Roadie in New York

When Larry Coryell returned to New York, he was in the process of launching his own production company. I got invited to come and be his road manager, since it was established that I could cope with unusual situations.

I had never been to NYC, but Lance Wakely set me up with a friend of his in the lower Manhattan (near Houston Street), who would provide a place to stay while I worked there. So I set off for the Big Apple for the first time.

Westside Bus Terminal Today

When I arrived, I made it from the airport to the Westside Bus Terminal  and from there took a taxi to Lance's friend's house. The address was on 1st Avenue and it was a hyphenated address. Something like "111-4". I wasn't familiar with types of addresses and I am glad the taxi driver was, because it was a long, long trip- taking me on several expressways and down the Westside Parkway, finally ending up at my destination. As a side note, when I left NY sometime later, I planned on calling a taxi. I was told that the Westside Bus Terminal was only a few minutes away, by bus: right on 8th Avenue. I thought, "Welcome to NYC, rube." I actually would have like to have found the cabbie and shook his hand for giving me the ultimate NYC experience.

I had one other typical experience while staying there. Houston Street, just a few blocks away, hosts a Sunday street market, as there were blue laws in effect and stores were closed on Sunday. I loved going there and one visit stuck out in my mind. While standing at a stall, looking over the merchandise, I looked down at the ground and lo and behold- there was a fat roll of cash, which I promptly picked up. Naturally I asked the fellow next to me if it was his and fortunately it was and he thanked me profusely. A few weeks later, I got to thinking that maybe it wasn't his and that he had just taken advantage of the situation. But what are the chances of that happening in New York?

Larry's offices were located in a building. Can't remember where, but it was on the floor just below to top floor. I seem to remember that, because there was an astrologer who occupied the top floor and Larry would have him cast the fortune of the company, from time to time, using the signing of the incorporation papers as the "birth date". I don't know how much he took that seriously, but it was a thing.

At first, there wasn't much for me to do, since he had just come back from a European tour and his first gig in the US wasn't for several more weeks. So I was pretty much on my own to explore the big city.