Posted on 03/11/2005 8:39:47 AM PST by sinkspur
FORT WORTH - Well, that was interesting.
That is the first descriptor that pops to mind in the wake of the performance by jazz greats Herbie Hancock, Michael Brecker and Roy Hargrove at Bass Performance Hall on Thursday night.
The concert, dubbed Directions in Music: Our Times, was certainly interesting. Impressive, too. Even intriguing -- at certain moments.
But entertaining? Maybe you should ask some of the many patrons who started heading for the exits by the second number about that one.
There was no questioning the quality of the musicianship on stage Thursday. What keyboard wizard Hancock was doing, in partnership with bassist Scott Colley and drummer Terri Lyne Carrington, was absolutely brilliant. Saxophonist Brecker and trumpeter Hargrove were also stunning, but they were mostly window dressing in this show. They wandered in and out, sporadically laying dazzling flourishes over the steady drive of Hancock's trio.
But no one left the hall whistling the tunes they had just heard. This was an evening of jazz for the mind. It is fitting that the show had such an academic title. It could have just as easily been called Advanced Free Form Jazz 101. The first tune they did ran 55 minutes, to give you an idea.
And that is probably what prompted so many of the crowd that started out at a near-capacity level of about 1,900 to seek the exits early. Or maybe they just did not feel wanted.
The audience members who stuck it out gave the players warm encouragement throughout the concert, wildly cheering each of their musical excursions, no matter how esoteric they were.
But that respect was not returned. The players ambled onto the stage 25 minutes late, then played for two hours without ever identifying a tune. But there was no warmth or intimacy to this concert.
Instead, it was a disjointed free-for-all, with all five participants behaving as if they were on downers. No acknowledgement of the audience, no idea what the hell we were listening to.
That was after these cretins managed to amble on to the stage 30 minutes late!
Below is my letter to the General Manager of the Bass Hall in Fort Worth:
Paul,
I have been a season patron of the Opera for four years, the Hall Series for four years, the Pops series for one year, and occasional symphony concerts.
I have never, in the past five years of attending Bass Hall events, felt as insulted as I did tonight. We were kept waiting for 30 minutes. When Herbie and crew emerged, there was no explanation for the delay, and Herbie spent five minutes fumbling with music on the piano and adjusting his computer (something that should have been done prior to showtime). When someone in the audience yelled "Play the piano!", Hancock turned toward the audience with a sneering smile on his face, as if to say "To hell with you."
There is simply no excuse for a half-hour la-dee-da by an artist, no matter how renowned he is. Had he been courteous, he would have explained the reason for the delay. I can't prove it, but both he and Hargrove giggled and moved around on stage as if on drugs.
Needless to say, we left early. The musical program was not what we expected, and we were both indisposed to sit through the performance anyway, given the way the opening was handled.
I will never again attend anything featuring these three performers at the Bass Hall. They are rude and unprofessional. We were owed an explanation, and we got nothing. I'm not paying $100 to be taken for granted.
If Miguel Harth-Bedoya can gather 50 orchestra members together and start on time, and give moving explanations and descriptions of the music, five prima donnas ought to be able to start on time, or tell us why they can't.
This is not your fault. But, it will be your fault if you bring these three back to Fort Worth.
*************
Here's Paul Bedard's response to me:
I sincerely apologize for what you experienced last night and appreciate your understanding or our situation. Forgive me for not elaborating in detail on what we encountered with this artist - we fulfilled all our obligations and got the result you observed. We are grateful for your continuing support and will never re-engage Mr. Hancock.
I'm surprised somebody didn't walk up on the stage and slap the hell out of Hancock and friends.
Hey the guy's name is Hancock. It could have been a lot worse.
You have my sympathy.
Sucks to pay to see a legend and have him embarrass himself like that.
HH is good, but he's no Miles Davis. People won't keep turning up to see his freak show.
Sorry to hear about your experience.
But, what I'm dying to know, is "Bass" (Hall) pronounced like 'base' or like a fish?
Rod Stewart does cruise lines as his passage fee because he won't fly. It's like he is doing the passengers a holy favor by humming a few bars. Joe Jackson is a flaming jaggoff. Lot's of entertainers think they are something like a religious idol. Speaking of Idol, Billy Idol gives the best concerts ever!
I used to live next door to Grover Washington Jr. He loathed most of the people in the music industry. A very simple family man who loved his dogs and the craftsmanship in his fine 200 year old stone home. A brilliant musician and a classy guy. A big loss.
Tony Bennett peforms here every year, and said it was the most beautiful and acoustically brilliant "small hall" he's ever played in.
We went to see the Neville brothers last year here. What a show! They did almost an hour of encores and had people dancing in the aisles!
Huey Lewis also performed a couple of years ago, and I never had so much fun in my life. All his old stuff, and some new stuff, and he took one ten minute break.
Ever hear what Hughie Lewis has to say about the music industry? He entered it as a joke, willing to ride it out for every dime he could get since he just did it as a fool's ride. Once he found people really liked his stuff, he felt connected to them even though he personally thought his music was simplistic lyrical food for idiots. He jumped into music cold in his late 30's and laughed at his successes. He's actually an engineer or something like that with a master's degree from an elite institution.
Thanks for that info on Lewis; I was unaware of it. I'll tell you this: he knows how to work an audience.
But, even so, the fact that none of the musicians as much as acknowledged the audience, even after being applauded, leads me to the conclusion they were all blitzed.
I flew Aerosmith's Hawker HS-125 during their tour in 1995. Did you know that his band hates him. He rides in a separate section and in his separate limo on the ground. He speaks to nobody and is accompanied by only his personal bodyguard. The rest of the band is just great! Very nice guys. One of the things I found funny about their catering 24/7 is that it consists of skim milk, and cucumber sandwiches. It's a fulltime job trying to look hip and under 45. A belly ruins it all. Tyler is as blind as a bat and wears coke bottle glasses with bifocals.
My take on musicians with attitude is the opposite. I think you are seeing them sober and clean. For people who have been under the influence for decades, sober and clean = mean. These guys are old and getting older. Most people over 55 have to give up heroin, amphetamines, and cocaine. They have to back off the booze too because their kidneys and livers are on thin ice. Ever party with recovery people? It is not fun...........
Liv Tyler is Steven Tyler's daughter AND was raised by Todd Rundgren!!!!
Daughter of Steven Tyler of the band Aerosmith ..., Liv grew up thinking that rock star Todd Rundgren was her father. But as she was growing up Tyler began dropping by to visit, and Liv noticed that his daughter Mia looked enough like her to be her twin. She confronted her mother, and was told the truth; by the time she was 12 she had taken her father's name. ...
I did not know that.
Ping.
Liv is beautiful.
So is Mia. She's got quite a good head on her body. Mia is the Sophia Loren type of beauty and Liv is like the Audrey Hepburn type if ya know....Both very bright and personable young women with compassion for others. They also seem to be very well educated in formal schooling and on people skills. Not your typical entertainment circus spawn.....
She said he was a genuinely nice person.
He's also stinking rich.
L
Pass that along to him.
Wouldn't it be great if they were conservative and Christians.
Knowing my own shortcomings I rarely go for perfection......
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