12-05-77
Rotterdam

Tom Jans

In Concert

Notes and reviews of Concerts

• 1970 Big Sur Folk Festival with Mimi Farina
  reviewed in Sing Out! July/August 1971, p. 9
  text not available at present

• 3rd October 1970 with Chris Etheridge
   
• 1970 The Black Hawk San Francisco
  It was at a concert at The Black Hawk that Joan Baez heard Tom Jans.
  Joan then introduced him to her sister Mimi.
   
• 22nd October 1970 The Ash Grove, LA
  this concert is remembered by David Hartzeim writing at
  http://www.richardandmimi.com/memoriesofmimi.html

• Oct / Nov 1970 The Four Muses, San Clemente, CA

• Oct-Nov 1970 In the Alley, Escondido, CA

• Oct-Nov 1970 The Back Door, UC San Diego
  (with guest appearances by Massive Ferguson,
  Bruce Langhorne and Kris Kristofferson)
   

• 7th November 1970 Coffee House San Francisco
   

• 18th November 1970 The Quiet Knight Chicago
  may have been a residence of a few days. Will Bartel opened

• 28th December 1970 Gaslight NYC
  with  Steve Baron, Jef Lowell (on bass)
   
• late 1970 Boston Tea Party
   
• 1971 UC Davis Ca
  in 1971 or so, Tom and Mimi Farina played at the Coffee House on the U.C. Davis campus.  Will Bartell and Tony Plescia were also on the bill.
   
• March 1971 New York City
  reviewed in Village Voice 11th March 1971
  text not available at present

• 14th March 1971 Marshall Tavern, Marshall Ca

• 18-23 April 1971 The Boarding House San Francisco
  (may have been April 1972)

• 1971 Monterey Folk Festival
  In a review in Sing Out, Herbert Wise remarks that
  Mimi Farina and Tom Jans were "wonderful."

• May 1971 Los Angeles
  with Joan Baez and Stoneground.
   
• 1st July 1971 Santa Monica Auditorium
  research by karls confirms that Mimi and Tom opened for Cat Stevens at this concert. The rest of the US tour with Cat Stevens seems to have taken place in Oct / Nov 1971.
   
• 30 July 1971 Cambridge Folk Festival England
  Mimi Farina and Tom Jans appeared on July 30 / 31
  and also on 1st August. 
  from the Programme Notes:
  Mimi Farina appears as she sounds. Each smile is a touch of summer, and her voice is as beautifully clear and direct as the expression in her eyes. Tom Jans's voice is soft and mellow, as yan to yin. They compose, play guitars and sing, and let you come with them into the refreshing beauty of their music. The songs they perform are written by themselves or by friends, or 'borrowed' from records. (They are also salted very occasionally with 50's rock-and-roll). Much of their harmony with their audience is due to a complete lack of affectation and self-consciousness; they need no 'hard-time' trappings or hip patter. Their music and themselves is enough..

• 29th August 1971  Beat gæst (Danish Radio)
  A Danish radio programme. May not have contained "live" songs. Usually the guest would play records and host the program, talking 'bout their lives, preferences etc.
   
• 1971 Newcastle England
   
• 1971 opened for Cat Stevens in Manchester England
  exact date not known - 1971 presumed

• 1971 Cousins London

Review by Jerry Gilbert

The appearance of Mimi Farina and Tom Jans at Cousins on Friday attracted an audience far in excess of the usual Friday night crowds, although the evening itself proved to be slightly disappointing. Martin Carthy, Tim Hart, Mike Cooper and Al Stewart were among those who had come along to see Tom and Mimi, whilst Andy Fernbach, John Altmon and an highly impressive guitarist, Johnson Field provided excellent support.

But Cousins appeared to be a mis-chosen venue for the American duo to wind up their tour. They seemed to lack confidence and cohesion. They opened with "Carolina's On My Mind" and followed with "Reach Out", "Me and Bobby McGee" and "The Praties..." all of which were fairly unimpressive and in a couple of instances the two guitars clashed terribly.

Then Tom went into his rock'n'roll routine and sang Johnny Burnette's "Sweet Sixteen" which opened the way beautifully for "Children of Darkness", an old Richard Farina number which Mimi and Tom have retained. On the night I enjoyed Andy a good deal more.

(reference for this cutting not available at present)

• 1971 Scandanavia
• 1971 Poland

• 1971 Paris France

Mimi & Tom   (A&M publicity shot)

• 1971 Fall Academy of Music in Philadelphia
  Opened for a James Taylor-Carole King concert. 
  Reviewed in "The Distant Drummer."
  (text not available at the present time)

A&M publicity photo
 

• 25 September 1971 8th Annual Big Sur Folk Festival.
   
