Seann (L) and Young played a duet by Bach

Thursday night was the gala opening of the Palm Springs Film Noir Festival. And there was a dance choreography going on at the same time across campus at Idyllwild Arts. But for those who came to see Young and Sean’s senior audition on May 13, they were treated to a “Night of the Young Masters.”

“This is going to be the best recital yet,” said Chuck Streeter, as he waited for the event to begin. Streeter is the Idyllwild Arts van driver who takes Seann to his music lesson in LA every Wednesday. He’s also a retired firefighter.

At the onset, it was  apparent why both of these students were accepted to good music schools in the fall. Young was going to The Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University, while Seann was accepted at the Julliard School of Music.

“Young is going to a ‘guitar heaven,'” said A-Tao, a bassoonist.

At the time of his Peabody School audition, Young was “psyched-out.”

“I showed up for the audition and there were 36 other guitar students waiting there,” Young said. “I just wanted to turn around and go back out.”

To be accepted into a university of that stature, Young felt very lucky. However, he had to get through his senior recital first.

When the lights dimmed, Young just walked onstage with no introduction. He was wearing a dark, pin-striped shirt and black pants. When he sat down with his guitar, he rested his left foot on a small, metal stand. Apparently, it was to help him steady his guitar while he played.

Young's first piece was by H. Villa-Lobos, a Brazillian composer

The audience was made up of mostly classmates and music faculty at Idyllwild Arts. Some came out of friendship, but a lot came out of curiosity. Because Young is the only classical guitarist on campus. (There is one other student who plays electric guitar in the Jazz Department). Young doesn’t play with the student orchestra, and he’s rarely seen practicing in the practice rooms. More often than not, he’s in his room playing video games.

Young began with a short piece by Heitor Villa-Lobos, “Prelude No. 1.” Villa-Lobos, a Brazilian composer, has become the best-known and most significant Latin American composer to date. His music was influenced by both Brazilian folk music and by stylistic elements from the European classical tradition.

It was an upbeat, romantic and Spanish-sounding piece. Just for fun, I checked out You Tube and listened to H. Villa Lobos playing the same tune. The recording is scratchy, but it is wonderful to hear. By comparison, Villa-Lobos played it with a more delicate hand, but Young did a nice job as well.

Young’s next piece, “La Cathedral,” by Agustin Barrios Mangore, was the favorite of the night. It probably was more of a personal piece, therefore, Young put more of himself into it. Young was raised Catholic, and still practices his religion. Recently, his mother encouraged him to think about becoming a priest. Young just laughed it off.

Young is congratulated by friends afterwards

For his third selection, Young picked “Asturias,” by I. Albeniz. It started out fast-paced, with lots of fancy fingerwork, then strumming. Just when things were starting to pick up, it changed tempo again, and went very slowly. It was sort of a “seduction” with the audience, fast and slow, quiet and loud. When Young finished “Asturias,” he left us wanting more.

His fourth and final piece of the evening was a duet with Seann, the French Horn player. It was called, “P in B Flat,” by Johann Sebastian Bach.

Seann walked out in a tuxedo and bow tie. He brought his shiny silver French Horn and began to play a thousand rapid notes to Young’s laid-back melody. I don’t think I’d ever put a French Horn and classical guitar in the same song. It was like pairing a songbird and an elephant.

Yet, after they played the Praeludium and Allamande, things got better, and we accepted the pairing. By the time they finished the Courante and Sarabande, Seann must’ve played a million rapid-fire notes on his horn, while Young played only a couple hundred.

“I think they worked out well together,” said Kurt Snyder, Seann’s French Horn teacher, who came all the way from LA for his recital.

“That Young is really a master on guitar, isn’t he?” Snyder said.

The two may have played a duet during their recital for more than just altruistic reasons. Sure, they liked each other.

“But they get credit for part of their 45 minutes,” said one of the music students.

So, each of them were going for time, not necessarily quantity. Because, after their “Partita in B Flat,” Seann only had two more songs to play.

Una, who travels with Young on the van to her music lesson every week, gave us a glimpse of what was going on backstage.

“Young would wait for four seconds, then say, ‘Let me out, I want to graduate,'” Una confessed later. Before his second bow, he was already packing his bags.

(from L) Martin, Seann and Daphne (partially obscured) played a strong trio

For his first number, “Fantasy for Horn and Piano,” by Frederic Strauss, Seann was accompanied by Linda, on piano. Both instruments seemed strong and well-matched. Sean stood up during this piece, holding his horn upright, without the help of any sheet music.

He spent a lot of down time, however, blowing spit out of his horn. Spit can cause a gurgling tone, which is a nightmare for horn players. However, all that spit blowing takes some getting used to. Especially with a handsome guy in a tux.

For Seann’s second and final piece of the evening, he chose “Trio for Violin, Horn and Piano, By L. Berkeley. He was joined onstage with fellow musicians Martin on violin and Daphne on piano.

At the onset, it was a long piece with many segments. It started out frenetic and serious that was both dark and enchanting. In my mind, I envisioned proud men on horseback running through the fields.

Martin played the violin part beautifully. He was neither overbearing or too subtle. You couldn’t help but notice him, however, with his cropped, red hair that jetted out and also hung in his eyes.

Daphne, an award-winning pianist, also played beautifully. She’s always hard to photograph, because she hides behind the piano. But her playing was strong, clear, and a perfect complement to the other two instruments.

