Bill Petro

THE WAR: TV MINISERIESIn January 2007 I wrote about my conversation with Ken Burns, award winning producer of The Civil War documentary, about his upcoming miniseries about World War II called simply The War. This presentation took place at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. He was at that time previewing his 7-part, 14.5 hour series — that he has been working on for some 6 years — at military academies around the country. I wrote three articles at that time about:

• Questions I asked Ken Burns
• The making of the new documentary
• The content of this series

Now the series is finally going to be shown. It debuts Sunday, September 23, 2007 on your local PBS station. Already the companion book is on the market, as is the sound track which I have been listening to for the last week, featuring not only a modern piece by Nora Jones called American Anthem, but also music from the 1940 period before, during, and after The War.This is television worth watching, and I recommend it to you. Check your local television listing.Bill Petro, your friendly neighborhood historian www.billpetro.com

YOM KIPPUR

The Jewish High Holy Days begin with Rosh Hashana and continue until Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur, the day of atonement, or more correctly Yom ha-Kippurim (Leviticus 16) goes back to Jewish antiquity almost 4,000 years to the time of Moses. This most solemn occasion of the Jewish Festival cycle was the season for annual cleansing from sin, but in time its significance was deepened so that it acquired personal meaning and filled a private need. It is observed on the 10th day of Tishri, the seventh month, and is the climax of the whole penitential season.

Originally, on one day of the year the high priest would enter into the innermost part of the Tabernacle (and later the Temple in Jerusalem). He would enter the Holy of Holies with the blood of the sacrifice which was for the sin of the people as a congregation, and sprinkle it upon the ‘mercy seat’ of the Ark of the Covenant (made famous by the movie “Raiders of the Lost Ark” :-). This would ‘cover’ the sin of the people, as this is what the Aramaic (and Hebrew) root ‘kapar’ (atonement) means. With the destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D., later Rabbinic legislation adapted the old ritual to the synagogue. The blasts of the ’shofar’ the ritual ram’s horn trumpet, signify, among other things, the inarticulate cry of the soul to God.

In later times, there is a whole body of Jewish law requiring the individual to seek forgiveness from one another. This a part of the Mishneh Torah - a distillation of Jewish law based in the Hebrew Bible and the Talmud - written by the great 12th-century Jewish philosopher and legal authority Maimonides. It calls for an attention to requests for forgiveness from family, friends and associates for the offenses of the past year. The body of law, lore and custom surrounding repentance, forgiveness and the Day of Atonement is immense, and has grown since the time of Maimonides.

Bill Petro, your friendly neighborhood historian
www.billpetro.com

ROSH HASHANA

Rosh HaShana designates the beginning of the Jewish new year. “Rosh” is Hebrew for “head” and Rosh HaShana refers to the head of the year on the 1st day of Tishri, the seventh month. Judaism has a solar/lunar calendar system, in which the lunar reckoning predominates. The first in the cycle of months is Nissan (which has nothing to do with the automobile manufacturer), the month in which Passover occurs. However, solar years are reckoned to begin at Rosh HaShana. The new year is heralded with the blowing of the shofar or ram’s horn by the “baal t’kiah” (meaning master of the shofar-blast). Some scholars have suggested (perhaps “speculated” would be a better word) that the Jews marked the beginning of the year at this time subsequent to the period of their Babylonian Captivity, in following with the Babylonian custom. It also marks the day on which God is said to begin examining the record of each person’s actions during the preceding year; Jews are called upon to take an “accounting of the soul” with the aim of correcting defects in one’s behavior — the ultimate goal is to help “repair the universe.” The audit is considered to end on Yom Kippur, on the 10th day of Tishri, which we will examine next time.

Bill Petro, your friendly neighborhood historian
www.billpetro.com

HISTORY OF PATRIOT DAY

With the following words and many others, President George W. Bush designated September 11 to be regarded as Patriot Day, or America Remembers:

By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation

On this first observance of Patriot Day, we remember and honor those who perished in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. We will not forget the events of that terrible morning nor will we forget how Americans responded in New York City, at the Pentagon, and in the skies over Pennsylvania — with heroism and selflessness; with compassion and courage; and with prayer and hope. We will always remember our collective obligation to ensure that justice is done, that freedom prevails, and that the principles upon which our Nation was founded endure.

The President inaugurated this observance on September 4, 2002 and repeated it the next year, following a joint resolution approved December 18, 2001 along with the US Congress, intending that it be firmly planted into the consciousness of the American people, and each year recalled to our memory “that more than 3,000 innocent people lost their lives when a calm September morning was shattered by terrorists driven by hatred and destruction.”

As the sixth anniversary of what most people call September 11th or just 9-11, I am reminded of the article I wrote in the wake of it, and the one I wrote a year following. Should we remember these kind of events, recalling history? The words of the Oxford don C.S. Lewis are particularly relevant.

