Playing for Change

www.playingforchange.com

This was a different experience for me:  ushering at the sound check prior to the Playing for Change concert (happening later in the evening).  The sound check was open to school children and their parents and was considered an open practice.

Our ushering responsibilities were slim-to-none.  We had to hold the kids in the lobby an annoying amount of time before the performers would let us in.  There were no tickets, open seating, and about 40 people total.  The children (mostly middle-schoolers) were well behaved – or maybe any disruptions were masked by the loud music.  After an hour, we shooed them out and locked the doors.

Playing for Change is a mostly reggae group singing of peace and love and togetherness.  Their message and music was familiar, although they did do a surprisingly good rendition of the Beattle’s “Revolution”.  The vocals were great and I loved Grandpa Elliot, their older bass vocalist and harmonica player.

Viewing the practice gave us new insight into the artists.  They did not interact with the kids (too bad) but they did some adaptations of songs on the spot, practiced different parts, tuned the instruments, set-up the stage, and in general WORKED.  I think it was great for the kids to see that being a performer is not all about signing autographs.

I’m not sold on these matinee shows and I probably won’t do a lot of them.  It was exhausting and we spent a lot of time waiting.  But I did get to give a quote to the volunteer intern that may be used in their brochure – how fun!!

The Rose Ensemble

www.roseensemble.org

MIM:  Based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and founded in 1996 by artistic director Jordan Sramek, The Rose Ensemble creates imaginative performances of vocal and instrumental music, connecting each individual to past worlds with stories of spirituality and humanity.  The group has thrilled audiences with repertoire spanning one thousand years and over twenty-five languages, including new research in Hawaiian, Swedish, Mexican, and American vocal traditions. 

For its performance at MIM Music Theater, the Rose Ensemble will be performing “Il Poverello – Exploring the Life and Deeds of Saint Francis of Assisi.”  This joyful program features centuries of hymns, dances, and motets in honor of the “hippie saint,” as well as early Italian spiritual songs and lighthearted readings by and about Francis himself.  Audiences can look forward to full force of twelve voices, plus harp, riqq, dumbek, hurdy-gurdy, psaltery, and recorder, as well as featured guest artist Isacco Colombo.   

We were warned ahead of time that we’ll either love or hate this performance.  While I did not love it, I was intrigued by the musicality and beauty of the music.  Everything – from instruments to musical selection to the readings inbetween pieces was unique.

The music was almost fully acapela by different performers.  The harmonies were incredible and the melodies were complex and delicate.  Aaron would have loved this performance and I may still buy him a CD for the collection.

I’m very appreciative and thankful I saw this performance.  I doubt I would see it again however – maybe once in a lifetime is enough.

Alasdair Fraser & Natalie Haas

www.alaisdairfraser.com  or  www.nataliehaas.com

MIM:  The musical partnership between Alasdair Fraser, long regarded as Scotland’s premier fiddle ambassador and the sizzlingly talented, young Californian cellist Natalie Haas may not seem an obvious one.  Natalie Haas, a graduate of Juilliard School of Music, was not even born when Fraser was winning national fiddle competitions on the other side of the Atlantic.  But this seemingly unlikely pairing is the fulfillment of a long-standing musical dream for Fraser, whose cutting-edge musical explorations took him full circle to find a cellist who could help him return the cello to its historical role at the rhythmic heart of Scottish dance music.  Haas was just eleven when she first attended Fraser’s Valley of the Moon Scottish Fiddling School in California, where she responded to Fraser’s challenge to find and release the cello’s rhythmic soul.

Four years later, when Haas was fifteen, they played their first gig together.  Fraser and Haas’s debut album, Fire and Grace, displays dazzling teamwork; driving, dancing rhythms,; and the duo’s shared passion for improvising on the melody and the groove of Scottish tunes.  The record won not only critical acclaim but also the coveted Scots Trad Music “Album of the Year” award, the Scottish equivalent of a Grammy.

Perhaps I’m purposely selecting Scottish / Irish fiddle music.  Perhaps it appeals to me.  Perhaps this gives me something to discuss with Nathan.  In any case, fiddle is amazingly entertaining and this duo put on a great show!

I had never heard of Alasdair Fraser before but apparently he’s well known.  My brother Nathan, the fiddler, even knew his tour schedule was taking him through Montana.  And he was amazing – his love for Scottish music was infectious, his technique was graceful and effortless.  However, I spent most of my time watching Natalie Haas.  I was really naive to the levels and sounds achievable on the cello.  She played harmonies, melodies, base rhythms.  She mimicked the fiddle, the drum, the bass guitar.  It was beautiful.

They did play a lot of Scottish dance-hall music and Alasdair did a great job explaining the regions and time periods of origin.  They even did a baroque period piece.  However, they also wound their tour through Spain, Canada, Ireland, and Scandinavia.   He even tried to teach our poor American crowd to dance in their last number!

So yes, I do see a lot of Scottish / Irish shows.  And as long as I continue to enjoy them, I’ll continue to sign up for them.