Beth McDonald returns to the Avalon Theatre

On Friday, December 7th, at 8pm, Beth McDonald returns to the Avalon Theatre; this time to the Stoltz Listening room. Pictured above is Beth's last (featured) appearance at the Avalon, with me accompanying. This time, just a duo, in the intimate Stoltz room. Over the past months, Beth and I have worked up enough new material to fill a suitcase or two (or perhaps it just feels like that). Expect a variety of Christmas and Holiday favorites, happy and fun songs celebrating the joy of life, sultry and poignant love ballads, and the debut of a new Beth original (or two). Tickets are on sale now, and will (based upon the attendance at Beth's previous shows) very likely sell out prior to the date, so reserve now. You'll be glad you did.   

New Video Playlist - Willow Valley Lakes Manor - 9/24/12

On Monday evening, September 24th, it was a joy to return to Willow Valley Lakes Manor, in Willow Street (greater Lancaster) PA. I've lost track of how many times I've performed in their auditorium, on their fine piano. Over a decade ago, my friend, Dr. Jack Wilkins and his wife Anne moved in to the Independent Living community, and it wasn't long before Dr. Jack had talked me up sufficiently to receive an invitation to perform. The rest is ... what it is. This is (at least) the third performance at WVLM from which I've posted video on You Tube, and the second time I've used the video recording of their own feed. It's a great set up. In addition to the wonderful piano, they project video on the large (centered) screen, which will be evident from time to time as you watch. This compensates for the piano being on the far left of the stage (perfect for accompanying), and enhances the connection experience with the audience. The concert was well attended, and the residents and guests very receptive and supportive (as always). In contrast to many of my video postings, which capture the sound from the camera (often in the back of the room - great for feeling the vibe and response from the audience), this one uses only the piano and stage mics. Still, you will get the sense of the fun and positive energy of the evening. looking forward to returning to Willow Valley Lakes Manor on April 22, 2013. Thank to Sue Albright for her kind and supportive spirit, and for the continuing opportunity to perform for the residents. 

Concert Review - Tri State Jazz Society - 10-7-12

in the November edition of the Tri-State Jazz Society Strutter, this review was published  on last month's concert in Wallingford, PA.  

JOE HOLT

OCTOBER 7 CONCERT REVIEW

Jazzman Bunk Johnson once said, “Jazz is playin'

from the heart; you don't lie.” Or maybe it was

Louis Armstrong.

At any rate, one interpretation of the above

statement would be to say that a jazz musician's

improvised performances are a reflection and/or

extension of his or her unique personality.

Which brings us to the appearance of Chestertown,

Maryland jazz pianist Joe Holt at the Wallingford

Community Arts Center, sponsored by Tri-State

Jazz Society, on Sunday, October 7.

I have known Joe for several years now, having

performed and even been on the road with him as

members of the Midiri brothers' unit. We have had

many conversations about the art and craft of

performing jazz. I can tell you, he's a quirky guy.

And his eclectic approach to music, to jazz, and to

the piano are a reflection of that quirkiness. He is

the genuine article, an artiste, whose work is a

reflection and an extension of who he is. He plays

from the heart, mind and soul; he does not lie. And

he is at his very best when playing his unique brand

of solo piano for an appreciative audience.

October 7 was an overcast, rainy day. Those who

stayed away that day missed an interesting and

eclectic program of improvisational piano artistry. A

bonus to his performance was the presence of a

camera, trained on the piano's keyboard, its images

displayed in real-time on a large television screen

next to the piano, enabling the audience to watch

Joe's hands work the keyboard, a fascinating

enhancement to the aural experience.

Joe began his concert with a nicely arranged

version of George Gershwin's classic “Nice Work if

You Can Get It.” In the key of F major, Joe played

the first three sections of the first chorus rubato

(expressively and without a defined tempo). In the

fourth section of the first chorus, he swung into a

nice, swinging medium tempo.

