Day
9:
The
last day was quite nice. I didnt really
do anything except sit and read. I
played trumpet for a while, but eventually completely retired to the literary
world. Soon enough, though, was the
uncontested highlight of the week.
When I
finally entered the Chicago Symphony Hall for what I hope will not be the last
time, I expected a good concert. What I
got was one of the best performances I have ever seen, taped or live. It opened up with a vibe and piano duet, both
of whom were monster players. Plus, they
opened up with Afro Blue, which was a very effective way of getting my
attention.
Watching
Dave Holland, however was an experience that came closer to pure ecstasy. His band is, by far, one of the tightest and
hippest groups I have ever had the pleasure of watching. Each member of the group is an accomplished
soloist (although it was a guilty pleasure to watch the third trombonist
choke), and can hold his/her own damn well.
Also, the instrumentation was a little strange: three trumpets, three trombones, a tenor sax,
two altos, a baritone sax, bass (duh), drums, and mallets. For some odd reason, Dave Holland opted for a
vibes/marimba player, instead of a pianist.
Some bad memory of one of his past pianists, perhaps? As for Dave himself, he seemed to be a droll
Englishman, with the most unbelievable bass chops Ive ever heard (sorry, Mr.
Claypool). At times, when he soloed, it
appearedcorrection: was apparentthat he got so into it that he literally
lifted himself off the ground with his bass.
Impressive, indeed.
..
Day
10:
Alas,
horror of horrors, my headphones broke last night. So, Ive no opportunity to listen to the
sweet sounds of music, this morning. A
true shame, since Ive a craving to hear anything, right now.
..