Interlocken Festival – September 5-8, Arrington VA

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File this under RADAR ALERT: “Brand New Festival”  

What do you get when you cross the one of the Northeast’s biggest promoters, Peter Shapiro (Brooklyn Bowl, The Capitol Theater, Wetlands) with H.O.R.D.E’s co-founder and longtime Blues Traveler manager Dave Frey?

They call it The Interlocken Festival.

Relix Magazine alerted me to Interlocken’s Facebook page where I found this:

“When something ends, another begins”… Interlocken’s two main stages will feature full (2-hour) sets and run seamlessly from one into another without breaks between performances, giving the audience a unique and singular experience. This passing of the baton will ensure that music on the two main states will be continuous or “interlocked” throughout the weekend.

The town of Arrington in Nelson County, VA , is 35 miles south of Charlottesville on Highway 29, at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The area is known for its local wineries, some dating back to Thomas Jefferson’s day, along with craft breweries and two new hard cider distilleries.

Oak Ridge is a 4,800 acre private estate, originally deeded to two Bristol merchants by the King of England. The concert area will feature food and vendor villages, maintaining an emphasis on locally sourced, sustainable fare. In addition to on-site camping options, we will offer packages at Charlottesville & Lynchburg hotels, local B&Bs, and the neighboring ski resort, Wintergreen Mountain Resort.

I look forward to the press release and finding out who is on the bill.  In the meantime, we can sit quietly and wait for them to figure out all the details, including an arrangement with Amtrak to bring festival goers into town.

“Hopefully, this will become the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival of Central Virginia,” Frey said. “That’s our goal.”

Jazz Fest in Virginia?  If there is a crawfish monica there, I’m so there….

 

 

The Revivalists, Brooklyn Bowl, March 28, 2013

I didn’t know what I was in for. -Ed.

Pre-show: The Wythe Hotel/Reynard Restaurant

Wythe_Hotel_SignIt was me and a stool at the bar, at The Wythe Hotel’s Reynard restaurant, which is directly across the street from The Brooklyn Bowl.  I had a cocktail, and after looking over the menu, I decided to nosh on some delish french fries while checking out the decor.  The Reynard has a very hipster, ‘Brooklyn-esque’ feel to it. Exposed brick, tiled floors, dark woods, large windows.  Gorgeous.

The Wythe Hotel is partly owned by Marlow & Sons owner, Andrew Tarlow.  I personally love Marlow & Sons, Marlow & Daughters, and DINER and their whole holisitic stance on food and clothing – it is not a wonder that I loved the vibe in Reynard.  The other two owners are Jed Walentas and Peter Lawrence, a real estate man and a restaurant/hotel guy.  Put these two guys alongside a Brooklyn restaurant guy, and voila! You have an amazingly hip hotel, conveniently located across the street, to rest your weary bones after shaking them hard at The Brooklyn Bowl. Seriously – check this place out at least once on your way to The Bowl.

Opener: The Alecia Chakour Band

photo by: MarcMillman Photography

photo by: MarcMillman Photography

As I listened to the beautiful Alecia Chakour (Warren Haynes Band) sing with her band – including a three piece horn section – I was, with conviction, convinced that Ms. Chakour is a blues singer.  A sultry, heavy blues singer.  I was pleased with myself and my new found adjective to describe her.  Until she switched to a jazz song, where she sounded more like Etta James or Ella Fitzgerald.  So, there goes my new adjective – she just sings so strong, so tough, she leaves goosebumps upon your arms and neck.  Yes.  She’s that good.

