|
|
|
Matt Opens for Wynton Marsalis
On Saturday, October 6, 2006, Matt participated in a first-of-its kind event and opened for Wynton Marsalis at the same time. Matt was introduced to a new audience as part of Velocity Broadcasting’s first-ever live HDTV performance special featuring Wynton Marsalis. Matt opened for Wynton for the special 16-HD camera shoot, filmed at the WQED studios in Pittsburgh. The concert was viewed and heard live in the HD 7.2 surround-sound digital theatres at more than 50 Morton’s restaurants in the United States. Also very cool was that Bösendorfer New York brought a gorgeous and VERY special piano all the way to Pittsburgh for the event. They brought a piano called the Porsche model. If you say, “Well, I know about the CAR…,” you are on the right track (so to speak). The piano was designed by Porsche and Bösendorfer in a joint partnership. The piano is a stunning blue and silver, sleek, streamlined and clean-looking. It LOOKS kind of like a Porsche car! Of course, it still SOUNDS like a Bösendorfer. The piano was used by Matt AND by Wynton’s pianist (and by Wynton and Matt as they played some impromptu duets).
The entire weekend was actually a huge event for Matt…not just the opening for Wynton and his band. Everything about the weekend was about jazz (heaven for Matt!). And Matt had the chance to just hang out with and jam with some of jazz’s best musicians in relaxed and informal settings. He had a blast! They talked music and music theory and travel stories and other jazz musician stories and even chess and rollercoasters. Matt was in his element. And he also got to see the unbelievable technology from Velocity Broadcasting, a Pittsburgh-based groundbreaking production company. Velocity Broadcasting and its Senior Vice President and Executive Producer, Phillip A. White, developed the concept and technology to hold a live music concert that was broadcast to Morton’s Steakhouse’s private rooms nationwide, each equipped with gigantic HDTV screens. Velocity Broadcasting even had things set up such that there was a question and answer time at the end of the concert. Viewers from all over the country called in questions for Wynton and his band members after the concert, and the musicians answered the questions on screen. Wynton’s band consisted of Dan Nimmer on piano, Carlos Henriquez on bass, Walter Blanding on sax, Ali Jackson on drums, Jennifer Sanon on vocals and, of course, Wynton Marsalis on trumpet.
The first day we were in Pittsburgh was a concert rehearsal and B-roll day at WQED television studios. If WQED sound familiar to you and you don’t know why, the reason is that it was the home of the wonderful PBS show, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. David Newell, who played “Mr. McFeely” on the show (“Speedy Delivery!…”), still works at WQED… VERY nice gentleman, who continues to pass along the messages imparted by Fred Rogers. He took the time to talk with us and even gave us autographed photographs of him as “Mr. McFeely” in his deliveryman uniform. I told him that my husband loved Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood as a child and he sent me home with an autographed photograph for Larry. Matt didn’t remember much of the TALKING part of Mister Rogers, as he was still in his own world at that time, but he remembered the TROLLEY and a bit of the “Land of Make Believe.” So, they gave Matt an exact replica of the original trolley used on the show. I was amazed, because I didn’t think he remembered ANYTHING from those early years, but he remembered the trolley! Now he has one in his room. And Rebecca used to love “Daniel Striped Tiger,” the shy tiger who often needed encouragement to try new things. So we came home with a soft Daniel hand puppet just like the one used on the show for her. I know that NONE of this has to do with jazz or opening for Wynton or being on the cutting edge of technology, but the television show meant a great deal to each of our family members over the years, so it was a special treat to see the set and talk with David and see where everything was filmed and hear stories about Fred Rogers. The studio has even left unpainted a small square on the floor …the spot where Mister Rogers used to sit and talk. There were some bittersweet moments for the folks at WQED in sharing memories, because they said that Fred Rogers would have LOVED meeting Matt. Fred and his wife were both accomplished concert pianists and music was SUCH a part of their lives. But as you can see in the photo, it was mostly a happy and fond memory visit with familiar old friends. Getting back to the story… We shot B-roll at WQED the day before the live concert. In case you don’t know what B-roll is, it’s pre-shot film. Velocity Broadcasting filmed each of the musicians playing and did short personal interviews. Between the time the musicians were filmed and the time of the live concert Velocity Broadcasting created a short introduction video about each