double shot

This summer, I attempted to see Rush twice – in Irvine and Atlanta. I actually heard them twice, but alas, I had to sell my ticket at the gate and listen from the parking lot in Irvine and wait 3 more weeks to see them in Atlanta. I’d have seen them in Charlotte as usual, as well, but somehow, the tour began earlier than I thought, and that one slipped by me. So out of 3 possible concerts on a single tour, I saw only the Atlanta show.
I was not about to let such an opportunity pass me by again. So, tonight I headed back to the second Brubeck concert. I was sure it would be different enough to make the second night worthwhile. Different it was. Both nights, they played “Take Five” as the last number. The similarities between the two nights ended with that piece. It was the only thing they played both nights, otherwise the entire set was different, and the title, motive, and meter, were the only similarities between the two performances of that piece. As a matter of fact, the entire set and personalities of the players tonight was from a very different era. The set tonight was much more progressive, and some tunes, even contemporary. The solos, even Brubeck’s, were more daring, varied, mind-boggling. Brubeck played a lot more solo piano with some outrageously inventive versions of a couple of popular tunes that caused the drummer and bass player to look at each other and raise eyebrows. Last night’s spoken wit, was reserved for witty musical quotes in improvisations, and humorous melodic and rhythmic phrases that caused Brubeck to get tickled with himself several times. Another magic concert.
Tonight I sat on the front row, less than ten feet from the piano, where I could see Brubeck’s facial expressions up close and hopefully become the recipient of some morphic resonance.
Have you ever listened to someone improvise and wonder just how much of it is actually improvised. Wonder if you hear it again tomorrow if it would be just about the same. At least based on the same bag of tricks. These guys tonight, played from completely different personalities and characters than they did last night. Rather than make the whole experience more plain, tonight’s concert just raised last night’s on the magic meter, as a moment that will never happen again. Can’t be repeated. A screen capture destined for the memories of 200 fortunate individuals who happened to come together on a particular night at a particular place where this particular magic happened. A different magic than tonight. A different magic than tomorrow. A rapid in the flow of time, never to be repeated.
Why would someone go to hear something that was unpredictable, risky, shifting, changing? Something that promises to be different from anything that has proven safe and foreseeable? Why would someone wake up tomorrow and walk out into an unpredictable, risky day?
Jazz is a lot like life - flowing – each day may have essentially the same motive, chart and changes, but we’ve got to play it as it comes, responding and improvising according to how the other players are responding and improvising. As unpredictable as it may be, it has the potential in the end to come together as something beautiful. I guess you just have to practice.