Business Blast
and my R-rated Las Vegas story
Hello from the Pepperland tour with the Mark Morris Dance Group. We are in Berkeley, CA tomorrow through Sunday matinee, Las Vegas next Tuesday, and Beverley Hills for three performances next weekend. While billed as a tribute to Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, it is really simply an excuse for amazing dance from one of the great choreographers of all time.
The musicians in the pit include Clinton Curtis (vocal), Rob Schwimmer (theremin), Chris McCarthy (keyboard), Sam Newsome (soprano sax), Jacob Garchik (trombone), and myself on piano. I arranged several Beatles songs and supplied original pieces to create an hour-long suite. The idiosyncratic instrumentation and idiosyncratic players ensure that the varied stylistic references meld into a unified whole.
The first occasion in Las Vegas with MMDG was quite memorable. I was 27, which means it was 25 years ago.
We went to see Tom Jones (incredible show) and also the Liberace Museum (which was also just wonderful).
I had never done any gambling, but since I’d seen the James Bond movies, I figured I had better play roulette at least once. In a low-down casino off the Strip I handed over a twenty-dollar bill to the cashier—which at that time was really quite a lot of money for me—and got four $5 chips. At the roulette wheel I played the red, and lost. Played the black, and lost. Played the red, and lost. Was this supposed to be fun? Almost as private joke about my own stupidity at pushing money down the drain, I put my last chip on my age, 27, and, sure enough, 27 came up on the wheel. The pit boss came over to verify my win, and, since it paid 35 to 1, I walked with $175. A fortune! I felt a powerful desire to stay and keep gambling, to show the town how it was done, to become the new high-roller, but I kept my head and exited gracefully, where I ran into a bunch of Mark Morris dancers headed to the strip club next door. I told them, “This one’s on me!” and handed around my winnings, giving the team a freebie, a way to blow the windfall in the least sensible way possible. The strip club performers were pretty and friendly. I am not superstitious, exactly, but gambling money never stays around—or at least, so I’ve heard.
Coming up: Ethan Iverson trio with Buster Williams and Billy Hart at Birdland Theater, May 30, 31, and June 1. This will sell out.
My next Mark Morris commission is You’ve Got to Be Modernistic, a suite of James P. Johnson solo piano pieces. I transcribed the compositions (originally recorded in the 1920s and 1930s), and then made complicated editorial decisions as to what would work best for a formal score. In most of the cases the works are presented basically as Johnson intended, but here and there I got into the weeds and made exceptional choices. The only piece completely re-imagined is Johnson’s most famous song, ‘The Charleston.” Johnson never recorded “The Charleston” as a solo piece (there is a piano roll and band performances) so I figured I had room to be ruthless. When I handed him the score, I told Mark Morris, “‘The Charleston’ is now in 5/4, I thought we needed at least one thing that was genuinely ‘modernistic.’” Morris narrowed his eyes and instantaneously began whistling the tune and correctly snapping his fingers in 5/4 at the intended speed. This interaction sums up our relationship pretty well.
You’ve Got to Be Modernistic premieres at the Joyce Theatre in Manhattan in July as part of two weeks of Mark Morris Dance Group performances. I’ll be playing piano for You’ve Got to Be Modernistic during this run (it is in Program A), and I have casual plans to record the suite at some point. As far as we know it is the first major James P. Johnson ballet: Truly, it’s about time.
Before the Joyce performances, I’ll try out the suite on June 14 as part of the next pianoFORTEpianoFORTE! series with Kathleen Supové and Beth Levin. The Klavierhaus concert is a benefit for the ACLU. I really dig the Mendelssohn variations Beth is playing, and Kathleen’s selections are always provocative and inspiring.
Anyone unfamiliar with Mark Morris Dance Group should know that live (not recorded) music is an essential part of the performance.
All so good, interesting. I can barely wait until July, when MMDG is at the Joyce. I believe I already have tickets, also to the extra event.