A hundreds-strong farewell in song for the great Joel Moss.
PLUS: Inclusive Saratoga, History Museum and Petal + Hive.
Saratoga bids farewell to Joel Moss with music fit for a legend.
Saratoga celebrates Joel Moss’s lasting legacy with a rousing, hundreds-strong march through town and emotional, musical tribute at Caffè Lena.
[For a shareable link to this story alone, click here.]
SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY — Tuesday night was a one-of-kind celebration of life with musical performances dedicated to the late Joel Moss, a Grammy award-winning music producer and sound engineer who was beloved in town for his generosity and creative spirit. The event drew a diverse and lively audience, all of whom were friends, family, colleagues and admirers of Moss, who passed away Sept. 15 at the age of 79.
The evening began at the Katrina Trask staircase in Congress Park, where hundreds lined up behind Glen David Andrews and his New Orleans Jazz band. Andrews, playing “When the Saints Go Marching In” on his trombone, led the procession north through the park and straight to the front door of Caffè Lena on Phila Street. The city block was closed off to cars for the event.
Saratoga’s Poet Laureate Joe Bruchac opened the night in front of Caffè Lena. A performance stage was set up on the sidewalk and the café opened its doors to everyone. The venue was full by 6 p.m. and was prepared with food and volunteers to accommodate the brimming crowd. The night featured speeches and performances that volleyed back and forth between inside and outside stages, much of it thanks to a streaming system that Moss himself initiated.
[Click on the below embed to watch the video.]
Musician Jeff Brisbin performed a song written and dedicated to Moss and their late friend, composer and sound engineer Charlie Eble, who passed away in 2017. The song is entitled “Always in Key” and was inspired by Moss and Eble’s friendship.
Jim Mastrianni, Chairman of the Board of Directors at Caffè Lena, gave a speech about his experience working and collaborating with Moss over the last 10 years. “Joel Moss was indeed a giant, not in a loud or self-important way and not in the trophies, but in the generous way he lived,” Mastrianni said.
Composer Marc Shaiman, who worked with Moss extensively on music for films in the ‘90s, performed “The Place Where the Lost Things Go,” which he co-wrote for the movie Mary Poppins Returns. Shaiman also spoke about his and Moss’s time working side by side.
[Click on the below embed to watch the video.]
New and old friends alike performed in honor of Moss. Singer Kelsey Dodd met Joel just last year and recorded her first EP with him. Dodd is a Saratoga native and freshman at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee College of Music, and she returned to Saratoga for the memorial. She described how he invited her input when it came to collaboration and recording. “He was the quietest in the room,” she told the Dispatch. “He wanted to give everyone the space to speak.”
John Wager, a Grammy award-winning producer and composer who worked with Moss in the music and film world, said, “One of the many things Joel inspired in me and taught me was to live a full life, and do what you love, and keep finding ways to stretch yourself… no matter how old you are.”
Musicians who worked and recorded with Moss performed for nearly four hours between around 5 and 9 p.m., with artists performing outside and audience members hanging out on Phila Street long after dark.
Other artists and individuals that paid tribute include Heard, Mark & Jill, Ariana, Steve Candlen, Maswick & Brown, Jeanne O’Connor & Friends, Andrew, the Jazz Pebbles, Shiri Zorn, Judy & Azaam, Kate McDonnell, Cassandra Kubinski, Don & Judy McCormack, William Kennedy, John Clayton, Jocelyn & Chris, Franklin Micare, Carolyn Shapiro, the Adirondack Song Dogs, Michael Eck, Alex Hale & Friends, and Peter David & Friends.
Joel’s daughter, Rachel Moss, spoke on the café stage and said that when her father moved to Saratoga he said “‘I have found the best place with the best people.’ And I think he was right…” She added, “I’m so proud of all of the people that he met here and all of the musicians who are going to carry on his legacy and the music that he loves and his memory.”
The entire memorial service, “Where the Music Never Dies: A Celebration of Joel Moss,” which includes clips of Moss himself, is available to watch on YouTube, courtesy of the Caffè Lena YouTube channel.
The Joel Moss Fund was established after Moss’s death to support the Caffè Lena School of Music. Sarah Craig, the director of Caffe Lena and longtime friend of Moss said, “The fund will help us accommodate a rapidly growing student body.”
To donate to the Joel Moss fund, visit caffelena.org, or mail a donation to Caffè Lena.
Read more about Moss’s career, legacy and connection to Saratoga at large: Saying goodbye: Saratoga gears up to celebrate the life of Joel Moss
In brief
Shop for a cause
Inclusive Saratoga will be Petal + Hive (10 Broadway in the Algonquin) tomorrow through Sunday for a special pop-up featuring tees and hoodies that both spread positivity and raise funds for the nonprofit, which works to advance disability inclusivity.
“We focus on the positive and reach for what we know is possible: a world where everyone can fully participate,” says Inclusive Saratoga’s founder, Meghan Connolly Haupt. “We’ve created the apparel line to both fund our community work and spread positivity.”
Connolly Haupt will be at the clean beauty emporium on Saturday from 1 to 5 p.m. to answer questions about Inclusive Saratoga. (Stop by for free nontoxic fine jewelry cleaning while you browse.)
“At Petal & Hive, community and supporting one another are two of the pillars of our company,” says Jillian Ehremberg, owner of Petal + Hive. “Our partnership with Inclusive Saratoga checks both those boxes.”
Letter-to-the-editor
JoAnne Kiernan brings community finance experience
I’ve had the pleasure of knowing JoAnne Kiernan as a neighbor, as a friend and through her dedicated service as treasurer of our homeowners’ association. In that role, JoAnne brought clarity, integrity, and professionalism to managing our community’s finances—qualities we need more of in City Hall.
She restructured how we accounted for our reserves, ultimately saving homeowners money while safeguarding our neighborhood’s assets. What impressed me most was her ability to explain complex financial matters in a way everyone could understand, and always keeping the community’s best interests at heart.
JoAnne is steady, approachable, and deeply committed to the place we all call home. Saratoga Springs will be lucky to have her as Commissioner of Finance. I trust her judgment completely and know she will lead with both common sense and compassion.
On November 4th, please join me in voting for a strong Commissioner of Finance, JoAnne Kiernan.
Thank you,
Joe Scala
In brief
Step back in time
On Wednesday Oct. 29 at 7 p.m., the Saratoga Springs History Museum (1 E. Congress St. inside Canfield Casino) invites the public to its 142nd Annual Meeting of the Historical Society. The meeting and presentation will be a look at the past, present and future of the casino.
The time travel will begin with the current state of the museum, during what is the official meeting portion of the night. Then Executive Director James Parillo will dive into the past — all the way to the museum’s founding in 1883 — before bringing guests through the institution’s 142 years. The special lecture is entitled To Collect, Preserve, and Exhibit: The Founding of the Saratoga Springs History Museum and will conclude with talk about the newest addition to the museum, The Founder exhibit, featuring artifacts from the historical society.
The cost is $10 to attend for the public while members are welcome to attend for free. To reserve your spot, visit saratogahistory.org.
ICYMI…
