Yusuf @ Time Warner Center
December 19th, 2006 - by John
I felt fortunate to be invited to an intimate performance by Yusuf last night at the Time Warner Center in Columbus Circle. I’ll tell you all about the show- but I think a little perspective is in order.Steven Demetre Georgiou was born on July 21, 1948. You probably know him as Cat Stevens. Certainly you are familiar with his string of hits including: “Morning Has Broken”, “Peace Train”, “Wild World”, “Father and Son”, and “The First Cut Is the Deepest”. He has sold over 60 million records. But that is just the beginning of the story.
Stevens converted to Islam in 1977. He changed his name Yusuf Islam in 1979 (the year I was born) and walked away from popular music for almost 30 years. He got married, had kids and dedicated himself to educational and charitable efforts. At times there was controversy; he was criticized for comments about Salman Rushdie and was denied entry to the US recently in September of 2004- his name was on the FBI’s no fly list.
About two years ago Yusuf picked up a guitar and began writing music again. This fall Atlantic Records released Yusuf’s first pop record since 1978, An Other Cup.
I have very early memories of listening to Cat Stevens. “Moonshadow” was on a mix tape that a friend had made for my mother. I can remember my sister and I singing along in the car. As a kid it sort of seemed like a goofy song; only later in life would I appreciate its Taoist themes.
Cat’s music is often lumped in with other sensitive male singer/songwriters of the seventies. However, I always thought there was a simplicity and optimism in his work that made it unique. His ability to convey confidence in the concepts of peace and love gave an atypical weight to subjects that often came across as trite in pop music. When I listened to Cat Stevens I felt like I was hearing someone unsure of the means - but confident of the ends. It was a duality I found appealing.
Last night was his first performance in the United States in thirty years.
First let me say that The Allen Room is a great auditorium with wonderful acoustics and an amazing wall of windows behind the performers that looks out over Columbus Circle.
Nic Harcourt, host of the popular KCRW program Morning Becomes Eclectic, introduced Yusuf (to a standing ovation by a capacity crowd of about 350) and conducted a brief interview with him to start the show. Though the story was familiar it was certainly more interesting to hear it from the source. Most interesting to me was when Yusuf talked about being hospitalized, at the age of 19, for tuberculosis. It was during that time that he fist began reading various spiritual texts. He talked about his desire to find a path, and how that was reflected in the music that he would write going forward.
Yusuf opened the show solo with “Maybe There’s a World” followed by his classic, and one of my favorites, “The Wind”. After that a six piece band, including a pianist, percussionist, and backup singers joined him for the reminder of the evening. The set mixed new and old including: Midday, Oh Very Young & In The End.
At that point Harcourt and Yusuf sat down again. Yusuf talked about his introduction to Islam and how it showed him the way he had been searching for. It was a path that required a drastic change in lifestyle. He acknowledged that for years he had denied his talent as musician. Recently he came to accept that music could be compliment and augment his journey. In a humorous moment Yusuf’s cell phone rang- indicating a new voice message.
To me the conversation indicated a change in perspective that has translated to the music on Yusuf’s new album. In the past he wrote as someone seeking a path, in the present he is now writes as someone who has found their way. I suppose thirty years is enough time to allow for that change. Oddly something about the new perspective speaks to me less.
The second half of the set included “Heaven / Where True Love Goes” which incorporates part of Steven’s own “Foreigner Suite”, a cover version of The Animals’ “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” and the well intentioned (but in my mind poorly executed) “Indian Ocean” a song written in response to the tsunami tragedy. The band closed the set with the “Peace Train” which seemed relevant as ever. Yusuf dedicated the final number to the late Ahmet Ertegun, founder of Atlantic Records. After another standing ovation Yusuf and his two guitar players returned for an unrehearsed encore of “Father & Son”.
It was quite in experience to hear such familiar songs in such an intimate setting. Yusuf’s voice was great and his backing band was tight. Here’s to finding your path.
