Tuesday night after my Neuroscience Lecture here at Cambridge we had planned to pop over to the Bun Shop for live music once we were done with dinner. But sadly, they had no music. So we agreed to aim for The Haymakers some night soon. Hannah Critchlow found out that Thursdays are Jazz/Funk Jam Night there, so a group from Cambridge, and her friend Jo, made it out to Chesterton for the evening. I believe there was a little bait and switch: apparently Hannah tricked some of them into coming out by saying I was to join the jam. I quickly disposed of that rumor: my country-rock-blues-folksy songs would not fit in jive sonic palate being offered last night. Still, the people Hannah assembled were all really nice and fun to be with.
As with most, in fact all, musical events I’ve been too in Cambridge, the musicians were incredible. The jammed away all night doing songs by James Brown, Santana, and others in that vein, including a funk version of Day Tripper, which was really great.
In an earlier post I noted that I had come to realize that the Cambridge music scene was smaller than I thought at first since I started to see some of the same people at different places. Some readers took that as a dis of Cambridge, as compared to the NY, music opportunities. But I didn’t mean that small was bad. In fact, the music scene is Cambridge wonderful. There are actaully many venues, and for the cost of a pint you can listen to outstanding music all night. In NY you’d pay an admission fee and/or drink minimum, there would be 4-6 acts rotating through, one every hour, with a new drink minimum for each act, and the place would be jammed packed with people you’ve never seen before and never will again, and with the crowd changing for each act. Here, it’s a wonderfully elaxed atmosphere where many people know each other. In fact, I think a fair number of audience members are musicians at The Haymakers, at least that’s the way it seems from the 2 jams I’ve been to there.
I can say with certainty that I will long for The Haymakers, The Hopbine, The Corner House, Sung, and other wonderful live music venues in Cambridge when I return to NY.
This takes me to the song of the day by Eric Burden and the Animals: Please Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood.
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