Bringing Up the House

Yesterday’s reflection about my musicianship didn’t just come randomly out of the blue. I was preparing for a rare house concert, which I happily performed last night in a beautiful house with a spectacular view and a fine piano and the company of my musical soul-brother, Joshi Marshall on sax. Not to mention a lovely audience of about 40, many of whom I didn’t know and fabulous desserts!

 

Since I spend as much time on the piano with classical pieces as jazz, I decided to combine the two. Begin with a solo European classical piece and then go directly into a jazz duet classical piece. In some cases, the connecting thread was simply the key, in others, the tempo and feeling, in a few, a direct connection (like Jobim’s How Insensitive which purposefully was based on Chopin’s Prelude). According to the audience response and my own sense of it, it was an enticing formula. In the break, someone asked me how it felt to me and I responded:

 

“The classical piece is like driving alone on a beautiful road, uplifted by familiar and soothing sites. When I switch to jazz, it’s like changing lanes and zooming out on an adventurous road trip, with my best friend in the front seat with me. This wonderful feeling of release. And if I end with another classical piece, it’s like the pleasure of returning home after dropping my friend off.”

 

And that’s exactly what it felt like! Another way I felt it is imagining the classical piece as an improvisation, which gives it a new uplift and sense of freedom in my fingers. And then imagining the jazz piece as a well-thought out composition. In both cases, it helped me both play better and hear what I played differently. And I imagined that communicated to the audience as well. The juxtaposition of the two styles allowed all to hear each with new ears.Don’t know if it brought down the house in the House Concert, but it certainly brought us up, gave a sense of uplift to the evening that was palpable and present. 

 

For those curious, below are some of the selections from last night. It feels like Joshi and I are on to something, so anyone in striking distance who wants to set up another house concert, give me a call!

 

1. Bach’s Prelude No. 1/  Monk’s Misterioso

 

2. Chopin’s Impromptu No. 1/ Scott Joplin’s Maple Leaf Rag

 

3. Debussy’s The Little Negro/ Hello Ma Baby

 

4. Scarlatti’s Sonata in D minor/  Alone Together/ Bach’s French Suite No. 1

 

5. Chopin’s Prelude in E minor/ Jobim’s How Insensitive

6. Beethoven’s Pathetique Sonata ( Middle Movement) /  Where Are You?

7. Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata/ Cole Porter’s  Night and Day

8. Mozart’s Piano Concerto n. 23 (2^nd Movement) /Lerner and Loewe’s On the Street Where You Live

9. Scarlatti’s F Minor Sonata/  Jerome Kern’s All the Things You Are

10. Scriabin’s Album Leaf / George Gershwin’s Embraceable You