Program host Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny, and Paul Simon pay tribute to Brazilian singer-songwriter-guitarist Milton Nascimento, with saxophonist Michael Brecker, bassist Ron Carter, and Brazilian singer-percussionist Naná Vasconcelos, for a TV performance broadcast 7-28-88. The BetaGems channel also has "Night Music 10-16-88 Paul Simon, Phoebe Snow, Yomo Toro, Eddie Palmieri," "Pete Townshend & Pat Metheny 10-22-90 TV performance," "Paul Simon 2-25-92 TV performance," "Pat Metheny and Gary Burton perform on late night TV in 1990," "Night Music 10-28-89 Todd Rundgren, Taj Mahal, Pat Metheny," and "Paul Simon 12-7-77 TV performance."

BetaGems are culled from an archive of over 1000 beta video tapes recorded from 1983 into the 1990s. Most feature live music performances broadcast on television in San Diego CA, though there are also rarely seen commercials, comedy clips, and other material that doesn't seem to be anywhere else on Youtube or online. Most of the tapes were recorded on a Sony SL-HFT7 Super Beta Theater Hi-Fi Stereo - the same model was refurbished and is being used for these digital transfers and uploads.

In rare occasions where a BetaGems clip does appear elsewhere, we're only uploading if our own beta master is better quality or contains material not seen previously. Much footage comes from public television and public access broadcasts that the taper, who worked for a local cable TV production company in the 1980s, monitored nightly for several years. Some of the programming is strictly regional, mostly from the San Diego area.

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