elmerthegreat

This was the second time that I have played Shrine with Ross Byron. Though I like the club, their booking was a little unconventional. The last time we played there, we were the only artists on the bill. This time, we were between two other groups.

To my surprise, I knew the bass player in the band before us, Darren Lipper. It was good to see him, and he sounded great, as usual. The group he was with was Leslie Casey & Company.

After us was the Umoja Orchestra. They were a huge group, horns, keys, bass, percussion, vocals, etc… They spilled from the stage onto the floor. Very nice.

It was odd to be a straight-ahead rock band amidst two groups that leaned towards funk, afro-beat, and soul. Nevertheless, there was a nice turnout and I believe that some of the crowd appreciated how we sounded.

As will happen with many gigs, there was an interesting technical malfunction. For the first few songs, I was aware of some form or deep buzz and rattle. At first, I wondered if my rig was too loud and rattling some fixtures behind me. Later, I found out that the microphone on Vinnie’s floor tom had fallen off and was giving off the hum. When something like this occurs, the only thing you can do is bear with it and keep playing. No crowd will stand for the band milling about trying to solve technical problems. All that can be done is hope that the noise does not take away from the music you are attempting to play.

Here are some photos from the show:

Created with flickr slideshow.

One thing a working musician must be prepared for is the “last-minute gig”. I got a call for one last Friday evening. I can hardly imagine how last-minute booking worked before cell phones. My girlfriend and I were about to sit down for dinner when I got the call.

“Elmer, can you play tomorrow?”
“Yeah, sure. What are re we playing?”
“Let’s see who’s going to be able to make it.”
“Okay.”

We ended up playing under the Ricky Blues name, which is appropriate since Mr. Rivard himself was working the microphone. Also in appearance were Anthony Packes, John Packes, and Mike Bruni.

As always, the folks of Mediterranean Taverna were great. Kudos.

Here are some pictures from the show:

Created with flickr slideshow.

Every now and again, I enjoy going to an event that is completely alien. This past Saturday, I went to see Soledad Barrio and Noche Flamenca at The New Victory Theater. A dance concert is not alien, nor is going to a concert hall. In that case, what was so different?

With each type of concert hall comes a certain form of behavior. Conduct is connected to performances as well as venue. Examples:

Metallica at the Orange County Fairgrounds
No seats. A heavy-metal concert the also featured Suicidal Tendencies. Everyone was jumping around, banging into one another. People sang along with songs, screamed requests, smoked, drank, etc…

Peter Serkin at Carnegie Hall
Everyone sits quietly listening as a lone pianist tackles Beethoven’s Hammerklavier. You could hear when his shoe scraped the floor. A cell phone going off in the middle of this would be like a shotgun blast. Audience members even attempted to stifle their coughs.

The Bad Plus at the Village Vanguard
The audience is quiet, but there is the occasional clink of a glass, the sound of a waitress taking an order. After a solo, everyone cheers. If the solo is especially good, the cheers go on for a little bit.

Savion Glover at the Joyce
Another relatively quiet audience, but there are cheers after individual dancers take a turn (solo). The Joyce is a concert hall, so there are no waitresses.

Noche Flamenca was something of a conglomeration of all these experiences. Since I was in a concert hall I expect, “Sit quietly. Clap after solos.” Nope. I quickly became aware that I was in for a new type of concert when I heard individual shouts of “Ole!”, “Como?”, and other questions and exclamations in a foreign language at various interval throughout the show. Not only were these shouts coming from the audience, but from the performers… and not only during and after solos! I was stunned. The feel of the concert changed. The fourth wall that generally exists was lowered. It made everything more personal.

While the New Victory Theater is a concert hall, it is very intimate. There is not much distance between the back of the theater and the stage. I was in the fifth row, so I was very close to the stage. It would be very difficult for anyone to feel disconnected from the performers on the stage.

Three dancers, two guitarists, and two cantors (singers) were featured in various groupings. One number had everyone on stage. There was a solo with one dancer, one guitarists, and both cantors. Another was two dancers, two guitarists, and a single cantor. There was even a piece that simply featured the cantor by himself. There were no intermissions and the show lasted a little under 90 minutes.

One solo by Manuel Reyes left me stunned. Titled De Aqui, De Alli, De Hoy, De Ayer, it was he, a guitarist, and two cantors. As I explained to my girlfriend after the show, as an accompanist, I will usually pick out a couple dancers in the class to follow during certain movements. It’s not because they are the tallest, shortest, or even necessarily the best dancers. There is something about them that makes their movements easy to follow. Somehow, they attract your eye and it is easy to figure out what they are attempting to convey. Each movement is sure, not always correct, but certain. Reyes appears to be one of these people. It was truly incredible to see him move through the jumps, taps, stomps, scrapes of the foot, claps on the body, finger snaps, flourishes, pauses, breaks, stops, starts, etc… I could probably watch him do the Chicken Dance all night and it would be awesome.

The whole evening was fierce. Unlike many other dances I’ve seen, these dancers are not smiling or locked into one expression. They look determined, pained, tough, and intense. Sometimes, there is an expression of sorrow, but even that is replaced by some form of fiery gaze. Each piece had time, and tempo changes, shifts in mood and meter. There are pauses, stops, shouts, and solos. Sometimes, I had trouble keeping up, so I just sat back and enjoyed instead of trying to figure out where they were going next.

A very worthwhile show. Check it out.

Additional Links:
Soldad Barrio Noche Flamenca on youtube
Emilio Florido on youtube
Eugenio Iglesias on myspace

Otto’s in an interesting joint. Not many people would expect to find a Tiki Lounge in a New York City bar. Nevertheless, bands at Otto’s play in a Tiki Lounge, complete with bamboo, tiki torches, Easter Island-type heads, and other assorted knick-knacks.

Introducing all the bands this evening was the promoter for the show, Frank Wood. Nice guy, but an interesting cat. His delivery sounds like a cross between Wolfman Jack and George Carlin. His look is a combination of Santa Claus, Wolfman Jack, and Grandpa Al Lewis. Definitely a cool guy and very approachable.

This show was webcast live on NYC Live Rock. According to Frank, it should be in the Archives section in the coming weeks.

There was a nice turnout for this show, but I’m not sure if we were what the crowd was expecting. They clapped politely at the appropriate points, nodded a head during some songs, and listened attentively, but that was all. It was as though they liked us but were not quite ready to show their emotion. I don’t think that they disliked us, because they were watching attentively instead of talking to one another. It was a little disconcerting.

I’ve played to very enthusiastic crowds on both ends of the spectrum. “I love you guys.” “You guy suck.” Each response has its own merit, but this was different.

Oh well, every show is a new experience. Here are some pictures from the evening:

Created with flickr slideshow.

Full Disclosure: I am biased. My good friend Rick Donato is the drummer for this particular cast tour of the show. That being said, the drums were awesome!

A Chorus Line is a classic show that you should see once. More than once? That depends on how much you like musical theater. Since I’ve been working as an accompanist, I’ve developed a greater appreciation for the interplay between dance and song. I’m constantly watching to see if people are dancing on the beat, off the beat, against the beat, etc… Technical? Sure. A little anal retentive? Sure, but it does mean that I can tell you with some degree of assurance that the cast is solid.

What’s it about?
A bunch of people trying out for a part in a chorus. They are asked questions by the stage manager to help narrow down who will stay and who will go home.

The Bushnell is one big-ass hall. The ceiling is very high, and it does seem particularly long.

Check it out if it comes to a town near where you live.

Additional Links:
Hartford Currant review