Madison Smartt Bell ~ Anything Goes
Following a little break after my immersive experience with Madison Smartt Bell’s incredible trilogy of the Haitian Revolution, I’ve returned to his work with a road novel of a touring beach bar band, Anything Goes. He gets it right, not only in the telling, but he’s written a whole album of songs to go with…
Royal Young ~ Fame Shark
Just tore through Royal Young‘s memoir, Fame Shark, recounting his growing up in the Lower East Side, born Hazak Brozgold to artist/social worker/psychologist parents. His father‘s work festoons several of the NYC subway stations (I’ve got some of his papier-mache masks shown below) gorgeous murals; Royal himself is a wonderful painter, whose work is now…
Stephen Graham Jones ~ After the People Lights Have Gone Off
Ever since I somehow happened upon Stephen Graham Jones‘ debut novel, The Fast Red Road: A Plainsong, I’ve been reading ravenously everything he’s published. As he’s quite prolific, that takes some keeping up with: 10 novels, 3 collections and countless short stories just since the turn of the century. His early work (All the Beautiful…
Pablo Ziegler ~ La Rayuela
Yesterday afternoon found us returning to NEC’s Jordan Hall in Boston for this season’s first live taping of From the Top. Extraordinary performances of really great music by all our young guests: the opening movement of Schumann’s turbulent a minor Violin Sonata played with fervor and poetry by 13-year old Masha Lakisova, the Finale of…
Madison Smartt Bell ~ The Stone That the Builder Refused
Stona Fitch, superstar author, former member of Scruffy the Cat and Robin Hood-style publisher @ Concord Free Press, who I’m honored to call a friend, has introduced me to some authors who’ve changed my life: Lucius Shepard, Bohumil Hrabal and Danilo Kis among them. Last year, Concord came out with ZigZag Wanderer by Madison Smartt…
Beethoven, Period
Just listening through, now, to first edits of my set with Matt Haimovitz of the Complete Beethoven Works for Cello and Piano, provisionally titled, Beethoven, Period, coming out on Pentatone in February of 2015. We had the great good fortune to be privileged to record at Skywalker Ranch on Matt’s gut-strung Gofriller and an 1823…
Radio Interview for my Sunday Recital @ Xavier University in Cincinnati
Back a few months, while From the Top was doing a show with the Starling Chamber Orchestra and stellar alums Jonathan Miron, Charles Yang and Tessa Lark, I had the chance to sit down with Renaissance Man, David Neal Lewis for an extended chat about my upcoming recital at Xavier University on Sunday, the 28th…
New Interview with Jupiter Index Web Magazine
Had a nice chat with Olivia Lin of Jupiter Index Web Magazine, just out now. Very enjoyable, though, yes, I was misquoted on a couple of things, like the key of the 1st Tschaikovsky Concerto. Nice shout-outs to Mark Z. Danielewski, Kris Saknussemm, Martha Clarke and Da-Hong Seetoo. Enjoy. On Top Pianist, arranger, radio show…
Madison Smartt Bell ~ Master of the Crossroads
Just finished reading the 2nd volume of Madison Smartt Bell‘s epic trilogy of the Haitian Revolution, Master of the Crossroads. Toussaint Louverture was the military genius, the Black Spartacus who built and led the enormous coalition through the miasma of sedition, disease, incomparable cruelty and false allegiances to eventually make Haitian independence possible. Throughout, Bell…
Two to Tango w/Pablo Ziegler 2014.08.31@Doctorow CPA, Hunter, NY
Some more tracks from our reunion concert last Sunday. Check the Appearances page here for more shows I’ll be playing with Pablo. Many more to come. Pablo Ziegler was given the news of his landing the piano job in Astor Piazzolla’s New Tango Quintet when the manuscript for a newly composed intro/cadenza was shoved under…