Anniversary 30 years: When Web Fleming & DC Met via William Taggart
2000 Video … Thank you, Willie Bailey for this Dub.
For your Movie Break … get some Moon Cakes.
2024 Mid-Autumn Festival … aka … Moon Festival … A Chance to Honor Web
https://www.facebook.com/dennis.chandler.566/videos/1384494495841144
Dennis and Another Asian Fusion Friend … Found … Via Tag and Web …
What a Wonderful World
The above 2000 Jam at our home … was after those three threaded the boards … the night before. Where did they share the stage … doing their respective acts … then doing time together, (so to speak). At the … annual … always-sold-out-early … CHINESE NEW YEAR CELEBRATION … (today called LUNAR NEW YEAR). The 2000 one was held in CLEVELAND’S HISTORIC CHINATOWN … (today called ASIANTOWN).
The 2000 MILLEMMIUM CELEBRATION … brought in the famed Asian Media Star Lanny Shum. He came to Web’s hometown … from his home in TORONTO. He said, “I came to Cleveland … for the SHEER PLEASURE of PLAYING … for and with MY MENTOR … HAK SAN!” As you will witness … it was … as Lanny said, …”… pure pleasure …”
A Heavenly Thank You … goes up to ASIAN ACTIVIST … FAMED RESTAURATEUR … OWNER of KING WAH, HO WAH and LI WAH … DONNA HOM, of Blessed memory. 
A SPECIAL TIME TO CELEBRATE …
May you have time to spare … to allow me to share … about the wonderful world of Web. I believe its a tale meant to be told. May you feel the Blessings unfold.
30+ years ago … back into our Life … came our PRETEND BRO aka BILL TAGGART.
First, let me tell you about how he came back into our respective lives … in July ’93. Then, farther down … the detailed account … of that August meeting with Web.
So … In July of ’93 … Bill Taggart was having a rare night off from doing duty. What kind of duty? The Show Biz kind. (Bill was … and still is … here in 2024 … a much-in-demand Stagehand … Projectionist … Soundman. He’s an all-round man’s man … an IATSE man. I can say that … ’twas Teamsters who trained me)
Bill Taggart started “toolin’ around” … traveling from his ‘hood in Cleveland … to suburban Mentor. Tag came cruisin’ to a classic car cruise … held at a classic place. Why do I call it classic? To hubby-Dennis … it was classic … for it was the very same Diner … that a youthful-Dennis used to cruise to … from his ‘hood. The nearby post-world-war-two housing projects called “Euclid Homes” … was where the Chandler Family lived. So going for ice cream … meant their Uncle Martin’s Freeze Ice Cream Stand … which was right next to that Kenny King Diner. Is it any wonder Dennis loves all things, Diner.
1993 … Here he was in Mentor … as musician-Dennis … entertaining on the back side … of the same Diner. That’s where and when Tag came back into our lives, as I alluded above, at Annabelle’s.
What’s-in-a-Name-Department …
About that renamed Kenny King Diner … It was bought by Annabelle Lucas … who had it moved to Mentor, Ohio … where she renamed it “Annabelle’s”. BTW: Joe Artale … shared that he has the whole saga of that move … on video. Joe journaled it, too. Who is JOE ARTALE … his Facebook page link … https://www.facebook.com/joe.artale.3
Plus, JOE ARTALE … is Founder of Rock’n’Roll Capitol Machines. https://rnrcsm.com/
(BTW: Historian Artale and Annabelle … were such cool presenters of classic cars. They should make a film. Make it in parking lot somewhere. (I know the perfect projectionist who can run the film … and I know the perfect musician who can put the music to it, so to speak!)
Back to about Dennis’ love of all things, Diner. Annabelle Lucas … being the Diner’s first owner .. got him hooked on GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICHES. Getting Dennis to do music? Easy, peasey. Just plie him with Diner food. Plus, when Annabelle married Michael Neshkin … they graciously invited us to join them on many a mystery road trip. To see what else? Diners. Going to Chicago, Pittsburgh, etc. was especially entertaining for Patient-Dennis after his chemo treatments. (About Dennis beating AML Leukemia … go to this website’s page … https://dennischandler.com/index.php/the-journey/
Timeless too was … when later that Summer of ’93 … in August … Bill brought out to the Diner … and into our hearts … dear Web Fleming.
