I found the comments made below by Peter Fox and Steven Hahn particularly interesting. It is the fact that after 50 years these two Class of 1975 classmates still had such vivid memories of a concert that Peter could even remember the notes. I wonder if the more modern Amherst Alumni have had such similar bonding experiences where a musical performance transcended race, class and time. Or were these bonding experiences the province of a special time.
Peace,
Everett "Skip" Jenkins
Class of 1975
September 16, 2026
----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Peter Fox
To:
Sent: Saturday, September 12, 2026 at 07:28:56 PM PDT
Subject: Re: Amherst Memories with John Williams, Amherst College Class of 1975
Keith Jarrett, on that bad piano in the Cage, played an improvised piece with an astonishing musical form.Starting with one note hit three times (fig A) another phrase (B), then A again; then a new phrase, C, followed by B the A. You get the idea. DCBA, EDCBA...The audience knew what he was doing, and he fucking ruled!!!I proceeded to buy all of his improvised piano concerts, up to about 1980, but apparently he never recorded anything like what he played for us.Pete FoxOn 09/12/2026 3:32 PM PDT Hahn, Stephen wrote:I recall the concert by Keith Jarrett that is in question, but I would ad a bit of explication the John’s description Jarrett’s rant. It was about the time John described into the concert when Jarrett stood up and started a verbal part of the performance which was a bit more nuanced, but still impassioned, in which he made the point that people at a college like Amherst should be better informed and more caring about what they claim to care about (implicitly, music, jazz, musicians) as an obligation of their privilege. He gave a mini lesson in epistemology to say that because something is black and has black and white keys and is in the form of a piano, doesn’t meanit it is a piano. Then he pointed at the instrument and ssid THIS is NOT a PIANO!!! He then performed the concert partly by reaching inside the instrument to pluck, strike snd stroke strings as well as to “play” in a traditional posture.I think it should be noted that he didn’t walk off. I took it that the piano was probably tuned to his (admittedly perfectionist) standards, And I suspected that the set up in that venue was a probable cause.Steve HahnGet Outlook for iOSFrom: skipjen2865@aol.com <skipjen2865@aol.com>
Sent: Saturday, 12 September 2026 17:31:09
To:
Subject: Amherst Memories with John Williams, Amherst College Class of 1975----Below is a rather interesting response that was sent by John Williams, Class of 1975, regarding the existence of a McCoy Tyner performance in the Buckley Recital Hall. Thanks to John, I feel that my original recollection about a McCoy Tyner performance in the Recital Hall has been confirmed. I feel that way because John has been a Trustee of Amherst College for over forty years now and I consider him to be the authority on things Amherst.However, in contrast to John's reference to receiving a "jazz education" at Amherst, I must confess to still being fairly ignorant of jazz. For me, attending a few musical events at Amherst was more like an education appetizer instead of a full meal.I am curious to read about anyone who may have attended the Keith Jarrett concert. I seem to recall that he was quite the star back in the 1970s.Finally, I note for the curious that those receiving these messages do not constitute "Everyone". Because I am, and always will be, the Minister of Information, I have been slowly compiling separate components for the recipients of these messages. In the compilation of each component, I get to know the Black Alumni better ... and I think I get to know the College better. The College has dramatically changed since John and I were students there. The campus is far more beautiful, the dorms are more accommodating, the dining hall cuisine is far more varied, and the classrooms seem more stimulating. All in all, during my attendance at the Black Alumni Weekends, I have found the College to be a far more inviting place than it was when I was there from 1971 to 1975.Of course, the fact that the College is now co-ed makes for a more balanced educational environment. I also have noted with some interest the great increase in the number of those students identifying as Black Alumni. In a recent class, there were 101 members out of a total of 506 who identified as Black Alumni. That is an astounding 19.9%. Wow!Peace,Everett "Skip" JenkinsClass of 1975September 12, 2026----- Forwarded Message -----From: John WilliamsTo: "skipjen2865@aol.com" <skipjen2865@aol.com>Cc:Sent: Monday, September 7, 2026 at 02:14:01 PM PDTSubject: Re: Amherst Memories with Roger Coy, Amherst College Class of 1975Greetings everyone,
I definitely recall McCoy Tyner performing in Buckley Recital Hall. He was a visiting lecturer for a brief period and, if I remember correctly, was initially drawn to the Amherst area by Max Roach, who spent a lot of time at UMass. I also remember a full-time Amherst music faculty member commenting on McCoy's extraordinary mastery of music theory, particularly harmony.