For his part, I’m glad that Seann chose a piece that showcased the versstility of the French Horn. At times, it sounded like the roar of a bull elephant, while other times, I swore I heard Miles Davis on coronet. When that happened, even Martin smiled.

Only a master could make his horn sound like something else.

(from L) Seann and Kurt Snyder, his teacher

The audience knew it too. They gave Seann a standing ovation.

All I can say about this recital is that I’m sorry that it ended so soon. Sure, it was under the 2-hour limit for senior recitals. But these two young masters, left us wanting more.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This weekend are more Idyllwild Arts events, including 13 student dance choreographies at 7:30 p.m. in the dance studio, and the final student art show at 6 p.m. in the Parks Exhibition Center. On Saturday, Caleigh has a one-man show of her paintings in the Artisans Gallery on North Circle Drive.

For more information, visit www.idyllwildarts.org, and click on “Academy,” and then “Center Stage.”

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Rich played some lively Romanian folk songs. Photo courtesy Idyllwild Arts

As much as Kathryn’s jazz recital (on May 10) was roudy, Rich’s recital that same evening was subdued. Coming from Taiwan, China, it was not in Rich’s nature to be a showman or to stand out.

Not surprisingly, Rich’s six-song line-up included songs from the classical masters, Hayden, Bach, Chopin, as well as surprises from Bartok and Bolcom.

His first choice, “Sonata in E Major,” by Joseph Hayden was an upbeat, lively piece. It reminded me of the kind of music that one hears when the bridesmaids are walking down the aisle before a wedding.

His next song, “Romanian Folk Dances,” by the Hungarian composer, Bela Bartok, was a surprise. The six separate, short songs were both moody, moving and danceable. Their titles included: Stick Game, Peasant Costume, Standing Still, Song of the Mountain Horn, a Garden Gate in Romania and Little One.

According to various web sites, Bartok had a lifetime fascination with folk songs. It may have started with the changing borders of the neighboring countries. Bartók grew up in the Greater Hungary of the Austro-Hungarian Empire which was partitioned after World War I. His birthplace, Nagyszentmiklós (Great St Nicholas), became Sînnicolau Mare, Romania.

A recording of various musicians playing these Bartok folk songs can be found on You Tube.

“I gave him those songs,” said Nelms McKalvin, his teacher. “We like to mix it up a bit.”

His girlfriend, Stephanie, especially liked them. She kept nudging her friends in the audience, and beaming. Stephanie’s former violin teacher in Korea was from Russia. And her recital earlier this year had similar songs from Eastern Europe (see post, “Fast Fingers at Junior Recitals,” from Feb. 23, 2010).

The next two songs by Frederic Chopin, “Mazurka Op. 6, No. 2” and “Waltz Op. 69, No. 2” were lively, interesting and sounded like they were being played on a harpsicord rather than a piano. The “Walz Op. 69, No. 2” was created after Chopin’s death.

For his final number, “Through Eden’s Gates,” by William Bolcom, was the one we were all waiting for: a duet with two grand pianos.

At intermission, Doug Ashcraft, head of the Music Department, and McKelvain moved in another grand piano, so they were side-by-side.

“It would have been better if they put the pianos end to end,” said Ieseul later. “The sound would have been better, but they couldn’t do it.”

“Through Eden’s Gates” was arranged for two pianos by  Bolcom, an American who is best known for cabaret songs, concertos, sonatas, operas and symphonies. It is part of  a Garden of Eden Suite that includes The Eternal Feminine, The Serpent’s Kiss, and Old Adam.

Rich received flowers from his girlfriend and sister. Photo courtesy of Idyllwild Arts.

At PianoFest earlier this year, seniors Ieseul and Daphne gave an impressive performance of Bolcom’s “The Eternal Feminine,” while Georgina and Jonathon gave their Yamaha’s a workout with “The Serpent’s Kiss.” (See “PianoFest” posting from January 22, 2010)

Most of the piano majors were sitting close to the piano, so they could watch their hands. But from across the room, it was difficult to tell who was playing what. Yet, “Through Eden’s Gates,” was a thorny, lively and wonderful duet by two friends.

After Ieseul and Rich took their bows, Stephanie and Rich’s sister, Una, gave him bouquets of flowers.

“We couldn’t be more proud of him,” said McKalvain afterwards to Rich’s parents who now live in Idyllwild.

“Now go home and celebrate,” McKalvain said to Rich, who was beaming. “I don’t want to see you here practicing tomorrow.”

Young, a classical guitarist, will perform at 7:30 p.m. tonight

Tonight, Thursday, May 13, at 7:30 p.m., there is a rare classical feast for you at the Stephens Center at the Idyllwild Arts Academy.

Young, a classical guitarist from South Korea, and Seann, a French Horn player from the U.S. will entertain and delight you with their music.

Although still in high school, these two young men are accomplished artists and have been accepted to good, if not great, schools. Young is going to the Peabody Institute, a musical arm of Johns Hopkins University.

“My family was so happy that I got into a university,” Young said.

Just three years ago, Young arrived at Idyllwild Arts from a boarding school in Canada, where he first learned how to speak English. You would never know there was any struggle, because the confident young man speaks fast, and got nearly straight As, except for one B in History.

He learned how to play classical guitar from a famous guitarist in Korea. After one of his concerts, his mother introduced Young, and asked him if he’d teach him how to play. At that time, the famous guitarist was only performing, and didn’t have any students.

