Elvis Costello + Royal Scottish National Orchestra

Just one more post before leaving...

Last night was one of the most enjoyable evenings in recent memory. Music legend Elvis Costello joined the Royal Scottish National Orchestra for a unique evening of orchestral music, including extracts from his first full scale classical work, Il Sogno. I’m certain that for most rational people, crossbreeding rock with classical music must seem like the ultimate bastardization, but then few artists have Costello's artistic intelligence and uncanny ability to create music that sounds exciting and new.

After intermission the crowd's excitement grew as Costello and long-time keyboardist Steve Nieve performed a few favorites from a long and illustrious repertoire. I especially liked his jazzy rendition of Watching the Detectives, definitely one of the highlights. Other favorties included—Veronica, Allison, Accidents Will Happen, Shipbuilding, She and God Give Me Strength. If you get the chance to see Costello perform his first full scale classical piece, book yourself a ticket. It really is a concert not to be missed.

Brad Mehldau

I am huge fan of jazz and a serious devotee of Bill Evans, but had little knowledge (read no knowledge) of pianist Brad Mehldau until my husband picked up the first two volumes of Mehldau's Art of the Trio recordings yesterday. The Art of the Trio, Vol. 1 and The Art of the Trio, Vol. 2: Live at the Village Vanguard are both spellbinding.


Where in the world have I been for the past 10 years? I cannot believe that I am only now discovering the brilliance of the trio. For the past 24 hours we have played the CDs non-stop. The rapport and sublime lyricism combined with sensitivity and true skill will certainly precipitate an awestruck state—at least I find this to be my experience.


The three musicians feed off each other with delightful precision. I'm eager to explore the rest of his work. Perhaps it would be best to experience the music live. It just so happens that Brad will be playing solo at the Cité de la Musique in Paris on December 6th & 7th—sounds like the perfect excuse to once again visit the City of Light.

In addition to his musical talent Brad has written liner notes for several of his own albums, other musicians and a few magazine articles. It’s well worth a visit to Brad’s website as it features samples of his music, poetry and writing.