HARK!
I hear…the whooshes of a musical oasis…
We're in it, Phoenix.
June–our cruelest month, normally brutal, melt-your-face-off days building with the solstice of interminably long days–was actually…not that bad, in 2022.
But here we are, the second weekend of July, facing a stretch of days of tauntingly increasing high temps: 112, 113, 115…
By now, the snowbirds–those lucky buzzards!--have flown away, back to Wisconsin, Canada, Minnesota and other places with normalized summers. But we year-rounders stay and suffer, scurrying around deserted streets like dried-out tumbleweeds.
A great place to land: The Musical Instrument Museum, better known as The MIM.
After parking you will walk past the beautiful Sonoran Desert landscaping and courtyard to the entrance of the museum. Once inside the blissful air conditioning and soothing sounds will guide you through this musical oasis. See if you can catch the rhythmic pieces in the architectural features as you stroll through the museum.
It would be great enough if it was just the chance to hang out with Elvis, Alice Cooper (who grew up a few miles away), Jimi and other American legends. (More American musicians are in the Artists Gallery and United States Gallery)
But the MIM is a true trip around the world–without stepping on a plane.
You can spend hours wandering around this bright, airy, inviting and aesthetically pleasing place, with headphones that automatically click on with music and information every few steps, taking you from Africa to China to Indonesia and back.
Here are a few HARK Valley-shot reels to give you a little video taste:
The MIM is also a fantastic deal: General museum admission is $20 for adults, $15 for teens, and $10 for children.
A slight gripe: Though 90 percent of the museum is included with admission, there are optional “special exhibition” entrance fees, usually $10-15.
But the best deals are membership plans: Only $100 for an annual pass for two, $119 for family memberships.
The current special exhibition ($10 adults/$4 kids) is Treasures: Legendary Musical Instruments, billed as “Spanning 6,000 years of history, standout instruments remarkable in beauty, craftsmanship, and cultural significance come together to share the story of music like never before, exclusively at MIM.”
There’s a fragment of a Mesopotamian lyre that’s 4,500 years old! (Don’t touch, please…)
A trumpet-like instrument called a salpinx comes from ancient Greece/Rome, though this is only 2,000 years old.
There’s also a conch shell, from the Mayan culture.
The “youngster” of the instruments is an elegant Erard grand piano, from France, circa 1889.
And there’s a really cool sousaphone from Indiana–from 1924, not even a hundred…
Even younger, but still historic, a Hendrix Black Widow guitar, which Jimi caressed in 1968.
Click here to see a trailer for the exhibition.
The special exhibit, large as it is, takes up just a fraction of the MIM’s sweeping space; it’s the size of a shopping mall, with various exhibits spread over two floors.
A few “don’t miss” exhibits:
The Recycled Orchestra of Cateura (in the Latin America section) is an orchestra composed of children from Asunción, Paraguay who play musical instruments made from scrap materials collected from Asunción's Cateura landfill. Watch a video here.
The Gamelan exhibit in Asia/Indonesia showcases the instrument played for a shadow puppetry performance.
All of Africa has many displays from various provinces ranging from instruments like the slit drum, lyre and harps to the pluriarc, thumb pianos and drums.
Every few steps, you will be amazed by displays showcasing music, culture and history. Take your time and be prepared to spend hours here. If you cannot see it all in one day, simply upgrade your ticket to a two-day pass.
And don’t forget the Experience Gallery to try your hand with playing some of the instruments yourself.
The MIM also has some great concerts, with a wide range of genres and artists from all over the globe. The MIM’s 300-seat theater is intimate and acoustically pitch-perfect; maybe the best place to see a show in the Valley.
Highlights from July:
Nine-time Grammy nominee jazz vocalist Tierney Sutton (“Paris Sessions”), Friday, July 15
7:30 p.m., $38.50–$49.50
Americana, chilled-out rock veterans The Cowboy Junkies, July 19-20 SOLD OUT.
The I AM AZ MUSIC series continues with Hans Olson, Saturday, July 23, 7:30 p.m.
$28.50–$33.50. Olson’s style echoes the likes of Muddy Waters, Johnny Cash, Woody Guthrie, Bruce Springsteen, Eric Burdon, Van Morrison and other legends.
He normally plays funky local joints like the Rhythm Room and his regular gig: “I still play every Thursday night 6 to 9pm in Apache Junction at the Handlebar Pub and Grill. I've been there for 12 years now... I love that place!”
So it’s nice to see him get the red-carpet treatment in the MIM’s concert hall.