Our good friend Bill Cartmel has recorded Glass live a few times in our distant past. A while ago he presented me with a cassette recording he made one of the times Glass played North Seattle Community College, where he was a student, way back in Nineteen Hunnert & Seventy-Three. If not for his efforts, this concert would have been lost to the ages. Thank you Billy!

This recording is notable for a couple of reasons. First it was, to my knowledge, the only "bootleg" recording of the entire "Broken Oars" suite. Yep, we used to play the half-hour long Broken Oars LIVE on college campuses in our youth! Quite a feat all things considered.

Second, the concert opened with a long suite neither Greg nor I remember writing or rehearsing. Hearing it again came as a total shock to both of us. If it ever had a title we can't remember it.... But here it is, in living color, so we're gonna call it "The Mystery Suite."
therealglass.bandcamp.com/track/the-mystery-suite-live-at-nscc

1972-3 were particularly fruitful years for Glass. We were writing, rehearsing and recording at fever pitch, partially due to the influence of our newly-acquired "State-Of-The-Art" instruments like the Mellotron and the ARP 2600 synthesizer. Glass has always been inspired by new technology. We still are to this day. If you listen closely you can hear the Classical influences that my brother Greg is bringing to the band. This was a very fertile period when Glass started incorporating a more Symphonic Sound into what we were doing.


Bill replies:
"First, the outdoor concert date at the college was August 3, 1973. I don’t really remember much about the concert or recording it although I can see the courtyard in my mind’s eye and hear the dogs barking. At that time it was my pleasure and goal to collect as much of the Glass music as possible, so here was an opportunity to make my own recording which otherwise would not have existed. To personally witness three friends expend so much time and energy creating their own music, and working so many angles to promote their music, was an experience I will never forget and will always treasure. It was a privilege to be part of that endeavor and be allowed a front row seat in so many aspects of the writing, recording and performances. Not being a musician myself it has been intimidating to be of much use when asked to provide reviews or skillfully evaluate their work. Nonetheless, my close association with Glass, particularly in their early stages, gave me an appreciation for a much broader range of musical genres than I otherwise would have exposed to. Thank you Jeff, Greg and Jerry for the pleasure of being both a friend and a fan."
-Bill Cartmel, 11/26/2022