ravi shankar

"I Like the Power of the Simple Expression of a Musical Idea."

Our guest for this episode of MFM Speaks Out is Jeff Slatnick. Jeff has been an employee and later the owner of Music Inn for over 54 years. Music Inn is one of the oldest music stores in New York City (second in longevity only to Sam Ash). It is a landmark music store in the West Village of NYC specializing in imported world and western instruments, rare and exotic music items, and records. Music Inn has been described as “a museum, rich with music history from around the world.” Music Inn is also the headquarters of Limulus, a company that designs and manufactures unique solid body string instruments.  

Slatnick started at Music Inn in 1967 when it was a record and musical instrument store run by Jerry Halpern, the original owner (who'd opened the store in 1958). The Music Inn was frequented by the likes of Bob Dylan when he lived just a few doors down at 161 West 4th Street (and wrote the song “Positively 4th Street” about the time he lived there), as well as John Lennon, Jimi Hendrix, John Sebastian, Paul Simon, Ritchie Havens, and many others. In 1968, he left Music Inn to attend the Ali Akbar Khan School of Music in California. He studied under many of today’s acknowledged masters of Indian music, including Ali Akbar Khan, Nikhil Banergee, and Ravi Shankar. He returned to New York City in 1976 as an accomplished performer. In 1993, Halpren retired and Slatnick became the owner, in 1998.  

They do musical instrument repairs, specializing in repairing instruments few others do.

In addition to maintaining Music Inn as an importer and distributor of musical instruments, he and Andy Dowty founded Limulus Musical Instruments. Limulus manufactures unique solid body sitars, sarods, ouds, tamburas, guitars, bass guitars, and custom built hybrid instruments.

Music Inn also hosts live performances and open mics.

Slatnick is also an accomplished music teacher, specializing in Indian raga.  

Topics discussed:

Greenwich Village as a historical hub of musical creativity and why so much music and art came from that small geographic location, his beginnings working at Music Inn, mastering repairs on instruments from all over the world, interacting with musicians who frequented Music Inn such as Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, John Lennon, Dave Van Ronk, etc., Slatnick's time studying at the Ali Akbar College of Music, his eventual taking over ownership of Music Inn from original owner Jerry Halpren, the changes and innovations he made in the store's operations. him and Andy Dowty founding Limulus  

Music on this episode:

"Bluegrass improvisation," by Adrian Koss and the Moonskippers

"Old City" by Good Judgement (a.k.a. Dina Pfifer)

All music used with permission. 

Credits
Producer and host: Dawoud Kringle
Publisher: Musicians For Musicians (MFM), Inc. and Sohrab Saadat Ladjvardi
Technical support: Adam Reifsteck
Links
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The relationship between musicians' lives and the music they create is one the most discussed and debated aspects of music, and examinations of the lives of great musicians is almost as old as their music itself.  Three authors who produced highly praised music biographies in 2020 were Philip Clark, on the Jazz great Dave Brubeck, Oliver Craske on the Indian sitarist Ravi Shankar and Oliver Soden on the British composer Michael Tippett, and on this week's show I was delighted to welcome all three for a round table discussion on the art of music biography.

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Anoushka Shankar, sitarist and composer, was trained in her art from age seven  by her father, Ravi Shankar, eventually traveling the world as part of his ensemble. When she began to explore music on her own, it was via electronica, collaborating with Karsh Kale on the album 'Breathing Underwater'. Over her career she has earned seven Grammy nominations. 

Anoushka's record 'Land of Gold' focused her listeners on the plight of refugees, and she remains a committed activist for this cause. She has collaborated with everyone from her late godfather George Harrison to her sister Norah Jones, from MIA to Ibeyi. A mother of two, Anoushka's tenth  and most personal album, 'Love Letters', was released last year. Co-produced with Alev Lenz, it is this podcast's favourite 'divorce' album since Paul Simon's 'Graceland'. 

For a few blissful moments shortly after midnight on June 5, 1968, young campaign staffer Michael Zagaris believed Bobby Kennedy would become President. The Senator had just won the California primary, but moments after his victory speech at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, he was assassinated--as Zagaris and others looked on in horror. In Part 1 of our wide-ranging look at his legendary career, Zagaris recounts RFK’s shooting and the impact it had on his psyche and aspirations. Ultimately, advice from guitar god Eric Clapton--after the two had shared several bowls of hashish in a Sausalito hotel room--would compel Zagaris to become a photographer, one who would make a massive impact in the rock n’ roll and sports worlds. We learn about his Baptism By Vomit (courtesy of drunken Doors frontman Jim Morrison) and much, much more.

The talking chaps dip into world music, get frightened & then bludgeon themselves with Motorhead. All in a days work.

Thanks to Record Collector and The History of Rock and...

... Meat Puppets . Lord Dying . Vampire Weekend . Acid Reign . Slap-A-Ham . Asshole Parade . Man Is The Bastard . The Well . Belzebubs . Grand Magus . Amon Amarth . Ravi Shankar . Paul Simon . George Harrison . Sunn0))) . Blancmange . Motorhead . Iron Maiden . Saxon . Venom . Anvil . Cocaine piss .