last night i was lucky to see a wonderful concert almost by accident. as my co-worker pedro was heading out the door, he mentioned he was going to see don byron. i jumped at the chance and tagged along.
don byron is an amazing jazz clarinetist and composer whom i've admired ever since high school when i first heard him in the klezmer conservatory band. he's performed and composed in so many numerous styles from free jazz to classical, funk and hip-hop to the kronos quartet -- he's always doing something exciting.
the show, part of cooper union's cooperArts series, also involved paul auster, the guy who wrote the book of illusions, leviathan, timbuktu, that movie smoke (harvey keitel and william hurt), and a couple more for harvey keitel and mira sorvina.
it was an evening of "short pieces." paul auster read some funny short pieces he'd written about death, etc., and then don byron played several short pieces with a string quartet and piano. at the end they got together, with byron & co. laying down a whirling background vamp while auster read a final piece. it seemed like byron hadn't counted on the story being so long, and during the middle he got bored, cut off the strings, and began noodling atop what were unmistakably the changes to john coltrane's modal-jazz tune "impressions" on the piano.
again, another great concert. it kept me in rapt attention all throughout -- one of those concerts that triggers that "if i only would practice more..." response, and makes you want to become a better player. perhaps i'll find the time someday.
Posted by cce at October 10, 2003 09:37 PM | TrackBack