On March 26, 2000, I sang "Down So Low"---a song by Tracy Nelson & Mother Earth from Madison WI in 1968---I first heard it on the radio around then. I was struck by the harmony although I didn't know what to call it (the song starts out as a blues in A and winds up in Eb) and by this non-girly-ness of the message. So I arranged it for tuba, two trombones, Trinidadian steel pan and me for Phil Kline's "Your Hit Parade"--a curation by the downtown marathon guru which included at least 25 composers, poets, filmmakers and you-name-it all re-constructing their favorite pop song.

The emperor of boombox minimalism, Phil Kline's past curations have included the Alternative Schubertiade held at American Opera Projects' Soho loft in spring '97 (released in '99 on CRI). All of them have been explosions of downtown composerly creativity which I've been proud to be a part of.

As you can see above, there wasn't room for me or the pan player, Lyndon Achee (as a result not in the photo), on stage and we couldn't dig up enough music stands. We gave the horns the existing stands but there was a section I really needed to look at---hey, even though I write it, doesn't mean I can perform it--I've found out the hard way---So two volunteers stepped up from the audience to help out:

my daughter Rosie Mandel and photographer Susan Buck's daughter Heather Rose. You can see them waiting patiently.

Left to right: Kitty Brazelton, singing; Bob Stewart, tuba; Julie Josephson, trombone; Rose Mandel and Heather Rose; Curtis Hasselbring, trombone; and the New Museum audience.

Photo courtesy of moto-journalist Susan Buck, Thunder Press---Susanbuck@aol.com.

MORE SHOTS OF NEW MUSEUM CONCERT 3/26/00