Gustavsen arrived in Philly with his trio–longtime drummer Jarle Vespestad and German-Afghan vocalist Simin Tander–to perform cuts off his new album entitled “What Was Said.” The musicians served up a diverse platter of musical and linguistic customs. Gustavsen’s understated piano playing sounded like lights flickering on and off (each key actually lit up each time it was touched!), drawing us in closer to observe what was taking place. Just as subtle was Vespestad, who drummed with beautiful restraint while exploring the percussion’s range.
Read MoreWith Eighth Blackbird closing out the LiveConnections season, we can now look to the 2016-17 season. One concert to watch for in the upcoming season is bassist John Patitucci and the Daedalus Quartet’s performance next April. In the meantime, Eighth Blackbird’s concert not only left the audience anticipating their next bold, musical statement, but also LiveConnections’ exciting and much-needed programming.
Read MoreThe tension between rules and improvisation is at the heart of much musical practice, but it is unusual to see it played out in the context of a collective audience performance. As a participant, the experience was thought provoking and occasionally frustrating, and I left with a new appreciation for the importance of rules for all of us who listen to and perform music.
Read MoreThe overarching concept of the evening was “The Pale Blue Dot of Earth” by composer David Ludwig. The title of the piece comes from Carl Sagan’s 1994 book, Pale Blue Dot.
Read MoreThere is an abundance of voices here, with soprano Laquita Mitchell and tenor Rodrick Dixon in addition to a combined choir of talented singers from Lincoln University, Delaware State University, and Morgan State University, who brought intense passion to their roles.
Read MoreMy favorite description of chamber music has to be by Richard Walthew. In a 1909 lecture, Walthew referred to chamber music as the “music of friends”.
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