3.25.2010

Leeward

Since we got wind of this gifted breath of frclip_image001esh air out of Philly at FloydFest a few years ago, my girls and I have been taken with Amos Lee and his seemingly effortless ability to distill the genres of folk, r&b, jazz and blues into a potent and often poignant style all his own.  As a composer, his brilliantly crafted songs of love and love gone wrong are deeply evocative and as a vocalist with the expressive range of a young Al Green, he can squeeze every drop of emotion from his lyrics.  He played to a wildly enthusiastic and adoring crowd at the National Tuesday night and clip_image002brought along two tasteful sidemen, Jaron Olevsky on bass and keyboards along with Nate Skiles sharing bass duties and also playing guitar.  They both furnished some of the most subtle and spot-on backing vocals I’ve heard to give these great songs life.  Amos Lee is among the most gifted of his generation’s singer/songwriters.  He’ll be opening for Dave Matthews’ summer tour.  Dave better watch his back.  And congrats to Bill Rice for winning our blog contest…Amos went to the University of South Carolina.

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Sunday afternoon found me at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church on the Boulevard for an inspiring performance by the Richmond Choral Society under the artistic direction of Markus Compton.  I’ve known Markus for the past five years as a patient and engaging director and pianist for our small choir at Goochland’s Hebron Presbyterian Church.  He assumed leadership of the venerable RCS late last year and has wasted no time in instilling these gifted singers with a renewed sense of joy.  It was palpable.  The program’s  theme was Women of Note as part of the four-month celebration of women in the arts across Virginia called “Minds Wide Open.”  Markus chose selections both secular and non-, a capella and accompanied by the outstanding Keith Tan, most of them appropriately composed by women.  clip_image004The choir was thrilling in its precision and polish during fortissimo and pianissimo and every mood in between.  And a handful of stunners from soprano Lisa Edwards-Burrs took the afternoon to even higher places.  A well-rehearsed group of great singers is a classic example of something far surpassing the sum of its parts.  Their next concert is on Sunday, June 6th…more details here.  Bravo!

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Thanks to my choir pal Angie I headed downtown Saturday night to the Carpenter Theatre for the Richmond Symphony’s Masterworks concert under the baton of Erin Freeman and featuring the dazzling 26-year-old violinist Elena Urioste.  This was the inaugural event of the aforementioned “Minds Wide Open” celebration and fittingly featured an ambitious and fascinating concerto by a contemporary composer named Jennifer Higdon.  It was like nothing I’d heard before with some of the most creative and unusual percussion imaginable…think playing a xylophone with a bow.  It was big and bold and magnificent.  Another female composer Lili Boulanger provided a perfect opening selection on the first day of spring with “D’un Matin de Printemps,” followed by Tchaikovsky’s soaring “Concerto in D major for Violin and Orchestra, Opus 35.”  Ms. Urioste who was a last minute sub for originally-scheduled soloist Tai Murray, simply owned this piece written primarily to showcase and seriously challenge the violin soloist. She basically tore it up. Hearing our wonderful symphony in its beautifully refurbished home is a sonic source of pride for what we have here in River City.  May incoming music director Steven Smith from Santa Fe take this community treasure to new heights.

header-center Kicking off my long melodic weekend was Hoosier folk singer Tim Grimm who was back for his third stop trackside with wife Jan Lucas for a Friday gig at Asclip_image008hland Coffee & Tea.  Weekly Ranter Jon Baliles had been singing his praises for some time so I took the bait and spent a nostalgic night re-living my family’s fourteen years on the farm in Hanover County, thanks to Tim’s insightful songs about the simple joys of a rural life.  After nearly a decade in L.A. working the Hollywood mill to some success (see him with Harrison Ford in Clear and Present Danger) Tim found fulfillment by returning home to Indiana and putting down stakes in the country to raise his sons.  If hayfields and wild turkeys are calling you, pick up a copy of his Farm Songs CD and vicariously walk your fence line at sunrise on a crisp spring morning.  Some great shows ahead at AC&T in the next month or so, including Stephen Bennett, Yarn, Rod Picott, Harper & Company, George Turman and yes, Cadillac Sky on April 29th.  

All that, and I still missed the Irish Festival on Church Hill which was a resounding success I hear…Page Wilson said clip_image009they sold almost 350 KEGS of beer…imagine that.  And I wimped out on a planned post-symphony stop at Shenanigans for a long overdue Honky Tonk ExperienceBrad Spivey and the boys afford us a second chance this Friday at Grandpa Eddie’s out on Three Chopt. Tonight (Thursday) you can catch an all-too-rare performance by Johnny Hott’s Piedmont Souprize with Charles and Sara Arthur at Shenanigans Pub on MacArthur.  Sig Williams of the VA Folk Music Association wants you pickers to know about their bluegrass and old-time jam the third Tuesday of each month at Brandermill Church from 7-10pm.  So the next one would be April 20th.

clip_image010Our long-awaited JAMinc/In Your Ear compilation CD is finally at the manufacturers and should be in early next month.  It features some of our best performances over the last four years of studio concerts including artists like John Cephas, Bryan Bowers, Kruger Brothers, Tony Furtado, Cadillac clip_image011Sky, Howard Levy, Wayne Henderson and many others.  We’ll let you know when it’s in and how to get yourself one.  And our next live concert is coming up April 9th with Amy Speace.  Hers is a fascinating story of a formally-trained Shakespearean actor from Baltimore who turned singer/songwriter and never looked back.  Check her out on MySpace and reserve your seat for the show here.  And tune in the Out O' The Blue Radio Revue from 8-10pm this Saturday night on WCVE-FM 88.9 public radio for two segments from last fall's Anne & Pete Sibley concert at IYE.  So good.

clip_image012We’ll wrap this wordy post with news of what’ll be a must-read for many of us…the authorized biography of the man, the myth, the mega-guitar stylist Tony Rice.  Written by Caroline Wright and Blue Highway’s Tim Stafford, it promises an in-depth look at the enigmatic musician who has influenced so many for so long.  Here’s what Bela said about him:  “Every once in a while, there are seminal figures. They don’t come along even every five years. You might, by a fluke, get two of them in 20 years. Tony’s one of those guys.”  Order your autographed copy here.

