Musicale Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 Saw Herbie last night in Wentz Concert Hall at North Central College: In a nutshell it was a great show. I believe this was the first show in his solo tour. It was nice in that he played a few solo piano pieces, Embraceable You, Cantaloupe, another I can't remember... Really incredible pianism, I've heard a lot of players and he was surprisingly good. Nice improvisation, harmony speed and depth. Some of the impressions were quite long and developed, although he did comment that he gets lost in the performance sometimes. Some of these were maybe 10 - 15 minutes long, both classical sounding as well as occasional jazzy blues licks. Then he started setting up loops on a Korg, like a drum part, a bass part and pads. Once he got that all going he would start on the piano and play along, stop some or all of the synth parts, start up again then finish the piece. He would frequently look over at a music stand and press buttons etc. Another one I think called Central China was very oriental in sound and he played synth solos over that. This one had a incredible sounding chinese loop that gave the impression of being in the middle of a great Chinese city. Kept changing the sound on the synth solos, but maintaining the overall "oriental scale. Then he started on a Roland Synth Ax. The crowd were on their collective feet clapping along. He set up a funky background and then played solo lines over that (mind you he's 71- seemed like 30). This was just superb. He shut that down, somebody came and took the Ax and that was the end. After a few minutes of standing ovation, you could hear the synth starting up back stage and he strolled out and did another funky number with a backing track. All in all a great show by a great young player. It as actually nice to see this kind of entertainment, I was a bit speculative when I bought tickets ($95.00). Although a 2 hour solo acoustic piano concert would have been nice as well (probably only for the pianists in the audience), this show provided something excellent for all. From Naperville, Musicale Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzwee Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 Nice review! Actually, I would have enjoyed seeing some of his funk. I've been playing Canteloupe a lot at gigs lately and I copied him playing it with a scat patch. Last time I saw him (with Wayne Shorter), he played Canteloupe with just a hint of the motif so you barely recognize it. I'm a big fan of Herbie. He's much different from KJ so it's a completely different experience. How big was this venue btw? Hamburg Steinway O, Crumar Mojo, Nord Electro 4 HP 73, EV ZXA1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana. Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 About the Korg: OASYS or Kronos? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reidmc Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 He played in Minneapolis Friday night. Missed it myself, but good reviews from a couple of musicians I know. "The Doomer allows the player to do things beyond which are possible without the accessory." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musicale Posted October 30, 2011 Author Share Posted October 30, 2011 I'm not a knowledgeable synth dude, but it wasn't red. I think it was probably a Kronos. He really had a lot of electronics around and used them. It was surround sound with two engineers working the on-stage sounds and the house mix. The house seats about 600 max, and was built in 2008, very high tech. I think it's the best "hall" I have ever been in, very upscale, incredible sound and architecture, and intimate at the same time. Can house a symphony to a solo artist. I've been to several shows there and they have all been extraordinary, in artistry as well as acoustics. Regards, Musicale Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzwee Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 600 is a reasonable size. Not too big. KJ would have been better to watch in a smaller venue because the music itself is intimate. Not the 3000+ that his "smaller" concert hall provided (smaller than Disney Hall). I guess he needs to make some bucks. I figured, not bad for a couple of hours of work. LOL. Let's see 3000 seats x $100 = $300,000. Hmmmm. Give Peacock and Dejohnette a few grand, and you still got lots left... BTW - Herbie easily filled up Disney Hall earlier this year so I'm sure he's not complaining either. Hamburg Steinway O, Crumar Mojo, Nord Electro 4 HP 73, EV ZXA1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana. Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 I'm not a knowledgeable synth dude, but it wasn't red. I think it was probably a Kronos. Either it said OASYS or Kronos on the back of keyboard... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWB121234 Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 It was a Kronos 88 key. I saw the show in Minneapolis. He seemed to be in great spirits - very conversational. He played extended explorations of Foot Prints and Dolphin Dance on acoustic piano plus a couple of other tunes. To me, the acoustic piano stuff was the highlight. I would still rather hear the funk stuff with a live band, but still, it was Herbie playing his funk licks over the grooves. All in all a good show well worth hearing (and seeing). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana. Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 It was a Kronos 88 key. Thanks for clarifying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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