Set Break: “No!” to the fried chicken, and  Crowd-gazing

I went to say hello to some friends, and waited with them until their fried chicken arrived.  I was strong and said “no, enjoy your dinner” to them and was pleased with myself for not having a piece.  I then sat on the leather couches, and crowd-gazed. I saw friends reacquaint with each other.  People had spilled out of the restaurant into the front room, happily eating fried chicken and french bread pizza.  But there was one special lady in the crowd that got my attention. I believe it was her 5 inch heels that attracted me first – 5 inch heels, and she was jumping up and down in them like she was wearing sneakers. It is my personal jealousy to wear stilettos again in my lifetime – hence my keen interest.  Then she took off her coat, and from my vantage point she had on a backless unitard.  Shiny spandex, 5 inch heels, a backless shirt looking like a spandex unitard.  She was too hip for me. I was immediately feeling akward with my jeans and woolen coat.  I got another drink and found my way to the dance floor.

Show:  The Revivalists 

photo by: Vernon Webb

photo by: Vernon Webb

Crowd:  5:1 male to female ratio (EXCELLENT odds for the female’s in the audience)

The Revivalists, coming off a wildly successful run down at SXSW, are not strangers to NYC, or Brooklyn for that matter.  This is their second show at The Brooklyn Bowl, and they also played a gig at Mercury Lounge.  This is, however, my first chance catching them, and I went to check them out, because “those who buzz about such things were buzzing.”  It was time for me to make my own assessment.

The Revivalists are from New Orleans.  They are a relatively new band – formed in 2007, consisting of Dave Shaw – Vocals/Guitar, Zack Feinberg – Guitar, George Gekas – Bass, Ed Williams – Pedal Steel Guitar, Rob Ingraham- Saxophone, Andrew Campanelli – Drums, Michael Girardot – Keyboards/Trumpet.

They came out with a yellow flag with a smiley face on it, which I thought could be a good sign.  They were fun.  More than fun. I can’t describe the type of music. They start like a fun beat rock and turn into deep dark funk-land.  At first I was mesmorized by the guitars – the pedal steel and the singer dancing around the stage, being brought to his knees, and also jumping on monitors, and wailing/singing-into the mic.  After about a few songs of me just getting attuned to what I was hearing, I realized how amazingly funky and strong their bass player is.

They are funky, poppy/punk, head banging, great dancing all around band.  Take a bit of reggae, a bit of funk, smash it with some punk rock riffs and a singer that is a bit “loco,” dancing on monitors, jumping on the pedal steel seat while the guitarist is still playing.  Shaw’s gyrations on the stage, his singing in the mic, he walked the ledge around and on the side of the stage – almost looked like he would’ve dived in, if not for the security guard who was not too impressed.

That girl with the unitard? Somehow she made it on stage, making all the boys on the stage drool at the hot go-go girl with the heels and spandex dance around.  It was a crazy party!  Wild and great, people loving it, I had a blast, the music was new – exciting, dancable, smilable.  It was a great show.  I highly recommend you catch these guys if you can.  Wherever you can.

They ended with a homage to Lettuce with “Madison Square,” making me feel a bit like I was at the Knicks game, and then closing out with The Allman Brother’s “Whipping Post.”  All in perfect time for Questlove’s weekly Thursday Bowltrain.

25-atlgLate Night: BowlTrain

I have not spent too much time at Questo’s BowlTrain DJ sets lately.  I don’t know why.  Probably because it is on a school night for me, and I am on my way back to the city by then.  But not this night.

Questo DJ’s some serious seventies albums.  Old favorites from Chaka Khan, The Bee Gees, Barry White, Curtis Mayfield, serious 70s songs.  With Soul Train clips playing on all the monitors.  It was a dance party.  On the monitors there was soul train, 70′s polyester dance offs, and on the dance floor there was dance offs happening in a circle.  In one area people are getting close and sexy, public displays of affection and making out all around, and then in another part of the dance floor you see men and women alike dancing down to Chaka Khan’s “I’m Every Woman.”  Fun, like you wouldn’t believe fun.

And I broke down and had a piece of fried chicken.  I’m a sucker for them, I truly am.

