SPCO at Carnegie Hall

Last night, I attended the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra's sell-out concert in the Zankel Hall at Carnegie. The program began with Dvorak's Serenade in D Minor for Winds with cello and bass, which proved to be a robust and muscular opening to the evening. Then came Dawn Upshaw's performance of 5 short but exquisite vocal pieces, by Stravinsky (Two Poems of Konstantin Bal'mont) and Ravel (Three Japanese Lyrics). Then more Ravel songs, in the form of "Trois poèmes de Stéphane Mallarmé", with ensemble accompaniments that managed to be both lush and spare. This was my favorite moment of the concert, and I thought that Dawn Upshaw's voice really sounded much warmer and more live than a previous performance of this work I had heard at the Ordway. This may have had something to do with the extremely clear and focused sound of the Zankel Hall, which is a relatively recent space, opened in 2003. Then followed the ambitiously arranged (by Osvaldo Golijov) Schubert song cycle "She Was Here", which required very skillful handling on the part of the full orchestra and the conductor, Dougie Boyd, who did a masterly job. The concert ended with the orchestra playing Stravinsky's Pulcinella Suite, in which musical play combines with pastiche to create much animation and many amusing moments.

The First Emperor at the Met

Last night I went to the Metropolitan Opera House in New York to see "The First Emperor", a two-act opera conducted by the composer, Tan Dun. Placido Domingo sang the role of the Emperor Qin, and Sarah Coburn the role of his daughter, the Princess Yueyang. This is the Emperor who set about unifying the country (by conquest) and building the Great Wall; he also left behind an army of terra-cotta soldiers to guard his tomb.

The opening of traditional chants by Wu-Hsing Kuo in the role of the Yin-Yang Master (the court geomancer) was perhaps the most striking musical moment, coupled as it was with dance, some of which involved wearing a mask on the back of his head while moving as if he were facing the audience. The sets were splendid, especially the third scene, where snow appears to fall as the Princess seduces her father's captive nemesis, the musician Gao Jianli.

The cast played to a full audience, and the building is magnificent, of course. However, the house was hot and stuffy and the seating was a bit cramped, so it was also pleasureable to leave the theater for the New York night and stroll past Central Park back to my hotel, the Parker Meridian. Here I was too cold, since they had turned off the heating for the summer, so the only place I was truly comfortable during this trip was out in the street.

James Galway and Tiempo Libre

On Monday night, Sandy and I saw James Galway with Tiempo Libre at the Dakota Jazz Club in downtown Minneapolis. This performance was something of a rehearsal for their forthcoming album, called "O'Reilly Street." Sir James played his golden soprano and alto flutes, while the band romped through the set, showing great energy and virtuosity.

Steve Kaufmann workshop

I recently attended a two-day guitar workshop by three-time flat-picking champion, Steve Kaufmann. I took both the beginner's class and the intermediate/advanced one, and they were both good value. Steve is both a fabulous teacher and a very pleasant person. His down-up picking style enables him to get great speed while maintaining volume and fluidity. I was turned on to Steve's music by Marc Light, who lent me a DVD of Steve playing with Doc Watson. The workshop was arranged by a local music store, the Homestead Pickin Parlor.

Prairie Home Companion Talent Show

On Saturday night, Sandy and I went to the Fitzgerald Theater to see the PHC Talent Show, as guests of friend Tony Axtell, who runs their sound board. Six contestants in their 20s from around the country competed for a rather strange trophy (a model of a water tower). The winners were the Honey Dewdrops, a two guitar duo from Virginia, who sang some great folk songs, albeit in a somewhat dark vein. They also performed at the after-show party and singalong in the Saint Paul Hotel, along with PHC favorites Rich Dworsky and Pat Donahue, as well as Garrison Keillor himself, of course. It was a good evening, and no doubt a memorable event for those who got to play on national public radio, probably for the first time.

SPCO plays Kurt Weill

On Friday night, SPCO concertmaster Steven Copes did a mssterly job of the Violin Concerto by Kurt Weill, with Doug Boyd conducting. I don't think I've ever seen and heard him play better, combining both fire and ice in this rather intellectual work, laced with the influences of Stravinsky and Schoenberg. Also on the program was Schumann's Symphony No.4 in the original version, which was interesting to hear even though I'm not a fan, and a Piano Trio by Ravel that failed to capture my imagination and seemed to involve intonation problems.

SPCO Quartet performs Different Trains

Last week I attended the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra's "engine408" series for new music. First was the Quartet No. 2 by Philip Glass for 2 violins, viola and cello, a four-movement piece featuring the trademark repetitive arpeggios of that composer, woven into a 7-minute sound collage that is typical of minimalist music.