musician. This “intro” was shown just before the musicians performed live the following evening. After all the interviews were done and the filming shot, it was playtime for the musicians. And I DO mean playtime! Matt and Wynton’s band jammed together, and Matt shared one of his tunes with them…”Blues in 33/8”. The guys loved it and tried playing it together. Then the kid in EVERY musician started taking over and everyone swapped instruments. Matt went to try the bass (which was too big, obviously) and learned a bit about playing it. I took over for him at the bass (which was a BLAST) and tried to play along with the band, but although I kind of knew what to do because I play guitar, I couldn’t hear myself, so I couldn’t hear the notes I was playing as a walking bass line. I quickly handed over the bass back to Walter and noticed that Wynton had moved to the piano and someone was playing the drums. It was MATT! I didn’t even know he knew how to play the drums. He was playing different beats with his hands and feet and sounded like he had been taking lessons for a long time. I was FLOORED. I know that Matt has natural ability to play every instrument he has ever tried, but the fact that he sat down at a full drum set and played not just the beat but FILLS on a real song, jamming with the big guys completely threw me for a loop. Matt was GOOD! On an instrument he’s never before played…using all four limbs playing different rhythms. It takes a lot to render me speechless. I was speechless (except for repeating, “He’s never played the drums before. How can he be playing the drums like this?”). When he casually threw in some cowbells at precisely the right time I almost lost it! EVERYONE was all smiles and it was all about the music and the moment. Matt left the drums and went back to the piano. Wynton was still over there, and they broke into an impromptu piano duet. The grins got even bigger. It was magic.
After “playtime” it was time for dinner. We all had the wonderful thrill of going to dinner at the FABULOUS Morton’s Steakhouse. We were in the private room with the huge HDTV screen. Phillip White, the Sr. Vice President and Executive Producer at Velocity Broadcasting, put on a jazz DVD that we all loved. It was a film entitled “Calle 54”. If you have the opportunity to buy or rent this music DVD, do it! It has fantastic footage of MANY of the greatest Latin jazz musicians in concert, including: Cachao, Michel Camilo, Paquito D'Rivera, Eliane Elias, Tito Puente, Chucho Valdes, Chico and Arturo O’Farrill, and others! It was the perfect DVD to show the crowd in the room. EVERY musician in the room (including Matt) was thrilled to hear the music and recognize the greats. After that DVD, Phillip White, put on another DVD…this one in HI-DEF! THAT was when we realized the technology leap in which we were playing a role and saw a picture unlike anything we had previously seen. What was cool was that we were experiencing what the Morton’s patrons would experience the following night…only with Matt and Wynton on the big screen in HI-DEF! I thought I had gone to heaven…eating a Morton’s filet mignon (the best on the planet!), drinking a glass of wine, watching picture perfect and audio perfect jazz on a screen large enough for a movie. Unbelievable.
Matt (our child with the bottomless teenage appetite) LOVED the food, but was really hungry and had difficulty waiting for the food to arrive. So he went over and played chess with Wynton. I suppose I should mention at this point that Wynton plays chess every waking moment of his life when he is not playing music. He ALWAYS has a game underway. If he is performing on stage, there is a half-played game awaiting him and his current opponent backstage. And in between sets the opponents will resume the game until it is time for the second set. Well, Matt challenged the great Wynton to chess. Matt used to play a lot of chess, although he hasn’t played in a while. He at one point had Wynton in “check”, but Wynton worked his way out of it. Then Matt made his mistake…being bold with his queen. That was the beginning of the end. Matt lost. But they plan on a rematch, as both opponents enjoyed the game. Of course he got ribbed for not beating the “Master”. After the game and before dinner, Phillip put on the big screen a DVD I happened to have of Matt. Truthfully, not planned. Matt’s music teacher had given it back to me because his old DVD player couldn’t read the DVD. And I hadn’t removed it from my purse before the trip. So, Phillip put it on for everyone to watch. It was cool watching the faces of Wynton and his band watch Matt and his Trio at their CD release concert. The were impressed and listened intently. The highlight was when the band played, “Blues in 33/8”. Wynton’s band stopped everything they were doing (even chess!) to listen, watch Matt’s hands on the piano and hear the song. When Matt had completed his solo on the DVD, Wynton’s whole band stood up, looked at Matt and applauded. I