“I think she was persistent, and convinced him that I would be a good student,” Young said.

He studied with him for years before going to Canada, then the U.S. As it turns out, the Peabody Institute was the place where his teacher studied too. He considers himself lucky for the connection, and the opportunity to learn at such a fine music school.

His play list was not available at press time. But, for a guy who was listed 16th in the world for being the fastest video game player, you can imagine how he can play.

Seann (far L) played in many recitals this year

Seann, the French Horn player, is just as serious a student. Earlier this month, he played in several recitals, including one for Mariya, a bass player, and A-Tao, a bassoonist.

“I like helping other people out,” Seann said. “It’s good practice for me to learn different pieces.”

For every recital, Seann would wear a white shirt, jacket and tie. Sometimes, the bow tie was borrowed from another student, but he looked professional just the same.

Each Wednesday afternoon, Seann would travel to the L.A. area, and Young to Pasadena, for their music lessons. Two and a half hours each way, plus an hour-long lesson, (then sometimes waiting for other students) made for a long day. However, like most music students, these lessons are the highlight of their week. Even when they return at 9 p.m., and still have homework to do.

Sometimes, Seann would talk to his teacher philosophically about his playing, his music choices, and also where to go to school in the fall.

“But with the help of a few good friends, and God, I decided to attend the Julliard School of Music,” he said.

Just for the record, getting into Julliard is not easy. They accept few students, and rarely give scholarships. However, Idyllwild Arts Academy now has two French Horn players attending there, including Kathryn, a senior from last year, and now Seann. They would have lessons together each week, and now they will be playing together again.

Although both Young and Seann are quiet, modest guys, their music is big and loud. This is their senior recital, their last moment in the spotlight in front of their peers. They’re going to be great. And anyone who gets a chance to attend tonight’s recital, you will be pleased to say the least.

The event starts at 7:30 p.m. at Stephens Recital Hall on the Idyllwild Arts campus. For more information, call (951) 659-2171 or visit www.idyllwildarts.org, and click under “Academy” and “Center Stage.”

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Kathryn belts out a jazz ballad (at another event) while Hawkins plays bass

By Marcia E. Gawecki

For one fun-filled evening, audience members were treated to a hefty dose of jazz and then classical music. Monday, May 10, was the senior recitals for Kathryn, a jazz vocalist, and Rich, a classical pianist, in Stephens Recital Hall at the Idyllwild Arts Academy.

Kathryn’s roster of 10 songs included jazz standards, classical rock and some blues.

Dressed in a slinky over-the-shoulder short, black dress and a red flower in her hair, Kathryn looked like the ultimate showman. But looks were disceiving.

“She was really nervous before the recital,” said Marshall Hawkins, head of the Jazz Department at Idyllwild Arts. “But I wouldn’t hear none of it. I knew she was going to be fine.”

Kathryn’s first song was “Stepping Out” by Irving Berlin. She sang a duet with Everett, a classical vocals major.  They had fun and chemistry onstage, and the loud applause afterwards gave Schmidt the confidence that kept building until her last song.

For her next tune, “Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye” by Cole Porter , Kathryn was by herself onstage. Just a guitar and microphone.

“I like doing acustical work,” Kathryn had said earlier in the day. “Sometimes, it’s just nice being out there by yourself.”

When she started “Use Somebody,” a popular rock song by Kings of Leon, Won Bin, shouted out, “I love this song!”

Kathryn played it slower than the popular version, but with just her guitar, and for the first time, we understood all of the lyrics.

By her fourth song, “Maybe,” Kathryn brought on her fellow jazz mates, including Hallie on vocals and piano; Mint on electric guitar; Alejandro on bass guitar and Nate on drums.

“‘Private Lawns,’ by independent artists A & J Stone, is one of my favorites,” Kathryn said as an introduction. And by the time she was done, it was one of ours too. She introduced two musical soloists, Jacob on flute and Caleb on trumpet.

“I just blew in from Chicago, where they have private lawns and public parks,” were the jazzy lyrics.

Grant Park, one of Chicago’s more famous public parks, features a free, four-day jazz concert each Labor Day Weekend. Residents pile in from the neighborhoods and suburbs all dying to hear the jazz greats. Some famous performers include Miles Davis, Benny Carter, Ella Fitzgerald, Anthony Broxton, Lionel Hampton,  Betty Carter and Jimmy Dawkins, among others.

For her next song, Kathryn switched to rock n’ roll with the Rolling Stones’ classic, “Wild Horses.” You have to give her credit for taking on such a popular song for the Baby Boomer generation. At first when I heard the lyrics, all I could hear was Mick Jagger’s low voice, and Keith Richards’ electric guitar. But then I settled in and accepted Schmidt’s soprano voice and standard guitar.

For the next few songs, Kathryn went out of sequence from the playbill. For “Oreo Cookie Blues,” she sang a duet with Mint and her electric guitar. It was a fun, little song that made the favorite cream-filled sandwich cookie a bit sexy.

“I’ve got the chocolate cream-filled cookie blues,” Kathryn wailed. “It gets me higher than I get on booze. I couldn’t quit if I wanted to!”

(from L) Jacob on sax and Caleb on trumpet got some solo time at Kathryn's gig

The next tune, “Lift Me Up,” Kathryn said it was a Christine Aguilera song that she sang at a “Hope for Haiti” benefit. She played it with Hallie, and it was a slow, love ballad. “Just get me through the night,” she pleaded to an unseen lover.

