Mr. Betty and I have enjoyed any number of musical venues (and the music therein) over the past few weeks: from classical at The Breakers, to Bela Fleck at the Yachting Center, to some of Super Son's friends at Billy Goode's, to a bit (just a bit) of the Folk Fest at Fort Adams. Wanda Jackson, the 74-year-old Queen of Rockabilly, just-so-happened to be singing something pretty catchy about "a riot going on" as we scooted past a veritable sea of listeners on our way to Mackerel Cove for a swim.
And in terms of Fleck — though it's a little past tense at this point — we were equally impressed by Flecktone Victor Wooten on bass and his brother, percussionist Future Man (that's what he calls himself), as we were by Fleck. Which is saying something, 'cause Fleck is/was pretty amazing ...
Then, when I thought there couldn't possibly be any more (and Newport Jazz is yet to come!), I ran into some old bells. Seriously, on top of the usual Sunday morning concert emanating at about 9:30 a.m. from Channing steeple, there was a bell concert emanating from a bell-laden trailer of sorts on Sunday afternoon. So, while a capacity crowd were enjoying the whole sold-out scene at Fort Adams, a large-ish crowd of folk were enjoying another whole scene on Pelham Street.
There's another whole scene, of course, a little farther down Pelham, a little later at night. But I won't even attempt to go there ...
HA! Joke's on me: I thought the bells were old, but then I endeavored to translate their Roman numerals only to realize that Anno MCMXCII = 1992. Not that relative youth makes the bells or their music any less beautiful ...
