Musical Notes: Darcy James Argue, Lidia Kaminska

Darcy James Argue's Secret Society: Last Wednesday, Ann and I trekked to (Le) Poisson Rouge, a much-lauded, artist-owned, eclectic performance venue in Greenwich Village (on the site of the old and revered Village Gate), to see and hear Darcy James Argue's Secret Society, an 18-piece big band that performs the intricate compositions of its 33-year-old, Vancouver-born namesake. His pieces are inspired by history, literature and current events, and his introductions (and, on this night, dedications) of each piece set the stage, and sometimes prefigured the story arc, for each of the 7-to-12 minute works that followed. The orchestrations are densely layered and sonically rich, without many gimmicks but with some interesting innovations (including effective use of electric guitar and bass clarinet). You'll hear influences of Mingus, Miles and Frank Zappa, among others, but this really is new-generation big band -- a genre that Argue has dubbed "steampunk." Try to pick up on his complicated time signatures, and recognize how heroic his rhythm section really is. All About Jazz did this nice article and interview, and the New York Observer offers this appreciation. More about the band and its leader -- along with free downloads and the chance to buy their CD -- at the Secret Society's website. The recordings are good, but this is a band that must be seen, not just heard, as the complex interplay of the musicians as they wrestle with the complex charts is part of the fun. (This video shot from the back of the house in the same venue during a 2008 appearance will give you a small taste of that.) Seek them out live. And thanks to The Wall Street Journal for the tip.

Lidia Kaminska: The public radio program Performance Today included Lidia's performance of Scarlatti’s Sonata in D minor, K. 141, from her December 7 concert at the Trinity Center for Urban Life in its July 2 broadcast. The accordionist's concert was presented by Astral Artistic Services, and Ann and I were co-sponsors of the event. It may be too late to hear the rebroadcast of this episode on your local public radio station (check the Performance Today website), but you may still find it archived online by your favorite local station.

Concert Event: Lidia Kaminska and Friends, December 7

In my July 16 post, I promised that Lidia Kaminska will change the way you think about the accordion as a classical instrument.

If her interview with Hugh Sung convinced you, I hope you'll join Ann and me at an Astral Artists concert event that Ann and I are co-sponsoring: December 7, 3:00 p.m., at the Trinity Center, 22nd and Spruce Streets, in the beautiful Rittenhouse Square neighborhood of Philadelphia .

She'll be joined by two other talented young Astral Artists, Jennifer Curtis on violin and Michael Mizrahi on piano.

Here's a sneak preview of the planned program: Lidia's transcription of the J.S. Bach Prelude and Fugue in A minor; Scarlatti's Sonata in D minor; De Profundis (for bayan) by Sofia Gubaidulina; Sonata for Bayan by Alexander Pushkarenko; and, following intermission, A Bird's Eye View for Violin and Accordion by Chiel Meijering; Jasmin for Bayan and Piano by Tatiana Sergeyeva; and Lidia's arrangement of Piazzolla's Muerte del Angel, Milonga del Angel and Michelangelo 70, featuring Lidia on bandoneon with the trio.

For tickets, visit the Astral Artists site. And while you're there, please take a few minutes to learn more about the great work that Astral Artists does in grooming superb young classical artists for professional careers.

Lidia Kaminska Will Change the Way You Think About the Accordion

If you grew up in central Connecticut in the Fifties with Polish and/or Italian parents (I had both), the odds were unusually good that you would wind up playing the accordion. I've been an amateur (in the good sense, I think) for nearly 50 years, playing just for fun mostly in neighborhood jam sessions and the occasional social function. I've also made an occasional hobby of tracing the historical and ethnographic journey of the instrument. I became especially interested in this after reading Accordion Crimes by R. Annie Proulx (best known for her book The Shipping News) back in the mid-Nineties, a rich and well-researched novel (and a movie waiting to happen).

As I've sought out who's making great music with the accordion, I have met a handful of true professionals, most notably New York-area jazz MIDI accordionist Eddie Monteiro who accompanies himself on vocalise. And I've encountered (and collected) music by such terrific artists as jazzman Richard Galliano from France and new-music pioneer Maria Kalaniemi from Finland, and by other jazz, folk and new-music accordionists in dozens of countries on several continents.

Last year, here in Philadelphia, I met a young accordionist whom I believe will change the way Americans think about the accordion as a classical instrument.

Her name is Lidia Kaminska, and she is the first person to have earned a doctorate in accordion performance from an American university. I've seen her perform on both bayan (a complex, all-button Russian instrument) and bandoneon (Argentinian composer Astor Piazzolla's signature instrument). She's received well-earned attention in the press and on public radio.

If you take a few minutes to watch Lidia's performance and conversation with Hugh Sung, a faculty member at Philadelphia's incomparable Curtis Institute of Music, I think you will see what I mean. In the next few days, I'm going to post ticket information about a December 7 Astral Artists concert in Philadelphia featuring Lidia and two other terrific young musicians that Ann and I will co-sponsor. If you're open to new musical explorations, you'll want to join us there.