For “Orange Colored Sky,” Kathryn brought on the entire jazz band, including Mint on electric guitar; Alejandro on bass; Nate on drums; Jacob on alto sax; Anthony on tenor sax, Hallie on piano and Caleb on trumpet.

With that many jazzmen on stage, one would think that they’d easily drown Schmidt out, but she held her own.

“I talked to them (the musicians) about it,” Hawkins said after the show. “You never want to drown out your singer.”

For her final number, Schmidt sang Aretha Franklin’s anthem, “Respect,” and brought the house down. She added backup vocalists Amenta and Allison, who “wooped” and danced and made everything fun. The interesting part is that Amenta is a theater major and Allison is a visual artist. Who knew that they could sing?

“It wasn’t happening for me at rehearsal,” Anthony confessed later. “But when Amenta and Allison showed up during the show, they really brought a lot of energy that we played into.”

By this time, Kathryn was in her groove. She grabbed the microphone from the stand and started walking around, and “talked” to the drummer Nate with her “doo, doo, doo’s.” She looked like the ultimate jazz showman.

When the Aretha anthem was over, everyone was on their feet, clapping and cheering. And Kathryn walked away with an armload of five bouquets.

For Rich’s review, look to the separate article, “Classical Piano Recital.”

Copyright 2010 Idyllwild Me. All rights reserved.

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Vijay Iyer talks with students after his "Math & Music" lecture at Idyllwild Arts

By Marcia E. Gawecki

Internationally-acclaimed jazz pianist and composer Vijay Iyer will play with the Idyllwild Arts student orchestra at the REDCAT Theater at Disney Hall on Mother’s Day this Sunday, May 9 at 5 p.m. Tickets are $25, and proceeds go to Idyllwild Arts.

Iyer, who is an old college friend of Peter Askim, the music director and composer-in-residence at Idyllwild Arts, performed one of his compositions at the concert last night at the IAF Theater.

His piece, entitled “Interventions for Improvised Piano, Electronics & Orchestra,” was met with some skepticism at first.

Connor Merritt was skeptical of Vijay Iyer's composition at first

“It’s really hard to play,” said Conner, a trombone player. “It’s not the kind of music that we’re used to.”

During an interview on You Tube, Iyer discussed that same concern with his “Interventions” piece.

“Classical performers are trained in interpreting musical notes on a page,” Iyer said. “They have lots of ideas on how to do that, and it’s what they’re good at. With this piece, I hope to draw from that expertise.”

But this piece called for certain instruments to improvise, something that jazz musicians are used to, but not classical musicians who play in an orchestra.

To be ready for their performances, each of the sections had extra rehearsals–in addition to their regular orchestra rehearsals. The list was posted on the cafeteria door, and other students knew they wouldn’t be seeing much of the music students during “orchestra week.”

Well, their hard work paid off. Last night’s concert was a success, according to James Duval, a classical flute player and the former head of the Music Department at Idyllwild Arts.

At 10:30 p.m. Saturday night, the concert was over, and Duval was overseeing several students as they loaded up the truck with all of the instruments, including the bass drum. The truck is set to head down the hill Sunday at 9:30 a.m. in plenty of time for the 5 p.m. show at the REDCAT.

“There were a lot of people there tonight,” Duval said. “And they really liked Vijay Iyer’s piece.”

Charles Schlacks, Jr., a former Russian History professor at Berkeley, was among those who attended Saturday’s performance on campus. He has amassed a classical record collection in excess of 40,000, but continues to enjoy live performances.

“The student orchestra always does a nice job,” Schlacks said. “The new music was different than what I’m used to, but it was very nice.”

In another interview on You Tube, Iyer said that he’s used to comments like that about his music. As background, Iyer earned a bachelors degree in math and physics at Yale. Although he studied jazz piano in high school, it wasn’t until after he graduated from college that he became a full-time performer and composer.

“In America, they don’t always support certain arts,” he told an Indian reporter shown on You Tube. “Even if music not commercially popular, it gets out there somehow because it needs to. In the end, music is the healing force, the force of change.”

Iyer mentioned that other musicians, even popular ones, do improvisations too.

“I saw a video of the guy from the Black Eyed Peas who took a speech by (President Barak) Obama and turned it into a piece of music,” he said. “It was his concession speech in New Hampshire. And it had all the rhythms and candances associated with music.”

Iyer taught a "Music & Math" class at Idyllwild Arts Friday

Not surprisingly, much of Iyer’s compositions are based on math principles. In fact, he gave a lecture on “Math and Music” to about 75 Idyllwild Arts students and faculty on Friday, May 7. There, he explained how math is integrated into music.

“Usually, I don’t like music to be too hard, contrary to what you might believe,” Iyer said, amongst laughter from the music students.

He outlined rhythm phrases that crossed over the beat in rhythmic progression, and gave the “A, B, A, B, A” pattern variables.

“As you can see, it is taken on a linear shape,” Iyer said. ‘But this is not music.”

He said that the challenge of being a composer today is to remain fresh, and always learning something new.

“But it helps me to start with something artificial,” Iyer said. “That way, you’re not always starting from the same place each time.”

Then he played some of his improvisations from an amplifier attached to his laptop.

However, Iyer wasn’t the only one with an orchestra piece that was performed Saturday night. Askim, too, featured one of his pieces, a trombone concerto.

