Harlow at Harvard

Wendy Caplin

OK everyone, it’s been awhile. So first I will catch you up on some of Harlow’s adventures. He had been working really hard for a year on his Venezuela trip which finally happened last weekend. He worked his ass off getting it together. Arranging for a lot of the artists and then they all had to be fingerprinted and signed off by their doctors before they could get visas. Of course, the money and the plane tickets didn’t come through till the last minute causing further agita. And he spent a lot of time rescheduling his flight for early in the day so he could have some time to see his "daughter" and "granddaughter". So on Thursday morning at 5 AM he left for the airport and naturally there were problems. The baggage carousel broke and the flight was postponed till late afternoon (yes, the very flight he worked so hard to change). But he couldn’t get his bags back so they went to Puerto Rico. He came home looking wretched and then set out later and arrived in Venezuela (sans suitcase) and then got caught in traffic and hit the hotel about midnight. And from then on it was downhill. The stage was not ready. There was no time to sound check or rehearse. He wasn’t able to contact one of the singers to find out what he wanted to sing. They went on late. The singer arrived on stage late and was extremely hostile to him. And while they were performing the security guards that had been hired to watch the box office pulled guns on the ticket guys and robbed all the proceeds. The next night was equally rough. They didn’t go on until 2 AM and when they got on stage discovered that someone had removed the piano and some amps and he had to perform on a ‘toy’ piano. Not something he enjoyed but there was no time to find a replacement. He got back to the hotel at 5 AM and at 6 he had to head for the airport where the planes were delayed. Oh yeah, he finally got his bags late Saturday. They had been sitting there for a day. And they had been broken into and a number of things were stolen. He came home even more wretched and slept for a few days.

On Friday morning (this week) we got up early and Harlow went to rent a car for some of his band members and the car service he had called was 40 minutes late and we missed our flight to Boston. But it was a shuttle and we took the next. Though they put us through the ringer about locking the suitcase and then thoroughly searched us. But we landed at Logan at noon to beautiful weather and were whisked to Harvard Square by Cesar. This weekend was the Jewish Latin Mix. A master class on Friday taught by Harlow and accompanied by his jazz band (Latin Jazz Encounter). We were taken to A Friendly Inn on Cambridge Street which is an incredibly cute Bed & Breakfast. A little red house and what is called "hotel technology in a Victorian Setting". We were shown to an adorable room with an armoire and a tiny but absolutely great bathroom. And we were then introduced to Doris who had put this entire program together. She is a pistol. She ushered us into the inner sanctum of the faculty Dining room which was all beautiful old wood paneling and waiters in starched jackets coddling us. We all opted for the buffet which was spectacular. There was salmon and huge scallops stuffed with lobster salad. Sautéed carrots and green beans. Cod and vegetables. A veal dish. Many lovely salads. Smoked salmon, a steak dish, cheese platter. And much much more. And for dessert there were strawberries and chocolate sauce to dip them in, a bread pudding, and a fig crumble. We ate our hearts out. Marvette, the delightful curator from the Smithsonian who had recently opened the Celia Cruz show, joined us. And afterwards we walked to the hall where the master class was going to take place. And there waiting for us was the Dean of Harvard. A true gentleman and sweetheart who was so anxious to meet Harlow that he tore himself away from his breakneck schedule to be able to welcome him. The only monkey wrench was the competition from the Yankee/Red Sox game at Fenway. Harlow taught and answered questions with the help of Bobby Sanabria and they played a few tunes which blew everyone’s minds. Then Harlow had promised Doris to do a TV interview and I headed back to our room to unpack and regroup. Our wonderful friends Bruce and Maria had made a reservation at Chez Henri, a French/Cuban restaurant in Cambridge and they drove in. Getting horribly bottlenecked in the traffic for the games. But we got there at 7:30 starving. Our friend Neil was there (he had driven up w/Ed to shoot the entire weekend). And Sebastian who was to be on the panel on Sat. and Bruce and Maria. The restaurant was fabulous. We started w/serious cocktails (mine was a little too serious. Tasted like cough medicine but I shot it back anyway) and GREAT bread. Harlow and Maria ordered the mussels which were really good but the broth was awesome and we sopped up every last bit. I had “barbequed’ shrimp which were great. And for an entrée I had mahi mahi crusted w/ground platanos and was insanely delicious. I tasted Maria’s duck which was divine and Harlow’s fries were superb. Salty and spicy. 3 of us split a chocolate tarte sitting in a pool of vanilla which Harlow declared not his style as he scarfed it down.

