Ripley Music Hall, Philadelphia
Carol Bowman sent me this synchronicity, which was experienced by Adam, a pianist and composer. It’s a good one!
From Adam:
This is a post for those interested in synchronicity.
Earlier today I found myself ruminating specifically on the concluding French Horn section-like passage on the Oberheim 4-Voice, from [“Phase Dance”] the 1978 “Pat Metheny Group” album. What might the Lexicon digital reverb or MXR digital delay settings be—to magically enhance—that plethora of sawtooth Oberheim oscillators? I wondered.
Then, I go early to the Settlement Music School in Philadelphia, where I teach in the evening. I’m walking near South Street, with arbitrary music playing in my earbuds. I pass a car, with the back-passenger right-side door open, and there is a man on his knees, working on—it appeared—his car’s stereo system. I did a double-take. The music loudly emanating from his car was the very same concluding Oberheim passage that I had been ruminating on earlier.
When I became conscious of this, the passage was literally just beginning. I’m in The Twilight Zone. After a delightful conversation with the man (I happened to—unusually—be wearing a blue Lyle Mays “Street Dreams” t-shirt), I put the Pat Metheny “Selected Recordings” album on, and went directly to “Phase Dance” (1978). I began walking in South Philly.
By the time I randomly got to the locale that was previously “Ripley Music Hall,” where most of the Metheny Group album “Travels” was recorded, I happened to be up to “Are You Going With Me” on the “Selected Recordings” album, which is the only piece from “Travels” where we know beyond a shadow of a doubt (because Pat said so) that it was recorded at Ripley Music Hall.
So I’m standing feet away where— arguably —the definitive version of the archetypal Metheny tune was recorded; listening to it. Goose bumps. Cosmic! The picture here is of “Ripley Music Hall”— today.
