"Rabbit, Rabbit!"
As I was getting a milkshake yesterday with
twisby, she informed me of a superstition which holds that if you say "rabbit, rabbit" on the first day of the month, the rest of that month is sure to turn out splendidly. As a person susceptible to these sorts of tricks, I immediately proceeded to utter the fateful words. "No," she then said, "you've got to do it as soon as you wake up in the morning." However, if things continue for the rest of June in the way the first 36 hours of the month have indicated, I will continue to believe in whole-heartedly in the superstition. Yesterday I found out that I won the Fishbein Prize, which is awarded by the HIPS department for the best undergrad thesis. It also comes with $500, which combined with my very-very-late tax refund should see me through till next month when I get my first Argonne paycheck. Then, I found out that somehow I pulled off my best academic quarter ever, which is strange because this is the quarter in which I feel I did the least work and was crippled by senioritis.
Then, last night!
richardfan, her friend Benno, and I went to see Dave Brubeck at Symphony Center. It was probably the greatest musical experience of my life. A group of Brubeck's students, all younger than I, opened for him. They were pretty excellent, especially given their age, although for their final number they rushed through "Blue Rondo a la Turk," which is a real tragedy. I know the piece moves quickly, but they were going at such a breakneck speed that all the notes sounded flat -- not that they sounded off-pitch, but that they were just so expressionless. If you ever hear the recording of that piece on Time Out, one of the things you notice is that despite the fact that they play the A section in a fast and ridiculously complicated 9/8, Paul Desmond really puts a lot of nuance into his alto. Sorry, this is incredible snobbery, but it has to be said. They were just kids, they were great kids, but they got shown up by the masters. When Brubeck took the stage, the difference in quality was immediately apparent. One thing worth noting -- his saxophonist, Bobby Militello, played with a sound much much closer to Charlie Parker than to Desmond. Militello was a virtuoso, not just technically but emotionally as well -- so much so that it didn't really bother me that he didn't sound at all like Desmond, who is my favorite musician.
For the last number, they played Take Five (as everyone anticipated they would). The one part of it that was just amazing was a five minute drum solo that was actually the first drum solo that I have ever gotten into. Before they seemed unnecessary and random -- this one made sense and was absolutely incredible. At one point the drummer, Randy Jones, is just whaling to a ridiculously fast 5/4 (hence, take five) on his drums, just going berserk, and then he starts just throwing at the cymbal -- right on five every time. I mean, it was inhuman, how fast and accurately he was playing. He got a standing ovation when he finished.
The only downer of the evening was that Brubeck came back onstage -- very reticently -- for a second encore, played a few bars of Brahms' Lullaby, and then stopped and took his final bows. I would have paid another twenty dollars just to see what he would have made of that -- just as a solo pianist. I'm sure it would have been incredible -- but he had already done so much. It was just a spectacular performance all around.
twisby, she informed me of a superstition which holds that if you say "rabbit, rabbit" on the first day of the month, the rest of that month is sure to turn out splendidly. As a person susceptible to these sorts of tricks, I immediately proceeded to utter the fateful words. "No," she then said, "you've got to do it as soon as you wake up in the morning." However, if things continue for the rest of June in the way the first 36 hours of the month have indicated, I will continue to believe in whole-heartedly in the superstition. Yesterday I found out that I won the Fishbein Prize, which is awarded by the HIPS department for the best undergrad thesis. It also comes with $500, which combined with my very-very-late tax refund should see me through till next month when I get my first Argonne paycheck. Then, I found out that somehow I pulled off my best academic quarter ever, which is strange because this is the quarter in which I feel I did the least work and was crippled by senioritis.
Then, last night!
richardfan, her friend Benno, and I went to see Dave Brubeck at Symphony Center. It was probably the greatest musical experience of my life. A group of Brubeck's students, all younger than I, opened for him. They were pretty excellent, especially given their age, although for their final number they rushed through "Blue Rondo a la Turk," which is a real tragedy. I know the piece moves quickly, but they were going at such a breakneck speed that all the notes sounded flat -- not that they sounded off-pitch, but that they were just so expressionless. If you ever hear the recording of that piece on Time Out, one of the things you notice is that despite the fact that they play the A section in a fast and ridiculously complicated 9/8, Paul Desmond really puts a lot of nuance into his alto. Sorry, this is incredible snobbery, but it has to be said. They were just kids, they were great kids, but they got shown up by the masters. When Brubeck took the stage, the difference in quality was immediately apparent. One thing worth noting -- his saxophonist, Bobby Militello, played with a sound much much closer to Charlie Parker than to Desmond. Militello was a virtuoso, not just technically but emotionally as well -- so much so that it didn't really bother me that he didn't sound at all like Desmond, who is my favorite musician.
For the last number, they played Take Five (as everyone anticipated they would). The one part of it that was just amazing was a five minute drum solo that was actually the first drum solo that I have ever gotten into. Before they seemed unnecessary and random -- this one made sense and was absolutely incredible. At one point the drummer, Randy Jones, is just whaling to a ridiculously fast 5/4 (hence, take five) on his drums, just going berserk, and then he starts just throwing at the cymbal -- right on five every time. I mean, it was inhuman, how fast and accurately he was playing. He got a standing ovation when he finished.
The only downer of the evening was that Brubeck came back onstage -- very reticently -- for a second encore, played a few bars of Brahms' Lullaby, and then stopped and took his final bows. I would have paid another twenty dollars just to see what he would have made of that -- just as a solo pianist. I'm sure it would have been incredible -- but he had already done so much. It was just a spectacular performance all around.