Rhapsody in Blue -- Jodie DeSalvo

A high point for us this year was on Friday, July 11, 2014 when we heard Jodie DeSalvo play Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue at the Birch Creek Performance Center in Egg Harbor, WI. In addition to wearing a rhapsodic "Blue" evening dress for the occasion, Ms. DeSalvo attack the piece with an athletic and emotional performance not to be forgotten (we were sitting stage-left, behind Ms. DeSalvo in the wings--an unusual and interesting vantage point for the performance).

What made me recall the performance was the Diane Rehm show this morning on Public Radio  which featured an interview with jazz musician Herbie Hancock. He has a new biography out titled Possibilities. In the biography, Hancock recounts having been asked to play Rhapsody in Blue with the L. A. Philharmonic. Since the Rhapsody is a classical piece with a jazz foundation, Hancock was a natural choice (paired with the young classical pianist Lang Lang, you can see their performance on YouTube here). Hancock's response to being asked was "Are you joking...I haven't played classical music since I was 20!"

There are lots of other great details about Herbie Hancock's life in the biography and I've included Chapter One below. The excerpt echoed a quote from Miles Davis (1926-1991) which sums up what it means to play and listen to Jazz: "If you hit a wrong note, it's the next note you play that determines if it's good or bad."

To all my readers, have a great New Year's celebration tonight and may your 2015 have as many highlights as my 2014 did!

Possibilities by Herbie Hancock