Another splendid evening at Barbes last night. I was seated next to an older couple who had never heard Rachelle, knew nothing about her. Out of curiosity they came to this neighborhood bar. Afterward the woman said to me that it took a while for her to get it, but once she caught on she realized that she was hearing a one-of-a-kind musician addressing an audience of everybody (including the horrified children who watch/ed, as she had, the Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer animated film that shows at this time of year) with a vast range of material, including death and grace.
The owner of the bar asked if I would like to play there sometime: a nice compliment, a touching invitation. I explained that I really couldn't do it because the piano wouldn't do what I needed it to do.
But the real reason is that the music I play can't be even approximated on an instrument that does not resonate.