“His piece was hard to play too,” said Connor.

Ieseul Yoen, shown at her recital, is looking forward to playing at RedCat Sunday

Senior pianists Ieseul, Linda and Daphne “Kitty,” each got to play different pieces with the orchestra.

Ieseul said that she’s looking forward to playing at the REDCAT.

“Any chance we get to go down the hill and perform before a live audience, is a good thing,” she said.

Another good thing for the Idyllwild Arts student orchestra also happened this weekend.

“Our recording of Tchaikovsky’s 5th Symphony came out Friday, May 7 (Tchaikovsky’s birthday),” Askim said. “It is a CD/DVD set, and I think it will be good.”

To hear that recording, visit iTunes at www.itunes.com.

For tickets and more information about the RedCat performance on Sunday, May 9, at 5 p.m., visit www.redcat.org, or call (213) 237-2800. Tickets are $25 for the general public and $10 for students with I.D.

Copyright 2010 Idyllwild Me. All rights reserved.

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Jazz pianist and composer Vijay Iyer will be performing with the Idyllwild Arts student orchestra tonight, Saturday, May 8, at the IAF Theater in the Bowman Center, and then at the REDCAT Theater at Disney Hall in LA on Sunday.

Iyer and the orchestra will be performing “Interventions,” his first orchestra piece. Mostly, Iyer plays jazz improvisations with his trio, but he came to Idyllwild this week as a favor to Peter Askim, music director and composer-in-residence at Idyllwild Arts.

“We played jazz together in college,” Askim said.

A day before this concert, however, Iyer is not resting. He gave an hour-long lecture at Idyllwild Arts on math and music. He has math and physics degrees from Yale, but after graduating, he started jamming on piano at the Bird Kage in Oakland. He now performs worldwide with his band, the Vijay Iyer trio, and has won critical acclaim.

At the lecture held in the Fireside Room before about 75 music students and faculty, Iyer mixed his two loves, mathmatics with sounds from an amplifier hooked up to his laptop.

Although he described what he was saying as “nothing more than 7th grade math, he lost me at the end. However, most of the students, trained in music and notes, were following along on his whiteboard presentation, and giving him the right answers.

He described himself as coming from Indian descent, and said his music was earlier influenced by Indian classical and religious music. He looked more like a mathematician with his slight build, round glasses and cropped hair. But his large hands gave him away as also being a musician.

As a preview to his math and music lecture, Iyer sent Askim several articles from newspapers in which he describes how math has influenced architecture and music from ancient buildings to Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean.”

More to come!

(from L) Scesney, Barron, Hensinger & Levenson at his sr. jazz recital

For jazz lovers, there’s nothing like live jazz. It’s good for the soul. CDs are fine for listening, but with live jazz, you have experience of them playing right in front of you. You see them getting “lost” in their playing, jamming with other musicians, and sweating after the show.

Last Friday, April 23, for one glorious hour, we got to hear live, Chicago-style jazz in Idyllwild. Not from some leathery old souls in a smoke-filled bar, but teenagers in a well-lit recital hall on the Idyllwild Arts campus. Some of the jazz students were even playing their own compositions.

Two high school seniors, one on drums and the other on electric guitar, wowed the intimate crowd made up of mostly classmates and faculty. If you were to close your eyes, and not look at those eager, young faces, you’d swear you were sitting in a club in Chicago.

Nate Levenson, on drums, was first. His lineup of songs included some jazz standards, like “Red Clay” by Freddie Hubbard, but another was “Dip De Do,” a never-heard-before composition by his friend, Caleb Hensinger on trumpet.

With drums, it’s kind of tricky to do a solo recital. Drums are always the backbeat of a song, never the melody. So Levenson “got a little help from his friends,” including Mint Park on electric guitar, Jacob Scesney on alto sax, Anthony Leung on tenor sax, Hallie Hudson on piano, Benny Kleinerman on piano, Caleb Hensinger on trumpet, and Alejandro Barron on bass and electric guitar.

For only being 18, Levenson had a good command of his audience. He opened with, “How are you guys doing tonight?” He dedicated his first song, “Mamacita,” to his girlfriend, Caleigh Birrell, who was seated in the audience.

Scesney and Hensinger both had solos during the recital

For his second piece, Levenson took a backseat at his own recital to showcase his friend, Caleb Hensinger.

“The next piece is called ‘Dip De Do’ by my friend, Caleb,” Levenson said. “He had too many pieces to play during his recital, and couldn’t play this one. I liked it, so I asked him to play it tonight.”

Hensinger, who is only a junior, was a showman during his own piece that was upbeat, but didn’t sound like a novice created it. On certain notes, he pointed his horn high in the air. During the “moody” parts, his horn was low.

It was a risk for Levenson to turn it over to a showman, and there he was playing the backbeat during his own recital. But it takes a big man to let someone else have the spotlight, and the audience appreciated his gesture.

And for the modest jazz drummer, it took the pressure off of him for a few moments.

The next piece was the highlight of Levenson’s portion of the show. This time, he turned it over to Jacob Scesney, on alto sax. Scesney performed a rendition of “Morning Bell.” It was first performed by Radiohead, then Chris Potter, his favorite sax player, did his own rendition of it. Then Scesney played off of Potter’s version.

“I think you can still tell what it is,” Scesney had said before the show.

