The Kafka Papers

Trenton Chronicles

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION
FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY

A History Project

Index:
1. Hagens
2. Gil Toth
3. Trenton Makes

This is a collection of historical documents relating to period from roughly 1968 to 2011 in Trenton, New Jersey. The inspiration resided somewhere between trying to find the genesis and core energy of Trenton's music cosmos and trying not to get frustrated with absurdity.

Getting work as a musician in Trenton, New Jersey was always engaging and fraught with odd turns. While researching for the performance tangibles, most professional musicians were at one time members of the Local Musicians union, "Local 62 AFofM". Other technical people belonged to other specialized and professional organizations.

The chronology of the following topics is random. Any effort to properly place the events to an exact date has proven futile. Files and archives were moved from one place or machine to another, time stamps got adjusted, and fragments of related documentation have been lost.

HAGENS

On June 20th, 2011, (or maybe the 27th as time is very fluid during this era), Robert Bullington and myself visited Herb Hagen, legendary recording engineer for a studio inspection and historical "oral history" session. The pictures survived but the audio interview is misplaced. We are scouring the archives to find it.

.. while searching for current information on Hagens Studio I was saddened to find a recent obituary for Herb Hagen:

Herbert Helge Hagens, 99, of Princeton, NJ, crossed the Threshold on Friday, November 26, 2021 at Stonebridge at Montgomery. Herbert was born in Princeton, NJ, on July 1, 1922 and was a lifelong resident. His father, Henry Hagens, was an early practitioner of bio-dynamic farming and gardening. His mother, Emmy Hagens, was a Waldorf teacher. Herbert attended the Rudolf Steiner School in New York City and graduated from the Hun School in Princeton. He was a member of the Class of 1945 at Princeton University.
After serving as a navy officer in World War II, he married Velva A. Hagens (nee Helms) in East Randolph, New York. In 1950 they moved back to the family home on Lower Harrison Street in Princeton where they raised their two sons. With his background in electrical engineering and
acoustics Herbert established Hagens Recording Studio, Inc. in 1952. The business began with music recording, record cutting and sound and film mixing. It expanded to full scale video post-production and incorporated the advances in digital technology. His two sons continue to operate the company.
Herbert was a member of the Anthroposophical Society in America and hosted the activities of the Princeton Group for many years. He took a special interest in supporting the Waldorf School of Princeton and produced a series of videos about Rudolf Steiner’s approach to education and the art of eurythmy.
Herbert was predeceased by his wife, Velva Hagens (October 7, 1997). He is survived by his son and daughter-in-law Herbert O. and Adelaide B.
Hagens of Kingston, NJ, his son Peter R. Hagens of Princeton, and a
cousin Inge Karl of Berlin, Germany.

Below media file, Sunday, November 22, 1981 recording by Hagens Recording at Mt. Zion A.M.E. Church, 25 Division Street, New Brunswick, New Jersey.

Gil Toth

Same thing .. Somewhere, sometime in 2011, (or maybe 2012 as time is very fluid during this era), Robert Bullington and myself invited Tom Passerela for a historical "oral history" session... This was to be part of a larger radio program related to the Hammond Organ. As most Trenton musicians are apt to do, Tom sent Gil Toth as a substitute. Gil is no slouch .. a seasoned veteran of the Trenton music scene, an accomplished trombonist, a historian of the local scene, and a member of the Executive Board of musician Local #62 of the AFofM. His interview follows below. The audio interview survived but the pictures have been misplaced. We are scouring the archives to find these photographs.

Trenton Makes

It started in the late 1980's. Computers. Moved into Trenton as a tax payer and finally got online around '96 .. around 2000 civic involvement reached a new assertive level. Land, development, establishing technology sectors, political maneuvering, all a side dish to the main course of a fried piece of fish slapped between two pieces of white Wonder bread. Yes, with splashes of hot sauce and a bourbon on the rocks it provided lots of divergent paths and opportunities for spiritual advancement.
Enumerated for convenience:

The Original Trenton Makes page circa 2000. Two pages illuminating the culprits and victims of the "Cyber District" debacle.
The Cyber2000 kick off luncheon Thursday, September 28, 2000. Let's do lunch!
Trenton Cyberdistrict Request for Proposals - Draft Outline Another RFP?

Conduit 2011

Actually it is really can-do-it? We will always wonder.

Only one item ofnote: The Master pdf.

Tribute

Mort Lewin, Dick Gratton, and unknown Rhodes player (probably Joe Vizzini).