And don’t you think the spring peepers are making the most beautiful music we’ve heard since this time last year?  A well-earned season gets underway…how sweet it is.

TT

(Thanks to Mike Chenault for the photo of Tim Grimm and Jan Lucas.  And to John Murden for the busy beer truck. The Richmond Symphony and Amy Speace shots are from their Websites.)

3.09.2010

Quality Quartet…

I’m musically replete after four engaging nights in a row of live performance last week and I only regret I wasn’t able to make it five to hear Love Canon at VCU’s Singleton Center on Sunday afternoon.  But more on that supergroup another day.  Back to last Wednesday for a wholly unexpected slidebanner pleasure at UofR’s Camp Concert Hall thanks to resident ensemble eighth blackbird.  The renowned sextet was joined by guitarist/composer Steven Mackey and actor/vocalist Rinde Eckert for an experiential interpretation of a psychological study where subjects were shown out-of-focus slides and timed on how long it took to recognize what was pictured after they were snapped into focus.  Pretty deep stuff for a mind like mine but the caliber of the performances managed to draw us in deeper as things progressed.  I’d never witnessed anything quite like it and though I struggled to absorb its message, I was moved by its imaginative intensity.  It’s good to leave the comfort zone once in a while.

Bee Eaters 013 Thursday brought the long-anticipated arrival of the Bee Eaters in Richmond for an ambitious but more accessible night of music at In Your Ear studio A.  The sensational foursome drove all the way from Boston to spend the day with us including a stop to play for the always-receptive kids at Mary Munford Elementary.  With Tristan Clarridge and his sister Tashina on cello and violin respectively, Wes Corbett on banjo and Simon Chrisman on hammer dulcimer, the Bee Eaters mesmerized the gallery with two sets of intricate originals and choice covers thatbee  eaters cd included Beatle staples“Eleanor Rigby” and “You Won’t See Me.”  Not your standard string quartet for sure…resulting in a unique sound that you can savor by snagging their superb Darol Anger-produced eponymous CD.  It might end up as a soundtrack for some of your best times ever.  Start with taking it along on your iPod for a spring walk in the woods.  Perfect.

boxcars-hoffmeyer 3-10 Friday night took us back to Ashland Coffee and Tea for an exhilarating night of solid bluegrass compliments of the fledgling power band, the Boxcars.  Dan Tyminski’s return to his spot beside Alison Krauss in Union Station found former bandmates Adam Steffey and Ron Stewart looking for a gig, so they just started from scratch.  With talented guitarist Keith Garrett, veteran John Bowman on fiddle and banjo and a rock-steady Harold Nixon on bass, these guys plowed through the great material on Adam’s solo album One More For The Road and well chosen tunes from the Boxcars’ debut release due later this year.  All but Nixon sing individually and collectively and they take full advantage of the versatility of their bookends Stewart and Bowman.  The two are both outstanding players of both banjo and fiddle and they spent the night taking turns to great effect.  It was only the second real show they’d all done as a band but if they’re already this good and having such a good time at it, the tracks ahead look long and winding for the Boxcars.  All aboard!

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Saturday saw us back by the tracks at AC&T to share in the lovefest for hometown bon vivant B.J. Kocen and the release of his new CD, The Breaks.  B.J.’s love for music and life are contagious and the sold out crowd savored all ten tunes in the album, all originals, all sensitively supported by Charlottesville’s Paul Curreri and Devon Sproule on guitars, keys and backup vocals along with Bob Bowen on bass and Stephen Lecky on drums.  Curreri and Sproule set the right tone as a delightful opening duo, making those like me who heard them for the first time hankering for more.  B.J. has been hatching this project for most of his adult life and the joy of his finally getting to the finish line was palpable.  More musical compadres, Jackie Frost, Brad Tucker, George Garrett and Jim Wark, joined him as the Gobstoppers for a rousing finale.  Stop by Glave/Kocen Gallery on West Main to see some fine art and pick up a copy of the CD.  Or check out one of the Kocen-hosted songwriter nights every Tuesday at AC&T.  He’s a busy boy and a seriously nice guy.

Great shows down the road at AC&T this spring…check the Website and sign up for their email alerts.  And now in the former home of Bogart’s at 203 North Robinson, Balliceaux is featuring live music most nights thanks to the amos leewide-ranging musical appetite of Chris Bopst.  Tune in to his delectably eclectic streaming radio show on RVA News…ears wide open.   The National’s bringing the soulful folkster/guitarist Amos Lee to town on March 23rd. Tell me where he went to college and we’ll put you and yours on the guest list for the show.  I’ll draw from all correct answers sent to mail@timtimberlake.com.

The Virginia Foundation for the Humanities is one of many arts and cultural institutions facing serious funding cuts and possibly dissolution if measures pending in the General Assembly are passed.  The VFH has been a key player in the National and now our Richmond Folk Festival with Jon Lohman and his colleagues responsible for the always-compelling folklife area each year.  Take a few minutes to make your voice heard if you feel eliminating support for this important work is the wrong way to balance a budget.  Learn more here.

TT

(Thanks to photographer friends Andy Garrigue for the Bee Eaters, Dean Hoffmeyer for the Boxcars shot and Scott Elmquist for the B.J. Kocen pic. The rest are from artist websites.)