• 14 October 1971 Freeborn Hall at UC Davis
  opening for Gordon Lightfoot
  an original poster for this concert by Randy Tuten
  is available for $200 at www.rtuten.com
  
   

• On tour with Cat Stevens
  October & November 1971 including Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in NY, Trinity University, San Antonio, Houston, The Dallas Memorial Auditorium, LA (two concerts), Denver, Berkeley, & San Jose.
   

• 21st October 1971 University of Waterloo Ontario Canada
   
• 23rd October 1971 Massey Hall Toronto Canada
   
• 24 October 1971 Philharmonic Hall NY
  
  Review  Variety 3rd Nov 1971 (p 43)
  Cat Stevens scored at Philharmonic Hall, Oct 24, in two sold out performances, both times following a fine folk-style duo, Mimi Farina & Tom Jans. The two Ron Delsener productions grossed $30,500.
  ......
  Mimi Farina & Tom Jans both played guitar. Both have good voices and while Miss Farina, sister of Joan Baez, frequently was deadpan, her comments were humorous. Their set included "Children of Darkness", which was written by Richard Farina, the performer's late husband.
   
• 28th (or31st) October The War Memorial Syracuse New York
   
• 30th October 1971 Kleinhans Music Hall Buffalo New York
   
• 4th November 1971 Auditorium Theatre Chicago Illinois
   
• 6th November 1971 Kennedy Center, Washington DC
   
• 10th November 1971 Municipal Auditorium Atlanta Georgia
   
• fall of 71 (exact date unknown) Trinity University San Antonio
   
• 21st November 21st 1971 Dallas Memorial Auditorium Dallas
   
• 23rd November 1971 Denver Coliseum Denver Colorado
   
• 24th November 1971 Berkeley Community Theatre

poster artist (probably): Randy Tuten

• 26th Nov 1971 Santa Clara Fairgrounds San Jose Ca
   
• 27th / 28th November 1971 Greek Theatre Los Angeles
  
  Review Billboard 18th December 1971by Nat Freedland
  .....The bill was opened by Tom Jans and Mimi Farina with some pleasantly harmonised morality songs.
  
   
• December 1971 ? Gaslight II
  with David Buskin

• late 1971 Gaslight NYC (unconfirmed)

• 1971 or 1972 Drinking Gourd San Francisco
   
• 1971 or 1972 University of Rhode Island
   
• March 1972  Stonehenge
  Stephan Grossman opened. It is not clear if this is Stonehenge England possibly for a festival held at the Spring Equinox, or Stonehenge Ipswich Mass.
   
• April 72 Cornell University
  
• 08th April 1972 Case Western University Cleveland Oh
  Tom and Mimi opened for Dave van Ronk.  Broadcast by WNCR-FM

Set list
in the quiet morning / mama tried / reach out/ you're sixteen /
children of darkness/ loving arms / letter to jesus/ madman /
great white horse / carolina / good god I'm feelin' fine / carry it on

• 12 April 1972 Bitter End NYC
  supported by Chris Smither
  
  Review: Variety 26 April 1972
  Mimi Fariņa, sister of Joan Baez, and Tom Jans are a smooth folk-singing duo with easy audience communication, good material and good vocal and guitar form. Miss Fariņa is the widow of Richard Fariņa, writer-performer, who died a couple of years ago.
  
  Their Bitter End gig is unusual since they've usually headlined Gaslight II in previous visits to Greenwich Village. Their friendliness, natural humor and tunes carry easily in both rooms. They open their set as they open their A&M album, with Jans' "Carolina," sung by Jans with Miss Fariņa supplying humming harmony.
  
  Most of the other numbers, regardless of who starts, wind up as duets and their voices blend perfectly, even though they've been performing together for only a bit more than a year. Although most of their material are originals, they also score with Merle Haggard's "Mama Tried," a country tune turning up more in other areas these days, and "You're 16," a rocker from the '50s, which is a fun selection.
  
  Miss Fariņa and Jans both play six-string acoustic guitars. In their encore, however, they go to grand piano. Their being seated at the piano stool prompts a good example of their effective dry humor as Miss Fariņa says, "It feels strange over here. That's because I don't play the piano." Jans plays for the encore, another duet. This is an engaging folk team.
  
  Review: Billboard 29 April 1972
  Mimi Fariņa and Tom Jans, of A&M Records, performed on April 12 in an attenuated folk style which was largely devoid of energy and substance. Although they generated some heat with Merle Haggard's "Mama Tried," Fariņa and Jans were generally listless and unexciting.
  