We got back to our room around 10 and were sound asleep in minutes. A long and lovely day. Sat. morning we found there was a computer and checked our email. And then Bruce came to get us and take us to their new house in the ‘burbs. We were totally charmed by it. Lots of rooms. A sort of twisty stairway. A great feeling of wonderful old architecture which they have turned into a beautiful and extremely comfortable nest. And the closets!!! I am still drooling over the number of closets and the size of them and the huge bathtub w/Jacuzzi and I could go on and on. And most important, the 3 Siamese kitties who we had never met before. It was Pipa’s birthday (we brought a mouse which Coca got to first and almost licked it to death) and even the elusive Pasa came out and I got to pat her a little. These guys are all TOILET TRAINED!!! Yes, Bruce and Maria simply flush a few times a day. They are a vocal group too. And one sounded so much like my first cat Soodie that I was transported back in time. We had an opulent brunch. A wonderful cheese and vegetable quiche. Bacon. Bagels and cream cheese. And rugala. And tons of much needed coffee. We sat and talked and they showed us pictures from their trip to Tunisia and then drove us back to Cambridge.

The panel discussion started at 2. It was moderated with sly wit by professor Robert Farris Thompson. There was a truly impressive presentation by Martin Cohen who is a great photographer and the founder of LP, a company that developed the major manufacturer if Latin percussion instruments. He took us through his life with the aid of great pictures and great humor. We gobbled it up. Leon Gast regaled us with anecdotes about his involvement with Latin music and the 2 great films he directed "Our Latin Thing" and "Salsa". Harlow shared great stories about his beginnings as a musician and a Santero and gave some great insights into the music. And Marty Sheller was erudite and funny and also had great stories. It was a seriously awesome afternoon and we all felt honored to have been able to devour it all. And then there was a dinner at the hall where the evening performance was going to take place. Maria and I went back to the room to get some stuff for Harlow and we grabbed some excellent cappuccinos (and lattes) at the Darwin Café and to the hall where Ben and Josette Blake were waiting for us. When we got to the food all the protein was gone - chicken and ribs had been scarfed up though Bruce had saved a piece of chicken for Maria which she shared with me and it was really good. The grilled vegetable were actually heavenly and the garlicky toasted bread. There were cookies and wine available. I got to catch up a little with Ben and Josette and then at 7:30 the Latin Jazz Encounter played for an hour. They were smoking!! The hall was filled to capacity (game over, Yankees won). And the Dean came with his family and danced his ass off. It was a great show. At the end there were a lot of kids dancing and they demanded an encore. A very successful event. After which Doris, in a pair of the most extraordinary boot (sort of gauzy pink cowboy boots with colorful cutouts) and black net stockings looking just great, invited all the musicians and people involved in the weekend over to her home. And the drooling started again. The central dining room had 20 foot ceilings (at least) w/niches holding great ethnic sculpture. There were many lovely small rooms very tastefully filled w/interesting furniture and her eclectic and impressive art collection. Walls were all dark mauves and reds and each room was more delightful than the next. There was even a balcony with a studio from which you could look down on the festivities. Tons of good wine and nibbles and then Doris ordered large bowls of Chinese food which truly hit the spot. We met some really cool people and ate and drank and got a ride back to our room by about 11 and packed and got a fairly decent night’s sleep and caught a 10 AM shuttle and were home by noon.