The Way I See It #138

The good life is the middle way
Between ambition and compassion
Between action and reflection
Between company and solitude
Between hedonism and abstinence
Between passion and judgment
Between the cup of coffee
and the glass of wine.

Jay McInerney

On the Other Hand...

Ben Folds' show at the Kibbie Dome Sunday night was really amazing. His level of piano playing is much higher than would appear from his albums. His intensity reminded me of old Jerry Lee Lewis documentary footage, crowd interaction was superb. He played for almost two hours and looked to be having a great time. It pains me greatly to have to say I enjoyed this show nearly as much as the Monty Jamaican Foray. Monty is my absolute favorite piano player...and I don't even own a Ben Folds album! Oh well, such is life...

Maybe it is an indication of how old I am, but my only complaint was the ear-bleeding dB - peaking at 116 at one point. As a result, I spent most of the time fidgeting w/ my earplugs (cut out too much high-frequency) and plugging my ears. I looked like this for most of the show:

Monty Alexander

So, in deep contrast to last year's enjoyment...this was just alright. Monty's playing was brilliant, but even while enjoying his passion and musicality, I just couldn't figure out what to think.

From the Seattle Times:

"The swinging jazz pianist's turn to his Jamaican roots for a foray into reggae came off as neither fish nor fowl in a recent festival performance, but who knows, there's certainly enough talent to go around here."

'nuff said.