M.Ward

at Birchmere, 9/15/2006

The review in the Post (quoted below) covers the basics... The show was excellent. This guy has really found his voice, and is at the top of his game. He's got crazy skills with the fingerpicking guitar. He's a great singer. Not bad at the electric piano either. He's not much for banter and chatting between songs. The set was pretty much all business - just blowing through the songs with hardly enough time for his band to keep up. And they nailed it. Each song really came to life perfectly - the uptempo ones totally rocked, but with nice subtle touches which also transferred to the slower material.

There was much instrument swapping. Band consisted of M.Ward plus two guitarists who switched often among acoustic guitar, electric guitar, and electric bass, plus two drummers - one female who also did backing vocals, and one male who spent about half the show at the vibraphone, and half behind a drum kit (and one song at the piano). Funny, another band with two drummers... used very effectively, they did quite a bit of unison playing, but really for emphasis. At one point, a quick stream of steady 16th notes doubled by both drummers added a cool sounding layer of strange high harmonics.

One of the encores began with M.Ward solo, doing "I'll Be Yr Bird." Gorgeous. He changed the lyrics at one point - from "I'm not your chestnut, I'm not your mole" to "I'm no Vic Chestnutt, I'm no Bob Mould." A few of us old folks in the audience chuckled, and hopefully picked up on that as a local reference. The crowd was really quite strange - young, old, everywhere inbetween.

There are many reasons to dislike the Birchmere, and I'm happy to go on about many of them. For now, let's just complain about $5 for a 10oz. solo cup of beer. On the other hand, they have Shiner on tap. Mmmm. Also, sound was quite good and we got there a bit late, but still were able to get a spot right up front where we could see (and hear) very well.

If you don't know about M. Ward, you can watch the video of "Chinese Translation" on YouTube. And/or download the title track of his new album, Post-War, at Salon.com's "Audiofile."

From the Washington Post, Monday, September 18, 2006; C05

Shortly after M. Ward played "A Voice at the End of the Line" and "Poor Boy, Minor Key" at the Birchmere on Friday night, it seemed he longed to be a soft-rock troubadour. Then, back-to-back Daniel Johnston covers indicated he was bent on embracing the eccentric singer-songwriter model. Later, as he waved his band into a galloping trifecta ("Right in the Head," "Flaming Heart," "Four Hours in Washington") of indie rock, he sounded as if he could be the savior of that musty genre. But unlike the Ward of, say, five years ago, this hour-long set was far more than just a series of clever genre-hopping tricks: It was cohesive and stirring in the manner of an artist whose vision has crystallized.

Ward's artistic maturation isn't readily apparent on his discs; this year's "Post-War" is only sporadically excellent. But supported as he was Friday by a sympathetic band (a percussion-centric quartet featuring two drum kits) in a judicious investigation of his back catalogue, his live show was revelatory. His song structures suddenly made sense -- an aesthetic that equally values John Fahey, Fleetwood Mac and Sonic Youth. His voice buzzed uniquely -- an oddly rousing paste of John Fogerty and Popeye. And though the show wasn't perfect -- "Post-War's" title track was sluggish, and taking a second encore was unnecessary -- it was close enough to warrant a serious escalation in Ward's musical standing.

-- Patrick Foster

Beauty Pill

at The Black Cat (mainstage), 9/2/2006


An expanded Beauty Pill put on quite a show. They're up to six people now, including two drummers for most of the set. Aaron cracked me up by referring to them as the "indie rock Steely Dan." Not really a bad analogy... The band is driven by Chad Clark who happens to be a studio wizard who makes gorgeous recordings with very high production values, then the band is pulled together to realize the songs live. I'm not 100% certain about their creative process, so I'm assuming that's an oversimplification, but maybe not so far off?

Set seemed really short, but maybe I was just cranky after waiting so long (Soccer Team and Aquarium were fine, but seemed totally rudimentary in comparison with the headliners). Highlights included "Lifeguard in Wintertime," and "Prison Song" delivered by Jean Cook and a rippin' version of "The Western Prayer."

