Saturday
night, we drove down to Toronto for one of our whirlwind concert adventures. We
picked up Shauna’s 92 year-old mom E.T., and headed over to Roy Thompson Hall
to see Chris Botti perform with his band. For those unfamiliar with Chris
Botti, he is a world class, Grammy Award-winning trumpet player whom Shauna and I have seen four or
five times. As a teenager, Botti was good enough to play with Frank Sinatra and
his band. Now into his fifties, he is the headliner, touring with only the best musicians.
The first time we saw him, many years ago, he opened for Sting at Massey Hall.
We had no idea who he was at the time, but we were astounded by his talent. Since
then, we try to see him any chance we get. The summer before last, we took E.T.
to see him perform at Roy Thompson Hall, while she was recovering from a bad fall. She’d
broken her neck that spring and for a while there, we didn’t know whether she’d
ever be able to resume a normal life. That concert was her first outing after
the accident, and it was a game changer for her spirits. She was wearing a
rather imposing neck brace, and when Botti came down from the stage to play in
the aisles, he noticed her, and played an entire solo standing right in front of her. Jump ahead eighteen months, to last Saturday night, when we were in
roughly the same seats, in the same venue, but on the other side of the aisle.
He must have recognized E.T., even without her neck brace, and didn’t he play
to her again! After serenading her with a beautiful solo, he took her hand and
asked her how she was doing. We’re not sure why we were so fortunate. That kind
gesture surely made E.T.’s night. A lady in the audience, Caroline Farquhar, videotaped the event, and it is now
posted on YouTube as well as on Shauna's Facebook page.
As I said,
Botti always travels with exceptional musicians, and he had a virtuoso violinist with him
Saturday night who was remarkably entertaining. Her name is Sandy Cameron and,
not only is she an excellent violinist, but her emotion was palpable. She leapt around the stage like a cheetah, visibly acting out every note she
played with passion and fire. Chris Botti seems to be extremely supportive of
young musicians coming up the ranks, and often at his concerts, he will call up
some young musician from the audience to join him onstage. This is always a
thrill for the kids and audience alike. At a time when funding for the arts is
drying up, musicians like Chris Botti are the inspirations for the next
generation.
Last
Friday night, I got a taste of that sentiment at our local open stage at the Burk’s
Falls Legion. The “3rd Friday Coffee House” typically includes five or six
acts, and the performances range from fair to inspired. For me, the best
part about these local concerts is that they encourage the community to come
together and support its own. Most famous musicians will probably tell you they
got their start with the support of parents, or someone in their local community.
YouTube is filled with videos of young stars in the making, performing at local
venues. Last Friday night, local resident and professional musician, Sean Cotton, took the stage with his son Jesse and the rest of Jesse’s band. I really enjoyed the set, wherein Jesse played
four or five of his original songs, and I recorded the performance. Today, I dropped off a copy to Sean. I often
record local performances because I know it is helpful to hear one’s live
performances. After thirty five years of playing open mics in various places, I
know that every so often, there will be a live performance which is
exceptional. For me, nothing compares to the experience of seeing and
hearing good music performed live. Perhaps due to the increasing popularity of YouTube, and the availability of on-demand video of almost any performance one might want
to see, there seems to be waning interest in attending live performances. I
read that some music festivals are struggling to survive because they can’t
sell enough seats. As well, some of the clubs and small venues are facing
similar challenges. I will always prefer a good live performance to a studio
recording.
Driving home
from the Botti concert in the moonless, rainy, wee hours of Sunday morning, I heard
on the radio that the legendary Chuck Berry had passed away. He was ninety years old. In my head, I could hear Johnny Winter’s live version of Berry’s hit Johnny B.
Goode. I hope that when I pass on, I will leave behind at least one memorable song. Maybe one of those young musicians coming up through the ranks
will have a hit with a Jamie Oppenheimer original.
Written by Jamie
Oppenheimer c2017 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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