Jack Buckler, our lead alto who was an alumni of the Quincy Jones and Woody Herman bands, just tears it up," Irish relates.

Three lengthy compositions, meanwhile, performed by the Larry Scott Quartet, make up the "cool" portion of the project. "Air on a G Thing" and "Dawn," are both by Scott, then a physics major; while Herbie Hancock's "Watermelon Man" rounds out the ensemble side.

The group was formed in Oct., 1973, to enable its members a more intimate style than possible with a larger group. Besides Scott on keyboards, the group included Irish on guitar and electric bass, Marcin on drums and faculty member Keranen on electric bass, piccolo, flute and alto saxophone. They "cooked" immediately and performed weekly at the infamous Homonyn Lounge at the Library Bar in downtown Houghton.

Gaining popularity, the quartet played a jazz concert on campus in December and followed that with a ten-stop tour of Michigan schools in Feb., 1974. Their busy schedule continued as they performed at the Seventh Annual Jazz Festival at the University of Wisconsin- Eau Claire in March and at a concert of their own during Tech Arts Festival Week in April, where the band was recorded for the LP. That was followed shortly thereafter by a performance at Northern Michigan University during the annual NMU-MTU Jazz Festival.

When issued, the history-making long-play jazz album featured a pair of black & white photos on the cover taken by Charles Eshbach of the school's communications services department. To illustrate their style, the Jazz Lab Band, clothed in towels, was pictured in a sauna, while the quartet was photographed in snow.

The jazz studies department prospered over the years, but Keranen, a native of Baraga, became restless. In 1990, he quit to pursue his dream of making his living as a jazz musician. He was well received in New York City, Miami and Jamaica, where he was known as Doctor Keys, a reference to his piano mastery. Keranen, still beloved by faculty and former students, died unexpectedly in 2002.

You might think that would draw this story to a close, but Keranen's jazz studies department is now headed by one of his former students and bandmate from three decades ago, Mike Irish. He's no slacker as a teacher, having earned numerous awards. As a jazz guitarist, Irish has performed with Clark Terry, Louis Bellson, Dizzy Gillespie, Rob McConnell, Don Ellis, Steve Houghton and Frank Mantooth. He also has two solo jazz compact discs to his credit, "Northern Standard Time" and "Last Month of the Year."

For a school which doesn't offer a music major, jazz continues to be a crucial part of life on the Houghton campus. To prove it, the department is planning a big reunion bash March 23&24 at the Rozsa Center to celebrate "40 Years of Jazz at MTU- Still Cooler than the Lake."

According to Irish, "The JLB Alumni Band will ride again and the current Jazz Lab Band will be in concert with guest artists Steve Wiest, former lead trombone with Maynard Ferguson, and Steve Zenz, a top-call drummer from Milwaukee, on Mar. 24. It's going to be a great weekend."

Actually, you might call it an echo from the past.

Garcia's Alpine show bittersweet

Finding two old San Francisco newspapers in a trunk recently reminded me of the sorrowful day in 1995 we learned of the death of Jerry Garcia and of the occasion six years before when my wife Sue and I saw him perform for the last time.

The newspapers, the Examiner and rival Chronicle, were sent to me by friend Bill Cook, who was working in California at the time and knew I was a big fan of Garcia, lead guitarist of the Grateful Dead, possibly America's greatest live band.

Of course, Garcia's passing on Aug. 9 at age 53 was a significant event, covered extensively by radio and television, so I was already aware of the news those papers contained when they arrived on my doorstep a few days later.

The Examiner was the first to carry the story, headlined simply "Jerry Garcia dies," which appeared at the top of the front page just hours after the musician was found dead in his room at a Marin County drug rehabilitation center.

Published in the morning, the Chronicle had to wait until the following day to unveil its Garcia coverage with a story and pictures taking up three-fifths of page one, under the headline "Jerry was a true San Franciscan." The story was also the focus of a special section contained in that day's edition.

While the stories recalled many memories, the final time we saw Garcia in concert was not at a Grateful Dead show. The innovative guitarist took his Jerry Garcia Acoustic Band to the Alpine Valley Music Theatre in East Troy on Sept. 15, 1989. Sadly, the show proved to be Garcia's last appearance in Wisconsin.

Fans of the Grateful Dead, famous for legions of faithful followers as well as hits like "Touch of Grey," and "Truckin'," know that Garcia's immense talent could not be contained within one of the most well-known bands to come out of the psychedelic San Francisco scene of the 60s.

Besides a repertoire of songs often separate from the Grateful Dead's setlist, Garcia brought an opening act featuring the acoustic work of Bob Weir and Rob Wasserman.

With Weir, himself a founding member of the Grateful Dead, on guitar and vocals and Wasserman on bass, the duo opened their set with Robert Johnson's classic "Walking Blues." They added "Festival," "The Winner," "K.C. Moan," "Artificial Flowers," Bob Dylan's "When I Paint My Masterpiece" and "Shade of Gray." That was followed by a jam comprised of "Easy to Slip," "Victim or the Crime" and "Throwing Stones."

The crowd being suitably warmed up, the pair ended their set with "Misty," as the sun went down and the late summer temperatures began to fall.