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Dumpstaphunk, Brooklyn Bowl, March 23, 2013

579796_10151421223611575_2065743179_nHigh level notes:

  • The Bowl was packed – sold out, line out the door and holding because they were at capacity.
  • I did not have the fried chicken this time – I had the BBQ Wings. Still just as delicious.
  • I did not bowl this time. Last time I bowled a 43. I will not bowl there until I have practiced sufficiently to bowl over 43!
  • There was a bachelorette party in the crowd, I saw a blowup penis, bouncing up and down in the crowd. I tried to see if there was a reaction from Dumpstaphunk, but I think these guys have seen it all. No blow up penis is gonna change Dumpsta’s funk factor.

Opener: The London Souls

These guys are high on the radar. They rock it down with their old school rock (shredding guitars, hard beats of the drum – think Led Zeppelin with a Lenny Kravitz vibe – that’s The London Souls.  I just saw them last week at Bowlive IV.  They never disappoint.

Dumpstaphunk

Nick Daniels III – Bass, Vocals
Tony Hall – Bass, Vocals, Guitar
Nikki Glaspie – Drums, Vocals
Ian Neville – Guitar, Vocals
Ivan Neville – Hammond B3, Clavinet

You know about the whole two bassist’s thing right?  For a funk band, the more bassist’s you can get on the stage the better.  It works.  It’s deep – it’s nasty funk.  In a very good way.

Did you know they all sing?  That their songs have lyrics – that it isn’t a jam fest where you go deep into one song for 20 minutes?  (You all know I love a good 20 minute jam, but sometimes it’s not for everyone)  Did you know they are releasing a new album in June?  This will be their second album – they played a few songs from the new album on Saturday night, and from what I could tell around me – everyone was diggin’ it.  I was diggin’ it.

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photo by: Vernon Webb

I didn’t have my notebook, I wasn’t taking notes – I was trying to observe the crowd around me but I have to tell ya’ll – it was a party.  It felt like Dumpsta brought the party with them all the way from New Orleans.  They have an energy that gets everyone moving, up, dancing, laughing, smiling, hootin’ and hollering.  The Brooklyn Bowl in itself has magic – great club, food, atmosphere, music and then Dumpsta comes in and throws a bit of Louisana charm all over the walls and it just becomes one big dance party.

The night ended with a dance party – no joke – a dance contest that lasted well throughout the night.  The Dance Contest, billed as “Soul-Clap” started at 1am, and danced well into the night.  The dance floor was full.  My friends were still bowling.  It was another beautiful night at The Brooklyn Bowl.

Highlights: 

  1. Tony Hall took off his bass at one point, to where he was playing this gorgeous blue guitar.  (Or was it a bass?)  If anyone has a picture of this, I’d love to see it.  It was absolutely amazing.
  2. Ivan Neville got up from behind the keys to play guitar with Tash for the last couple of songs.  That was smoking, I do hope the tapers caught that.  Five guitars – Ivan, Ian, Tash, Nick Daniels and Tony Hall.  Sickness.
photo by: Vernon Webb

photo by: Vernon Webb

Set List:

Blues Wave
Gasman Chronicles
Water
Take Time
Color Blind
Dancing to the Truth
Quazar
Deeper
Put It In the Dumpsta
Meanwhile… (w/Tash)
Living in a World Gone Mad (w/Tash)
Lt. Dan
Nikki Glaspie drum solo madness
Shake Your Money Maker (Ludacris cover)
Public Service Announcement (Jay Z cover)
Vivrant Thing (Tribe Called Quest cover)
Do Ya
One Nation Under a Groove

Here’s a great YouTube from last year’s Jazz Fest with Dumpsta and The Neville Brothers.  Kids, it doesn’t get any better than this.  Enjoy!

Drive-By-Truckers, The Capitol Theatre, Port Chester

reposted from The Capitol Theatre’s Blog:

reCAP :: Drive-By Truckers :: 2013.03.15

Written by: Meredith Berke
Photos by: Allison Murphy

photo by: Allison Murphy

Drive-By Truckers drove through The Capitol Theatre including an hour long encore.

Drive-By-Truckers came to The Capitol Theatre last night for a rousing two-and-a-half hour set. This band has gone through multiple iterations throughout the last five years or so, and now the group is touring to show their fans how they have morphed into a new five-piece band, with the recent departure of John Neff.

