Look at how my eye focuses – I want the listings big enough to read, and I want the publication information along with them, if possible. That’s the scanning area I created and captured here.
Look what gets cut, “on the margins” of my view, you might say. Besides the adult theaters, there’s some Maya Angelou action (there are a bunch of listings for her readings around this time) and, more importantly to me, a full schedule for the Black Expo at the Civic Auditorium. The piece that’s recoverable is the piece that came as a by-product of my main focus. And what do I find but a Merl Saunders listing for Friday, September 8, 1972 in the main hall of the SF Civic Auditorium?
A few days ago I found information about Merl Saunders, September 7-10, 1972: Black Expo ’72 in the Night Times, but nothing more specific. Ever hopeful, I said “[It’d be] Be neat to see which day(s) he played, with whom, and what”. Well, at least I know more about the “when” part – Friday 9/8 – but not the other stuff. I wonder what Gar was doing that night? They would play a black music event May 29-30, 1973 at the Ash Grove, Garcia was free on a Friday, so anything’s possible.
I doubt it happened, but I still wonder what it was. I have to assume this would be the Heavy Turbulence band, with Reverend Ron Stallings on tenor sax, Peter Welker on trumpet, Merl, not sure who else. Tony hadn’t started playing to that level yet in summer 1972, I don’t think.
Anyway, the Merl info caught my mind, but intersectionality and (in) visibility are worth me keeping in focus.
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