Garcia's band, up next, included stand-up bassist John Kahn, David Kemper on snare drums, acoustic guitarist David Nelson and Sandy Rothman on mandolin and dobro, as well as a special guest in the person of Clarence Clemons, sax man for the E Street Band. Their first set opened with a blistering version of Marvin Gaye's "How Sweet It Is (to Be Loved by You)," followed by Peter Tosh's "Stop That Train," Dylan's "Forever Young," "Run for the Roses," "Like a Road," "My Sisters and Brothers" and "Deal."

The second set was equally impressive: "Harder They Come," "Mission in the Rain," "That's What Love Will Make You Do," "I Second That Emotion," "Waiting for a Miracle," "Don't Let Go" and "Lonesome and a Long Way From Home."

Clemons, the saxophonist known as "The Big Man" in Bruce Springsteen's band, showed a symbiosis with Garcia during an incredible version of the Jesse Stone-penned "Don't Let Go," near the end of the night's program.

Still, it didn't matter what songs Garcia played. He demonstrated his remarkable improvisational skills, moving through folk, reggae, rhythm & blues and traditional selections with ease. Revealing a side of his musical personality not always evident at Grateful Dead performances, Garcia clearly enjoyed himself. The audience clearly enjoyed the show as well. Although thousands of people were in attendance, it was like spending a pleasant evening with a close friend.

As we walked to our car in the cool night air following the concert, we couldn't have known this would be the last time we would see Garcia, one of the great treasures of American music.

That was the sad revelation of coming across a couple of yellowed newspapers in a rarely opened trunk.

Transistor radio's impact lasts

It was just a tiny portable music delivery system, but what an impact it had. This electronic device could fit in the palm of your hand and when equipped with a nine-volt battery would supply you with hours of music as long you were within range of an AM radio station.

For its time, the transistor radio was as revolutionary as today's i-pod, which can store your favorite songs for instant recall whenever you want.

The i-pod's precursor was invented in 1953 and substituted bulky vacuum tubes with transistorized circuitry to reduce the the size of the appliance from that of a toaster to a couple of decks of cards.

By the early 60s, the electronics industry had flooded the market with a variety of models.

I got one of the new gadgets at about the same time I started delivering newspapers for the Escanaba Daily Press.

My radio was a memorable turquoise in color and I carried it on my route every afternoon listening to music and news broadcasts as I tossed papers on porches of subscribers bordering the Escanaba Country Club.

The miraculous machine received two AM stations during the day, more at night. I could choose between the powerful WDBC at 680, or the weak WLST at 600, both located on Ludington St.. There were no FM stations in Escanaba at the time, and even if there were, my radio wasn't configured for that format anyway.

Those competing local broadcast facilities offered everything you needed in radio, whether it was news or music.

Of course, I read the front page headlines as I was walking along, but I could also get the latest developments on the CBS News with Douglas Edwards at the top of the hour on WDBC. Music offerings ranged from the easy listening songs of the era to light pop tracks.

I took over route 47 from John LaPorte, longtime Escanaba photographer, in July, 1963 and kept it through high school. During that time, the artists broadcast on local radio evolved from The Four Seasons and Bobby Vinton to The Supremes, Beach Boys and Beatles. Later, deejays would add Simon & Garfunkel, The Turtles, and Bobbie Gentry to the list. Yes, you could still hear Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and Pat Boone, too. The news, however, was often the same.

The assassination of President Kennedy was announced over the PA system at the Escanaba Junior High, where I was attending 7th grade, a little after 2 p. m. on Nov. 22. The Daily Press was published late that day as the staff rushed to revise the front page to reflect the tragic developments in Dallas. Events seemed to repeat themselves in later years as I delivered newspapers reporting the shocking political murders of Rev. Martin Luther King in Memphis and Sen. Robert F. Kennedy in Los Angeles.

In fact, the news and music worlds intersected when Dion DiMucci released "Abraham, Martin and John" in the fall of 1968. "Has anybody seen my old friend Bobby; Can you tell me where he's gone?" the Bronx-born singer asked. The tribute to Lincoln, King and the slain Kennedy brothers became a No. 4 hit.

Having a "transistor," as the compact receivers came to be called, meant I had control over the listening experience, unlike the car radio, or the one on the kitchen counter. My little radio caused me to be interested in current events, even music, since listening requires you to be actively involved.

One day in 1969, I walked my route for the last time and passed it on to my brothers Mark and Kevin. In six years, I had saved enough to pay my tuition at Bay de Noc Community College for two years.

My interest in music and the news media continued at Bay where I edited the Beacon student newspaper and at Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant where I received a degree in journalism. After graduation, I found myself working in the editorial department of the newspaper I used to deliver and later in public relations for the Upper Peninsula Commission for Area Progress.

In 1985, my excitement for music surfaced again as my wife Sue and I opened our retail record store. We even wrote to Dion and he sent us one of his trademark caps which he had autographed.

Then, a year and a half ago, my friend Rick Rudden, editor of the Daily Press, asked me to contribute this weekly column, finally merging my love of music and writing.

Although I've enjoyed rewarding careers in both those fields, my early interest stems from a little transistor radio, turquoise in color, with a big impact.