The new band now consists of: Patterson Hood (guitar, vocals, bass), Mike Cooley (guitar, vocals, bass), Brad Morgan (drums), Jay Gonzalez (keyboards, guitar, vocals) and Mike Patton (bass), the newest member who genuinely looked thrilled to be playing with the band.

Read more at The Cap’s site, by clicking here.

Bowlive IV: Night 4, Brooklyn Bowl

Pre-show/During-show/Overall Bowling Notes:  I made it out on a Tuesday, even though I was quite spent from the work day, I went to see Bowlive IV with Booker T. and special unannounced guest David Hildago.

Since I was spent, I decided to get a cup of coffee from the restaurant. I saw a bunch of friends I knew including Eric Kalb (drummer, Deep Banana Blackout/Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings), and he called me a music addict.  “This girl sees a lot, I mean a lot of music.”  I laughed and acknowledged my addiction… and gave him props for the sick, sick DBB set last weekend at The Capitol Theatre.

We bowled, and I threw a horrendous score of 43.  Don’t judge. I am a better Wii bowler than a real bowler. Yes, I know, the amount of time I am at The Bowl does not equal my bowling score. I go to dance and hear music, not bowl.  I am glad all eyes were on the stage, some of my throws down the bowling alley caught air.  Whoops.

So, with the bowling, and the very mellow mood I was in, I relaxed on the couch and listened sidebar…till the end of the show.

Opener:  Have to say, it was a pretty incredible set from Cochemea “Cheme” Gastelum (Dap Kings) with about 1,000,000,000 players on the stage (ok, it was 9 players on the stage, but still pretty incredible.) There was Cheme alternating with a sax and flute and his band playing The Electric Sound of Johnny Arrow, which sounded amazing to my ears. It was a mix of jazz/world beat music and it was such a great large sound to my ears.  The world beat brought in a new element from the inundation of funk/jazz we’ve been treated to.  Take my word, if you like horns and you like great percussion (2 percussionists and a drummer) and you like a mix of jazz/reggae/afrobeats, you’d love Cheme’s band.

photo by: Allison Murphy

photo by: Allison Murphy

Set 1 (and only 1, for a full 2+ hours)  I had seen a set list from the Beacon Allman shows, and Hildago was supposed to be there, but instead he showed up at The Brooklyn Bowl.  Lucky for us! Continue reading

Bowlive IV, Night 1 and 2, Brooklyn Bowl

The birth of this music blog began four years ago, at the first Bowlive, Soulive’s yearly residency at The Brooklyn Bowl.  The Bowl had also just opened their doors around that time, and it seemed that View Skewed and Brooklyn Bowl has grown leaps and bounds since that time.

Brooklyn Bowl has become one of the top 10 destinations in NYC, and opening locations in Las Vegas and London.  View Skewed has been writing for such great publications like Jambands.com, Relix.com and now for The Capitol Theatre.  It is fitting that View Skewed returns to our roots by covering Bowlive IV.  The reviews of the first Bowlive shows, if your interested, for shits and giggles….

IMG_4012NIGHT 1 Highlights:  (set lists below)
The Bowl was packed, Kung Fu opened, with their amazing 100% in your face jazz/funk fusion fury.  Night 1 special guests were John Popper, from Blues Traveler, and Luther & Cody Dickinson, with an unannounced appearance from Tedeschi and Trucks Band trombonist, Saunders Sermons.

NIGHT 1 Scene:  John Popper, special guest

Packed Bowl.  Packed for a Thursday, the most packed first night of Bowlive I’ve seen in the four years.  Soulive played first set and then brought out John Popper.  Popper sounds gooood, he looks good, and he sounded powerful and strong when he sang his tune, “Mulling it Over.” His signature voice sounds sweet yet tough, and it was great to see him up there. It’s always a treat for me to see Popper.