Devin Ocampo on drums = always rock solid. Chad Molter also on drums = sometimes overkill, but sometimes cool. With the large band, they're able to double lots of things, recreating some of the lush textures on the records. And another band in town featuring two-thrids of Medications... Ubiquitous is an understatement.

Excellent performance - really well put together and well executed. I think it's safe to say that this is one of the most sophisticated bands in DC. They operate, technically, on a level that most of their peers simply can't reach.

Photo by Flickr user goodgovernor.

Shellac

at The Black Cat (mainstage), 8/31/2006

Not sure where to start this one... If you're unfamiliar, the wikipedia entry about the band seems dead-on to me. They certainly sound unique - from Albini's very strange guitar sound (like a nasally chainsaw?), to the bad vocals, all delivered over-top the rock solid bass and drums. Their songs rely so heavily on repetition of short riffs (including nifty off-balance rhythms and odd meters), that they take on a certain kind of inevitability - and then when a small change occurs, it takes on great significance.

Todd Trainer (drums) really makes it all work. He's magnificent. When they're locked in together, it's quite a machine. And they didn't disappoint live. I think they sounded every bit as good as the records (which sound really good, in my opinion).

Bob Weston's bass tone (and playing) are perfect. His sound is full and heavy - but with no mud. Albini's guitar tone mystifies me - I'm not sure why he wants it to sound so shrill and tinny... but maybe so there's no guitar overlapping the bass guitar frequencies? His sound is certainly intentional, and getting past my own preferences, you can certainly hear every note very clearly - which has pros and cons. You can hear every flub and mis-hit note as well as the "right" ones. I can't quite figure him out. Some of the guitar lines seem quite difficult and he sails right through them perfectly, but other things come off as so sloppy? Maybe the slop has it's place too - since there's none to be found in Trainer or Weston's playing...

Unfortunately, they took several Q & A breaks that dragged on too long. Eventually, I found Albini's idiosyncrasies a bit tiring. So, I guess I have mixed feelings about the show. On one hand, they totally rocked. On the other hand, the show dragged at points (and an as-yet unreleased song, "Lulabelle" really didn't go anywhere). Maybe I'm just getting too old for club shows on weeknights?

Photo by Flickr user haydn sweterlitsch.

Aloha

aloha @ northstarbar in philadelphia
Originally uploaded by marcymakesaparty.

at The Black Cat (backstage), 8/27/2006

(note: this photo is from a show in philly, not the show I'm writing about in DC)

The sound on the backstage at Black Cat is really bad. It's a room that doesn't deal well with loudness. Sad, since most shows in there are pretty damn loud. This worked against Aloha - which is a real shame since they're an excellent band, and their new record sounds fabulous.

Their music is intricately crafted and meticulously executed - but without sounding cold and calculated. They're just a group of damn fine players. Drummer is really excellent (comparisons to Alan White might be deserved?), bass player is totally solid (Stupid Pitchfork compares him to Chris Squire... seriously). Guitarist / keyboardist / singer is good at all three. His voice sounds kind of like David Gray, although music is completely different - I just mean timbre of his voice, and I mean that as a complement. And then there's TJ Lipple playing marimba and keyboard. That's right, marimba. They're a rock band with a marimba. Chew on that for a minute.

So, you may have noticed two mentions comparing them to Yes in the previous paragraph. I think we need to coin a new term: Indie-prock, meaning indie rock infused with the good aspects of prog rock, and eschewing the genre's overblown theatricality and posturing as well as the abundance of lyrics about mythological creatures. I think Aloha would make a shining example of "indie prock." Plenty of odd meters, nifty interlocking patterns, surprsingly complex harmonic and melodic ideas - somehow merged into the framework of totally approachable indie rock (and no lyrics about mythological creatures).