Then a John Adams piece, Road Movies, for violin and piano, that evoked the experience of three car journeys with different feels: Relaxed Groove, Meditative Swing, and 40% Swing. In the first movement, you saw the poles flashing by and felt the seams in the road, while the middle movement was evocative of a long, desert drive. Scott Yoo did a great job with the timing and phrasing on the violin, which is probably the key to playing this piece.

Finally, Steve Reich's masterpiece, Different Trains, which has three movements: America - Before the War, Europe - During the War, and After the War. This piece apparently grew from Reich's experience as a boy of riding the railways between New York and Los Angeles, following his parents' separation. A relative would travel with him, and tell him stories of how trains were used in Europe during the war to ship Jews to the camps. The contrast between these two train stories is the basis of the composition, and is obviously reflected in the music, which features three string quartets, train sounds, and spoken narration.

I have been a fan since I bought the Kronos Quartet's recording fifteen years ago. The SPCO players did a good job of executing this difficult piece; a quartet of players are accompanied by two (I think) recorded quartets and recorded narration. The experience isn't quite as seamless as on the Kronos CD, but you do get to enjoy the energy of the lead quartet, which consisted of Dale Barltrop and Nina Fan (violins), Evalina Chao (viola), and Joshua Koestenbaum (cello). This daring piece is really quite accessible to first time listeners, and well worth trying out on record if you haven't heard it.

Les Paul at the Iridium Club

Last night, some friends and I went to the Iridium Club in NYC to hear Les Paul, father of the electric guitar, play with his trio, Lou Pallo (guitar, vocals), Nicki Parrott (upright bass) and John Colianni (piano). This was a fun show, with the master in fine form, despite some abiding problems with his left hand, and his irascible sense of humor much in evidence.

The band played many great standards, including 'Summertime', 'Sweet Georgia Brown', and 'Sunny', aided and abetted by a number of fine guests. Lou Pallo's playing was exemplary; it's always refreshing to watch a real pro in action on the electric guitar. Nicki Parrott did a great job of holding down the bottom end, and I'm sure Les could turn that into dirty joke faster than I!

Andrew Nemr, who is apparently something of a regular, tap danced with great panache through a couple of numbers, including the ballad 'Round Midnight'. Rebecca Buxton on baritone sax gave a fabulous performance on 'Lester Leaps In', demonstrating terrific agility and tone on this amazing instrument. There was also a great electric violin player and a great guitar player, neither of whose names registered in my bourbon-assisted brain.

Three of my 30 guitars are Les Pauls (one Elegant, one Class 5, and one Robot), and they are my very favorite instruments. These are the axes I use most for playing out, and their tunefulness and versatility is pretty much unmatched. At 92, Les Paul's spirit is undimmed, and if I'm still alive and playing at that age, I'll consider myself to be pretty fortunate, as well as eternally in his debt.

Tierney Sutton and Shelly Berg

I just got back from an awesome cabaret performance by Tierney Sutton and Shelly Berg at the Oak Room of the Algonquin Hotel in New York. It was an enchanting experience, even in the somewhat cramped confines of the venue (see below for more on this). I didn't take notes, but I think I have the complete set list in my head.

Tierney began with 'Skylark', really the most beautiful and compelling rendition of this Mercer-Carmichael collaboration I have ever heard. Then came Rodgers and Hart's 'Where or When', and another Carmichael tune, 'The Nearness of You', which was absolutely stunning in its gentleness. On Nearness, Shelly passed on a solo, not wanting to mar the perfect mood created by the vocals. Then followed the Sinatra favorite, 'How About You', in which Tierney did some fine scatting and Shelly went to town in the solo section.

Then followed three more ballads, each of them haunting in its own way: 'Laura', 'Love is Here to Stay' and 'Emily'. Tierney sang the verse of the Gershwin a capella before they both launched into the better-known chorus and totally aced it. Shelly's playing on these numbers was simply out of this world, crafting for each one a sensitive but striking arrangement. Then another Rodgers and Hart, 'It Never Entered My Mind', which Tierney rendered with a calm serenity that made the sadness of the lyric even more intense. Other great songs included 'Cheek to Cheek', 'You're Nearer', and 'You're too Marvellous for Words'.

The venue is a famous one, said to have launched the careers of such notables as Harry Connick Jr. and Diana Krall. I found the density of the dinner tables to be way overdone in the eagerness of the establishment to pack people in, and both my colleague and I and the couple sitting next to us had to strong-arm the captain into changing our seating arrangements. But nothing could spoil the astonishing spell cast by these two musicians as they casually made their way through the pages of the Great American Songbook with breath-taking style.