was so proud of Matt. He smiled, but all he could think about was when the food was going to come. After a long and busy day, he was HUNGRY. Good to know he doesn’t have a swelled head and has his priorities in the right place. ;-) The food arrived and everyone devoured the best food ever!!!! I hope we can be spokespeople for Morton’s one day and get meals in return for appearances!!!! Our family loves beef (we raise certified organic grass fed beef). None of us had ever eaten such fantastic food…from the salads to the appetizers to the entrees to the desserts. Each item was better than the next. We had a meal we will never forget…EVER! After dinner we were treated to a tour of the offices of Elias/Savion, Incorporated and Velocity Broadcasting. They have the entire 24th floor of the same building that houses Morton’s. The entire office is a work of art…we were in a dazzling gallery, with details so small and perfect that it was difficult to imagine someone’s being able to possibly accomplish the finished product. This was the work of Phillip Elias of Elias/Savion. The company does Advertising and Marketing and Branding and Web Design, among other things. Velocity Broadcasting is the cutting edge technology side of the business, sharing resources and office space with Elias/Savion. Truthfully, I felt as if we were seeing something we shouldn’t be seeing as we walked through the offices. The entire space is marble and wood and tiger-eye and art integrated from floor to walls to furniture to ceiling. Every single room is different and each more spectacular than the next. You are transported into another world in their environment. Their marketing and advertising and clientele are as amazing as their offices. Never before have I seen such a work of art in the form of a building’s interior. It is more exquisite than any gallery to which I’ve been. They should charge admission! Even Matt was amazed by everything. Of course, he is a VISUAL person, so he perceived details even I probably didn’t notice. We were enchanted and dazed. As tired as he was, he loved touring the building. It was very late that night by the time we got back to the hotel. The next day we slept in and then went to Phillip White’s house for lunch. It was a lovely and relaxing afternoon with great food and great company. Of course, there was jazz being played by some great local musicians (and Matt couldn’t resist sitting in on a few tunes). There is something special about jazz musicians. It’s a special mentality or view on life or something. I can’t put my finger on it, but jazz musicians are warm and down-to-earth and accepting and encouraging of others who love jazz in the way they do. We so enjoyed hanging out with everyone involved in the concert that was going to happen that night…from all of the musicians to the Velocity Broadcasting people to Phillip’s wonderful and welcoming family.
Then it was off to the studio! There was pre-concert rehearsal and preparation and makeup and running around and commotion and last-minute camera positioning decisions. It was all exciting until Matt pulled a muscle in his back. For an hour before dinner and then again after dinner, Matt was lying face down on a sofa with an ice pack on his back. Everyone was worried about him, even though he insisted he would be able to play. Finally, Matt was given something I think was called, “Biofreeze”, which Phillip Elias said his sons use for wrestling and they swear by it. I tried it on a little spot, and Matt said it felt good, so I rubbed it on his strained muscle. He immediately said it felt great and that he would have no problem performing. A band called “Omega Love” played during the dinner hour at Morton’s. After they finished, Matt was introduced and he opened (solo) for Wynton. Matt perked up, smiled and went in to perform. He said it was very interesting performing for an audience he couldn’t see. He loved all the cameras and felt the excitement. He played for approximately 20 minutes of solo piano before Wynton and the band came out. The whole evening was an amazing feat of technology and effort and it was such a big success. Everyone involved felt so great, and we have been contacted by people who saw Matt perform and were impressed by him. There was a party afterwards at Phillip Elias’ house, but Matt and I stayed for only a little while. He and I were both tired. It was a long but wonderful weekend. We would like to thank EVERYONE who made this adventure possible for us…Velocity Broadcasting, Elias/Savion, Bösendorfer, Morton’s and most especially Phillip White. A more charming, articulate and professional man you won’t meet. He did a wonderful job with what must have been a very stressful undertaking. We were honored to have been a part of the VERY first HDTV live concert ever and the first in a series to be produced by Velocity Broadcasting. And Matt had the most memorable weekend of jazz with Wynton and all of his musicians both on and off stage.
|