One song borrowed heavily from Phillip Glass, with several interlocking ostinati - and they even switched instruments mid-stream on that one. Several songs were played without a break between them, giving the feel of some kind of large-scale epic (in the grand prog-rock tradition, but with no pretense). Between other songs, some free-from improv filled the gap while singer switched from keyboard to guitar.

This was the last show of their tour - which followed fairly soon on the heels of a longer tour earlier in the summer, and they looked pretty tired. Seemed like a square meal and a good night's sleep would do them all some good, but even though they looked road-weary they put on a great show.

I picked up "Some Echoes" on vinyl at the show. Sounds nice.

Photo by Flickr user marcymakesaparty

Mary Timony, Garland of Hours

at Fort Reno, 8/17/2006

20060817_EPS0019
Originally uploaded by furcafe.

Oh the sadness. The last Fort Reno show of the summer. Actually, not so much sadness for us. We packed a picnic, the dog, and headed out to enjoy a beautiful evening and some nice music. Also provided a great head-start to our vacation (we went away for the weekend as a little anniversary treat).

Show was good. I've heard Garland of Hours several times. Consistently, there are technical problems with the sound equipment. Fort Reno is always a little sketchy in terms of buzz and interference, but somehow Amy Domingues brings the hum and buzz and unintentional noises to any venue. Fortunately, that doesn't seem to get in the way of the music. Amy opened her set with a couple of solo pieces, including a Lungfish song arranged for cello and voice, with some looping. Very nice. Her band this time out included Mary Timony (guitar) and Devin Ocampo (drums) plus a bass player who's name I don't know. The band was solid. Amy's strange mix of rock music oddly colored by early music came together in it's usual fragile way - which is a good thing.

20060817_EPS0032Crop
Originally uploaded by furcafe.

Mary Timony played with a trio: herself on guitar/voice, Devin Ocampo, drums (this was the lineup for the last show I saw) but now they've added a bass player - Chad Molter, who also plays with Devin in the band "Medications." I prefer the trio over the duo lineup - especially with two-thirds of Medications included. They played mostly new material, I think... I only recognized one song from "Ex-Hex" - Backwards and Forwards, with a nifty new intro. The new material asks the question: is prog-rock cool again? And the answer is yes, with certain limitations. Seems like her live shows are sloppier than the records so it's hard to read too much into the new material beyond the obvious. It's following the trajectory of Ex-Hex - but (as you might expect with two-thirds of Medications) nifty shifting patterns bordering on "math rock" appear frequently and to great effect. The last tune, which was the last song of the summer at the park, ended the season with a psychedelic flavor, Chad played synth-organ, and the guitar part was fed through some kind of filter effect - providing a tasty swirly combination.

Photos by Flickr user furcafe.

X and Rollins Band

at 9:30 club, 8/15/2006

We saw X a few months ago, same club, same "greatest hits revue" style show. The good news: they still sound great. The other news: well, we'd seen it before - and recently.

Rollins band raised some issues for me. Let's start with the easy stuff:

1. They totally rocked.
   
2. The band is excellent, Marvin Gibbs (bass) and Chris Haskett (guitar) are terrific - and make for a super heavy combination. I always loved Haskett's approach to guitar lines - he rarely plays chords (fairly unusual for a hardcore / metal type sound, but Gibbs has it covered for him) and his lines are interesting. Sim Cain is a heckuva drummer, although it seemed a little over the top with metal cliches (two china cymbals, two floor toms, double bass pedal - all used exactly as you might expect) but let's not overlook the fact that they are a super-tight well oiled machine and they rocked as they are known to do, which is better than most.
3. Rollins performed with incredible intensity.

Now the harder issues to sort through: I guess part of the problem is nostalgia. Much of my motivation for going to this concert was to rectify the fact that I hadn't seen Rollins live before - back when his work was of greater importance to me than it is now. Not that the work is any less relevant; adrenaline fueled songs about hate, anger, deception, and various shades of misanthropy are as timeless as ever. My own appetite for punk / hardcore / metal has diminished over the years, and I'm wondering what that means now?