  Accompanying themselves on acoustic guitars, Fariņa and Jans sang "You're 16," poking self-conscious fun at the Ozzie and Harriet-type TV family situation comedy, rendered Fariņa's composition, "Reach Out," about a suicide whom she said was right to do away with himself (life is so awful, but try to hang on anyway, she advised to the audience), and "Letter to Jesus," probably Fariņa's best composition.
   

• 21-22 April 1972 San Francisco
   

• April or May 1972 Hollywood Bowl
   

• 6th & 7th May Four Muses San Clemente Ca.
  Ralph and Holly Barr opened
   

• May 1972 San Francisco
  Benefit Concert Appearance(s) with Mimi Farina in support of The
  California Anti Air War Initiative. Other artistes noted as taking part included Taj Mahal, The Committee and Joan Baez

• 1972 Dick Cavet tv show
  good god I'm feeling fine
   

• 1972 Putney College, Vermont
   

• 1972 Green Room, Tulagi, Boulder
   

• 1972-73 Touring with Chris Ramey
  When I met Chris in 2001 he was  performing in California & Hawaii, and occasionally Sussex, England, when not designing and making slides for bottleneck guitars. There was an excellent article in the Saratoga News published that year. We are saddened to hear that Chris Ramey passed away 18th April 2004. There are tributes on the IGS Guitar forum.
   
• November 1973  Mickey Newbury's Country Party
  Benefit for Pacifica Radio Station KPFA-FM
  "... warm set from Mickey who then introduced a series of surprise guests : Rambling Jack Elliot, just in from Hawaii and mildly high on acid, who told about falling in love with a waitress last year at the Boarding House while listening to Mickey sing; he was joined by Tom Jans who did a quick set of his own." (from Rolling Stone 12 December 1973)

• 14 November 1975 Other End New York
  
  Review Variety 19 November 1975
  Tom Jans brings a harder rock act from the Coast in his first date at this Greenwich Village cafe's Cabaret Room. Jans also hits folk-rock and country-rock in his good set, one that displays his talents as cleffer.
  
  Jans, who previously performed with Mimi Farina is a good singer and interpreter. He is also okay on guitar. But lead guitar honors are capably shared by Scott Shelley who also aids vocally, and Jerry Swallow. Vocal support usually is supplied by Kerry Hatch, a good bass guitarist and Mike Utley, who excels on a variety of keyboards including grand piano and synthesizer. Jans actually opens on piano but soon shifts to guitar. Kelly Shanahan , a capable drummer, completes the outfit.
  
  Jans effectively mixes material from his new Columbia album with older material such as "Loving Arms" etched bymany others including Elvis Presley. From the LP come from "Out of Hand" country single for Gary Stewart. Jans stage manner is good also, He's developing a good set for club or concert.
  
  Review Billboard  13 December 1975
  Johnny Rivers Tom Jans
  Jans did the front end of a two part show Nov 14 with Johnny Rivers presenting the best part of the show at the other end.
  
  Jans was suffering from a bad cold which affected his throat. That is pure death for a "blues-shouter" type like Jans who writes all his own material. However like the name of a former club he went on singing until the "bitter end". What saved his act show as the driving sound of his musical group.
  
  Rivers on the other hand appeared to be in the best of form....... The result was that what started out to be a less than satisfying night with the Jans struggle ended by being quite pleasurable although not "goose-pimply exciting". Jans leaves on tour with Janis Ian and Rivers continues on club and college dates. Rudy Garcia

• 1975 Mulligans, Buffalo New York
  with Scott Shelley, Jerry Swallow, Kelly Shanahan, Kerry Hatch & Mike Utley.
  Radio Broadcast, particularly interesting for the early version of "Ready to Roll".

  Set included::
  loving arms / boogie jam / directions and connections / ready to roll/
  where did all my good friends go / struggle in darkness
  
   

• 1975 Cain's Ballroom, Tulsa, Oklahoma
  
  backstage at Cain's Ballroom - on the bill with Hank Williams Jr.
  Left to right: Jerry Swallow, Kelly Shanahan, Tom, Scott Shelley with Southern Comfort, Chris Cotton (standing) and Kerry Hatch.
  Chris was the road manager.
   
• 1975 Mother Blues, Dallas Texas
   
• 1976 Seattle Washington
  Sound System provided by Sundown Sound
  (David Cutter Portland Oregon)

• 7th March 1976 Irvine Bowl, Laguna Beach
  Tom Jans (with Shanahan, Utley, etc.) opened for Emmylou Harris.
  recalled as "what a great show it was".

