WMV Music Web Log

It has been a while, and of course there is lots to talk about. I just returned from a wedding gig in Baltimore - it is very strange to play solo piano for a hotel reception. No matter how well I play, I imagine the guests thinking, "What is he doing here?". The DJ finally showed up, probably to everyone's relief. I think I won't do it again, despite the delightful opportunity to try things this way and that, without it being in front of an attentive and critical audience. The Mozart was quite successful, dispensing entirely with the 1 and 3 emphasis, in marked preference for the 2 and 4, with every syncopation genuine. It was impossible to tell what was going on with this crowd from their response to music - not a soul came up to me, except my musician friend Jeri, who got me the gig and brought me a glass of wine - but I think there was some response to the Schumann Kinderscenen. More so than to the Joplin or Bolcom rags. My guess is that this was an emotionally needy group, but it is just a guess.

Insight while driving home: recordings emulate midis. So why not eliminate the middle man, and just sell the midis? I don't confuse live performance with recordings, although the recorded live performances are most interesting to me.

Ellyn Wexler has written a really lovely feature article about my return to solo music. It has had an impact on me just to have something like that published, but I am not yet ready to say precisely what that is.