IMG_4038Second Set:  Luther and Cody Dickinson, special guests

It was all southern twang style with Luther and Kraz going tit for tat against each other, and Cody was playing some electronic drum next to Neal Evans’ keyboard rig.  Then Cody put on his infamous electronic washboard, and made those odd yet fun swishing sounds that I have come to love from the North Mississippi Allstars.  I turned to my friend and said, “This makes me feel like Wanee is close.”  Indeed, The Wanee Festival is about a month away.  Saunders Sermon strolled on stage to finish the last couple of songs with Soulive and The Dickinson Brothers.They played long on the first night, since DJ Questo couldn’t make his Bowltrain set, and we danced until around 1:15pm on a Thursday evening in Brooklyn.

Night 2

Pre-Show: Line to get in, packed house, people milling around for Sister Sparrow.  We got our drink, we said hello to some people, we found our spot near the stage, and watched the opening set. Continue reading

It went to 11 – Jam Cruise 11, Day 1-4, MSC Poesia

Screen Shot 2013-03-02 at 2.48.39 PMYou could feel the energy, even while we were still at port, with the crew still setting up the stage, and the MSC Poesia staff scraping off the stickers from Holy Ship! which still dressed the boat’s  elevators. I walked around the boat, giving the grand tour to my friends who had never boarded the boat: “virgins,” as they say.  We bought our drink tickets, and sat in the sun, with our drinks, on the pool deck watching people hugging other people, relaxing into the vibe that is Jam Cruise.  Finally.  We were here.

Back at the cabins we spent time decorating our hallway in a zebra theme, and then went up to the pool deck for the Sail Away Party.  Soul Rebels, a brass band from New Orleans, were playing loud and strong,, the wind in your hair was palpable, and we were about to leave the country.  This was a highly anticipated moment, for me, and about the other three thousand people on the MSC Poesia.

Day 1, All Aboard! Saturday, Jan 7 Highlights:

The monster set with Medeski, Scofield, Martin and Wood on the Pool Deck. They played experimental jazz at its finest.  I love these guys and this was an absolute treat as we sailed away from Florida. I was still feeling amped, excited to become totally decompressed and relaxed, my personal anticipation at its height, and  this set that made me think, “ahhh, we are here.  This is happening. I’m on vacation, I’m on the boat, I’m on the boat!  Ahhhh.”

Notes:

Timing/lack of timing:  Once we left the Port, my phone went into roaming mode, and automatically advanced 5 hours.  This wasn’t helpful trying to figure out the schedule/timing/what stage, etc.

Zebra night – I went back to the cabin after MSMW and put on my zebra pants and made our way down to the Theater for Steel Pulse, and on our way, while walking through the Zebra Room to get to the Theater was The Motet with Nigel Hall playing.  I took a double take.  And then remembered what life is like on the boat – a feeling of total  FOMS (Fear Of Missing Something) all day/every day, and you are ok with it.

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Day 2, At Sea, Tuesday, Jan 8 Highlights:

It was a full day on the seas packed with fun activities and music sets, to keep us busy and dancing well into the early morning hours.  I bought myself a poster and got on line for the Artist Autograph Signing.  I waited in line for about an hour.  In front of me was a seven-week old baby, who brought his parents along to take pictures.  I asked all the artists (Lettuce, MSMW, Dumpstaphunk, funky Meters, Galactic, Soul Rebels, Pimps of Joytime, Zoogma, Skerik, Mike Dillon, I’m sure I’m missing people.)  “Will you sign my poster?” in true dork form, and every one of the artists were gracious.  I shook Mr. Bernie Worrell’s hand.  I told Scofield he was my hero.  And I promptly lost that poster by the time I had left the boat.  :-(

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Grace Potter & The Nocturnals, The Capitol Theater, Feb 23, 2013

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I am now writing for The Capitol Theatre, and here is my View Skewed (get it!!) on the Friday night show.

Short story: The place was sold out, packed, the booze was flowing, the crowd was excited, and the band played their hard guitar rock for the shiny happy people below.

