Correspondence #1: David Amram
Letter from America as a celebrated nonagenarian, collaborator with Dylan and Ginsberg, shares his wit, wisdom and hope
We paid tribute to David Amram, the symphonic composer, creator of film soundtracks, jazz musician, spoken word innovator and friend of Jack Kerouac, as he celebrated his birthday yesterday (See ‘“Towering talent” Amram turns 91’, November 16th, 2021). He has already been in touch with Rock and the Beat Generation. Here are his responses to chalking up another year in a long life…
Email, November 17th, 2021
Dear Simon,
Thank you for sending all this as well as your wonderful words from Becky and her brother [Guy Garvey], playing some of the highlights of my music, on BBC 6Music for my 91st birthday last Sunday, which I have composed and played since the 1950s, some of which was used in films.
I'll always be grateful to Jason Lee Lazell [and his record label Moochin’ About] who made such a great effort to have this music available at last.
I hope this box set will inspire today's film directors, classical composers , jazz and all global roots improvising musical artists, authors and actors to realise that collaborations with one another, founded on mutual respect and high ideals can create films of lasting value,
For all those nay-sayers who tell us that because there is an over-supply of talent in all the arts and a shrinking audience for anything done with purity of intent and the hopes of uplifting an audience, I humbly remind them that there are never enough sunsets and never too much beauty!! We can all create something very day to make a better world. And we will!!
In order to do this, it may require endless hours of hard work to try to always do better than is expected, but it can be FUN to try to work this way, as long as we remember the title of Duke Ellington's classic song ‘It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that SWING!’
Thanks for all your fine work, and for keeping us thinking as well as informed.
It is wonderful to see Jack being honoured in 2022 for all he gave us and continues to give us.
I hope some of those who read [the article] will sense that those of us who are now credited with initiating a ‘Beat’ approach towards life (and those of us who are still here today ) remain a diverse but enthusiastic group.
We were all part of a much larger group of people who felt that after the euphoria of the defeat of racism at the end of World War II, we could and would have a more compassionate and egalitarian world to live in.
Each day was a precious time to learn more from hose who knew more than we did and to share what we already knew with anybody and everybody.
Music was influenced by this feeling of shared humanity.
And we influenced those we got to know
We were IN-clusive, not EX-clusive.
Today, this spirit is shared in new ways we never knew existed before.
All this goes to show that John Keats was on the case when he said ‘A thing of beauty is a joy forever’.
I've got to turn 91 more often!
All blessings to you and your family from across the Pond.
David
(STILL a promising young composer, in spite of my speedometer assigning me Theto becoming a Nonagenarian +1)