His name was Ernie Pellegrino. He was always dressed in white. If he had a sense of humor, you could’ve fooled me. He presided over “Ernie’s,” the barber shop at Manoa Road Shopping Center. He was a glowering presence, the yin to the yang and sunny disposition of the guy who owned the hardware storeContinue reading “Over Manoa Road”
Category Archives: Philadelphia, Jazz
Lou, Zenith and WJBR
For some people, music has an odd effect. You hear something, maybe even a few bars, and all of a sudden, you’re in another world. Usually, that world has a few miles on it, as do you. But for a few seconds, or a few minutes, you’re there. Sights, sounds, nous, cultural milieu, things otherwiseContinue reading “Lou, Zenith and WJBR”
A King Fit for A Mall and Other Travel Stuff
So, for the first time since Covid, I got out of Dodge, otherwise known as San Antonio. Yup. I took the plunge to go see my daughter, Rosie, in Germany, where she is a free-lance bass player and all-around interesting person. It took more nerve than I thought I could summon up. See, I amContinue reading “A King Fit for A Mall and Other Travel Stuff”
Hail to the Blue and Gold
Yeah, there was one of them glinty balls that reflected spots of light all over the auditorium. And on special occasions, the nuns would fire it up. You know, it was like something out of the Roaring Twenties. That’s because it was something out of the Roaring Twenties. Today we call them Disco Balls, butContinue reading “Hail to the Blue and Gold”
Philly is the New Ciudad Juárez
Warning: This won’t display well on a smart phone. Sorry Anyone lucky enough to know me will already know what I did for a living. By training– some colleagues in other disciplines might dispute this–I was (and) am an economic historian. My principal field was Colonial Latin America, but I have stuck to Mexico. WhyContinue reading “Philly is the New Ciudad Juárez”
Madeline and Her Sisters
Believe me, I have thought a great deal about this one. I wasn’t really sure I could even write it, even though I’ve written about lot of others in my family, including my Dad. Yeah, it’s, as the cliche goes, complicated. Writing about my Mom was never going to be easy because in her ownContinue reading “Madeline and Her Sisters”
Sid Mark, the Mark of Jazz
(Sid Mark in the 1950s at the Red Hill Inn. He is second from the left) Sid Mark died yesterday at the age of 88. Many people knew him from his syndicated broadcasts of Frank Sinatra, but those were–well, after my time. I never met Sid in person, but I felt as if I knewContinue reading “Sid Mark, the Mark of Jazz”