Bill had hoped the two entertainers would hit it off. It worked. Web and Dennis fell right into playing and singing together … as if they had done it before. Yet, not until after they performed … were they formally introduced to one another. Photos of them meeting and then making music together … show clearly … how much they both enjoyed their first jam together, as did Tag.
On January 15, 2023 … Baritone Web Fleming passed …
Learn about the INCREDIBLE LIFE he had … Web’s obituary is at …
https://www.secorfuneralhomes.com/obituary/webster-fleming/
Psalms, book of the Old Testament is composed of “SACRED SONGS … SACRED POEMS … MEANT TO BE SUNG”. Psalm 30:5 … says, “WEEPING MAY LAST THROUGH THE NIGHT, BUT JOY COMES IN THE MORNING”.
Back to Talking About An Early Asian Fusion … It was decades earlier when Baritone Web Fleming aka HAK SAN made a name for himself. Literally … for he was a show in himself. His name HAK SAN roughly translated … means BLACK MOUNTAIN in Cantonese. It compliments his big baritone voice.
Web was honored with that name decades ago as we said. It was conferred on him while he was living in Asia and touring the Far East. For that time and place … Web was unique, to say the least. He became famous as … an AFRICAN AMERICAN … SINGING CHINESE OPERA (and in a dozen dialects, too). Web Fleming also became known for his interpretation of JUSTICE BAO of the SUNG DYNASTY (999-1062).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bao_Zheng
1959: LOUIS ARMSTRONG’S AUTOGRAPHED PROGRAM … given to Dennis Chandler … when the two FIRST met. Years later I had the pleasure. It was at the GRAND CEDAR POINT BALLROOM. Afterwards … it was GRAND for me, too. I felt honored … to not only MEET him … at … a “Meet & Greet” … BUT to have him GREET me with … “LEAZZE, just call me … LOUIE”. I did. To learn more about “Louie” … go to this Link …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Armstrong
LOUIE ARMSTRONG was named a GOODWILL AMBASSADOR FOR AMERICA … not JUST because he had a pleasant personality … but MOST IMPORTANTLY … for WHAT HE INTRODUCED INTO THE MAINSTREAM of POPULAR SINGING. What’s that?
Below is an explanation … albeit … a mouthful … it’s meaningful … (pardon the pun). Read on …
It was the AFRO-AMERICAN CONCEPT OF SONG … as A LYRICAL EXTENSION OF SPEECH.
His techniques of … easing the weight of the breath on the vocal cords … passing into a head voice at a low register … using forward production to aid distinct enunciation … singing on consonants … making discreet use of appoggiaturas, mordents, and slurs … to emphasize the text. (WOW … talk ’bout takin’ a DEEP breath!)
The great SATCHMO was emulated by nearly all later singers. That included OUR DEAR FRIEND … Web Fleming, now of Blessed memory.
The talented Baritone paid tribute to him with a FABULOUS IMPRESSION of SATCHMO’S singing. Acting as Armstrong … included a very special song … one we all need to hear today. Its title is, “What a Wonderful World”.
Although we do NOT have a recording of WEB singing this song … we DO have a LINK to LOUIS’s recording. This is the OFFICIAL ONE with THE SPOKEN INTRO … THEN THE SONG (performed by Louis Armstrong). Perhaps you can take time to listen … for … Louie inspired Webby. (I bet … you will be, too!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nGKqH26xlg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What_a_Wonderful_World
The iconic song was co-written by an iconic composer, George David Weiss, another mutual friend.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_David_Weiss
To learn more about Composer George David Weiss … go to … https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_David_Weiss
We do NOT have Web’s rendition of George’s song … but here is the one who inspired Web …
1959: LOUIS ARMSTRONG’S AUTOGRAPHED PROGRAM … given to Dennis Chandler … when the two FIRST met. Years later I had the pleasure. It was at the GRAND CEDAR POINT BALLROOM. Afterwards … it was GRAND for me, too. I felt honored … to not only MEET him … at … a “Meet & Greet” … BUT to have him GREET me with … “LEAZZE, just call me … LOUIE”. I did. To learn more about “Louie” … go to this Link …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Armstrong
2023: We like to believe that … this past January … joining George Upstairs … was Web singing, of course. Memories of them … are a Blessing.
MARTIN LUTHER KING , JR. said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only Love can do that.”
HOW … PIANIST DENNIS … MET … ERHUIST MA
In the above mentioned year … 1998 … Dennis was looking forward to doing it again … albeit solo. Web Fleming was in the Far East … far … overseas. That meant he wouldn’t make it in time to Chinatown … (aka Asiantown today).