From the moment he played his first note, you could tell Scesney was in love with this song. It was evident on his face, in his closed eyes, the slight smile on his face, his body language, and even the curl in his hair. Everything seemed to be wired into that song.

And the audience was paying attention. They were on the edge of their seats, loving every moment. No one spoke, and all eyes were fixed on Scesney. When it was over, the audience erupted in applause. For a long moment afterwards, Scesney was still “feeling it” in his own world. Levenson had to bring him back.

“Are you OK?” Levenson asked.

“What are we playing next?” Scesney asked, trying to snap out of his trance.

It was a moment to remember. No one would think that a rendition of a rendition could be so good. But it was, it was.

'Nate played great!' said Harold Mason, his teacher

Although he had turned the spotlight over to a trumpeter and saxman, Levenson knew what he was doing during his senior show. He would steal the spotlight, and do drum solos, that would make him smile and grab the audience’s attention.

According to Harold Mason, his teacher, who came to Idyllwild all the way from Rancho Cucamonga on that snowy night, Levenson played “just great!”

Next up on the roster was Mint Park and her electric guitar. It goes without saying that in the jazz world, there are mostly male musicians. The women were the singers, such as Sarah Vaughn, Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday. No woman musician comes to mind.

So Park is blazing her own trail. Not to be ignored, she wore a bubblegum pink blazer. Her signature cropped hair (on one side) hung in her eyes as she warmed up. No shrinking violet, she commanded the boys when she was ready to start.

Mint Park (center) played two of her own compositions

Park’s lineup included jazz standards, “Lullaby of Bird Land” by George Shearling, and “Take Five” by Paul Desmond. Her electric guitar riffs had to fight to be heard above the other instruments, but it was clear and confident.

For her third piece, Park mixed up the order of things. She played “Chocolate,” her own composition, based on an all-school party that featured chocolate. (One never knows what serves as musical inspiration).

An added bonus was when Park took the mike and started to sing. She had a decent enough voice, but it was hard to hear above the music. Next time, she need to gain confidence and get closer to the mike.

Park’s fourth piece, “View from Moscow,” by Kurt Rosenwinkel, was met by a “Yeah!” from Marietta, Russian film student, and applause from the audience.

Yet, it was Park’s last piece that everyone will remember: “Star Gazing,” which was her own composition.

“I’m mixing up the program a little bit,” she said, half apologetically. “But they always tell you that it can happen three minutes before the tune starts.”

Then she invited the audience to “star gaze” with her, and shut off the lights. During that tune that she wrote herself, you could only see the silhouettes of the jazz players in the dark. That’s when it really sounded like masters playing in a club in Chicago.

“I was a little disoriented at first when the lights went out,” said Karin Obermeier, a literature teacher at Idyllwild Arts. She attended the jazz recital with her young son, who didn’t seem to mind.

However, later, the stories came out.

“It was cool when the lights went out, but the piano player was left in the dark,” said Simone Huls, an ESL teacher at Idyllwild Arts.

Jazz pianist Hallie Hudson hadn’t memorized Park’s music, and was relying on the sheet music in front of her. When the lights went out, she couldn’t see, and had to improvise.

The audience wasn’t the wiser.

“It’s too bad that we couldn’t see the stars when Mint turned out the lights,” said one student later. “The windows were too dirty, and there were pine trees in the way. But it was a nice idea anyway.”

For those of us who love live jazz, it was a slice of heaven.

Be sure and check the Idyllwild Arts web site for the next jazz recital. Visit www.idyllwild arts.org.

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Jacob & Alejandro have a jazz jam at The Greek Place on Sundays

“Nice work if you can get it,” sang Ella Fitzgerald, one of the jazz greats, of a George Gershwin tune.

Finding gigs has never been easy for musicians. It’s not enough that you can play or sing well, but you have to find a venue to support you.

It can be more challenging if you’re young, don’t have any local contacts or a car to get there.

But sometimes, all you have to do is ask. Such was the case for Alejandro Barron and his buddies Jacob Scesney and Caleb Hensinger.  All three are jazz music students at Idyllwild Arts Academy and were looking for weekend work.

“I just stopped by a few places in town, and asked if they were interested in having a jazz combo,” said Barron.

Demetri, from The Greek Place, a popular restaurant among students, agreed to have them play on Sunday afternoons for a couple of hours.

“The owner said that he couldn’t afford to pay us, but he’d give us free food,” Barron said.

They didn’t mind “playing for their supper,” because they were sick of dorm food, and all loved Greek food anyway. Later on, they put out a tip jar. After a two-hour session, they generally make about $18 to split.

Jacob sometimes plays his own tunes

“This Sunday afternoon gig is good for us because we get a chance to practice our music for two hours,” Scesney said. “More than that, we get honest reactions from people who are not our friends or teachers.”

During the winter months, Barron, on bass guitar, Scesney, on alto saxophone and sometimes Hensinger, on trumpet, would play their favorite jazz tunes in the corner of the restaurant.

“It can be hard getting a comfortable volume level,” Barron explained. “You don’t want to blast the couple eating in front of you, but you want the guy in the back corner to hear you too.”

Most times, they’d play jazz standards for the diners. But sometimes, they’d play tunes that Scesney wrote, which was rewarding for him.

“Recently, I wrote my own arrangement of a Chris Potter tune,” Scesney said. Chris Potter is his favorite sax player. “Anyway, Radiohead played it first, then Chris did an arrangement, and then I did mine off his. You can still recognize it though.”

