"Not for these three weeks, though, and especially not for The Seven Deadly Sins concert Nov. 1 (repeated Nov. 2) at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall that showcased Portland composition and improv kings, a performance queen with a cult-like following, and a 15-year-old music-maker with a cunning sense of humor. Minus some amplification problems and a Richard Wagner warhorse, the two-hour concert with intermission brought surprises and well-deserved stand-up applause - a standard Portland ritual."
"The world premiere of prolific Portland-via-New-York composer David Schiff's jazzy piano concerto Uptown/Downtown was the evening's high point, inspired in part by the Langston Hughes 1951 poem, "Dream Deferred,'' published the same year in the collection, Montage of a Dream Deferred. Portland master improviser/jazz-pianist/composer Darrell Grant brought the 21-minute piece to unpredictable exuberant life on the Steinway grand, proving Thelonius Monk's assertion that "the piano ain't got no wrong notes.""
"Schiff complained about the meek piano acoustics, but I didn't hear the orchestra drown out the piano. (My ears aren't as acute as Schiff's.) Jazz piano is usually played in smaller settings rather than in vast concert halls, so it's essential to adequately amp it up when going solo in such venues as the Schnitz, especially when the orchestra is playing behind it. Apparently, the acoustics were adjusted for the Sunday concert, Schiff said, and it sounded much better. (I attended the Saturday concert.)"
Sounds Like Portland festival presented a three-week celebration of local composers and performers culminating in The Seven Deadly Sins concerts at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. The program showcased David Schiff's world-premiere Uptown/Downtown, inspired partly by Langston Hughes, with Darrell Grant improvising a 21-minute jazz-infused piano concerto. The concert combined eclectic programming — including a performance queen, improvisers, and a 15-year-old musician — and faced some amplification and acoustic challenges that affected the solo piano on Saturday but were reportedly adjusted for Sunday. The evening included a Wagner excerpt and earned enthusiastic standing ovations for its surprises and collaborations.
Read at Oregon ArtsWatch * Arts & Culture News
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