So, filling in was to be … another dear mutual friend. The popular broadcaster BILL GORDON aka BILL “SMOOCHIE” GORDON. (Who was B.G.? Go to the page with his name and learn more about this media and talk show pioneer).
1998 … Musical-Director-Chandler was to accompany popular Media Pioneer Bill Gordon. Then after … Pianist-Dennis was to reprise his role as “The Ed-U-Tainer” … playing his own Set. Well, you remember what they say, “the best laid plans”, etc. A dilemma happened. What’s that?
Defined in one dictionary (this Excerpt … “A dilemma is a difficult situation where a person must choose between two or more options that are equally unsatisfactory. For example, someone might face a dilemma when deciding whether to continue driving in a dangerous storm or stop searching for a lost dog. The term comes from the Greek word for “double proposition”. It was originally a technical term in logic, but is now used more generally to describe any problem without a satisfactory solution”. End of Excerpt)
Yes, it was a dilemma. The dropping of his piano … definitely put … Dennis-the-Neurodivergent … in a-stressed-state-of-mind. (No NY state-of-mind … this time!)
Thanks need to go out to a couple of other characters … First off … # 1.) Li Wah owner Donna Hom. Secondly … # 2.) Bill Taggart. Who? He was the one who played stagehand, literally. To explain … in the past … “Tag” always offered to act as a roadie. This time around … he did end up as such … holding up … Dennis’ keyboard. Thirdly … # 3.) Our dear friend Billy Evans. Who? He was a former-security-guard for many media-types (and politicians, too). Well … what he did do for Den … was “hold up” his other end … (of his piano). Billy also kept DC from exiting … before the headline artist … Erhuist Ma … could get her instrument out … (to jam with DC).
Thank goodness Dennis is … a Neurodivergent. What do I mean? The term is defined in this EXCERPT … “Neurodivergence is not a disorder, but rather a natural variation in human brains. It’s similar to the concept of biodiversity, which describes the natural variation of life forms in a given habitat. The term “neurodiversity” is used to describe the idea that all people have a unique way of processing information, and that this is a normal human experience. The neurodiversity movement encourages people to tap into their unique strengths to help them adapt to their environment.” (End of Excerpt).
Sooo … Thank goodness … Dennis is ambidextrous. He is able to use the right and left hands… equally well. (Well, almost … with equal ease … if he is NOT stressed!)
His split-dominate-brain … often can be doubly concerning. He questioned if the keyboard was damaged … the electronics jarred. He quickly jumped from one side of his brain to the other, so to speak. Pianist-Dennis busied himself checking the settings … with his right hand. Then … with his left hand … he started … to “run” the bass keys … in a stride style. FYI … a style of timing that gospel singers routinely call for … “a left-hand like God”. Definition? Meaning the perfect-timing of a stride-style of accompaniment.
Dennis’ hands … caught the eye and ear of… “THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI”. Ma, again impressed with his playing … spoke to her “handlers”. They hastily put together his piano bench, placing it under him. Dennis was so distracted that he didn’t even notice them holding the piano up, in midair. Settling down … Dennis started to do some boogie-woogie.
From its case, Ma proceeded to pull her instrument, the ERHU. Oh, the sounds she coaxed from that ancient 2-stringed instrument! She entreated Dennis to continue … the boogie-woogie beat and piano stride-style … that he started with. Then she begged him to play BLUES. Later, they jammed with some JAZZ, too. What a sight. These two master musicians, who never spoke to one another before … were now communicating … in the Universal Language of Music … right there in the lobby at Asian Town Plaza.
Yes … back on that day … two guys named Bill … really did serve us well.
LINKS below are for (3) MP3 RECORDINGS we did way back in 1998. The back-story of these newfound files follows. When Web returned from his Far East tour … he wanted to meet famed ERHUIST MA XIAO-HUI. Who? Headliner at the LUNAR NEW YEAR CELEBRATION (held earlier in the month at Li Wah Restaurant in Cleveland’s Asia Town). That gig was prior to this night of jammin’ (at our home here in Solon … hence my title of “A Musical Salon in Solon”). The jam was IMPROMPTU … STUNNING. The session made WEB want to sing for her … and he did. It made me want to record them … and I did, (thank God). Enjoy “Spirituals”. You will hear Web’s BIG Baritone voice. (BTW decades ago he had the honorific title “Hak San” conferred on him. Loosely translated it means “Black Mountain”!) Web is accompanied by Ma on her Erhu … an ancient 2-stringed instrument … and Dennis on piano.
