For me, music is one of life’s true elixirs. There are occasions I encounter, every once in a great while, when music takes me to heights that almost nothing else can. It’s usually live music that does this, and it’s difficult to explain. It almost feels as though something chemically occurs in my body and I experience a sensation of intense happiness, excitement and contentment all at once. It’s a fine place to be.
It’s been more than a treat to listen to Evan play in his various ensembles over the years (even if it did often involve an accordion). Whether he is playing his own compositions or in somebody else’s ensemble, you can always count on an evening of high quality music and entertainment.
There was one night in particular I want to recall here. It was a few years ago, I believe (of course, I could be off by a few years) and Evan was playing in Framingham at Amazing Things with a group called Alma. The band was sensational, top notch musicians at the top of their game prodded on by a kick-butt percussionist. You could sense how much the musicians were reveling in the experience.
During one of Evan’s solos that night, he got going in a way I hadn’t seen before. I think the intensity of the evening had manifested itself in his fingers at that moment. What he did was amazing and I found myself transported to that state of being I tried to describe above. I was blown away. The whole evening was sensational, but those few moments stick in my memory. I remember talking to Evan afterward and you could see that he, too, had felt it was a special night. I tried to tell him what he had done to me in that solo, taking me to that rare music-listening pinnacle, but I’m not sure I did it justice. So I thought that on the esteemed occasion of his 60th birthday, I would tell him again!
It’s been more than a treat to listen to Evan play in his various ensembles over the years (even if it did often involve an accordion). Whether he is playing his own compositions or in somebody else’s ensemble, you can always count on an evening of high quality music and entertainment.
There was one night in particular I want to recall here. It was a few years ago, I believe (of course, I could be off by a few years) and Evan was playing in Framingham at Amazing Things with a group called Alma. The band was sensational, top notch musicians at the top of their game prodded on by a kick-butt percussionist. You could sense how much the musicians were reveling in the experience.
During one of Evan’s solos that night, he got going in a way I hadn’t seen before. I think the intensity of the evening had manifested itself in his fingers at that moment. What he did was amazing and I found myself transported to that state of being I tried to describe above. I was blown away. The whole evening was sensational, but those few moments stick in my memory. I remember talking to Evan afterward and you could see that he, too, had felt it was a special night. I tried to tell him what he had done to me in that solo, taking me to that rare music-listening pinnacle, but I’m not sure I did it justice. So I thought that on the esteemed occasion of his 60th birthday, I would tell him again!