Additionally, I remember a performance by Keith Jarrett in the "Old Gym." After a spellbinding 15-minute opening piece, he paused, stood up, pointed at the instrument, and exclaimed, "THIS is NOT a piano!!" He then ranted about the lack of respect for jazz artists in America compared to the appreciation they receive from European audiences.
I am deeply grateful for the jazz education we received from so many of our brothers at Amherst, as well as the chance to hear so many visiting performers. I certainly bought my share of jazz albums from Faces of the Earth back then.
Best regards,
JohnJohn I. Williams, Jr. '75On Mon, Sep 7, 2026 at 12:44 AM <skipjen2865@aol.com> wrote:My apologies Roger. You do not recall the McCoy Tyner event because it does not appear to have ever occurred. The recital event was more likely a Max Roach event.Max was a visiting professor at UMass in the 1970s when we were at Amherst, so it is much more likely that it was Max not McCoy who I saw.Others can chime if they care to do so. But for now, my 72-year-old memories stand corrected.Thanks Roger.Everett "Skip" JenkinsClass of 1975September 6, 2026----- Forwarded Message -----From: Roger CoySent: Sunday, September 6, 2026 at 08:01:02 PM PDTSubject: Re: Amherst Memories with Chucky SoulOMG - I don't know why I can't recall the McCoy Tyner event. I have a bunch of his CDs and while I wasn't into Jazz then the way I have been for the past several decades, I'm sure I would have been there.As always, thanks for sharing.Roger CoyOn Saturday, September 5, 2026 at 02:27:43 AM EDT, skipjen2865@aol.com <skipjen2865@aol.com> wrote:--I received the following question from Charles Donaldson, Amherst College Class of 1974. Charles was known as "Chucky Soul" during our Amherst days, and I always remember him for his upbeat attitude. In answer to his question, the musical talents I may have missed in my lifetime appears to have been many. I have been trying to catch up, but even as I do so, more musical talents keep popping up.As for taking advantage of the enriching musical experiences offered to us during our Amherst years, I must admit that I did not take advantage of as many as I would have liked. I sampled a few. I seemed to remember a Kool and the Gang concert in the Cage; a McCoy Tyner offering in the Recital Hall; and a number of impromptu jazz offerings by the "Brothers" in the Octagon. I also remember the Zumbyes and the Glee Club. Otherwise, I pretty much remained cloistered in my room.I do believe that I missed much during my Amherst College days. There are so many classes that I wished I had taken; so many people that I wished I had spent some time with; so many events that I wished I had attended. I suppose that is one of the reasons why I am drawn to writing the The Memorial List biographies. With each one, I learn about a person that I wished that I could have known, and I learn about activities that I wish that I could have partaken of.Like with Chucky Soul, I remember some of our time in the Vegetarian Dining area in Valentine Hall and some our discussions concerning a new religion that had ventured into the Valley.I wish we had had more.Peace,Everett "Skip" JenkinsClass of 1975September 4, 2026-----Forwarded Message -----From: Charles Walter Donaldson Jr.Sent: Friday, September 4, 2026 at 07:28:55 AM PDTSubject: Re: Cassandra Wilson, Grammy Award Winning African American Jazz Singer, Songwriter and ProducerWhich other musical talents have you missed, Skip? Did you take advantage of the enriching musical experiences offered to us during your Amherst years?
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