Here are those 3 LINKS:
Spirituals © Baritone Web Fleming accompanied by famed ERHUIST Ma Xiao-Hui and Pianist Dennis Chandler. Amazingly they were sitting back to back … “speaking” … in the Universal language of Music.
Orient Express © An original impromptu instrumental … performed by famed ERHUIST Ma Xiao-Hui and Pianist Dennis Chandler. Amazingly they were sitting back to back … “speaking” … in the Universal language of Music.
Cityscape © Another original impromptu instrumental … performed by famed ERHUIST Ma Xiao-Hui and Pianist Dennis Chandler. Again amazingly done as they were sitting back to back … “speaking” … in the Universal language of Music.
About Ma go to … https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ma_Xiaohui
https://www.willardohio.us/history-of-willard.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willard,_Ohio
NOW BACK TO …
Ties That Bind: IATSE-Teamster-Tag Weaved Web & Den Together Again … Plus … Old Fleming Friend Lanny Shum
How Den met Web … It was thanks to William Taggart aka TAG. He introduced the two to one another back in ’93. He told them, “You two should get together to play!”
But, first the long backstory of how they all met. (Get a BIG cup of coffee or tea … and toast Webby!) Soo … here goes …
Actually it was back in the ’80s. Stagehand Taggart and Ring Announcer Chandler crossed paths while working the wrestling circuit in Northeast Ohio.
Ring announcer Dennis Chandler and stagehand Bill Taggart crossed paths … while both were working the mat, so to speak.
But, we must go back to that Summer of ’93 … when they caught up with one another again. To “flesh out” … or … as Early Radio Icon Paul Harvey used to put it …”and now the rest of the story…”
It was at a classic car cruise out in Mentor, Ohio. Dennis was performing in the parking lot of “Annabelle’s Diner”. This diner was originally a “Kenny King Diner” and it was re-located to Mentor from Euclid. Co-incidentally this diner was one of Dennis’ favorite fun spots to play … not just today … but back in the day (the ’50s). Why? It was near where he grew up … in the Post World War II housing project called “Euclid Homes”.
Perhaps it was why musician-Dennis felt comfortable there. Plus he was in command of that … back-of-the-diner-stage. He felt at ease each and every time he entertained there. So when Dennis looked out at the audience … he thought he recognized old familiar faces. One in particular made him pause. From the back-burner-of-his-brain came … a front-of-mind-name … Bill Taggart. He also recalled that … stagehand-Taggart was also projectionist-Taggart. They realized that it had to be back in the ’60s when Tag worked with … “wife Liz”. Bill mentioned back then … he was called, “the NEW guy from IATSE”. As such he was a “Teamster-Swing” … working many different shows and events (like the above-mentioned wrestling matches that announcer-Dennis had MC’d.)
Now how … Bill brought Fleming into our world and how Web brought us into his. It was all because of some sharing … caring classic cruisers … like Joe Artale. Who? He had a critical role …in helping the original Annabelle succeed in her vision. She wanted to have cruises at her Diner.
In fact, he had memberships in various car clubs. At the the time he would cruise out to Mentor regularly. (I believe one of those clubs he headed was the NIFTY FIFTIES / SIXTIES on).
Joe was the one who told me about Annabelle’s Diner being … the old Euclid Kenny King Diner (from Dennis’ old ‘hood). I put stock into his referral to cruise out there. Why? He was from one of my old ‘hoods. The one with John Adams High School in it.
As a matter-of-fact … and this is documented … Joe as a Adams Alumni … and a fellow “Rebel” … fought for the school to be saved. It was not only was saved … but rebuilt. Joe had such an influence … that the-powers-that-were-at-the-time … asked Artale-the-Adams-Expert … for his input. He sure gave it. One can see the results from Artale-the-Rebel … just cruise by.
Speaking of … The-Trusting-Artale … Joe used to help us girls out. How? When we would find ourselves nearly on empty … we’d coast into one of his gas stations. He’d wave us over to a pump … to top off our tank. (But, that’s a story for another time … )
BTW … Musician-Dennis still enjoys playing in parking lots. Classic music for classic cars. And Artale still enjoys cruising … with yet another car club … that he started back in the day. The famed Rock’n’Roll Capital Street Machines. https://rnrcsm.com/
Pictured below … just a few of Joe’s friends and fellow cruisers from the famed Rock’n’Roll Capital Street Machines. This night … they came cruisin’ by … but with no classic cars. An Ice Storm … had them driving their “beater cars” and wearing their Winter gear. 
