The Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix is outstanding!

I was in Scottsdale over Memorial Day Weekend and I lucked out, the temps were in the high 80's and low 90's.  Nothing like it was the week before or the week after.
One morning after having breakfast at the Royal Palms with a friend, I headed over to the MIM, the Musical Instrument Museum.  Boy was I impressed!  The large ceramic tile panels that covered the facade against the Arizona blue sky was magnificent.

Trip Advisor ranks the MIM the number one attraction in Phoenix! And it is the only museum of its kind in the world featuring musical instruments from all over the world.
The main floor is home to the Artist Gallery.  The second floor includes exhibits for every country in the world.  Each vignette features various instruments from that country, explanations on how they are made, played and how they are used in that culture.  What I was particularly impressed with was with the top-notch audio and visual available.  When you walk up to a vignette, the video screen will begin running, showing the musicians or music being played in their original cultural context.  The music and sometimes commentary comes through on high-quality headphones.  If you want to listen again, it will play over or if you have had enough, walk away and the screen goes black and the music stops.

I first toured the Artist Gallery.  The exhibits included instruments, songs, vinyl records and record jackets, posters, stage outfits, props and excellent photos of many music icons such as John Lennon, Taylor Swift, Carlos Santana, Ray Orbison, Black Eyed Peas, Leonard Bernstein, Clara Rockmore, Pablo Casals, George Benson and many more.

 

I love the exhibit on Dick Dale who invented surf music in the late 1950's.  Leo Fender, the pioneer of the electric-guitar, gave Dale a guitar.  He was impressed that Dale who was left-handed turned the right-handed guitar upside down and backwards and started to play.
It was Dick Dales song, Miserlou, that was the theme song in the movie Pulp Fiction.
 
The Elvis Presley exhibit with his outfit, records, guitar and great photos.

On the video screen, the were scenes of Elvis in the movie Charro.  A little trivia for you, this was the only movie in which he did not sing and he grew a beard for the part.

Its was Carlos Santana's performance at Woodstock in 1969 that made him an international star.

 In 1970 John Lennon purchased a Steinway 2 Upright and composed "Imagine" based on a poem written by Yoko Ono promoting world peace. 

This young lady was enthralled listening to the music of Toby Keith, singer-songwriter well-known for his patriotism.  He wrote "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue" in response to 9/11.

In the Mechanical Music Gallery, listen to the 25 foot long, 2 ton Belgian-made Apollonia dance organ.  Appropriately named for the female for Apollo, the Greek God of sun and music, the dance organ features sounds of accordions, percussion and hundreds of organ pipes.

There is the Experience Gallery where children and adults too can play a guitar, bang a gong, explore all types of different instruments.

The Conservation Lab.  
Then up to the second floor to tour the Latin America Gallery.

With my love of Mexico, I was very impressed with the various vignettes on Mexican music, especially the area on mariachis.  The traditional instruments include the button accordion, bajo quinto or bajo sexto (Mexican guitars strung in five or six courses), violins, tarola snare drum and tololoche bass.

This display features the Rampora frame drums, flutes and violins of the Raramuri (Tarahumara) Indians from the Copper Canyon area in northern Mexico.  Tarahumaras are world renown for their long distance running abilities.

I was very impressed by the Recycled Orchestra.  In Cateura, Paraguay, music teacher Favio Chavez was struggling with the lack of musical instruments.  2006 he put together a small group to sieve through the local landfill for material to construct an eensemblee of "recycled" instruments.  Today there is a thriving music school and a youth orchestra that performs internationally! 

Country music was created from diverse musical and cultural influences.  The Grand Ole Opry helped spread the popularity. 

Ramsey Recording Studio started out as a radio repair shop that eventually turned into a recording studio, called Audio Recorders.  Not only did they record music that was heard all over the nation, my Dad, Bob Mullen, recorded many radio commercials for his clients here.

A tribute to the 1960's and 1970's Rock and Roll.  Great selection of songs can be heard:  "I Want to Hold Your Hand" by The Beatles, "My Generation" by The Who, "Foxey Lady" by Jim Hendrix and "Ball and Chain" by Janis Joplin.

