mem@sii.UUCP (Mark Mallett) (07/01/85)
[This is a review that I posted on my BBS in NH] LIZ STORY and MICHAEL HEDGES; June 29 at the Berkeley Performance Center, Boston MA. If you were not at this concert, you should stop here for a minute; go hang your head and cry, and reflect on the meaning of your life. This is one of the best concerts I have ever attended. Maybe it is due to the building, because the only one that I can think of which topped it was a Mike Oldfield concert at the Berkeley a little over 3 years ago. Liz Story and Michael Hedges are performers of the Windham Hill group (if you live in a hole and have never heard of them, here's an introduction: Windham Hill is a record label featuring a set of artists whose music is mostly uncategorizable- but that's unfair. Windham Hill music is mainly instrumental. Some of it is very melodic, some is airy. Artists include George Winston, Alex Di Grassi, Mark Isham, a jazz group called Shadowfax, and a bunch of others. Their packaging is top-notch). Liz Story is a pianist whose first album `Solid Colors' is full of very melodic original (except for one by Bill Evans, her mentor) tunes and who has just introduced a second one. Michael Hedges is a guitarist with two instrumental albums and who is just about to introduce a third and vocal album. I got attracted to Liz Story's music when I went to see a Windham Hill concert in Cambridge in January 1984 (I think). I had gone to see a guitarist named Alex Di Grassi, and Story was also featured. At that time, she had a bit of a problem with her stage presence. Between tunes, she would turn to the audience, begin to tell a story, and apparently either forget the ending or be overcome by the audience or something else, and her voice would trail off, she'd turn back to the piano, the audience would titter, and she would play another marvelous piece. So I rushed out and bought `Solid Colors', which became one of my most-played albums. I went to this concert to hear her perform again. She was the first one on, and played for about an hour. I was elated, the music was great, and she had cured whatever problem she had the previous time. She had some funny story between most every pair of tunes. Judging by Liz Story and Michael Hedges, and their references to some of their friends, I would say that Windham Hill people must have a bizarre sense of humor, which is not to say that it is not like yours or mine. For instance, she explained that one of her tunes (she always said "tune", not "song" or "piece") was dedicated to her dead bird. (audience chuckle) The tune, she said, is now dedicated to all flying things. Including bats. But that was another long story, and we wouldn't want to hear that, would we? Turns to the piano and several people say yes, tell us. Do you really want to hear the story? (cheers and applause). Well, she had a friend who acquired two bats as pets, she tells us. This friend used to claim that bats were wonderful pets because they can fit in anywhere. You can hang them under the asparagus fern, she says. She explains that you hang bats, because that's the way they like to be. But the greatest thing about them, says this friend, is that they are very convenient for people who travel or go out of town often. You can just-- put them in the refrigerator. (much hysterical laughter, and she plays "Things with Wings"). She played quite a few things from the `Solid Colors' album. She had changed almost all of them in subtle and not-so-subtle ways, and I guess I appreciated that. It was good to hear the same pieces with different interpretations. At one point Michael Hedges came on to play a duet. They played "Spare Change", and I had to make an effort to keep my mouth from hanging open. They were great, but unfortunately this was the only piece they played together. Hedges went back offstage. All through the rest of the first set, Liz Story made remarks about the violent nature of the second set, and we all contemplated moving back a few rows. She got an enthusiastic reception, and played one encore. Intermission came, people mingled and talked and such. Just as an aside: I have often noticed that people are more enthusiastic about a good show after an intermission. I guess they get some time to discuss their appreciation with whoever they came with, get relaxed, and come back ready to go. Michael Hedges is an incredible performer. He seems at home in front of an audience, and he uses the stage well. He has an intimate knowledge of his instrument. He plays it in ways I have never seen before. He picks with all fingers on both hands, often at the same time on the same strings. He chords with either hand, depending on what seems to be appropriate, and he approaches the strings from which ever side of the neck is most convenient. He would hold a chord with one hand, change hands on the chord and play strings on the other side of the chord. The time it took him to position his hands was just about nil- he would hold strings with his left hand, remove his hand to slap the guitar body for percussion, and rechord instantly without breaking the music at all. One of his techniques (which I did not catch but which was related to me after the concert) was to bend the neck of the guitar to achieve a variation in pitch. And he was constantly in motion. I'm not sure, but I believe I saw the soles of both of his feet at the same time. Hedges did not mount his guitar like a lot of fine guitarists do (either on a stand or by sitting with it) but had it hanging from a strap around his neck, always moving. I don't think he made any mistakes, either. Not one. There is no way that I can describe this performance in words. At one point he broke a string. We could tell because he removed it at the end of the piece. He was prepared, though. He threw the broken string to the floor and instantly whipped out a new one (packaged) from his back pocket and held it up for us to see. Oh, and the music? Strictly first class. Lots of fine melody and rhythm, an abundance of talent both technically and musically. After a few pieces, Hedges told us that his next album was a vocal album and he was going to do a couple of vocal selections. I did not know whether he was serious (recall that he displayed a bizarre sense of humor), but he proceeded to play "All Along the Watchtower". It's amazing, but he has an excellent voice. When his vocal album come out, I intend to capture one. I have already bought his "Aerial Boundaries" album on CD- it is a very good album. Nothing can compare, however, with the combination of his wonderful music and his amazing presentation of it. He had two encores and the audience was screaming for more after that. In the first one, he claimed that he had parts for members of the audience. There were parts, he said, for people with low voices, people with high voices, and people with colds. He demonstrated. People with low voices, sing "bum bum bo lo". (yeah i know, it doesn't make sense in print). He practiced that with the audience for a bit. People with colds, "shooo". "bum bum bo lo... shooo!". Then all at once, he exploded into a rocking performance of the Beatles song "Come Together". I can not use enough superlatives to describe the amazing delivery he gave this song. He got an instant standing ovation. Michael Hedges did the second set and his performance kind of overshadowed Liz Story (both in the concert and in the review, here), but they were both very good and they combined to make a wonderful concert. I can only wish that they'd played a little more together. At any rate, I strongly recommed their albums that I've heard: Liz Story's `Solid Colors' and Michael Hedges `Aerial Boundaries', and if you can see them in concert, do so. Mark Mallett decvax!sii!mem or ittvax!sii!mem