The opening act, The Riverboat Gamblers, play straight ahead (retro?) punk, but they're young guys. It's as if they are trading only in signifiers: we are punks, we wear skinny jeans and all black, we play kinda sloppy but fast and loud and the singer romps all over the club, climbing up anything he can get his hands or feet on. The music? not much there... So what does this mean? Does "punk rock" not mean anything anymore? Has it been so fully assimilated into mainstream culture that there is no viable way for the music to retain any sort of meaning as cultural criticism? Maybe they were just a bad example?

It was with this preface that Rollins took the stage, playing a rapid fire litany of old songs. Good old songs that I have a special fondness for. And they were played as well as ever, and with the same intensity. But the context is different now, isn't it? Maybe that's the issue... 20 years ago, the 9:30 club was a very different place (literally), and it represented a certain "scene." There was a certain type of music that thrived there, and there was a certain subculture around that. Now it's a much much larger venue with no particular stylistic focus. Any act that can fill the place will play there, whether it's rock, punk, pop, alt-country, hip-hop, reggae, etc. Isn't this also an analogy for a concurrent cultural shift? Is there really any particular subculture around "underground" rock music, or is it just a fashion statement?

I don't have any answers.. haven't really figured out what the questions are either, but the evening left me kind of confused.

Mark Jenkins covered the show for the Washington Post. Click Here for his review.

catching up

missed my chance to keep up with the shows... won't get to writing about:
I.E.D. - Improvised Experimental Diva (Susan Oetgen's Fringe show)
Prufbox (another Fringe show)
The Evens at Fort Reno 7/31
Joe Lally at Warehouse Theater 8/5
"Four Islands" - a vocal recital presented by Stephen Blier and the Wolftrap Opera Company, 8/12. There's an exhaustive review on DCist. My comments aren't so much about the program as about the audience. Maybe I'll get my rant written down at some point.

Never Swim Alone

at the Canadian Embassy, 7/24/2006. (Part of the Capital Fringe Festival)

Well executed - clever writing, good acting. The show was a hit at the Edmonton Fringe. However, seemed to just present two stereotypical characters: Men. Business Men. Not much substance beyond that. Interesting use of rhythm, unison delivery, etc. - but not much substance?

Luxury Lofts Coming Soon

at Woolly Mammoth Theater, 7/23/2006 (Part of the Capital Fringe Festival)

It's a show by Arachne Aerial Arts. They were fabuloso. Live music by Alvin Hill. He rocked - perfect match for the show. Andrea and Sharon were amazing. The only trouble is that I have a hard time watching them because I get nervous - they're up very high in the air and doing things like Sharon hanging off a trapeze, with Andrea suspended only by Sharon's feet. I can't really describe it... one of those things that you just have to see for yourself. Anyway, great job folks! So glad I got a chance to see it.

Jolie Holland

at Jammin Java, 7/15/2006

Jolie Holland rules. This show was so damn good. I'm soooo glad I made the trip out to Vienna, Virginia. Jammin Java is in a strip mall in the northern Virginia suburbs - not exactly the hippest spot for cool music, but on this particular night it was the place to be.

Sean Hayes opened. I had mixed feelings about his set - really liked a couple of his songs, particuarly the more surreal / mystical ones. Halfway through his set, Ms. Holland joined him and provided backing vocals. She quietly, unobtrusively, totally stole the show with her inventive and surprising harmony lines. I have a theory that she treats perfect fourths as consonant intervals, and that's at the root of her strange melodies - and especially true when she sings harmony.

Her set was terrific from start to finish. She played with a trio: drums and lead guitar. She played piano, guitar, and a cigar box fiddle. That fiddle thing sounds crazy, and good. Good. Real good. Everything she did sounded real real good. She's simply dynamite - super talented performer.