If you grew up in the valley in the 1950's to the late '80's, you had to have watched the Wallace & Ladmo Show!  Their live music was something else and often was a parody of other musicians like the Beatles.  Alice Cooper was inspired by Mike Condello. 

The European wing represented every country imaginable.  Spain's vignette featured the Flamenco music of Andulsia.  
Other galleries include Asia, Oceania,   Africa and the Middle East.

I had such a wonderful 2 1/2 hours at the museum.  And I have barely scratched the surface on what the MIM has to offer.  
Thanks can be made to Robert J. Ulrich (former CEO of Target) for having such passion and insight to be such a collector.  It was the vision of Ulrich and his friend, Marc Felix, who came up with the concept for the museum after visiting the Musical Instruments Museum in Brussels, Belgium.  It truly was a one-of-a-kind experience and I found myself constantly smiling as I toured each vignette.
I am anxious to go back and spend more time listening to all the different venues. 

MIM - Musical Instrument Museum
4725 E. Mayo Blvd.
(corner of Tatum and Mayo Blvd., just south of the Loop 101)
Phoenix, Arizona

MIM.org

Open Daily.

Yesterday in Arizona

My Dad, Robert Mullen (Mullen Advertising and Public Relations), had used these vintage photos in an advertising campaign for Heritage Graphics back in 1990.  Being that Arizona celebrated its 100 year anniversary, I thought you would enjoy seeing what Phoenix looked like back then.

This farmer and his team of horses were cutting hay in the vicinity of 64th Street, just south of Camelback Road when there were few homes in the area and a wagon trail was the main arterial at the west end of the mountain.

The year was 1929 and Mae West, branded "America's Most Startling Woman," was in town for the opening of her latest movie, "I'm no Angel."  Balcony seats at the Orpheum Theater in downtown Phoenix were going for 30 cents which included the feature movie, plus "Tarzan the Fearless" and the latest edition of Paramount Sound News!

Hamburgers and hot dogs were 15-cents in 1928 at the Coffee Pot Drive-In at 7th Street and McDowell in Phoenix.  Long before fast food and McDonald's, the Coffee Pot was a popular spot for local high school students and was referred to as an "Auto Teria."

On November 5, 1887 (almost 125 years ago), Phoenix's first streetcar arrived at the end of its first run for this historic photograph.  The horse-drawn conveyance ran from Seventh Street to Seventh Avenue on Washington Street.
Things certainly have changed since then!

Arizona Turns 100 with a little help from Ed Mell

Fifty years ago my parents pulled up roots, left family and friends, closed a successful business in Minneapolis and moved me and my brother to Scottsdale, Arizona!  That was fifty years ago and yesterday Arizona turned a hundred.
Ed Mell was the perfect choice to design the commemorative centennial stamp for Arizona.  A Phoenix native, he is famous for his cubist, dramatic southwestern landscapes.  A stamp collector as a child, I am sure he was thrilled by this commission.  The above landscape is Mell's artistic interpretation of Sedona's Cathedral Rock. 
I love it!  I will have to make a visit to the post office and pick up a sheet or two of stamps.

El Chorro Lodge in Paradise valley

Last year an Arizona landmark, El Chorro Lodge, was brought back to its splendor with a huge renovation.  The signature blue of the 1930's was a key factor in the new decor.  The reception desk and shelving is quite striking with the painted blue details.

My parents and I met our long time friend, Andi, for lunch.  My parents met her father, George, in Bemidji, Minnesota, in his parent's restaurant, The Rex Cafe.  He was working as a waiter while going to law school. That was over 64 years ago when my parents were first dating.  They became good friends, George married Marna and  they had five children.  Forty-eight years ago, my parents were fed up with the Minnesota weather, they sold their home in Wayzata (a suburb of Minneapolis), closed a successful business, left family and friends and moved me and my brother to Scottsdale.  If it was not for that move, I probably would have never explored central Mexico or fallen in love with San Miguel de Allende.   Andi's parents eventually a bought home in Scottsdale and I am fortunate that Andi and her husband still live in the area.  It is always great to get together when I am in town.

