Very good! Sparks is a duo with Tom Blancarte (bass) & Peter Evans (Piccolo trumpet). They've been playing together for a while and have developed a language and way of playing. This orchestra project was about expanding what they do for large ensembles. They had scores, and I could see from the other side of the paper that there was plenty of improvising going on. I saw the score at the end, and it just looked like a few scribbles and some pictures to me. I'm fascinated by that. But, look at the lineup, these are improvisers. Still, there is definitely a difference in having this paper in front of them than the "free form" that happens at the grand finale at The Stone on Improv Night.
There were 5 pieces in total. They started at around 8:45, played 3 pieces for a half hour, took a 10 minute break, and played the other 2 for a half hour. I don't know if I could tell when they ended and began in the first act. It started with Nate Wooley, who was very electric with his trumpet without the mouthpiece. He has a microphone hooked up to a pedal and an amp. That first piece got pretty noisy, and I got out my earplugs, which allowed me to hear better.
The whole thing was awesome. I mean, there was no way it couldn't be, given the lineup and instrumentation. I think the 2nd to last was my favorite, I don't think I can describe it, though.
Sylvie was awesome. At first she was playing the strings with a mallet and at the end she was fiercely playing the keys and I even looked around for cymbals, before I realized that was coming from her piano.
Brandon Seabrook caught my attention a lot. I don't see him as much as I would like.
They were all great and this was great and special and I'm glad I made it out. I love Roulette. It is so nice and the chairs are comfortable and they have everything we need.
Sparks Orchestra: Tom Blancarte & Peter Evans + Dan Blake, Okkyung Lee, Nate Wooley, Brondon Seabrook, Sylvie Courvoisier, and Dan Peck
Sat Mar 14 - 8:30 PMSparks Orchestra: Tom Blancarte & Peter Evans + Dan Blake, Okkyung Lee, Nate Wooley, Brondon Seabrook, Sylvie Courvoisier, and Dan Peck
Sat Mar 14 - 8:30 PM
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