It was years ago that a very young Web Fleming sang baritone as a member of a world renowned choir. It was called, “Wings Over Jordan” … and they originated from Cleveland, Ohio. The storied history of that great choir’s effect worldwide can be found on Wikipedia. There is a LINK that I listed further down below. In the meanwhile … here is a page from Web’s copy of his “Wings Songbook” …
Suffice-it-to-say here … that when Web would be asked to “sing something from the WOJ Songbook”… he did … and boy, did he ever.
So once Den and Web got together again … they decided to debut a program of “Negro Spirituals & Gospel Songs”. They received rave reviews that garnered many invitations to perform. One particular performance was presented by Miss Martha Smith from New Day Press for 1994’s Black History Month. It was at Cleveland’s famed Karamu House. That one begot more than just bookings … fun fellowships, too.
One surprise fellowship … became a special one for Dennis. It happened because of some Fleming family members from Web’s hometown of Willard, Ohio. After Web and Den did their act at a “Home Church Anniversary & Family Reunion” (in Willard) … Web went to introduce “Accompanist Dennis” to “Cousin Dick”. That’s when Den found himself reacquainting with Dick Gregory. Who? To learn more … go to …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Gregory
Dennis first met the renowned comedian-turned-humanitarian … years earlier. It was back during the social turbulence of the late 1960s. It was in Chicago that they first got to fellowship … (along with Rev. Jesse Jackson). It was all thanks to mutual music mates and dear friends, B.B. King and Wayne Bennett (Bobby Blue Bland’s guitarist). Then Dennis saw Dick again in Cleveland in the 1970s and 1980s. That’s when accompanist-Dennis did musical duty for another dear friend and mutual media mate … pioneer talk show host Bill “Smoochie” Gordon.
Vegetarians Dennis, Dick and Bill had fun practicing … what Dick Gregory was promoting. That “It’s Cool to be Healthy”, (to quote the title of one of D.G.’s books on nutrition). Great minds think along the same lines, (food lines in this case, too). Dick Gregory. Web Fleming. Bill “Smoochie” Gordon. What Lights.
Going back in Web’s history … as a GOSPEL SINGER. He always enjoyed making a JOYFUL NOISE. Particularly the NEGRO SPIRITUALS he learned in his youth. As I wrote earlier … he became a BARITONE SOLOIST … and he toured with the famed WINGS OVER JORDAN CHOIR.
Here is an excerpt from Wikipedia …
“Wings Over Jordan broke the color barrier as the first radio program produced and hosted by African-Americans to be nationally broadcast over a network. The program was the first of its kind which was easily accessible to audiences in the Deep South, featuring distinguished black church and civic leaders, scholars and artists as guest speakers. One of the highest-rated religious radio programs in the United States, it also had an international shortwave audience on the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), the Voice of America (VOA), and Armed Forces Radio.
Learn more … about “Wings”, as they were affectionately called … go to … https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wings_Over_Jordan_Choir
It was during the days prior to the turbulent civil rights movements. A very young Web Fleming saw the struggles and … for the first time … he also saw what fame can do. Web said, with his robe on and in good voice (read: BIG voice) … he was seen and heard … in a more (shall we say) … favorable light. Why? The choir was graciously received … for they were world renown. How so? Those early radio broadcasts of NEGRO SPIRITUALS were heard all around the world … as explained above. BTW where did those airwaves originate from? Right near where Web later lived … in his adopted hometown … Cleveland, Ohio. (I can NOT imagine what it meant to Web … to be asked to be a soloist with that Choir … and at that time!)
We do NOT have tape of Web singing with that choir. But, what we do have … is Web singing spirituals with famed Erhuist Ma … and… Pianist Dennis accompanying him. Click on the first link to hear Web singing … Spirituals © Baritone Web Fleming, Erhuist Ma-Xiao-Hui & Pianist Dennis Chandler
“Pal Dennis” aka Dennis Kucinich … “DK” deserves credit for some of those bookings he did for “DC”. He also deserves kudos for the devoted public servant he has always been. Plus he’s a good sport. The photo below shows how much so … as DK gets into the act at Asian Plaza. 