Pierre-Laurent Aimard

Last weekend, Sandy and I went to a very pleasant concert given by the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra to welcome their new artistic partner, soprano Dawn Upshaw. The program, directed by Pierre-Laurent Aimard, included songs by Stravinsky, Mozart and Ravel, as well as a Mozart Piano Concerto (No.23) and a Haydn Symphony (No.60). I find his playing to be quite exceptional: the perfect marriage of masterly technique and artistic expression. Highlights for me were the Mozart concerto and the Ravel songs (Three Poems by Stéphane Mallarmé). After the concert, we attended a reception in the Saint Paul Hotel where we had the pleasure of talking to Pierre at some length about piano music, opera and sundry other topics.

Robot guitar

Over Xmas, I bought a Gibson Les Paul Robot guitar, Number 227 of only 4000 made. This limited edition instrument tunes itself, through a combination of string sensors and servomotors that drive the pegs. It can be operated in different modes that give you different tunings. The automatic tuning really works well. There's a huge difference between being sort of in tune and being really in tune. It's also a very pretty guitar, with a sparkling blue finish that most of the pictures on the Gibson site don't do justice to.

I got to play out with it last week, sitting in briefly with Kimberly Michaels and Tony Axtell in Maple Grove, MN. It was great to able to tune automatically while sitting at the bar and then just step up and play, knowing I was in tune with the keyboard. I could then concentrate on getting the amp settings right for the room. The Robogit gave a good account of itself on 'Stormy Monday', delivering a nice blues sound through a 16-watt Carvin tube amp. This guitar is definitely a keeper.

MacPhail Gala

The MacPhail School of Music is now in an awesome new building; Sandy and I went to the Gala opening last Saturday and stayed until after midnight. The centrepiece of the building is a new performance space called the Antonello Hall, donated by Jean and Michael Antonello. The evening featured a concert that included Osmo Vänskä (conductor of the Minnesota Symphony) on clarinet and Nachito Herrera with his Latin Jazz Ensemble.

Catch up - I'm back

I took 2007 off from blogging and gigging, although I did play a number of minor gigs in the end. I attended the National Guitar Workshop meeting in Chicago in July, participating in the Blues Summit and playing in student concerts at Buddy Guy's club and Judson University. I also played a couple of charity gigs with the Jazzkickers and a paying gig at a Xmas office party.

2007 purchases included a Gibson Robot Guitar, which is basically a self-tuning version of the Les Paul Studio, and a Fender VG Stratocaster, which has on-board modeling from Roland. Also a five-string Parker Fly bass and a Gibson ES345 Reissue made in Memphis, TN.

On the concert front, I attended the Ojai Music Festival in California, where the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra made a guest appearance. Pierre-Laurent Aimard gave a fantastic piano recital on the Saturday morning, featuring the music of Schumann, Bach, Carter and Ives. Other concerts in 2007 included Pat Metheny, John McLaughlin and Ruthie Foster.

Plans for 2008 include rehearsing and recording with the Jazzkickers, of which more later.

Last gig of the year

What I thought would be my last gig of the year on December 16 was cancelled, thanks to a snafu at the Fusion Music Lounge. Whatever. I am going into retirement for a while to hone my chops and spend more time Latin dancing with my lovely wife. I did however purchase a new guitar over the holiday season: a Fender Urge Bass, the Mexican version of the American Stu Hamm signature series. Very pleased with it; another eBay bargain.

engine408 Worldbeat

Last night, I went to the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra's world music series, engine408, to hear works from Iraq, Iran, Azerbaijan, and India. The program, called "Caravan of Silk and Jade", was inspired by Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road project, named after the ancient collection of routes that linked Rome and Japan. The Project's purpose is to illuminate the contribution of these trade routes to the diffusion of art and culture.

Stephen Prutsman did an excellent job of assembling and directing a truly awesome program, featuring Iraqi oud master Rahim AlHaj, local tabla player Pavan Allalaghatta, who is also a computer scientist and mathematician, veena maven Nirmala Rajasekar, and some adventurous SPCO players (see below). I can't think of a better way of spending a Saturday night than hearing undreamt-of music in the intimate and acoustically live setting of the SPCO's 200-seat theater in the Hamm Building in downtown Saint Paul.

SPCO players worthy of special mention are the following. Tamas Strasser, who took the lead in Kayhan Kalhor's "Blue as the Turquoise Night of Neyshabur", playing the kamanche part on viola. He really got into the music and did a fabulous job of putting it across. Nina-Tso-Ning Fan, who played two beautiful raga leads on violin, Vasudevachar's Palukavadamira and Thyagaraja's Mokshamu. Leslie Shank, who played some splendid violin in Jayaraman 's Mandu for veena, percussion and string quartet.

Leo Kottke in Minneapolis

Last night, I went so see Leo Kottke at the State Theater in downtown Minneapolis. Pretty good concert, with some nice 12- and 6-string playing in alternate tunings, interspersed with amusing monologues in a somewhat mind-blown style. I have seen and heard many excellent acoustic guitarists over the last 40 years, including Davey Graham, Bert Jansch, John Renbourne, Richard Thompson, Steve Howe, Larry Coryell, and John McLaughlin. My fondest memory is of hearing Davey Graham play "She Moved Through the Fair" in Nottingham, England in 1965. He was a true innovator of that era, as was Kottke's mentor, John Fahey.

Penultimate gig with Caterwaul

On October 28th, I played bass with Caterwaul at the Fusion Music Lounge in downtown Saint Paul. I am leaving the band at the end of the year, partly pressure of work, partly hand problems, and partly a desire to do something different. My only remaining commitment is to do another gig in December.

Ideally, I would like to play more guitar, and put together a lineup for a recording next year. I also want to do more composition; I have a lot of pieces that need finishing or arranging. I want to spend the winter resting my hands, polishing my guitar technique, and putting together some new repertoire.

The Jazzkickers play Al Baker's

Today the Jazzkickers played a lunchtime gig at Al Baker's in Eagan, MN, for a Red Hat Society event on behalf of the American Heart Association. I played my Gibson Les Paul Elegant through a Fender Princeton Chorus amp. Numbers included "Take the A Train", "All Blues", "In a Mellow Tone", and "Well You Needn't", all great songs from the American jazz songbook. Everyone was in fine form, with Carmin Pluntz on saxophone, Tim Wick on keyboards, Steve Proper on bass guitar, and Gary Berosik on drums. This is far and away my favorite band to play with, so I hope we get more opportunities to play together in the future.

Stephen Prutsman at the Ordway

Composer and pianist Stephen Prutsman directed a stunning program of mostly jazz-influenced pieces with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra in Saint Paul tonight.

Prutsman's own Jazz Fantasy on the Theme B-A-C-H for piano and strings kicked off the evening, with Stephen on piano and Chris Brown playing bass, sometimes bowing and sometimes plucking walking lines. The four letters in German musical notation translate into Bb-A-C-B, which provides a nice chromatic figure for stepping out. The piano playing was nothing less than inspired and, although the piece is completely written out, the music is derived from improvisations by the composer.

I'm in a huge Prutsman fan, having also seen and heard the premier of "The Grand Excursion" at the Ordway in 2004, and his "Curious Hymns and Cosmic Spaces" earlier this year. In conversations with Stephen, I have since discovered that we share a passion for 1970s British progressive rock! (I'm the biggest Yes fan ever.)

But I digress. The Jazz Fantasy was followed by Darius Milhaud's La Creation du Monde, a cheeky momento of Milhaud's time in New York in the 1920s, featuring saxophone and a jazz drum set as well as the usual percussion. A very entertaining and refreshing piece that hasn't aged much in over 80 years.

The climax of the first half of the concert was Mauric Ravel's Piano Concerto in G, which is one of those spine-tingling pieces of music that are once heard and never forgotten. The central Andante assai has that langorous, inconclusive, suspended quality that makes Ravel's best music so mesmerizing and so emotionally complex. Prutsman and the SPCO players absolutely aced this work.

After the intermission, we came back for Mozart's Quartet in G Minor for Piano, Violin, Viola and Cello, K. 478. This piece was apparently written with amateur musicians in mind, but turned out to be too challenging for both the fingers and the ears of that particular market. Really a delightful piece, though, with a lot of musical ideas being tossed around from instrument to instrument.

After the chamber music, we listened to Butch Thompson play piano rags in the Ordway mezzanine, including works by Fats Waller, Jimmy Yancey and Bix Beiderbecke. Not bad for a night out in the Mid West!

SPCO play Schubert, Mozart & Mendelssohn

Last night, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra gave a splendid concert at the Ordway Theater. Nic McGegan was down to direct the performance, but unfortunately could not make it in from Europe due a flight cancellation. Scott Yoo flew in from New York to take over at very short notice, and did a fabulous job.

The evening began with Schubert's Rondo brillant in B minor, arranged for violin and strings by Dale Barltrop, who also played the lead. His performance was given a standing ovation, both for his playing and the beautiful arrangement. (Schubert originally wrote this piece for violin and piano.)

This was followed by Jonathan Biss playing Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 21 in C (K. 467). I have never heard a better rendering of this work, especially the famous Andante, nor have I ever seen anyone put more feeling into his music. After years of being somewhat indifferent to Mozart, I am finally becoming a true fan, thanks to having heard so many fine performances by the SPCO, often in relatively intimate settings.

The program ended with Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 5 in D (Op. 107) a.k.a. the "Reformation". This work is something of a showcase for the brass and winds, as well as featuring some very fine string parts. It's interesting to hear the influence of Bach in the later movements, sometimes so pronounced that one can even recognize small quotations, e.g., I thought I heard the Fugue from the First Violin Sonata at one point.

All in all, an awesome event that was followed by a great party, given for the musicians, board members and staff by the Securian Foundation, who also sponsored the evening's concert.