Here is the recap from The Capitol Theatre:  Grace Potter & The Nocturnals.

Aaron Neville – My True Story, PBS Taping Concert, Brooklyn Bowl

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We walked into the Brooklyn Bowl where there were large signs stating that tonight’s concert was being taped and by being there we could be on TV.

The Concert lasted about 2 hours and 30 minutes, and Aaron Neville sang many doo-wop songs.  From what we learned on Wednesday, Neville can do doo-wop.  Well.  Really well.

This concert was the actual live filming for Aaron Neville’s upcoming PBS special, produced by Keith Richards and Don Was.  This show also promoted his upcoming Doo-wop album coming out in January.  If it is any indication of what I saw on Wednesday, I can’t wait to purchase it.

Neville singing, known for his sweet harmonic voice, shouldn’t have been a surprise when he was harmonizing with Joan Osborne, or Paul Simon.  But it was.  The specialness of being at such an intimate setting as The Brooklyn Bowl with two incredible icons like Neville and Simon.  It gives me goosebumps as I write this.

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Mr. Neville looked sharp up there, in his suit, with his brother Charles next to him on sax, and a plethora of talent behind him.  The formality of the show was not lost on me. Joan Osborne looked like she was in awe of Mr. Neville as she dueted with him.  Paul Simon and Neville sat on stools, both dressed with fedoras as they played an acoustic We Belong Together, an old Ritchie Valens song.

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Even though the house lights were on the whole time, and the crowd itself was an odd mix of NOLA fans, and Doo-Wop fans, it was still one of the most special shows I’ve seen all year.  The intimacy of a packed Brooklyn Bowl was also juxtaposed against the all kinds of aged crowd, and the immense amount of talent on the stage… it was, for me, overwhelmingly mind-blowing.  At times, it brought me back to this year’s NOLA Jazz Fest, my first Jazz Fest, and the tears that streamed down my face when Neville sang Amazing Grace, the last song at the Fairgrounds.

Neville played some favorites too, like a hair raising Hercules, ending the set with his , Tell It Like It Is.  @WebVixenNYC grabbed a set list – grateful for your set list snag!

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The band members on the stage behind Neville were, Greg Leisz on guitar, (Sheryl Crow, Bob Dylan, Ryan Adams), George G. Receli on drums (Bob Dylan, James Brown), Tony Scherr on bass (Bill Frisell, Norah Jones, Rufus Wainwright), brother Charles Neville on saxophone (Neville Brothers). Also featuring Michael Goods on organ/piano and Joel Katz, David Johnson and Earl Smith, Jr. on background vocals. Special guests including Eugene Pitt of the Jive Five (who co-wrote the album’s title song), and Dickie Harmon from the Del-Vikings, Joan Osborne and Paul Simon.

Again… goosebumps all over my body.  Thank you, Mr. Neville… thank you.

Andras Schiff, 92 Y, NYC

View Skewed takes on its first classical review with The 92Y Well Tempered Clavier.NYC’s 92Y put on two exquisite classical piano concerts this week featuring pianist András Schiff playing both books of Bach’s Well Tempered Clavier.  The 92Y also used social media to promote the lead in of the two historic shows through Twitter, by creating the #WellTweetedClavier.  It was through this campaign that brought the visitor to the 92Y website where they were treated to Schiff’s ideas about these two impressive books of work. 

Mr. Schiff explains that he sees colors that matches the keys of the piano, or all the keys within the Well Tempered Clavier. This campaign explained to the viewer about Schiff’s color scheme by attaching a color to each key of the keyboard.  The #WTClavier taught us about what a fugue is (A fugue has multiple (usually four) voices that perform a theme in succession, just like a round (“Row, Row, Row Your Boat”), and their hand picked YouTube videos promoted each song within the Well Tempered Clavier by including a variety of musicians, pianists, orchestras, violinists, harpsichordists, vocalists and even a few cartoon characters playing Bach.  It was a whimsical, funny and sometimes tongue-in-cheek way of promoting and teaching the public, the tweeters and the interested viewers alike.  I encourage you and your family to interact with the #WTClavier keyboard and learn more on your own by clicking here:  92Y WTClavier

Below is Justin Brunelle‘s look at what he experienced when he went to the 92Y to see Mr. Schiff play Bach’s Well Tempered Clavier, book 1 and book 2. I hope you enjoy it. -Ed.