More importantly (to me) she's also one of the most gifted songwriters around these days. My friend Dave wrote an interesting essay about two songs from her album Escondida - "Black Stars" and "Goodbye California" - two of my favorites. Unfortunately, she didn't play "Black Stars," saying something like "...it has so many crazy key changes in it. I don't want to mess it up." I guess that makes me feel a little better. I taught myself that song a few months ago (because it totally slays me and I wanted a peek "under the hood") and I can't sing it very well. Mostly, that's due to the fact that I'm a very bad singer, but I'm happy to hear that she's a little reluctant to tackle it live herself...

If I had more time, I'd write lots more about this show because it was so wonderful in so many ways. But for now we'll have to leave it like so. She's great. The show was great. A very special evening. Go hear her yourself - you won't regret it. Buy her albums - they are all exceptional and worth every penny and then some. In a perfect world, she would be the most popular songwriter - and singer -in the world. Oh well. Our gain, I guess, since this way we get to hear her in small venues. Her new record, "Springtime Can Kill You" is as good as "Escondida." You should buy them both. And "Catalpa" too. Get 'em all. "Black Stars" is one of the most gorgeous, profound, darkly wonderful love songs ever written. And on the new record, the closer, "Mexican Blue" is another love song of equally stunning greatness. The opening track, "Crush in the Ghetto" is also too fine to miss out on.

Kallmeyer, Merella, Sebastian, Whitehead & Zook

at Sangha, 7/10/2006

Nice event. Wonderful that Ted Zook put together a benefit show for Sangha - they've donated space to host so many outstanding performances and events, it was nice to finally give a little something back...

Mark Merella is a genius drummer. Totally fantastic. Mike Sebastian, well, I'm a big fan... Mr. Whitehead is someone I hadn't heard before - played trumpet and various related horns, with great patience (he was great at sitting out when necessary) and has a great ear. His interactions with Mike (tenor sax and saxello) were wonderful. I've only heard Doug Kallmeyer once, with his group 302Acid. I had no idea he was such a good improviser. Ted's monster gizmo rig was very impressive, even though it wasn't functioning properly (so he said, I thought it sounded good).

Shadow Puppet Drama from Java

at the Freer Gallery's Meyer Auditorium, 7/6/2006

This was really cool. It's been a few weeks now since the show - so only time for quick thoughts...
1. What a great opportunity. I've never seen anything like this live.
2. Too bad the gamelan players were mostly Americans - I'm no expert but I thought some of it was a little shaky. I could be wrong - see the "i'm no expert" clause above.
3. Damn that was long (two hours +)
4. Thank you Freer and Sackler Galleries, Smithsonian and Michael Wilpers. This show rocked.

Sean McArdle

at the Black Cat, 7/3/2006


(i'm very late getting to this... so it's gonna be a quickie) Sean McArdle performed with a nice little band (Ben Azarra, drums; Lida Husik, bass; lead guitarist who I don't know by name). Band was great - characterized primarily by what I'll call "elegant restraint." All working together clearly in service of the songs themselves. McArdle is a local performer who actually writes good, thoughtful songs. Too bad vocals were buried in the mix (typical Black Cat Backstage bad sound). Promising performance and I'm eager to hear him again... missed him at Fort Reno, but hopefully there will be another chance soon.

Songs from the Nitrate Hymnal

at Warehouse Theater, 7/1/2006

Back in 2003, Bob Massey and company staged an ambitious, genre defying, rock / chamber / opera show called the Nitrate Hymnal. Some of the backstory about the production, and this new concert version is covered in a feature in last week's Washington Post Weekend section...

Originally, the work was presented by Washington Performing Arts Society, and supported by a grant from Creative Capital. Now, they've successfully raised the dough (Jean Cook is a genius) for a recording from the Copland Fund, and got some Meet the Composer money to pay for two performances, one in Brooklyn and this event in DC (plus an informal brunch the following day which I missed, sadly).

Several "numbers" from the show have been reworked, and turned into a song cycle. This plays to Bob's strengths as a songwriter - and the new arrangements are really well done. Performers included members of Gutbucket, Anti Social Music, and Bob's group, the Gena Rowlands Band.