• 5th & 6th May 1976 M-Shop, Iowa State Memorial Union
  
   

• fall (?) 1976 Cotton Bowl, Dallas Texas "The Can Jam"

The Tom Jans Band (from left to right) Swallow, Shelley, Jans, Shanahan, Hatch, Utley (not in view) opening for Michael Murphy
at the "Can Jam"
The concert was to raise food for the food banks.  The admission fee was only 2 cans of food.   Most everyone who went took many more cans than that. This concert included a memorable performance of "Where did all my good friends go".

Kelly Shanahan has looked at this photo and says in this photo the band are performing the Eagles parody "avocado". "...there were only 2 tunes we did that didn't have bass and drums.... Loving Arms, and Avocado. Process of elimination tells me we were playing Avocado because Kerry is singing and not playing his bass. The fact that he's not playing bass means that I'm also not playing drums which boils it down to either Lovin' Arms or Avocado. The fact that he didn't sing background on Lovin' Arms tells me it had to be Avocado."

 

 

 

 

Dallas Texas 1976
Facing the camera on the left is Scott Shelley, Tom is next, then Chris Cotton, member of the road crew, and manager, George R.

• 15th Oct 1976 Kansas City Mo
  Uptown Theatre opening for Dwight Twilley
  "Tom Jans and I hang out bar- hopping on the Plaza closing the last bar around 330am. He introduced me to Irish Coffee. He also taught me about his studio band LITTLE FEAT...Tom Waits hero was Tom Jans...both are my heroes...mm "
  (note from the Uptown Theatre web site)

• 16th Oct 1976 Kansas City Mo
  Friday Night Uptown Theatre
  "Tom Jans Free Concert Uptown Theatre
  Yes another night of bar-hopping....Roger & Tom Jans"
  (also from the Uptown Theatre web site)

• Fall 1976 University of Minnesota, Whole Coffeehouse club
  "... played one of, if not THE, best club show, I've ever seen and heard. We were fortunate enough to meet him after the show: very nice guy."
   
• 5th/6th Nov 1976 M-Shop, Dublin
  (from the M-Shop web site)
  not known if this was a solo or a band gig
   
• probably late 76 Baton Rouge Louisiana
  solo in a small club - no other details known

• 1976 Jive 95 KSAN-FM San Francisco
  interview on a chat show (Tom Heyden ?)
  some solo acoustic live songs including "Mama don't you cry" (?) and an Eagles parody, "Avocado" .  (Avocado, probably best known performed by Al Yankovitz, was written by William E Martin, also known as Bill Martin , and not by Tom as I first thought when I heard it.)
   
• 1977 Texas Opry House, Houston Texas
  Opening for David Allan Coe
  The first song was Avocado, trying warm the crowd, followed by Once Before I Die. Very few in the audience knew Tom's work, but as the set progressed the reception became more friendly.  Once Before I Die was performed a second time following a request.
  
  Tom opened for David Allen Coe in Houston and in Austin, and probably other towns and cities. This tour was put together by CBS because both Coe and Jans were signed to CBS at that time. In most venues it was a biker crowd and I understand that Tom's solo acoustic set was not always appreciated.
   
• 10th May 1977 Avro's Toppop
  Tom Jans and Jerry Swallow recorded two versions of ‘Why don't you love me' in the TV-studio. (may not have been broadcast)

• 12th: May 1977 Sportpaleis Ahoy Rotterdam
  Valerie Carter opened for the Eagles
  and Tom Jans joined her for "Back on my feet again".

• 14th May 1977 Oor - Feest, Brakke Grond, Amsterdam
  Special concert with Jerry Swallow & Tom Salisbury,
  as a birthday party for Oor magazine. The concert was
  broadcast on Dutch Radio a few weeks later.

Set list
once before i die / out of hand / bluer than you / back on my feet again / loving arms / ready to roll /why don't you love me / young man in trouble / distant cannon fire / struggle in darkness

---

photo credits: 
steve dulson
Marshall Ca. 14th March 1971

A&M 1971

angela smiddy
Dallas 1976

thom borsboom
Sportpaleis Rotterdam, 12th May 1977

grateful thanks to doug
for information re Mimi & Tom concert appearances
www.richardandmimi.com

thanks to karls for researching the tour with Cat Stevens

thanks to gr for identifying members of the band
and crew side-stage at Dallas

and thanks to all who remembered the shows

---

Can you please help by providing more information ?
This page updated February 2012 by Geoff
GMGough AT clara.net
(Replace AT with @ )

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