--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Patrick Gillam" > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > It must have been the mid-1970s. I attended a Segovia performance > > at Hancher Auditorium in Iowa City. As will happen in a hall of > > 2,700 people, someone had a cough. In the middle of his playing, > > Segovia stopped, rested his guitar, looked at the offender in the > > audience, slowly brought a handkerchief from his breast pocket, > > and coughed into it once. > > > > The audience laughed nervously. A few clapped. The offender jumped > > up, bustled past the knees of others in his row and hustled out the > > door. When he returned at intermission, I have to think he had his > > throat lozenges already unwrapped and ready. > > Cool story, Patrick. I *love* cool concert stories. > > My brother told me of one at a solo Keith Jarrett > concert. You kinda have to know Jarrett to get the > magic of this story. He was a classical pianist > studdying at Julliard when he got a call one day > from Miles Davis asking if he'd like to play key- > boards for him. Jarrett didn't hesitate for a moment. > He walked away from his scholarship and never looked > back. At one point he started playing solo concerts. > If, as a meditator, you don't know the album called > "The Koln Concert," you have missed a great deal. > > One of these solo concerts is the setting for this > very Zen story. In front of a full house in an Opera- > style auditorium, Jarrett walked out to thunderous > applause and sat down at the piano. And sat. And sat. > And sat. No music, no movement, nada. He just sat > there, as if waiting. This went on for nearly five > minutes. > > Finally someone from the upper balcony shouted out, > "B-flat!" And Jarrett's hand shot out and hit that > note once, hard. Then, after a moment, he hit it > again, and smiled. He turned to the balcony and said, > "Thanks...I needed that." > > Then he played the note again and turned it into two > unbroken hours of pure improvisation. Pure *magical* > improvisation. > > The man had no earthly idea when he walked onstage what > he was going to play.
Interesting story. Have you checked out Cecil Taylor yet? When he goes on stage to do a solo piano concert, he has an idea of what he's going to play. I suspect that Keith momentarily forgot what he was going to do. It happens. Peace, Marc To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