Most of all, perhaps, we need intimate knowledge of the past. Not that the past has any magic about it, but because we cannot study the future, and yet need something to set against the present, to remind us that the basic assumptions have been quite different in different periods and that much which seems certain to the uneducated is merely temporary fashion. A man who has lived in many places is not likely to be deceived by the local errors of his native village; the scholar has lived in many times is therefore in some degree immune from the great cataract of nonsense that pours from the press and the microphone of his own age.

- from “Learning in War-Time” (The Weight of Glory)

Lest we forget

Bill Petro, your friendly neighborhood historian
www.billpetro.com

DOOBIE BROTHERS AT COLORADO STATE FAIR

The end of the Summer concert season was unusual — there’s something about catching a favorite music group at a State Fair. The Doobie Brothers, who I haven’t seen live since the mid 80’s, appeared here after two warm up groups. They took the stage with 5 people in front and 2 full drum sets: 3 guitars, 1 keyboard, 1 sax. While two full drum sets is unusual, the Doobie Brothers have been doing this for years.

Band History

The Doobie Brothers — who are affectionately known as “The Doobies” in reference to, well, doobies — have had a huge following among people from northern California, like yours truly. They got their start in San Jose, CA, and are often compared to the group Moby Grape, the band through whom the original members Patrick Simmons and Tom Johnston were introduced to each other.

In their earlier years they attracted a rough audience, and had a following among some of the Hells Angels groups whom they played for regularly in the Santa Cruz mountains. And band co-founder and leader Patrick Simmons is known for his predilection to Harley-Davidson motorcycles, and many of the songs celebrate rocking down the highway.

Their 1973 album “The Captain and Me” put them firmly on the map with hits like “China Grove” (my favorite, also featured in the movie “Field of Dreams”) and “Long Train Runnin’ “, which a band I was once in performed regularly. But it was their 1974 hit “Black Water” that was their first #1 single.

The next year saw Michael McDonald join the group as singer, keyboardist and songwriter — to replace Tom Johnston who had fallen ill. “Takin’ It to the Streets” and “It Keeps You Runnin’ ” became hits during this period, and later the #1 “What a Fool Believes” earned them a Grammy.

The Concert

Only one member of the original band, from what I could tell, was there — Patrick Simmons. Tom Johnston does tour with them now, but he was not there for this concert. They began with their favorite

• Rockin’ Down The Highway

and the bass, played by Skylark, was deafening, you could feel your clothes shake. Indeed, they played at ear bleeding volume. I used paper towels as ear plugs. By the way, earplugs are always a good idea for live concerts… at least until they play your favorite song. I used to routinely do this with The Who, until they played “Pinball Wizard.”

With the Doobie Brothers, it wasn’t so much sound as it was a “wall of noise” coming at you.

They returned from an extended jam session with the more recognizable

• Jesus is Just Alright

this song was originally done by The Byrds. Here, the evangelist spirit remained, if not the old harmonies.

They did a change up with some instrumental Hawaiian Slack Key guitar by Pat Simmons and guitarist Joe Satriani.

Guy Allison on the keyboard picked up the song from there, followed by the sax, which led into

• Takin’ It To The Street

Oh, how we miss Michael McDonald on vocals.

Pat Simmons, lead singer and guitarist wrote many of their original hits and is the only original member who has been on all their tours and albums. He doesn’t have the presence of Tom Johnston, and has trouble hitting the notes on some of the melodies. Next was

• The Power of the Blues

with lots of jamming by the band. When they all lined up to perform, it seemed like a cross between the Foggy Bottom Boys and ZZ Top.

• Take Me In Your Arms (And Rock Me)

the old Motown hit was next. They could play it wonderfully, but alas could no longer hit all the notes.

• Little Bitty Pretty One

an unusual song for a Doobie concert had Pat Simmons eponymously saying of the open air venue “Something smells good out there.”

• Black Water

came next, that bluegrass harmonic treat which hit #1 in 1975, and here it was nicely done, with Joe Satriani on the fiddle and Pat Simmons on lead vocals. As this was done in Pueblo, Colorado, he added a few lyrics

“Colorado moon won’t you keep on shining
Old Black Water, keep on rolling
Pueblo moon keep on shining on me”

He asked for us to join in on the mellifluous harmonization at the end

“I’d like to hear some funky Dixieland/Pretty mama, come and take me by the hand.”

“By the hand, take me by the hand/Pretty momma, come and dance with your daddy all night long”

while Skylark led us on

“Honky tonk, Honky tonk/Honky tonk, with you all night long”

They left the stage at the end of the show, to be followed by the requisite encore

The song that everyone was waiting for, including yours faithfully came next after a long, electric instrumental

• China Grove

that song about a town in Texas that mentions the samurai sword — Japanese, not Chinese, but no matter. Finally came

• Listen To The Music

beautifully done, with very nice harmonies indeed.

Bill Petro, your friendly neighborhood historian
www.billpetro.com