                                   

11.2.12

New York, NY

There is a purity in the music of Johann Sebastian Bach that belies its rich nature. The 18th century composer flourished in the Baroque period, marked by ornamentation in all forms of art.  In music, the use of ornamentation came up against traditions upheld for centuries.  Bach was able to bridge the gap between tradition and improvisation, which lead to a sophistication that still seems modern today.  In doing so, he became one of the great preservationists and innovators in the history of western music.

Bach’s most pedagogical contribution to history is The Well Tempered Clavier, a series of compositions for the student and the accomplished keyboard player alike.  The Well Tempered Clavier is two books written in 1722 and 1742, each book is comprised of 24 preludes and fugues from each major and minor key of every note in the chromatic scale. It is simply called The 48.

A prelude is a beginning, an introduction to the presence of melody.  The fugue is a classical compositional technique that develops a theme through repetition of two or more voices.  The relationship between these voices is in harmony while being independent of each other in terms of melodic contour and rhythm.  In this form the melody is deconstructed  or rearranged in many ways. Bach inserts a great many chord inversions, trills, augmentations, and other contrapuntal devices.  The compositions range from deceptively simple to intricate, calisthenics for the mind and body where both the right and left-brain is continually tested.  To hear them played well, where all the interweaving elements come together in polyphonic harmony, is to witness sheer perfection.

András Schiff has consistently shown the temperament to execute these techniques with sobering flair.  On October 27th and November 1st, at the 92nd Street Y, Mr. Schiff played both books from memory, in their entirety, to a packed crowd of aficionados and musicians.  He played them without pedal, reliant on the mechanical nature of his touch alone for sustain.  It was an opportunity to hear a master…as pianist Laura Leon said before the first concert, “I came to learn, that’s why I am here.”

The first impression of Mr. Schiff’s interpretations is clarity.   His intense devotion to the material is palpable.  This devotion spread to everyone’s rapt attention like a convocation.

Indeed, Mr. Schiff showed a tacit command of the varied highs and lows of Book 1 in the first set. The bright airiness of E-flat major floated into the explosive juxtaposition of sonority in Prelude in E-minor.  The somber sweetness deserving of C-sharp minor eventually gave way to the dizzying exuberance of D major.   It is only here in D major did I miss the harpsichord sound.

During the second set I was most struck by the elegant calm of Prelude in B-flat minor as it matured into a gorgeously layered fugue, dramatically separated, only to fold back into itself in one fluid motion.  I could not help but visualize the cubist collapse of Duchamp’s Nude Descending a Staircase of 1912.

The performance of Book 2 had a particular spirit.  A mere three days after the devastation suffered by Hurricane Sandy, the concert felt highlighted in a special glow of generosity and salvation that was very religious.

On this occasion the difference between composer and pianist was seemingly erased right from the start of the meditative Prelude in C major.  Mr. Schiff refrains from embellishing the works with to many personal touches or accents.  The man has become synonymous with Bach in terms temperament, erudition and fervor.  One is left with a feeling of remarkable intimacy.

I was fortunate to have a sight line of Mr. Schiff’s hands on the keyboard.  It was mesmerizing to watch his nimble fingers reflecting off the black sheen of the Steinway grand during the brilliant Prelude and Fugue in D-sharp minor followed by the clarion salvos in E-flat major.

Book 2 is certainly more dense.  The sheer polyphonic force of listening to all the works in one sitting is almost overwhelming, emotionally and intellectually.

Thursday evening’s performance concluded with the wonderful dance of B minor.  The light-hearted, frivolous affair formed a perfect resolution to the emotional complexity just witnessed.

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