Sunday, August 17, 2014

NUVO Chamber Trio

About a month ago I, along with the cellist and percussionist from The NUVO Chamber Trio, had a fabulous time playing for 100 guests at The Chapel of The Chimes in North Oakland.  The Moorish & Gothic architecture was such an inspiration for me to really listen, as if audiences from all the previous decade of performances were present in the room. I mean, when I pass on (the venue is, after all, an historic crematory and columbarium) I would certainly want to hear the mix of music that we presented—a slow Rachmaninoff theme became a fast jazz waltz, a nearly lost Sephardic melody came to life as a Latin journey, and my Turkish suite grew to five players with the help of our digital loopers.  And I didn't forget that those who have passed on really enjoy humor, and so I had tons of fun performing the re-enactment of my conversations with the French romantic composer Gabriel Faure. The audience was very appreciative of our intriguing mix and gave us a standing ovation (and bought out nearly all of my CDs).