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James Taylor Dazzles Americans For July 4 At Tanglewood
By
Joel Leyden Tanglewood, Massachusetts --- July 4, 2011 .... There are few, memorable treats that one can expect when celebrating America's birthday. Sure, we have the fireworks, the parades and the picnics. But to hear the soft, sweet sound of James Taylor coming not from a DVD but directly from this music legend's mouth to your ears, is almost surreal. The
staff of the Israel News Agency were guests of a magical
place called Tanglewood
in the Berkshire Mountains of Massachusetts. James Taylor was now doing his fifth of his annual benefit weekends for the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BOS) at its summer home in Lenox. About 60,000 people have paid between $21 and $115 for one of Taylor's four weekend performances - adding millions of dollars to the BSO coffers. James Taylor, 63, resides in the Berkshires and understands that the BSO is the key for a regionwide community of artistic enterprises. As we entered Tanglewood, it brought back memories of Woodstock. Long, green fields awaited the mass human blanket that was allowed to bring food and drink onto the sprawling, well manicured lawns. For those who could afford, they took their wooden seats at what is known as the Shed - or the indoor amphitheater. As James Taylor sang, it was as though all had transformed into little children listening to a bedtime story. The crowd was hypnotized by Taylor and many stood up and danced slowly to his many tunes including his most classic - You Got A Friend. Taylor engaged the audience several times during the concert and at one point when a woman yelled out: "James marry me" Taylor responded with a smile: "I can see that this is going to be an interesting evening." To hear James Taylor could only take one back to the 70's and memories of once having hair, no stomachs, Carol King and Carly Simon. Taylor, who was born in Lenox, Massachusetts and raised in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, is a five-time Grammy Award winner and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. Taylor's 1976 Greatest Hits album was certified Diamond and has sold 12 million US copies. James Taylor broke into the music industry with the help of Beatles Paul McCartney. In late 1967, Taylor moved to London where he recorded some demos which found there way to Peter Asher, who was A&R head for The Beatles' newly-formed label Apple Records. Asher showed the demos to Paul McCartney, who later said: "I just heard his voice and his guitar and I thought he was great and he came and played live, so it was just like, 'Wow, he's great." James Taylor became the first non-British act signed to Apple. The rest is history. Before saying good night, James walked over to a few of his fellow musicians and whispered something in their ears. He was going to once again bond with his massive audience with a song that spoke about driving in traffic - for getting to Tanglewood is a one lane, country road. Taylor turned a headache for many into wide, happy smiles. The staff of Tanglewood and the Lenox Police deserve much praise for their efficient organizing efforts. To accommodate up to 20,000 people in a few hours is no easy task. But they made it appear simple. Before leaving the well groomed lawns, one would pass a white tent where James Taylor T-shirts were being sold for 35 dollars. It could have been 50 and we still would have bought a few, being proud of the man and the music which has romanticized us for over three decades. As we drove through Lenox, we visited the Judaic store Concepts of Art. Owned by Lynda Strauch, Concepts of Art Lenox Judaica has grown to include several thousand Jewish ceremonial objects, fine art and jewelry, showcasing international artists and products from Massachusetts to Jerusalem. Donna Tukel who buys most of the beautiful objects of Judaica, showed us around. It was a delight to find a touch of Jewish community among these vibrant green trees, rolling hills and the tranquil lullabies of James Taylor and friends.
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