The performance was excellent. The ensemble was very strong, and pulled off a truly inspiring performance of DIY / Punk influenced chamber orchestra music. Personally, I preferred hearing Bob sing many of the songs himself vs. the original staged version that he didn't perform in. Hai-Ting Chinn was spectacular - bringing bona-fide operatic chops to the stage, which actually (surprisingly) worked perfectly with the more "natural" rock/folk style singing of Bob and Daisy Press.

The theater was full (no surprise after they sold out four shows at a larger venue for the staged version) - and this was not your typical classical music audience.

The recording is on sale now on Lujo records.

Washington Musica Viva

at Atlas Performing Arts Center, 6/25/2006

Another winner from WMV... the third, and final, concert in this season's series at Atlas - exploring "Jazz at Our Roots," showcasing music by DC composers past and present.

The show opened with an instrumental arrangement of a song by Dr. Ysaye Barnwell, "Song of the Exile." It turned out to be the first of several outstanding arrangements by Charley Gerard.

Next up, "Six Short Pieces" by Lawrence Moss. I think they did these pieces at the Rattner a couple of years ago? A collection of charming miniatures for alto sax and piano, rendered beautifully by Rhonda Buckley (sax) and Carl Banner (piano) - who always make a great team.

Mary Howe's "Two Rilke Songs" were the most traditional fare on the program, basically standard German romantic art song. Not my personal cup of tea, but still nice to hear her music. Howe made many important contributions to musical life in Washington, but I haven't actually heard her music before. Not sure I need to hear it again... (ouch that was mean)

Michael Strand's "Tango Affligido" was given an energetic and ballsy reading by Jodi Beder (cello) and Carl Banner (piano). It's hard for me to hear "nuevo tango" and not instantly compare the music to Astor Piazzolla, which is unfair and unfortunate to any composer. That being said, Strand's work certainly was effective.

The first half of the program closed with three Duke Ellington songs, arranged by Charley Gerard for voice with clarinet, violin, and cello. Very interesting choice of instruments, and the arrangements were superb. The ensemble also did a great job... Bringing jazz to the concert stage via "classical" players presents many problems and first on my list is rhythm: classical players often have trouble swinging - Jodi Beder (cello) and Sonya Hayes (violin) had no trouble finding the pocket, and even executing some inventive pizzicato comping together - including a short violin phrase played pizzicato "quasi guitara" which was a nifty effect, and used sparingly which made it work nicely. Jodi handled the walking bass lines perfectly, juggling her role as timekepper (since there's no drummer in this combo) and harmony (since there's no comping instrument in this combo either). She was clearly up to the task. Clarinetist Ben Redwine is equally at home in jazz or classical contexts, so this whole thing is a non-issue for him... and he dropped several burning solos so there wasn't any doubt. "In My Solitude" was arranged simply for voice and clarinet. Well, deceptively simply, I should say. Delicious. My only hang-up is on the singing. Mezzo soprano Karyn Friedman is spectacular, and has delivered knock-out after knock-out on WMV programs. However, the "classical players struggling to play jazz" thing reared its ugly head when it came to singing the Ellington songs. Her usual assured poise was weakened, maybe lack of rehearsal? Maybe she was just out of her element. Personally, I'd rather hear jazz singers handle the singing - not really a fair criticism in this case, just my own personal bias. In any event, I want to heap praises on WMV for bringing Ellington to the concert hall. I have a personal "grudge" of sorts that Ellington's music (especially his concert music) has never found a regular home in the concert halls of the United States. He was clearly one of the greatest composers in American history and it's about time that the mostly-white classical music "establishment" dug into his work more often than a perfunctory black history month offering.
(end Ellington rant) (for more, check out Graham Lock's "Blutopia" for an enlightening account of Ellington's reception in the press and concert halls of the US during his lifetime)

Intermission was also a hit, thanks to Cameron's Cookie Cubby. Vegan cookies!!! What could be better?

