In Praise of Nathan Tokunaga
To the Editor:
Lew Shaw’s profile of Nathan Tokunaga in your October issue diligently covered all his accomplishments. But I would add that, having met Nathan on both coasts, he would be a remarkable person even if he’d never picked up a musical instrument. What makes Nathan such a fine musician is more than technique: it is his deep awareness that music must communicate feeling. And that awareness is his hallmark. He’s gracious, witty, and perceptive. I salute him for his emotional intelligence as well as his playing, for both are remarkable.
Michael Steinman
JAZZ LIVES
I was so happy to feature Nathan in our October issue! I do owe him another, clearer photo. Fortunately, there’s a good one of him with his mentor, Clint Baker, by Shelly Gallichio in “Quarter Notes” this month. – Ed.
Memories of Miss Maybell
To the Editor:
I was so pleased to see Miss Maybell (Lauren Sansariq and Charlie Judkins) featured in the pages of the Syncopated Times, thanks to Bill Hoffman.
I love this band—their repertoire, their sound, and their world class side men Brian Nakepka, Andy Stein and Dan Levinson. I took every chance I could to go see them when I lived in a NYC suburb. I even hired the band for a private gig at my mom’s house, with Colin Hancock taking the chair of Dan Levinson, who couldn’t attend. Mom said “for years I thought his name was Brian Alepka.” I have wonderful audio recordings of that concert, and I still listen often, these many years later. Very happy memories!
Speaking of Brian, he’s such a wonderful guy and a truly outstanding musician. His bass work with the group is terrific, and given his long history of singing vocal harmony (cf The Manhattan Rhythm Kings) it is not surprising the satisfying manner in which he deepens and broadens the vocal sound of the band. Like the well-fitting stones of Machu Pichu, you can’t slip a razor blade between his voice and Lauren’s when he sings harmony to her lead.
I was honored to be invited to their wedding, and to be included in the vocal quartet, along with Neal Siegal, Dan Levinson, and Brian, in a command performance of “For Me and My Gal.”
I eagerly await their pending album, and can only hope that they expand their horizons to include Paris, so I can hear them live again.
Brice Moss
Paris, France
My wife and I had the pleasure of attending that marvelous event at your mother’s house. Looking back, it was only three years ago, on November 7, 2021. Why does it seem that time has gone wonky since the Pandemic? It feels like only yesterday but it could have been a hundred years ago. Too many people are trying to turn back the clock and maybe they’ve broken it. – Ed.