The late Journalist WILLIAM F. MILLER and his wife MARIANNA aka MARIA MILLER … loved to hear good melodic music. They and Bill’s brother, “Petey” aka Pete Miller (award-winning photojournalist) … would come to hear musician-Dennis wherever he was playing … whatever genre music he was making … and with whomever he was making it with, so to speak.
Plain Dealer Columnist Mary Strassmeyer … oftentimes joined in on the fun … sitting on Pianist-Dennis’ piano bench. She was used to sitting next to him … as a fellow theatre seatmate. To explain … we shared great seats … third-row-on-aisle-seats. First at the Hanna Theatre … then at other theatres located in Playhouse Square. Her seat was courtesy of her job at the newspaper (read: free). Our seats were paid for with hard-earned dollars from our sales subscription jobs at Theatre League of Cleveland. What was that? A satellite office of the Impresario Sam L’Hommedieu. He toured Broadway shows under the auspices of his Theatre League of ____ chain. Coincidentally he was the veteran concert promoter who would book BB into venues that he managed. In the small-world-department … the Warner theatre was part of the RKO / Stanley Warner Theatre chain … for whom I worked back in the mid-’60s … with Taggart, too.
Back to about the location of Mary, Mary’s seat. Recall I wrote she worked for a newspaper. Her seat was considered that of a critic. So she acted like one. She would share with DC … some searing comments … whenever she did NOT like what she saw … or what she heard. To explain further …
DC and M,M often had the same perceptions. Let’s just say … that both were old school and liked only the musicals that had melody in the tunes. The kind that a theatre-goer could hum going up the aisle after the play was over. Goodness knows … because our seats were so far down front … there were no memorable melodies to share. What they did share was some very searing … but … funny notes (pardon the pun).
Mary, Mary is missed by many. Especially by Pianist-Dennis. He sorely misses her on the bench beside him … asking for their mutually favored tunes. The ones that can be found in his library of Great American Songbooks. But, we have the memories … and … we have extra theatre programs from Seatmate-Strassy. Her memory is a Blessing.
“Who is that character?” Journalist William F. Miller answered, “Oh, wait. I wrote articles about that ‘Asian’ actor”. That’s Web on the left … portraying the mystical ‘Pao Kong’ aka ‘Justice Bao Gong’ aka ‘Bao Zheng’. Who? The ancient character considered by many to be … the origin of the tale titled, “Here come the Judge“. In the photo on the right is our “Pal Bill” joined by Baritone Web Fleming and a harmonizing poser.
About William F. Miller …
https://archive.triblive.com/…/new-kensington-native…/
http://pdalumni.blogspot.com/…/william-f-miller-dies.html
http://www.clevelandpeople.com/other/william-miller.htm
http://obitsohio.blogspot.com/…/william-f-miller-73…
https://www.wplucey.com/…/memories-of-plain-dealer…
http://clevelandinternationalhalloffame.com/…/bill-miller/
https://www.playhousesquare.org/…/playhousesquare…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZWvOzuZGVI
K. Michael Benz … knows WHAT ONE DAY can bring. In his case … it’s the day he raised … what? $100 Million in ONE DAY. To explain … the powers in charge at the time … city, state, etc. asked KMB … to raise the money to fund the ROCK HALL … and he did. I feel I should thank Mike Benz. (Who is he to little ole us? Dennis’ former boss. But still a mentor and forever friend!)
Now about this ONE DAY … pictured above and written about below. It caused some really neat rockin’ ripples to go out into the Universe. This crew of creative-types crossed paths … right in front of the hall. Here’s the story … it’s how Lanny and Web’s wonderful week-long reunion got extended, musically. From singing Opera Asian-style … to … Roots Rock and Down Home Blues, etc. It made for a nice memory. Thanks, Mike.
Here’s how the fellowship continued with those newfound friends. Literally, from where they found one another … in front of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame & Museum … to Dim Sum … to Desert … to Jammin’ with Dennis. It was a blast.
How it happened: To Cleveland comes a couple of museum-types … from Pearl Harbor to our North Coast Harbor, so to speak. A chance meeting occurred … when they struck up a conversation with Web and Lanny … in Cantonese! They discovered they had a mutual academic-friend … a professor at PEKING UNIVERSITY. As the song lyrics say, “It’s a Small World After All” … but … “What a Wonderful World”.
That chance meeting lead to DIM SUN for some … (Dennis was home).