After intermission, came Charlie Barnett's "Memphis TN" for violin and piano. A "nice" piece, very engaging and accessible. I shouldn't be such a backseat composer, but I would've handled the form differently: the piece starts with one idea (a bluesy melody with a two-step country flavored piano accompaniment), then eventually moves into a contrasting slow / open "B" section that's really perfectly constructed. Unfortunately, the "A" section returns (without much of a transition) and then the piece closes with a cliche-ridden blues cadenza. Sonya Hayes (violin) brought out all the blues and other "popular" music elements nicely - with genuine feel and nuance, not cold imitation which so often happens when classical music invokes popular music. But the material suggested more depth than we got from the finished product. Why did the "A" section have to come back? I was so happy in "B" section-land.

Poet Brandon Johnson then read a selection of his works. I'm no literary critic, for sure, so I'll just say, it was good stuff, although a bit too long given that there was still more music to come...

The show closed with "Black Bottom Stomp" by Jelly Roll Morton, another perfect arrangement by Charley Gerard for soprano sax, clarinet, trombone, tuba, and piano. The ensemble really shined on this one - lots of energy, and a real freewheeling dixieland / ragtime sound. Not your average chamber music group!

All the living composers on the program were present for the concert - a nice bonus. Plus many more living composers in the audience. I can't wait until Atlas gets a grand piano (hopefully before next season's WMV series at the Atlas), and I'm looking forward to next year's "WMV at the Atlas" programs.

Day and Taxi

at The Red and The Black, 6/13/2006

Swiss jazz trio featuring Christoph Gallio (soprano & alto saxophone), Christian Weber (double-bass), and Michael Griener (drums). I think they're in the States now because of an appearance at this year's Vision festival in New York City. Lucky for us, they came to DC as well...

They played a collection of compositions by Gallio. Somewhat difficult to describe - his style is very thorny and fragmented. Very few lyrical passages or what might come off as "lines." Mostly skittering bursts of notes, but still with a very clear contour and logic. Much of the music is notated - it was hard to tell what was notated and what was improvised, with the exception of a few bass solos. The sax "solos" were much in the same style as the notated material. In some ways, Anthony Braxton comes to mind as a reference point, but the actual musical vocabulary is quite different. Sort of like post-classical music, mixed with the jazz idiom, put through an atom smasher, and then carefully notated.

The ensemble was very strong - really tight playing. The show proved to be an interesting composition lesson, although after a while a certain same-ness among the pieces became apparent. That's not necessarily a criticism -- just seems like Gallio has found a very specific niche to work in, and is exploring this narrow area in great detail.

The venue is quite nice - hopefully it will last, and continue to host cutting-edge music.

Washington Musica Viva

at The Dennis & Phillip Ratner Museum, 5/23/2006

Another winning concert from WMV... Opened with Bach's Cantata No. 82 - sung beautifully by Gary Poster. It was done as a chamber piece - one player per part, which created a gorgeous kind of intimacy. Soprano saxophone was substituted for oboe, which really worked nicely. Rhonda Buckley played it beautifully. Her soprano sax playing has a warm, rich tone that blended nicely with the strings - a much more luxurious sound than an oboe. I hope they made a recording - I wish I could link to an mp3 so you can hear how that worked...

Next up, Faure's La Bonne Chanson. As I've written before, I'm not such a huge fan of classical vocal music, but this piece is an exception to my rule (and now I can add Cantata no. 82 to that list as well - seems like anything Gary Poster sings winds up on my growing list of exceptions). Mezzo soprano Karyn Friedman delivered a rock solid performance - teetering on the edge of losing control, just as the poems are. I think this is the first time I've heard this set of songs done by a female voice? Well, it works just fine that way. The ensemble was excellent (string quartet and piano).