The second chorus found Joe paying homage to one

of his main musical influences, the late, great New

England jazz pianist Dave McKenna, by playing a

walking bass line with his left hand, and a deft,

single-note improvisation with his right.

Stride piano was the next style, into which Joe

effortlessly transitioned for chorus number three. (I

always like to think of and refer to the stride piano

style as “industrial-strength ragtime.”)

Chorus number four was a neat trick: a bass

register single line jazz solo with the left hand (no

mean feat), accompanied by quarter-note chords in

the right. Imagine a bass solo by Ray Brown,

accompanied by Bass guitarist Freddie Green. But

on piano. There were hints of ¾ time in the bridge,

but very subtle. At the end of the last section after

the bridge, Holt skillfully wrapped things up with a

clever tag and ending. Nice work, indeed.

After the Gershwin opus, the audience was treated

to Joe's musical musings on Lerner and Loew's “I'm

Getting Married in the Morning,” Hoagy

Carmichael's eternally-beautiful “Stardust,” Maceo

Pinkard's “Sweet Georgia Brown” and even

modernist Miles Davis' “Solar,” among many other

tunes.

Holt told the audience that he does not consider

himself a stride pianist “because there are so many

who do it better,” naming Fats Waller as well as

present-day practitioners Neville Dickie and Jeff

Barnhart. After this modest self-assessment, he

launched into a perfectly acceptable and swinging

stride performance of the Waller chestnut “Ain't

Misbehavin,'” his left hand clean and accurate, his

right hand dancingly creative.

Holt does like to talk between songs and his

comments are as quirky and rambling as his

playing, but his verbal, stream-of-consciousness

insights into music are worth considering. For

example, he expressed his opinion that Oscar

Peterson's style was not an extension of Art

Tatum's, but rather, of Nat King Cole's. I had never

considered this, but as I thought about it during his

performance of “Sweet Lorraine” (recorded by both

Peterson and Cole, who had a big hit with it), Joe's

comments made perfect sense to me.

A couple of surprises were Joe's eclectic choices of

the famous Pachelbel Canon (a classical

composition) and Scott Joplin's “Maple Leaf Rag,”

both of which were performed with improvised

sections that, while remaining true to their

respective genres, were simultaneously extensions

of Joe Holt's unique personhood and statements of

his own musical vision.

By the end of the afternoon's proceedings, Joe had

run the full gamut of jazz piano styles, from Fats

Waller to Keith Jarrett, with echoes of Erroll

Garner, Nat King Cole, Bill Evans, and especially

the late Dave McKenna. (Indeed, Holt's latest solo

piano CD is a tribute to McKenna, entitled “The

Spirit of Dave McKenna.”) And, yet, through the

virtuosic display of such a wide variety of piano

stylings, and, perhaps, in spite of them, Joe's own

unique musical vision remained clearly present.

Beyond the actual playing of the piano, Joe's

quirkiness is further evidenced when he sings along

with his lines and when he utters spontaneous

verbal expressions in support of the music he is

making while he is making it. To illustrate, at one

point, during “Sweet Georgia Brown,” his left hand,

as though it had a mind of its own, began a

rambling musical ascent up the keyboard, even as

his right hand shot up in the air and stayed there,

as Joe uttered some inaudible comment, seemingly

a complete sentence, probably to no one in

particular or to everyone or to himself alone.

These idiosyncrasies come from the heart, mind

and soul of Joe Holt and are a part of his musical

statement. He has found the elusive balance sought

by all jazz musicians: the balance between the craft

of performing music that is recognizable as being in

the traditions of jazz, and the artistry of creating a

very personal expression within those same

traditions.

I acquired a copy of Joe's latest CD, “In the Spirit of

Dave McKenna.” It is a wonderful recording which

I recommend. But Joe's artistry is best enjoyed live

in concert where he is comfortably spontaneous

and plays with a controlled abandon (which I did

not hear in the recording).

By Ed Wise