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General News: Benefit Concert for Co-Op A Big Success
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| John Charles Thomas on trumpet. Photo by Emily Santoro. |
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| Bari Mort on piano. Photo by Emily Santoro. |
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| The church's sanctuary provided a perfect setting for the concert. Photo by Emily Santoro. |
July 11, 2010
By Emily Santoro
This past Thursday night’s benefit concert for the Cornwall Community Co-op at the Cornwall Presbyterian Church was a surprisingly wonderful way to spend a beautiful, hot summer night.
Although it was scorching hot, from the moment I stepped foot into the church the handmade fans, warm wooden floors, crisp white pews with the bright red seat cushions and inviting sage green walls not only made me feel comfortable and right at home, but repeatedly made me question what period in time I was in.
Musicians Were Mesmerizing to Watch
The musicians, pianist Bari Mort and trumpeter John Charles Thomas, brought together the two universally known romantic instruments wonderfully and their ability to feed into each other’s playing was mesmerizing to watch. Playing classical song selections all the way from Bernardino Monterde to Scott Joplin, the program was put together perfectly for a summer night program.
Before each song, John Thomas offered up a brief description about the next piece he and Mort would be playing. This may seem like it could have been less than amusing, but Thomas’ spunky personality and knack for storytelling made each piece of music that much more interesting. He opened up the ears of the audience to bits and pieces that they might have passed over if it weren’t for him.
Syncopation Got Everyone into the Music's Beat
At one point during the program, Mort took center stage and performed a solo rendition of “Maple Leaf Rag.” Part of what made this rendition so great was her turn at a small introduction before playing. Her insightful and detailed description about syncopation had pretty much everyone in the audience reacting with facial expressions of amusement and impressments. To sum it up, she blew the audience away; they couldn’t keep their cheers in once she finished it.
Finishing up the night was the duo’s performance of “Rhapsody in Blue” by George Gershwin. To put it lightly, this song gave me goosebumps. A piece of music that I have heard dozens of times hit me so hard; even though it was performed by just two musicians, it blew me away.
Honestly, I couldn’t have imagined a better way to spend a Thursday night. I learned some interesting musical facts, enjoyed live music, and got lost in it all. I strongly suggest that the next time a show like this comes up you should check it out.
Comments:
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Thanks to musicians John & Bari and fanmaker Marie for a wonderful cultural experience to benefit the Co-op. The evening was capped by a dessert and cocktail reception at the Co-op. Noted cocktail expert Gaz Regan created and poured a special drink for the event and the luscious sweets were made and donated by Co-op members. Both the drinks and the desserts were made with local ingredients!
posted by Lynn Peebles on 07/12/10 at 2:05 PM
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