To commemorate the return of Watkins to the Tour band, DrHGuy presents this collection of photos from that 1979-1985 period featuring Mitch Watkins and other musicians associated with Leonard Cohen.
Leonard Cohen & Band (1985). Left to right: Leonard Cohen, John Crowder, Richard Crooks, Mitch Watkins, Ron Getman, and Anjani Thomas. Photo by Alberto Manzano. Contributed by Dominique BOILE.
Passenger (1979) Left to right: Steve Meador, left, Bill Ginn, Mitch Watkins, Paul Ostermayer and Roscoe Beck. From Playing with Cohen by Brad Buchholz (Austin American-Statesman- March 31, 2009)
Left to right: Mitch Watkins, Leonard Cohen, Jennifer Warnes (Europe 1979). Found at Jennifer Warnes web site.
Left to right: Steve Meador, Paul Ostermayer, Mitch Watkins, Jennifer Warnes, Roscoe Beck (backstage before Jennifer Warnes show, no date given). Found at Jennifer Warnes web site.
Watkins is also seen in this 1985 video of Leonard Cohen and the band performing Dance Me To The End Of Love perform on Australian television.
And in this 1985 rehearsal of Tonight Will Be Fine
While the quality of these photos, scanned from a 25 year old magazine, is suboptimal, the rare opportunity to show Leonard Cohen and Roscoe Beck with Henry Lewy, the man who brought them together, was irresistible. (A couple of other photos showing these three as part of larger groups are forthcoming.)
Henry Lewy, Leonard Cohen, Roscoe Beck - Caption: Beck works on Leonard Cohen's upcoming album at Rock Steady, with "guardian angel" Henry Lewy (in hat) once again lending his ear.
Roscoe Beck - Caption: "We really felt we had a mandate to do this project," says Beck of Raincoat.
Music Connection cover
Photos by Ron Fritcher were used to illustrate "Beck Tailors Jenny's Raincoat" by Jim Maloney (Music Connection, April 6-19, 1987).
Note: A bit of background may be helpful. It was Henry Lewy (Joni Mitchell’s producer and then Leonard Cohen’s producer as well) who invited Beck and his band, Passenger, to Los Angeles in 1979 with the idea they might – no guarantees – serve as Joni Mitchel’s band for the Mingus album. During that trip, Lewy brought Leonard Cohen and Roscoe Beck together in the studio. Consequently, Passenger played on the Recent Songs album and toured with Cohen.
Lewy is listed on the sleeve of Famous Blue Raincoat as "guardian angel," because, as Beck explained to the interviewer, "That's how he wanted to be credited."
The Famous Blue Raincoat album sleeve with "Guardian Angel, Henry Lewy" marked
Blow-up of area around marked section
Credit Due Department: The Music Connection article, including the photos, and magazine cover, and The Famous Blue Raincoat sleeve were contributed by Dominique BOILE.
Left to right: Leonard Cohen, Mitch Watkins, Charles Roscoe Beck (1980). Mitch Watkins was the guitarist and Roscoe Beck the bass player and band leader for Passenger, Leonard Cohen's band for the 1979-1980 Tours.
Photo by Alberto Manzano. Contributed by Dominique BOILE.
While all the photos of the July 6, 2009 Leonard Cohen Nantes Concert taken by Hyacinthe Raimbault are of solid quality, I'm especially taken with the shots of Leonard Cohen in dance mode (above) and Roscoe Beck, accoutred in a venue-congruous beret, playing standup bass (below).
In this screen shots from the "Leonard Cohen in München" video, Joseph Carenza, the World Tour Road Manager, is shown in sunglasses to the (viewer')s left of a nearly-bearded Leonard Cohen and Roscoe Beck, the Music Director for this and other Cohen tours, is visible in shades to the (viewer's) right of Cohen.
A gallery comprising all items previously published in the photo series, Shades of Leonard Cohen, can be viewed at Collected Shades Of Leonard Cohen.
For those suffering the pangs of Leonard Cohen Abstinence Syndrome (for details re the disorder and treatment, see yesterday’s post, Managing Leonard Cohen Withdrawal Symptoms), we are offering two additional therapeutic Cohen Performance Gifs: Leonard Cohen and Roscoe Beck Dancing (shown below) and Leonard’s Nashville Shuffle.
In this case, it’s the Shades of Leonard Cohen’s musicians, the way past cool Roscoe Beck (Musical Director and Bass) and Rafael Bernardo Gayol (Drums and Percussion), shown here at the Wiesbaden concert in a photo by N Kloeppel. (Thanks to Christine for finding this shot)