(This new arrangement will be played by Nate Levenson, a jazz drummer, at his senior recital at Stephens this Friday, April 23 at 7:30 p.m.)

Last week, they played outside the Greek Place in the Village Lane. That way, the other 12 shops could enjoy their jam session.

“It was a little cold out there in the shade,” Barron said. “My fingers were numb.”

Jazz musicians just wanna play

But they’re not complaining. They’ve got a regular gig going—at least until June when they break for the summer.

Hear their jazz combo at The Greek Place restaurant most Sundays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Charlie Clist plays violin as her mom accompanies her on piano

Senior recitals continued this week at Idyllwild Arts. With 109 graduating seniors, many of whom are music students, recitals are planned at Stephens Recital Hall each week until the end of May.

On Monday evening, April 19, Charlotte “Charlie” Clist, a violinist and A-Tao Liu, a cellist, got their moment in the spotlight.

In a long black halter dress with green and copper peacock “eyes” around the neckline, Clist looked radiant. Yet, being a defiant teenager, she also had bare feet.

Clist began her performance with a String Quartet by Joseph-Maurice Ravel, “Assez vif-Tres Rythme” with her friends, Lea Hausmann on violin; Sheila Bernhoft on viola, and Ting-Yu Yang on cello. The four kept a good pace, often looking over at each other for timing. Hausmann was modest in her role as second violin. During this piece by Ravel, there was a lot of finger plucking by the string instruments. At the end of this short piece, the quartet held their bows high in the air.

For her second piece, a “Violin Concerto” by the American composer Samuel Barber, Clist was accompanied by her mother, Susan Bird, on piano. Aside from the hair color, the two were mirror images of each other, tall, thin and smiling as they played.

As it turns out, performing together is a Clist family tradition. Her mother plays piano, her father plays the French horn, and her sister plays the cello. After graduation, Clist will likely take a year off from her studies to travel and perform with her family, said Chuck Streeter, who used to drive Clist to her weekly music lessons.

Charlie (R) exits with friend, Sheila

The Barber “Violin Concerto” was a long piece that appeared to last 15 minutes, including the allegro, andante and presto in moto perpetuo. It gave both Clist and her mother quite a workout. When both were playing feverently, one could only envision Barber created something chaotic, like someone falling down a staircase. Several times during breaks in that piece, Clist would absentmindedly wipe sweat from her hand onto her dress.

Clist ended her senior recital as it began: with another string quartet by Ravel performed by the same talented friends. “Allegro Moderato-Tres doux” sounded very pleasant, like springtime. It is not surprising since the French composer is known for his “Impressionist” music with signature melodies and “textures.”

After several bows, Clist received a bouquet of red roses from her fellow violist, Henry Chi.

A-Tao Liu appeared onstage in a red, knee-length dress with layers of subtle ruffles, and high-heeled black pumps. Her waist-length hair was pulled back in a clasp, but hung by her side.

A-Tao plays bassoon, a large instrument

Many of us only see bassoons as part of an orchestra, but in this recital, we got to see one up close. And it’s a very large instrument indeed! Yet, after years of practice, A-Liu handled it with grace, often swaying from side to side as she played. Oftentimes, it sounded like the haunting instrument, but other times, it even sounded like a jazz saxophone or even a clarinet.

“That was jolly,” said Susan Bird (Clist’s mom) after Liu played “Solo De Concert” by Gabriel Pierne. Liu was accompanied by Keri Hui on piano.

“Stick around, there’s more of that to come,” quipped Peter Askim, music director at Idyllwild Arts, who was sitting next to her.

Liu’s next piece, “Valsa da Outra Esquina” by the Brazilian composer, Francisco Paulo Mignone, was performed without any accompaniment. It was just Liu and her bassoon. In between, however, you could hear her taking long breaths to feed the sound of that massive instrument.

During her next piece, “Serenata-Invano by Nielsen, Liu was accompanied by an ensemble of her friends, including Shen Liu on clarinet; Seann Trull on French horn; Monica Yang on cello and Mariya-Andoniya Andonova on bass.

A-Tao's ensemble of friends

Although the clarinet and French horns were standouts in that piece, it was difficult to hear Liu’s bassoon at times. Like a bass, a bassoon has many low notes and is often the “backbone” of the piece.

Next came the moody “Sarabande et Cortege” by French composer, Henri Dutilleux, that showcased Liu’s ability to play high notes.

For her final piece, “Concert Piece No. 1” by German compose, Felix Mendelssohn, Liu was joined by two more friends, Ruogu “William” Wang on clarinet and leSeul Yoen on piano. During this ensemble, however, Liu’s bassoon didn’t get lost.

A-Tao & friends Ruogu and leSeul

During her curtain bows, Liu received bouquets of flowers from her friends. Afterwards, there was a long line waiting to congratulate her. Next year, Liu is trying to decide whether to go to Oberlin College in Ohio or the Manhattan School of Music in New York.

Backstage Badge for Mark Knopfler's Concert

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By Marcia E. Gawecki

Last night, I almost met Mark Knopfler.

Everyone knows he’s the lead singer and guitarist who started the 70s British rock band, Dire Straits. Anyway, I was within arm’s reach of him backstage on Thursday, April 15th at Pechanga Casino in Temecula starting on his “Get Lucky” World Tour.

