Trump apartment. Felecia & Scott.
On the afternoon of the party I rendezvoused with my longtime Grateful Dead tour buddies Felecia & Scott at the Trump International Hotel & Tower. They had reserved a two-bedroom Tower apartment with a view of Central Park & had generously offered to host a pre-party gathering later that day.
Marti had gone to get her hair done at John Barrett's penthouse salon at Bergdorf's, then did a bit of shopping on the Upper East Side with our pal Maria. Felecia, Scott & I caught up with them for a late lunch at a tony Italian restaurant called Mezzaluna. The place was pricier than our Little Italy favorites, but the brick oven pizzas were authentic & good.
Jon with the bag o' buttons. Marc & Ted in the VIP room.
At around 5:30 or 6 friends started arriving at the Trump apartment. Felecia & Scott had invited Marti & me to spend the night in the second bedroom, which for some reason became the VIP section during the pre-party. (We allowed access to everyone, though.) Our friend Jon brought along a bag of promotional buttons, which would prove ideal for identifying our guests at B.B. King's later on.
Ted & Bahman. Su-Yin & Jacques.
Even the spectacular living room views of a snow-blanketed Central Park couldn't compete with the intimacy of the VIP room. Finally Marti & I threw them all out of our bedroom so we could dress for the party. Then we packed everyone into cabs for the short ride to B.B.'s.
At B.B. King's.
We had reserved tables & banquettes for our 30 guests on the upper level of Lucille's Grill at B.B. King's. This positioned us right in front of the stage where our musician friends would be performing.
A Maryland-D.C. contingent: Felecia, Jacques & Jon.
I was truly moved at the number of friends who travelled great distances to party with us on a cold Monday night in New York. When we first started planning the event, Marti & I thought we'd simply get a handful of guests from the New York area & maybe a few of our old Washington crowd.
With Su & Pascal.
Our globetrotting pals Su & Pas, whom we met in Paris during our first year here, drove down from Montreal. It was a kick to see them again. Since Paris, they've lived in Switzerland, Japan & Sydney. We've gotten together only a few times in that period, whenever they returned for a visit to the City of Light.
Emmett & Charles check out Jon Paris.
The evening got underway with cocktails, as guests arrived & Jon Paris started playing the blues with his trio (Amy Madden on bass guitar; Ken Ashby on drums). Jon is a consummate bluesman; he toured a long time with Johnny Winter & has played guitar & harp with almost all of the great blues legends. He's hosted these Monday night jams for several years. The inspiration for my 60th Birthday Bash came from a Monday night that my bride & I came down here with Jody & Emmett, hooked up with our friend Alan Merrill & cajoled Alan to get up to play & sing.
Alan & Jon rock da house.
Alan arrived at my party just as the shrimp cocktails were being served. He forewent the shrimp for vodka on the rocks. I was drinking Ketel One, a new passion, myself. The main courses were a choice of grilled salmon, home-style meatloaf or B.B.Q. baby back ribs. Alan & I dug into the ribs; Marti had the meatloaf. (She's a fan of the rocker Meat Loaf, in whose band Alan played in the 1980s.)
After a while Jon called Alan to the stage.
I Love Rock 'N Roll.
Alan did a great version of Albert King's "The Hunter," then rocked hard with a couple of songs from his Arthur Alexander-Otis Blackwell tribute album Double Shot Rocks: "Anna" & "Great Balls Of Fire." His finale, of course, was The Anthem, a song he wrote in 1975: "I Love Rock N' Roll." Marti & I sang gang chorus vocals on his most recent recording of the classic, but it's been the royalties ride courtesy of Joan Jett & Britney Spears that has kept Alan in top shelf Champagne & vodka ever since.
Stephanie & Mike shake it on down.
"I Love Rock N' Roll" got everybody up on the dance floor. On this night we & our guests provided the gang choruses: I love rock n' roll / So put another dime in the jukebox, baby / I love rock n' roll / So come an' take your time an' dance with me!
Marc Black's got trouble with his girlfriend, trouble with his wife. Stephanie explains.
A true highlight for me came when my Bearsville-era bud Marc Black contributed a funky version of his high-energy-you-can't-sit-down number "Trouble," from the album *Dance Steps Included. I got trouble with the money / Trouble with the rent / Trouble with my paycheck / It's already spent / . . . I need to dance. Prior to taking the stage Marc had circulated sheets of paper for people to write comments (some about me). He incorporated a number of these into the song. A special moment. This song got everyone up & dancing as well!
With Marc.
Maria & Jody & a lurking Jonathan. My gift from Maria & Charles.
For some reason I had forgotten to specify "no gifts" on the party invitation. Just seeing all my pals was reward enough. As it was, I received lots of cool presents: a Widespread Panic poster, a bottle of Laurent-Perrier, a beautiful leather travel wallet, books, CDs & DVDs. I have the best friends in the world (& they're all over the world).
The Preacher.
One of the hip things about the Monday night blues jams at B.B.'s is that anyone can show up & take a turn at the mic or on an instrument. During my party a dude got onstage with Jon's band & sang a great version of "Superstition." Then there was Jimmy "The Preacher" Robin (The King of Harlem Soul). He was decked out in a sharkskin suit that said serious. He got up & stole the show with some steamy blues & R&B tunes.
Go, Preacher, Go!
At one point The Preacher muscled his way onto the piano stool & cut loose while "Uncle Boogie," who had been groovin' solid on the keys all night, looked on in amazement.
Mr. & Mrs. Preacher.
Sunshine, The Preacher's bride of one year, grabbed the mic & sang too. When I thanked the couple for taking part in my celebration & congratulated them on their wedding anniversary, Sunshine frowned & said she hadn't gotten any cake. A few minutes later I buttonholed a waiter & rectified that situation. Sunshine broke into a wide grin.
Happy Birthday to me.
Marti & Jody had put their heads together & ordered my birthday cake from the reknowned Cupcake Café on Ninth Avenue. It was a maple walnut cake, perfect for a New England boy.
My party was da bomb. If ya gotta turn sixty, this is the way to do it. Rock all night!
View from the living room. The morning after.
We closed down B.B.'s & finally got back to the Trump apartment around 2:30 a.m. Felecia, Scott, Marti & I enjoyed a nightcap or two, just chillin' in that sweet space. In the morning Scott had coffee ready to brew. We had a leisurely hang, then Marti & I departed to do a little last-minute shopping & to finish packing for our return to Paris. Our flight was out of Newark that evening.
But the party wasn't over . . . yet.
