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Caffe Lena: Inside America's Legendary Folk Music Coffeehouse
In 1960, burgeoning actress and defiant dreamer Lena Spencer opened a small, grassroots coffeehouse in the quaint upstate New York town of Saratoga Springs. Within her then-husband's plan to start the Caffè as a means for the couple to artistically flourish while "making enough money to retire in Europe" lay the seed of a more impactful cultural contribution that would change music history forever. It was a time in America when a coffeehouse could be something more-a focal point for a different sort of people, radical new ideas, and notably, emerging artists. Caffè Lena's humble stage regularly welcomed musicians such as a young Bob Dylan in 1961, the singer/activist Bernice Johnson Reagon in 1962, and a pre-"American Pie" Don McLean in 1965. Quickly, Caffè Lena took its place among the nation's foremost incubators of an American folk movement that inspired a generation of musicians, artists, and thinkers and a country in need of a new vision of equality, freedom, and understanding.
Fortunately for posterity, camera shutters were often snapping in time to the music, and so an intimate visual record of Caffè Lena's early years exists. Now, thanks to years of dedicated digging by the Caffè Lena History Project-to unearth Lena's secret memoirs, collaborating with photographers to identify and rescue mysterious negatives, and collecting stories from the original artists to highlight these materials-the time has come to share this treasure trove of authentic and rare Americana with the world. Caffè Inside America's Legendary Folk Music Coffeehouse brings more than 200 never before seen, evocative images and stories to the public. Early 1960s photographs of Bob Dylan and Pete Seeger and modern-day images of Rufus Wainwright and Patty Larkin blend with rare memorabilia and an oral history derived from more than 100 original interviews of artists who have graced Caffè Lena's stage over the decades, including Ani DiFranco, Utah Phillips, Dave Van Ronk, Spalding Gray, and other luminaries of the folk, blues, jazz, and theater worlds.
This exclusive time capsule chronicling the heyday of Caffè Lena-now the country's oldest continuously operational folk music coffeehouse-provides an insightful look at the many artists whose poetic lyrics cast a mesmerizing spell over a generation, and who remain beloved today.
Alongside the release of Caffè Inside America's Legendary Folk Music Coffeehouse, San Francisco's Tompkins Square label will release the 3-CD box set, 'Live at Caffè Music From America's Legendary Coffeehouse, 1967-2013′ on September 24, 2013.
"Caffè Lena holds an important place in the folk and traditional music communities. For me it was the gateway to so many things I hold dear about music."
-Scott Goldman, The GRAMMY Foundation
"The story of Caffè Lena is the secret history of the folk-music scene. Lena was a pioneering woman in a man's world and her story needs to be told."
-Holly George-Warren, The Road to Woodstock
"Lena Spencer was a rare person with a shining spirit who created a small world of her own. The magic of her Caffè cannot be analyzed, computerized, or explained."
-David Amram, Musician
Fortunately for posterity, camera shutters were often snapping in time to the music, and so an intimate visual record of Caffè Lena's early years exists. Now, thanks to years of dedicated digging by the Caffè Lena History Project-to unearth Lena's secret memoirs, collaborating with photographers to identify and rescue mysterious negatives, and collecting stories from the original artists to highlight these materials-the time has come to share this treasure trove of authentic and rare Americana with the world. Caffè Inside America's Legendary Folk Music Coffeehouse brings more than 200 never before seen, evocative images and stories to the public. Early 1960s photographs of Bob Dylan and Pete Seeger and modern-day images of Rufus Wainwright and Patty Larkin blend with rare memorabilia and an oral history derived from more than 100 original interviews of artists who have graced Caffè Lena's stage over the decades, including Ani DiFranco, Utah Phillips, Dave Van Ronk, Spalding Gray, and other luminaries of the folk, blues, jazz, and theater worlds.
This exclusive time capsule chronicling the heyday of Caffè Lena-now the country's oldest continuously operational folk music coffeehouse-provides an insightful look at the many artists whose poetic lyrics cast a mesmerizing spell over a generation, and who remain beloved today.
Alongside the release of Caffè Inside America's Legendary Folk Music Coffeehouse, San Francisco's Tompkins Square label will release the 3-CD box set, 'Live at Caffè Music From America's Legendary Coffeehouse, 1967-2013′ on September 24, 2013.
"Caffè Lena holds an important place in the folk and traditional music communities. For me it was the gateway to so many things I hold dear about music."
-Scott Goldman, The GRAMMY Foundation
"The story of Caffè Lena is the secret history of the folk-music scene. Lena was a pioneering woman in a man's world and her story needs to be told."
-Holly George-Warren, The Road to Woodstock
"Lena Spencer was a rare person with a shining spirit who created a small world of her own. The magic of her Caffè cannot be analyzed, computerized, or explained."
-David Amram, Musician
- GenresMusic
288 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 2013
2 people are currently reading
33 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 22, 2021
What a touching tribute to a woman and a place that holds a history all its own. I have attended everything from a free Thursday open mic to the most expensive single artist ticket I’ve ever purchased in the same small room. But to hear artists I adore like Pete Seeger and Ani Difranco talk about that place with the same awe is so special. I will be giving a copy of this book to my mother, with whom I hope to attend more shows at the Caffe.
October 22, 2014
How do you capture the vibe of a classic coffeehouse in a single book? It's not easy. This book succeeds in making me long for those places that fostered conversation and featured off beat entertainment. In the case of Caffe Lena off beat meant Bob Dylan, Hedy West, Jackie Washington, Spalding Gray and later on Loudon, Wainright III, Townes Van Zandt, Greg Brown, Bucky Pizzarelli, G Love. Lot's of great stories and lots of great photos. Like a remembrance book from a reunion. Lacking would be some grand narrative weaving the story of Lean Spencer, her dreams, her aspirations, her friendships. This is just a great book to spend an afternoon with over a cup of coffee in a local coffeehouse.
Want to read
November 21, 2014Gerri gave us this book for Xmas and I just started reading it. Caffe Lena was such an important part of my development as I have loved folk music all of my life and I always knew to follow the performers of Caffe Lena because they would be singing my story. It also touches me deeply when with Gerri and she and I know and enjoy the same music and that she lives and works so close to the Caffe in Saratoga Springs, New York. This book will be a journey I will take throughout the coming year.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews