Moe Seager, Point Brugge Restaurant, Pittsburgh - Monday April 26, 2010

When I first met Moe a few years ago, I remember thinking, that is a poet. Funny given my strident anti-essentialist stance in most things. I think that means that poetry flows from him even when you're just hangin' out. Moe has been doing Jazz poetry shows in Paris for awhile and i have enjoyed some of his recordings, but this was my first chance to experience it in the flesh.

A pick-up jazz trio accompanied Moe: Hill Jordan on tenor and soprano trombones; Dave Pellow on stand up bass; Spider Rondinelli on drums. Hill and Dave did most of the soloing, with the Soprano trombone being a new instrument for me, punchy and clean. Moe performed his poems in a rhythmic sprechtstimme showing great sense of timing with these skilled musicians.



The video is fragment from a Paris performance of "Jazz Is" which Moe did perform here. Variously funny, sensual, political, spiritual - sometimes all at the same time. The loose spontaneity was great fun. Local singer/blues jazz violinist Lydia joined the guys for a few numbers, sliding right in and adding some great textures to the sound. Also joining in the free flow of music and words was Johnny Alston, former Pittsburgher now from New Mexico playing a Native American flute that had a beautiful ethereal quality. For a pick up band, they worked well together to the appreciation of the small but enraptured crowd. I felt like I was transported back in time to some kind of alternative beat universe when the beat poets and jazz musicians helped shock our country out of the horrors of the fifties.

Viva Monsieur Seager

Adrian Belew - Club Cafe, Pittsburgh - Friday April 23, 2010

This is a picture of Adrian with his custom Parker guitar. His show at the intimate Club Cafe was billed as a one man electric show "Painting with Guitar". Adrian's Elephant blog entry explains this:
http://elephant-blog.blogspot.com/2010/04/about-painting-with-guitar.html
I explain it by saying "Boys and their toys". What great toys and what great music he produces with them. He has been downsizing his setup but with new technology, he has more options with this sleek setup. This show really was like hanging with Adrian, very casual and loose. He stopped twice to take questions and chat with the standing room audience.

Adrian opens with a Bears' song "Doodle". Poppy with some fiendish guitar. With a pained look, he stated that he wished he had never written the next song, because it is so hard to play. Nailed it. "Walk Around the World" is from his album Side One. He called the next song "Variation of Wave Pressure" from an Einstein quote. At one point he looped a complicated guitar figure and sang the Subway 5 dollar footlong jingle over it, claiming they stole it from him. One long instrumental included a long "within You, Without You" section, showing off his Sitar effect setting. He shared that Jeff Beck is his favorite guitarist, which makes sense given their similar staccato, fragmentary, disjointed styles. he met Jeff Beck after a King Crimson show that Beck had attended. When they went to shake hands, Beck instead rubbed his forearm against Adrian's (wanting that skill to rub off). Adrian played about 11 songs, one just written a few days ago called "Eurrail Pass" about his travels in Europe years ago. Stories about gear, Zappa and his paintings were interesting. And the guitar playing is as good as it gets.

In updating us on his three bands, Adrian shared that the Bears will do music as he and the guys have enough music to put out an album. Given that the other Bears have real jobs, they will stay mostly a studio band. The Power Trio (go see them if you haven't, if you have, you will want to see them again) will tour Europe later this year and the states again next year. King crimson is on a break but Belew expressed confidant hope that they will play again, just waiting on Robert. Adrian and Robert have always seemed like such an odd pair to make such phenomenal music together, Adrian being so engaging with the audience while Robert minimizes his presence to just the music. Perhaps that difference helps bring them together (and the musical sensibilities).

I am looking forward to my next encounter with Adrian as he is just starting to figure out his new toys as a new and more complex palette can only be a good thing for this restless genius.

Wilco - Carnegie Music Hall, Oakland - April 11, 2010

I had given up on going to this show after having snoozed when the tickets went on sale. I then looked up some of the set lists earlier in the tour and was amazed at these crazy, long shows they were doing. So I persisted and found tickets just days before the show. And I am glad I did.

Sometimes I give a song by song account but 37 songs (not a typo) are too many to discuss. Wilco (the song) from Wilco (the album) was the opening song by Wilco (the band) after the theme music from the Price is Right accompanied the band's entrance. Yes humor does belong at this show. Great song and a prototype for the show. Catchy tunes, accessible with lots of flourishes, little and big from Nels Cline. I first saw Wilco at the 3 Rivers Arts Festival at a free show in 2003 (I have a magnificent live recording of the show made by the great local taper, Alex Heard, let me know if you would like a copy). When they returned to the 3 Rivers Arts Fest the next year, I believe it was their first show after frontman Jeff Tweedy finished rehab and the first live show with Nels. I remember thinking that Tweedy is a great guitarist in his own right and wondered why they needed this new guy. Well, it turns out that Nels is outstanding, famous in his own right among guitar afficianados and perhaps the most economical guitarist around. What I mean by that is, within the confines of these short, 3 to 7 minute songs, Nels adds little runs throughout and solos, some concise and some luxurious and magnificent like in "Impossible Germany". Cline can play clean and conventional solos as well as seriously dissonant feedback flourishes. The rest of the band are not pikers either. John Stirratt plays a solid, mostly underneath bass. Glen Kotchie plays some complicated drum parts, showing of particularly on "I am Trying to Break Your Heart" with it's loose percussive opening. Pat Sansone is the multi-instrumentalist that adds versatility to the band, including at times a Sonic Youth like guitar fuzz wall of sound. Mikail Jorgenson plays some great keyboards, stepping out front with regularity with a bluesy and rock'n'roll style (though I believe he slipped a little melotron in there as well).

They mixed up the songs well representing their entire history. They ran through 14 songs including mixing in a lot of new material with familiar songs including "Handshake Drugs", "California Stars" and "Impossible Germany" back to back to back. As song 14 was winding down in a dissonant wall of sound, the melancholy "Poor Places", the crew invaded the stage with lamps, a pared down drum kit, a simple keyboard setup and acoustic guitars. Spiders(Kidsmoke) emerged from this transformation. This and the next seven songs were performed from this front of stage setup. The audience was not necessarily in sync with the band. Jeff Tweedy stated the obvious after Spiders, that this is a quieter part of the show, adding that that means "we can hear you talking". He dedicated the next song "More Like the Moon" to people in the audience (like me) who don't have 50 bucks to throw away by not paying attention. "War on War" and "Forget the Flowers" were highlights of the intimate set. The stage was transformed back during "Passenger Side" and "Airline to Heaven", the third song with Woody Guthrie lyrics that they performed this night. Another 12 songs followed before the encores. This included the "Jesus Etc." singalong, a raucous "Heavy Metal Drummer" and the dinner coupon giveaway. There really were too many highlights to highlight all of the. Suffice it to say, they moved from pinnacle to peak. A rocking "Casino Queen" was the first encore, yes Wilco can rock pretty hard when they decide to. "Outtasite (Outta Mind)" and "I'm a Wheel" finished things off in satisfying fashion. Thirty seven songs, about three hours of music and high-jinks.

This was my fourth Wilco show, all have been excellent, this one the best yet.

Outstanding!!!

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Stephen Hough, Yan Pascal Tortelier- April 9, 2010

Two familiar composers wrote the two pieces on this program. One piece, Tchaikovsky's Second Piano Concerto, is a major piece of music written by a perennially popular composer that has NEVER been played by the PSO. Tchaikovsky's first Piano Concerto has been wildly popular since it's premier over 135 years ago. It was savagely criticized by Nikolai Rubinstein, powerful Russian pianist and conservatory director. Then he began playing it when it became extremely popular. Tchaikovsky wanted him to play the second one (capitalizing on guilt?) but he died before that happened. However, he did render some mild criticism, that it was over long and episodic. I did this long winded intro because what interests me is that the second one seems more obviously open to stinging critique while the first is so obviously enjoyable.

The kicker here is that this long neglected piece, which is a mess, a wild, unbalanced, out of control, thoroughly enjoyable mess, was thoroughly enjoyed by the audience. And the audience was caught up in it enough they applauded after the first movement (shocking, I know). They gave it a huge ovation at the end of the piece. A big part of this is certainly that Stephen Hough brought it off with intensity, brilliance and flair. So why did it take 135 years to play this here. Other composers have written more than one piano concertos where one is wildly popular and still had the others played at least a bit. Ah the mysteries of show biz.

Another Russian, Sergei Prokofiev, wrote the piece on the second half of the program. Prokofiev's Fifth Symphony is one of seven and probably the best regarded. He is quoted as saying that it is "a symphony about the grandeur of the human spirit". It's hard to know what to say about something like that. The first movement opens quietly, builds, ebbs and flows and is a great example of the smooth, lyrical flowing Prokofiev. At least, for Prokofiev, the human spirit has some variety and lightness to it. Tortelier played with this variety well, building to a big climax by the end of the movement, the brass parts big, full and grand (the audience applauded again, twice in one evening, are the times changing?). The second movement, fleet, interwoven with lots of delicate touches. I love the clarinet parts as well as the prominent piano bits. This movement does remind me of the ballet composer Prokofiev without quoting himself directly. I don't know if this has been choreographed but I can picture the dancers in my head. While grandeur is not the word I would use for this movement, I am fine with the human spirit part. The long adagio third movement again places dancers in my head, now it is either Juliet or Cinderella in their thoughtful, wistful moments. The last movement starts with a quiet prelude that gives way to the opening theme which will also closes the movement. This theme is busy and propulsive. Lyricism returns in the middle of the movement though the frenetic figure is never far away. Among the many choices to make here, I was thinking about Tortelier's decision to emphasize intensity and the frenetic brilliance of the end of this movement. At one point, this repetitive figure takes over powerfully then most of the orchestra falls away until just a few instruments continue frantically. The orchestra wells up again for the big finish. It is an odd and distinctive end to the symphony. Tortelier and the orchestra brought this off with brilliance and intensity, quite impressive.

Prokofiev did write seven symphonies which makes him a serious 20th century symphonist. I especially like 1 and 5 through 7. However, I think of Prokofiev at his best in his ballet music and his concertos. I have long thought that he had not ever figured out symphonies despite his persistence. However, in discussing this with Herr Heine after the show, his take was that this was about Prokofiev's ambivalence about the form rather than a lack of skill. I like that.

Relache - Saturday April 3, 2010 - Andy Warhol Museum

Relache is a new music classical chamber group out of Philadelphia. Though they have been around awhile, this was my first encounter with them. Their press states that they have been around for 25 years and that they have had a variety of members and configurations. At this show, however, they were an 8 piece ensemble and a rather unusual one at that. The string players, viola and double bass, generally lose out to the violin and cello for choice parts, not here with nary a violin or cello in sight. Add four woodwinds (flute/piccolo; oboe/english horn; clarinet/sax and bassoon), keyboards and drums/percussion and you have Relache. All of the pieces performed were written for Relache and for this unusual configuration.

Eric Moe wrote Eight Point Turn, a twelve minute piece that seemed part jazz (drummer sitting behind a drum kit as rock/jazz drummers do) part neo-classical (I was reminded of Stravinsky's A Soldier's Tale). A rather insistent, propulsive rhythm moved the piece along, accessible immediately to my ears, light but quite enjoyable.

David Mahler, a Pittsburgher like Eric Moe, wrote Scenes of Sacred Peace and Pleasure, which draws on David's love of early American folk songs and spirituals. I know of this because Julia has been singing three-part acapella arrangements of folk and early American songs with david and his wife Julie for the past couple of years. This piece uses 14 folk songs in a variety of forms and conflagrations. While I did not recognize the names of the songs listed in the program, the tunes were all familiar. Though it started playing things straight, Mahler then mish mashed the melodies together in Ivesian fashion, with things happening on top of each other then moving back toward simplicity at the end. I enjoyed this quite a bit, especially the reminiscence of Ives (or even another favorite of mine, Schnittke, though without the anxiety).

Kyle Gann's Venusfinished the first half of the program. This is part of Gann's own Planets suite ala Holst (see my last post). In the notes, he contrasts his Planets of "Free Will" astrology with Holst's traditional view. I probably need to hear this again (or the whole piece) to get his point. This piece was again accessible, had some interesting rhythms, was rather light and static overall.

Paul Lansky's Comix Tripsopened the second half with light hearted whimsical music based upon comics Peanuts, Captain Marvel, Alfred E. Newman and Little Orphan Annie. I enjoyed this piece as well though I was listening for more contrast among the four parts as the four choices seem to have been chosen in part due to being quite different comic strips.

Guy Klucevsek is new to me. Three selections from a larger piece called Wings/Prayerclosed out the show. Tangocide came first. This has a caberet, klezmer sound, witty, light and fun with great clarinet bits. Still Life with Canon has a very different mood, slow and somber with prominent oboe and bassoon parts, nicely interwoven. Dance bounces along nicely, similar in mood to the first piece, finishing with a flourish.

Five pieces, all with this odd instrumentation, enjoyable, easy on the ears (who said new classical music had to be alienating). Relache were impressive in their delivery. Again I am thinking about the similarities and differences with popular music. The audience conventions are so very different. I wish the two could get the best of each other. I almost always wish audiences at popular music shows would actually be quiet and pay attention to the musicians. On the other hand, Classical audiences could relax a bit though I do like the rapt attention.

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra - Saturday March 20, 2010 -

I have been thinking about transgression since seeing Trey Anastasio's induction speech of Genesis into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last week. He gave some great examples of the wonderful transgressions that Genesis committed over the years (a hit single "Turn It On Again" written in 13/4 time for example). Berlioz was also a great transgressor. He was self taught. That must be why he really doesn't sound like anyone else except himself. He wrote strange large scale pieces that did not fit conventional categories. Even his most famous piece, the Symphonie Fantastique is not a conventional symphony with it's programatic story of unrequited love, drug overdoses and a witches' sabbath. The piece played at this concert is Harold in Italy. A typically atypical Berlioz piece. Commissioned to write a Viola Concerto by Paganini, Berlioz writes this not-a-concerto, sort-of-symphony with solo viola parts that clearly would not satisfy the notoriously show boating Paganini.

What makes this a great rather than just a good story is that after Paganini refused to play the piece because it was not virtuoso enough, he heard it performed. He then sent Berlioz 20,000 francs because he was so impressed. And now, 176 years after it was written, this strange piece is still being played in Pittsburgh, PA. Randolph Kelly, the long-time Pittsburgh Symphony principal violist, played the solo part. A solo piece that does not call for virtuosity presents it's own issues for a soloist. Kelly stayed within the piece quite well with excellent accompaniment from Yan-Pascal Tortelier and the orchestra. The delicate harp part in the first movement was quite beautiful and the big climaxes quite satisfying. The two inner movements, smaller in scale, set up the finale. I particularly enjoyed the third movement's bouncy folk tunes and great English horn part. The finale was properly dramatic (is properly really the right word there?) and a bit out of control, as Berlioz should be.

The second piece of this two piece program was Gustav Holst's The Planets. Here I have to admit that I had let myself get a skewed idea about Holst. Too many sci-fi movies and I started thinking about Holst in terms of the many film composers that stole from him, sometimes so directly that it realy is just a quote. The Planets is no longer under copyright law. I did find myself noting during the performance places where I have heard Holst ripped off. I have to credit my friend Marcus for getting me to this show, based on his unreserved love of Holst's piece.

Somehow I had gotten it in my head that Holst had written this much later than he had. This seems to fit into my denigrating of the piece. Realizing this was written from 1914-1916 puts it in a different perspective. English classical music was just emerging from obscurity with Elgar and Vaughn Williams leading the way. Those two used much more conventional and familiar forms, symphonies, concertos etc... In this way, Holst seems much like Berlioz in the choices of the forms used in his composing.

But how was the performance? Quite brilliant. Mars, the bringer of war was intense and built to an overwhelming climax. But Holst's Planets are more than just loud climaxes, as Bill Cabalero showed with his beautiful and restrained horn solos to start the Venus section. Yan-Pascal's conducting and the orchestra's playing highlighted the great variety in the seven movements (Holst left out the Earth and now that Pluto isn't a planet anymore, he's no longer behind the times). Individual members of the PSO stood out throughout the piece. Andres Cardenes was beautiful in the solo violin parts. I did find myself flashing in my brain to movie and TV (mostly sc-fi) composers that have borrowed or outright stole from Gustav.

Other highlights included the entire brass section in Jupiter, loud, clear and brilliant. The old age portrayed in Saturn was not scary but gentle and rather comforting (perhaps wishful thinking back in 1916, though perhaps the war made old age particularly alluring). The harps and wordless chorus in Neptune the mystic were ethereal and appropriately mystical.

Another great show for the PSO. Renewing my acquaintance with this piece that I had ignored for so long was quite a treat.

Joshua Bell, Jeremy Denk - Tuesday March 2, 2010 - Heinz Hall - Pittsburgh, PA

I do not remember the last time I saw a violin recital in Pittsburgh. So it was quite a treat to see a great violinist right here in my hometown. Joshua Bell IS a great one and his partner for the evening seems worth getting to know as well. The vicissitudes of classical music collecting is such that a serious collector will get a recording of their favorite pieces, then another of the same piece for comparison as it is all about interpretation. Eventually you have multiple recordings of your favorites and it is hard for new artists to get your attention. Do I really want Josh Bell's Mendelssohn concerto when I have Heifetz, Menuhin, Perlman, Milstein, Ricci, Mutter and Hahn doing it? This is a long winded way of saying that a young violinist has to do something to get my attention in order to buy their recordings. You can do it with interesting couplings or new and unusual repertoire, but a new recording of the Mendelssohn and Bruch concertos is probably not ending up on my shelf. So I know Josh Bell through his recordings of Corigliano, Nicolas Maw, Walton and Barber. However, he has made his name in the standard repertoire and recordings of little tasty bits of violin music that go down easy or work well as background music.

I don't say these things as a put down, but to put his career choices in some context, particularly in reference to this recital. Here was a recital that says, we are doing some serious music tonight, four substantial pieces with a brief, light encore. I am curious about their decision to do this and quite happy that they did.

The time span of these pieces is about two hundred years. The oldest piece, Bach's 4th violin and keyboard sonata. I have to admit here that this is the only piece on the program I don't know (or own own a recording). The Bach violin and keyboard pieces just are not held in the same high regard as his solo violin sonatas and partitas. After hearing this piece, I can't say I am in any hurry to get into them. Perhaps it was the performance (and I did feel they were out of sync at times) or perhaps it is a rather slight piece of music but it (performance, piece or both) did not grab me. Grieg's Third violin Sonata did grab me. Grieg is known now for really just two things, his Peer Gynt music and his piano concerto. This piece is a late piece, substantial (over 20 minutes) and quite dramatic. Bell and Denk seemed to underline the drama in a major way. I felt at times that it might be too dramatic but that may be my familiarity with a less dramatic interpretation. I especially liked the first movements building to climaxes (which happens through the movement).

The second half opened with the Schumann first Violin Sonata. I haven;t listened to Schumann much lately and this reminded me that I do like his music. Despite Schumann's tragic mental health problems, his music has a pleasantness, lightness to it. Even this piece, which is a relatively late one has the Schumann lightness that I find so appealing. I enjoyed the interpretation, even more than the Grieg. This duo had an interesting stage presence. Bell, seemingly oblivious to all else (though I assume his ears were paying attention), stretching his body at times, his left foot flat but right one only touching the floor with his toe, as if reaching out for something. Denk was extremely vigilant and attentive, head cocked to watch Bell and stay in his groove with him.

Schumann's piece was written in 1851 and the Grieg in 1886. Despite the thirty five years difference, they definitely inhabit the same sound world, romantic, tonal, dissonances all resolved. Maurice Ravel's Violin and Piano Sonata was written in the 1920's. Forty years after Grieg, Ravel's piece, right from the outset, reveals itself as from a different sound world. In form, it shares the conventional three movement structure with the Schumann and Grieg. One difference that comes to mind for me is that the Ravel is not so clearly on it's way somewhere. It does not seem quite so linear. While not all Ravel is this way, the Violin Sonata has a somewhat disturbing quality that I love in my favorite Ravel music (Bolero and La Valse come to mind, though with less subtlety). The opening movement's moments of simple beauty punctuated with little dissonances and perturbations. The flow and interplay between Bell and Denk was well done. The middle "Blues" movement had some nice swing to it. Again, the lightness mixed with little disturbances captured well by this duo. The last movement is one of those in which the violin gets moving and doesn't really slow down. In fact it is marked "Perpetuum Mobile: Allegro". The piano provides support but this is really the violin's show. Bell played this with seemingly no difficulties and a good bit of flair.

The encore was a slight but enjoyable Kreisler piece after the style of Dvorak. I assume it is one of the many pieces that Kreisler wrote but programed as if it had been written by Dvorak or whomever. I always chuckle that he apparently got away with this for quite a while.

i was not sure about this concert being held in Heinz Hall. It is a big place for a violin to project within. However, Joshua Bell's sound projected quite well to where I was sitting (front of the Family Circle upstairs). He has a big sound that is a must for this to work in Heinz Hall. The crowd was enthusiastic though I would estimate that the hall was only half full. I hope that was enough to have more of these kinds of shows. I don't know how the economics of this works.

In summary, great show by great musicians. A treat for me who loves violin music. The program was well chosen (minus the Bach). If I can indulge myself in one complaint, the program biographies bothered me. I realize that Josh Bell is the headliner and most people, even me who tries to keep up with classical music, don't know Jeremy Denk. However, do you really need to gush about the "breadth and daring choices of repertoire", then list standard repertoire, movie soundtracks, and crossover bits. Anne-Sophie Mutter, Jennifer Koh, Leila Josefowicz and Gidon Kremer are daring, Bell is not. He IS great at what he does. The list of things Jeremy Denk has done reveals that HE is the daring one, with lots of modern pieces in his repertoire. I will be on the look out for some of his recordings.