Bears repeating …
https://www.facebook.com/dennis.chandler.566/videos/1384494495841144
Recall our House Rules … “FIRST YOU PLAY … THEN YOU EAT” … THEN YOU PLAY AGAIN … THEN YOU EAT AGAIN” … DIM SUM
BUT … ALWAYS LEAVE ROOM FOR DESERT … IN GOOGOO’s MALTSHOP … SHOWN HERE … BEING SERVED ASIAN-STYLE.
East meets West meets North meets South … through Music.
Oh, about that couple from Hawaii, Alice and Sefton Clark. They did extend Invitations to Lanny Shum, Web Fleming and Dennis Chandler to perform overseas at the beautiful HAWAII THEATRE in their CHINATOWN. Pat answer for such long distance travel invitations? “You buy … I’ll fly!” (Read: Funding is always appreciated by and for anyone, in the Arts).
From Pearl Harbor to the North Coast Harbor. The reference to being “museum peeps” is because Sefton Clark & Alice Clark served on the board for the PACIFIC WAR MEMORIAL in PEARL HARBOR, HAWAII.
https://static.dvidshub.net/media/pubs/pdf_22650.pdf
As “Chairman Alice” and “Sec’y Sefton” said, “We’re on a much needed R & R”. You can be sure “Lanny, Web and Den Together Again” gave them a good shot of “R & R”… “Rock’n’Roll”, that is … (with a little rhythm and blues, too). Hence the invitation for a reciprocal “R & R” session.
Dennis thought it could be fun, like Tag said, “Getting their act together and taking it on the road”. “NORTH, SOUTH, MEETS EAST, WEST”… does have a nice ring to it. A New Year Ring?
So, one can see how CHINESE NEW YEAR aka SPRING FESTIVAL aka LUNAR NEW YEAR has become, for some creative-types … another wonderful holiday to celebrate. It continues to be a most welcome celebration of both cultural diversity and cultural similarity.
Go to the Detailed Bio to read more. It tells of other threads woven ‘tween. Here are a couple of those threads in the tapestry. The blending of Bluesmaster B.B. King, Robert “Jr.” Lockwood and Web Fleming, (Plus of course Dennis Chandler and Tag, too.)
Also Taggart has tried to retire. But, Bill still gets tapped to do all the important film events … traveling ’round the world. Sundance, Dubai, Bahrain, DoHo Tribeca Film Festivals, to name just a few. Plus he’s “Run film for the Royals” … as in the land of … or should I say … in the sand … of the United Arab Emirates. (I reference their penchant for tents pitched in the desert … BIG tents, Tag says!)
Speaking of troupers … In answer to the question, “Why’s Taggart called Liz’ pretend brother … or … play brother?” Bill does resemble my real brother Phil (tall and bearded).
Plus … when Dennis’ quizzed on the gig, he says, “Oh, those are Liz’ bodyguards”. Hence the joke about me having … “a Teamster for a bodyguard“.
Today in 2024 … as I wrote above … Bill was … and still is … a much-in-demand Stagehand … Projectionist … Soundman. He’s an all-round man’s man … an IATSE man. (I can say that … ’twas Teamsters who trained me!)
Bill’s personality has been a perennial one. In the the past his popularity earned him some cool accolades. A consummate professional … he always knew how to act. Even in what I would call difficult roles. One role comes to mind here … when he was elected PRESIDENT of IATSE LOCAL 160. He also did duty at IATSE Local 27. So, any song requests from “Tag”. No problem. No “double dog dare” needed. Why? A fellow Union-Bro … never says, ‘No'”. Why do I put it like that? Dennis is a LIFETIME MEMBER of Cleveland Local 4 of AFM … American Federation of Musicians … a former Vice President of the Board of Directors named Emeritus upon retirement. Thus Tag gets to name … any tunes he’d like to hear.
Sadly, our friend Billy Evans has passed. He was also known to many as … “Bodyguard Billy from The Front Row”. I’m sure he is Above, serving as Super Security Guard. He’s probably been pressed into duty … watching over writer William F. Miller … aka … Pal Bill, his wife “Mareeanna” … and now Webby. What Lights.
2024 Labor Day Saturday
2024 Moon Festival
2024 and Beyond … Forever …Remembering Webby …
2024 To be continued…
Liz Chandler, Webwriter email: googoo@en.com
Dennis Chandler, Subject email: wawamusic@en.com
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