Jeffrey Taylor, my boyfriend who runs Green Cafe in Idyllwild, was working on the assistant stage manager’s computer. Jeff had just told me, “Mark Knopfler’s walking around here somewhere. You might see him.” Then I got  a call, and walked to a back room for more privacy. Well, it was about five minutes into the conversation when Knopfler came in.

He was listening to someone his cell phone too–probably the Queen congratulating him–and I was talking to my Mom about my cat that was recovering from a fight.

No kidding, Knopfler was within arm’s reach. He wasn’t too tall, with pale skin and light blue eyes that could look right through you. I said “Good-bye” to my Mom and “Hi,” to him as I passed him in the doorway. He didn’t smile, and looked down to concentrate more on what the other person was saying. He smiled only twice onstage that night–after his encores.

Just then, a guitarist from his band walked back there listening to his cell phone too. Perhaps they were wondering if I was an overzealous fan who bolted past the guard door ready to meet Mark. They both followed me back to the dressing room where Jeff was still working on computers.

“Is that Mark Knopfler?” I whispered to Pete, the assistant stage manager, pointing outside.

“No,” Pete said,without looking up or out the door. After all, he was busy, and had to protect Mark Knopfler from fans who wanted an autograph or to do something crazy (so they could write about it later on their blog site!)

Other fans did silly things that night too. These were grown men, with $50 haircuts and suede jackets, who probably grew up listening to Dire Straits on their headphones. There were thousands of them in the audience, all eager to hear the legend. One elderly fan in particular, walked along the stage during one of Mark’s songs, smiling like a lunatic, then offered a high “peace” sign. Another fan walked along the stage later that night too.  Unfazed, Mark just kept on playing his electric guitar. People just wanted to get close to him, close as they could get to greatness.

Jeremy Norton, the former web site designer for Idyllwild Arts, and I sat about 10 rows back during the show. The seats, a gift from Paul, the stage manager, were about $500 each. Others closer to the stage were about $1,000, Jeff said.

The guy seated next to me came all the way from Tijuana, about 1 1/2 hours from Temecula. He was wearing a long-sleeved black “Get Lucky Tour” T-shirt, and beaming. He had been to Las Vegas the week before, and wanted tickets, but was told that the show was “sold out.” Then someone turned in tickets tonight, and he got to buy one.

“This guy rarely gives concerts,” he said like a lifelong fan. “I see him a lot on TV doing benefit concerts with famous people, but he never goes on tour himself. I’m so lucky to be here. He’s the master.”

The guy next to him sang along to most of the songs. It was an entire arena of grown men who nodded to the music and couldn’t stop smiling. When Mark sang, “Romeo and Juliet,” he was singing for all those “lovesick Romeos” out there waiting in the shadows for their Juliets with their guitars.

“All I can do is love you … When I saw you there, my heart exploded … You and me, babe, how about it?” Mark Knopfler sang the words in his telltale whiskey voice.

After nearly every song, his fans would shout out requests. Some even interrupted him when he was trying to talk.

“Brothers in Arms!” “Walk of Life!” “Money for Nothing!” They commanded.

“They’re coming in fast and furious now,” he said, good-naturedly. “We’ll try and accommodate you.”

He sang for two hours with new hits and old favorites, including “Sultans of Swing,” and “So Far Away from You.”  Mark Knopfler brought everyone back to a time when Dire Straits was at its peak and life was much simpler.

Even Pieta Brown, the young singer who sounded like Chrissie Hynde, who opened for this “Get Lucky” tour, was a Dire Straits fan.

“I had this old cassette tape of Dire Straits that belonged to my stepmother,” she said onstage. “I played it so much that I wore it out. I’ve never done that before, actually wore out a tape. And now, here I am opening up for Mark’s show.”

“Sometimes, you just get lucky,” Mark sang later.

“Why did Mark play at Pechanga, and not at an arena in San Diego?” Jeff asked Pete, the assistant stage manager, who calls him “Mad Jeff.” (For privacy, we omitted his last name).

“Mark likes to play smaller venues where it’s more intimate,” Pete said. “It’s not about the money.” He was buying Mark a shirt at Pechanga’s pro golf shop. The wind was blowing wildly outside on the golf course. Pete said that he and Mark play tennis while on the road.

“He’s the only musician that I know that gets 70 million hits online with one record,” Jeff said later. “He’s great on electric guitar. He’s like the Tom Petty of Europe.”

He’s also got quite a collection of guitars. Red and white electric ones, regular ones, large and small ones. Fenders and Gibson Les Paul’s. He’s got about 70 in all, and many of them were onstage that night. After each song, a stagehand would come out with another one, and Mark would switch. During one song, he changed guitars twice.

Not only was Mark Knopfler changing guitars, but all his band mates were too. Even the flute player played guitar. It was quite an arsenal of instruments, but somehow they managed to keep it all straight.

After three encores, with all of his “mates” standing next to him onstage, including the drummer from Dire Straits, Mark Knopfler finally smiled.

“I just love this town,” he said, and blew a kiss to his fans, mostly grown men who were on their feet more than in their seats. After the final encore, Mark Knopfler turned his back to the audience and pointed his electric guitar high in the air. He was beaming like a guy who likes to perform live.

And to think, a few short hours earlier, I was backstage annoying him.

For more information on Mark Knopfler’s “Get Lucky” World Tour, visit his official web site, www.markknopfler.com.

Copyright 2010 Idyllwild Me. All rights reserved.

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