I remember exactly the day when the Beatles arrived in America and not everyone, I have come to understand was so enthusiastic about it. The Beatles really had a massive effect on American culture and specifically the business of music. The Beatles literally changed the world.
In the sixties, 1964 to be precise, my family lived on the water in the last of a row of three modest houses. It was heaven, I woke up each summer morning to the golden sun rising over beautiful Long Island Sound and the beach.
The property was very long, and I remember one day my older sister came running down the sidewalk while I was playing in the yard screaming "The Beatles, the Beatles are here!". She was referring to the Beatles arriving in America and playing the "Ed Sullivan Show". I however heard that very differently.
I was terrified, I froze, she scared the hell out of me! All I knew about beetles at the time was that they were flying insects that were in the yard, and you sometimes found them roiled up in a big ball in the grass. I stayed away from them, and that is what I believed my sister was screaming about. I thought they were attacking her, and they would soon come for me!
But it turned out that my sister was screaming about the rock group The Beatles which I remember later watching on our black and white TV with the rabbit ears antenna on the Ed Sullivan Show. I liked "The Boys".
But there were others in America in the music business however who in time came to understand just how revolutionary the Beatles truly would in fact become and the effects both good and bad that would result. And that brings me to the subject of my story.
In the middle house in that row of three modest homes on that property overlooking beautiful Long Island Sound lived our neighbor, his name was Teddy. Teddy was a nice man, he lived with his what I understood to be his girlfriend or wife, Diana, a tall, beautiful straight haired blond model type. I rather liked when Diana would watch us at night here and there :)
They lived with their three long haired rather large to me at the time Afghan dogs which my brother and I would walk or attempt to walk now and then. They also had two other not so lofty pedigreed mutts. I remember one of which was a smaller black with a white patch pit bull mix he called "Chick".
Teddy, I understood was a musician and a sailor. I knew he played the vibraphones which I would get a glimpse of once in a while in his house. He also owned a big sailboat. In time he built a sailboat charter business, and I better understand now explained by the short video interview below why he played less and less music professionally and how the Beatles were directly involved.
I recently found this video of my former neighbor, jazz musician, Teddy Charles and I found it very informative related to the music industry he was immersed in at the time and how our American culture was being drastically changed both for the good and the bad. The ying and the yang of life, business and passions.
*Watch the short video here: Teddy Charles and other musicians in the 60's were not so enthralled with the Beatles arrival in America: https://youtu.be/VtUceNxn1pY?si=JzZ9KOfTX6fbXiic 4 min. 28 sec.
*Listen to Teddy here: "You Go To My Head", Teddy Charles Tentet: https://youtu.be/muCEB49FQlU?si=a0BYPVgZV5nHqKFB 4:25 min
Teddy Charles interview: "Master vibraphonist Teddy Charles, 80, has recorded his first studio album in 40 years. "Dances with Bulls" will be released by New York City jazz label Smalls Records on February 24, 2009. Erin Schultz interviews the legendary vibe player at his Riverhead, NY home, taking her down a terrific musical memory lane. The reporter for the Times/Review newspapers, an award-winning series of weeklies on the East End of Long Island, also hangs out for a weekly jam session with the man who played vibraphone with Charles Mingus, Charlie Parker and Miles Davis, to name a few."
I vividly remember the last time I saw Teddy on the street many years ago now, maybe around the time of this interview and we had an interesting but what turned out to be a sad conversation. Teddy had made note of a local young man who he saw getting involved with marijuana and the drug scene and he commented that nothing good would come of it. I remember he wanted to know if his parents knew about the situation. I told him unfortunately; the young man was from a broken home, and he was kind of on his own.
His comment to me was that he was concerned about the young man because of how many of his fellow musicians he witnessed go down the drug road. And his observation unfortunately was exactly correct. The young man that he was eyeballing just a few years later was claimed by that very same drug scene that has cost so many their lives.
And now we have come full circle, what's old is new in life as it is in the music business. You never really know in life where you are going to wind up. It's a crazy journey and not so much about arriving at a planned destination. Make the best of it that you can.
"Teddy Charles, born Theodore Charles Cohen, was a renowned American jazz musician and composer known for his work with the vibraphone, piano, and drums. He was a significant figure in the jazz scene, especially in the 1950s, and was known for his innovative approach to jazz music1. Charles was often praised by critics for his unique style and contributions to jazz. He was involved in various influential recordings and collaborations, including work with notable musicians like Miles Davis and Charles Mingus1. His albums, such as “New Directions” and “The Teddy Charles Tentet,” are considered important works in the jazz genre".
Note: I was listening to a jazz station on the radio just the other day while working on this Teddy Charles / Beatles story. And the son of a very well-known Spanish / Salsa genre musician who has a well-developed sense of music I know came in and casually commented. "Oh, Jazz, music for musicians". I thought that was a great spontaneous comment. Jazz is not for everyone :)
Are you paying attention yet America? JGL 7/29/24
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