I had the Eggs Benedict with lump crab.  Very tasty along with a few spears of roasted asparagus and little potatoes. 

Our waitress brought us a basket of their signature Sticky Buns to the table.  They were so, so good.

The ladies bathroom featured a few vintage photos of some good looking cowgirls.  In one of the hallways, there was a series of black and white photos of Arizona by Barry Goldwater.  Back in its hay day, El Chorro attracted guests such as Clark Gable and Milton Berle.

I love the cobalt blue that has been used in the decor along with this funky paintings.

The bar area opens up to the outdoors.  Had we known, we would have sat outside for each umbrella had its own heaters in them.  Really nice.

Another inviting seating area.

Another cool painting!

Such a beautiful fountain, just like many that I find in San Miguel de Allende!

Happy New Year

 I was down in Scottsdale over Christmas and the sunsets were pretty spectacular!

With the cold weather all over the United States, Arizona was getting its share of overcast skies which make the most colorful sunsets.  Even though it was overcast for just part of the trip, the temperatures were just right.

Sitting in Denver with the temperature gauge reading FIVE outside, just looking at the glowing warm colors of this sunset warms me up!
To all my friends in Colorado, Arizona, San Miguel de Allende and beyond, I send you greetings for a very Happy New Year!

Breakfast at The Royal Palms in Scottsdale

I was in Scottsdale last week and if I want a little San Miguel de Allende fix, I head over to the Royal Palms for brunch at their restaurant, T. Cooks.

The grounds are so beautiful... blooming flowers, cascading bougain villia, stone carved fountains, beautiful tiles... This particular stone fountain that greets you when you drive in is over 250 years old.  Very similar to the fountains that I see around San Miguel.  The stone pavers, made of laja negra or black stone, are from Queretaro, Mexico dating back to 1692.

 This is the central courtyard with the original building behind it.  In 1929, Delos Cooke (Cunard Steamship executive and financier) built this as a summer retreat for he and his wife.

 I was fascinated by these old tiles that were part of a fireplace surround.

 They are definitely from the original construction!

Now for brunch. My Mom had the Mediterranean Benedict; the hollandaise sauce had a nice little kick to it and the eggs were poached perfectly.

I went for something a little more sweet than savory;  house made lemon brioche stuffed with cream cheese and T. Cooks signature orange marmalade topped with a vanilla creme anglaise and fresh berries.  It also came with a side of the house made pork sausage which was very tasty.

 We had a little visitor at the table next to us.  This Grackle (just like the birds that fly up to the jardin in San Miguel to roost at night) was helping himself to the leftovers from the previous diners.

A primitive but engaging tile mural that is on one of the patio walls.  It made me smile.

This gorgeous hand-painted mural is from Spain and original to the main building.  A figure right out of Sevilla.

I shot this from the car as I was driving through the intersection on the way to the airport.  I just love it.   The Grill next Door serving Beer, Burgers and Buns.  I may just have to try it on my next trip.

Meet Remy

This is Remy, Carter and Susan's Lakeland Terrier.  I have never known a dog to be so intuitive and eager to be part of the conversation. Her vocabulary is huge.  When I mention the word ball, she cocks her head to the side.  She was sitting on one of the equipale dining chairs just listening to us talk.  She does not miss a beat.  Mention someones name that she knows, she barks, and heads to the front door looking for them to come through the door.

I have never met a dog that likes to pose for photos as much as she does.  She literally stops, sits and looks right at you when you pull out a camera.

She loves to be bathed.  Does not like to smell bad, but then, who does.  She straddled the kitchen's double bowl sink as I lathered her up, scrubbed her and then rinsed her off.  Standing still and loving it the whole time.  I toweled her off and then took the hair dryer to her.  Once done, I have never seen her so excited.  She was jumping two feet off the floor and whirling around mid air.  If only I could get that excited when I get my hair done.