After intermission (where all of Cameron's cookies were enthusiastically devoured), we heard Ernest Bloch's Piano Quintet #1. It was given an energetic and convincing performance, but I wasn't really won over by the piece. Lots of homophonic string writing, there were very few sections where the strings really got to function independently of one another. There were a small handful of "modern" elements and effects, but overall it sounds pretty conservative to me. I think that might be my hang-up with Bloch's work overall... it's not "modern" enough to be interesting for unique sounds and textures, and not conservative enough to stand up as "neo-classical" either. The quintet certainly has its moments, but I felt like it's a bit longer than it needs to be. That being said, the performance was super. Carl Banner (piano) was joined by Sally McLain (violin), June Huang (violin), Betty Hauck (viola), and Amy Leung (cello).

Aw shucks

I missed this show on Monday night because I had a gig at the same time. Hopefully Pretty Girls Make Graves will appear in DC again soon?

National Symphony Orchestra

at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall, 5/11/2006

Thanks to an online 75th anniversary promotion, Cameron and I enjoyed a special treat: tickets to hear the NSO for only $19.30. We got to sit in "prime orchestra" seats, normally $65 each - way out of reach. Thanks NSO! Greg Sandow is right... offer cheaper tickets, program some interesting music, and young people (like us) will be delighted to hear orchestra concerts.
Stravinsky + Bartok + $20 = sign me up.

There's a review in today's Washington Post. One comment about the ticket price promotion: just because we're "young" and not subscribers, please don't assume that we don't know anything about classical music. That wasn't an issue with the concert at all... but the tone of the review made me nervous.

So about the music: two words - hell yes. Stravinsky's "Symphonies of Wind Instruments" is a treat to hear live, I've only heard recordings. Contrary to Post critic Ginsberg, this piece never occurred to me as an "academic study" (although I did study it in grad. school) - I felt like it came off exactly as promised in the program notes: a series of "short litanies." The winds and brass instruments all sounded warm and gorgeous. Even the bassoons.

The Mendelssohn Octet in E-Flat, Op. 20 was performed by the entire string section and sounded great. Now I'm curious to hear Leonard Bernstein's string orchestra treatment of Beethoven's C-Sharp quartet, Op. 131 -- I know he recorded it, but I haven't actually heard it yet. I was always suspicious of performing chamber pieces with a zillion players doubling each part -- but this totally won me over. Any "infelicities of ensemble" noted by Mr. Ginsberg went totally unnoticed by me. I was quite mesmerized with their ability to maintain the clarity of the chamber piece, and deliver the added lushness of a full string orchestra. Delicious.

I had mixed feelings about the Chavez "Toccata for Percussion Instruments." Slatkin introduced the piece by calling it the second important percussion piece in the repertoire after Varese's "Ionisations." I'm not so sure about that, but who am I to argue with the Maestro. I'm spoiled, I guess. Hearing the So Percussion Ensemble playing music by John Luther Adams at last year's Otherminds festival made this piece so very tame in comparison. And maybe hearing the automated "Ballet Mechanique" at the National Gallery last weekend didn't help either?

The program ended with Bartok's "Suite from the Miraculous Mandarin" which just plain rocked. I think Bartok is to classical music as Caspar Brotzmann is to rock music. His work is rigorous, and quite satisfying intellectually, but as you're listening it doesn't hit you in the cerebellum, it punches you in the gut and leaves you totally breathless. This was an especially nice bit of programming by Slatkin and Co. - after hearing the sections of the orchestra on display, the Bartok made for an amazing showpiece - that's not just a showpiece. Also a nice choice to do this one instead of his Concerto for Orchestra, which I think is a little less "accessible" (although still plenty accessible) - and also would have been too long to tack onto the end of this particular program.

So, wow. That was a real treat. I hope us "young people" will have more chances to hear the NSO before Slatkin retires.

Sarah Azzara

at the Black Cat, 5/4/2006

Sarah rocked the Black Cat - it was a low-key CD release party for their new album, "It Turns Us On." The new record is quite excellent. Hear some of it and buy it at sarahazzara.com.

The band is a trio now, since their lead guitarist left to go back to school to become a CPA. I'm all for accountants that rock, but I think I preferred the quartet lineup. Two guitars really helped keep the balance - this time the bass and drums seemed a little overpowering. But seriously, check out the record. It's a winner.