Foreword - By Ron Della Chiesa, WGBH Boston,
WPLM Plymouth
This marvelous collection of photographs
by Ruth Williams is a true labor of love. Ruth and her husband Ed have
been an important part of the New England music scene for many years. Ed
with his live on-location recordings and Ruth with her thousands of
photographs of some of the area's finest musicians.
Believe it or not, they met in a darkroom
years ago, and as Ed says "Things have been developing ever
since." Judging from those words and the hundreds of brilliant
photographs, that's an understatement to say the least.
In my many years of radio, I have had the
pleasure of playing the music and interviewing many of the artists you'll
find in this collection. These photos bring back so many memories of
their exciting performances in clubs, on the concert stage or in jam
sessions. I have often said that New England has given the world some
of the finest jazz instrumentalists and singers anywhere. So many of
the musicians included in this book have achieved international status i the
jazz world: Bob Wilber, Gray Sargent, Dave McKenna, Dick Johnson and Scott
Hamilton, to name a few.
As far as I know, no one has documented
the New England music scene in such a captivating and succinct way.
You can feel and hear the music as the pages turn!
Ruth Williams's collection has given me great
pleasure, as I know it will you. Enjoy!
