Friday, November 11, 2011
One Love Part Two: Reviewing Al Kapone and the MSO's Opus One
Posted by Chris Davis on Fri, Nov 11, 2011 at 10:52 AM
Sometimes I forget that, for all of its issues, Memphis really is the coolest city in the solar system. Or, it has the potential to be, at least. And then nights like last night happen and I'm reminded all over again of why I chose to settle here. When Al Kapone pumped his finger in the air and chanted, "One love," it was officially a shout out to Craig Brewer. Still, it felt like a little piece of that love was aimed at me and everybody else who packed into the New Daisy to see this longtime fixture on the local rap scene perform in front of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra as part of the ongoing and wildly successful (apparently) Opus One concert series.
One Love
"This is a hip town," an ecstatic Kapone announced, dismissing Memphis's bad reputation. The crowd went nuts in a way symphony crowds seldom do.
Pairing Kapone and the U-Dig Dance Academy with the MSO could have been a straight up gimmick. But what happened at the New Daisy was the opposite pandering. The deep collaboration between artists was evident front to back as the musicians ran through a program showcasing old masters, a moden innovator, and an original work by a local composer. Kapone was the MC, in every sense of the word. He (with a little help from Lord T & Eloise) was the unique force binding Beethoven's Vienna to Memphis in the here and now.
"Million Dollar Boots" into Beethoven's 5th with U-Dig
Thanks to groups like New Ballet Ensemble and natural talents like Charles "L'il Buck" Riley Memphians are regularly exposed to dance works that blur the boundaries between classical and street. U-Dig Dance Academy erased the remaining lines as they responded whimsically to both Kapone and Beethoven.
"Yaman Yar" by Memphis cellist Jonathan Kirkscey is a droning, mournful, vaguely celtic slice of melancholy that evolves into something warm and comforting with all the sensual impact of sunbeams breaking through a dark cloud that never really lifts. It silenced a crowd that had been whooping and hollering only moments before. No small feat.
Watch the audience
Phillip Glass's String Quartet #3 was a casualty of the environment. It was the piece that set talkers to talking and sent drinkers back to the bar. But Glass's work was always intended to be a soundtrack and, at least for those of us down front, the odd snatches of conversation that escaped from the rumble seemed to actually enrich Glass's beautiful, hypnotic work in most unexpected and comical ways.
The casual audience, disarmed by electricity in the air and delighted by the U-Dig dancers laughed, clapped, and commented all the way through Edvard Grieg's "In the Hall of the Mountain King," making it a truly interactive experience. But the night belonged to the MSO's Sam Shoup who arranged all of Kapone's selections and to the rapper who radiated joy and charmed his audience at every turn.
Al Kapone reminds: It's all about the music
"We on Deck/Whoop That Trick," was an obvious closer, but for being Kapone's best known track, it wasn't nearly as satisfying as the earnest "My Flow My Hustle," the soulful, horn-heavy "New Jewelry," or the proudly Memphis-centric "The Music," a tune that really let the MSO players cut loose and cut up.
In the past I've been fussed at a bit by the musicians union for posting clips that exceed two minutes. I get it and want to play by the rules. But I hope this time they'll forgive me for posting some that run a few seconds over the limit because, at some point, words fail. And I think it's important for curious newcomers and skeptics to see the the depth of interaction between the symphony players of Opus One, the guest artist, the U-Dig dancers, and the audience.
Comments (7)
Showing 1-7 of 7
Thank you for a well-though-out review. I appreciate the links, esp for more info on Johnathan Kirkscey and Charles "L'il Buck" Riley. I was there, and the vibe in the room was palpable. I was grateful for the quiet attention during "Yaman Yar", and agree that the Glass was a 'casualty of the environment'. But why did you completely overlook the Shostakovich? I thought the two movements excerpted from his Chamber Symphony stirred the blood, and received adequate audience attention (even though you can't clap
to it).
One tiny criticism for the critic, don't count quite so much on Spellcheck ("Paring Kapone and the U-Dig Dance Academy...")
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HA! These days, Spellcheck is a friend, I think. Autocorrect is from the devil. As far as the Shostakovich goes, I just wanted to give readers a taste. Ideally the conversation continues here... as it just did. Thanks!
I had the absolute BEST time I've had in this city in a long time. Kudos to MSO/Opus One, Al Kapone (also repping Central High School!) and the dancers. AND the conductor for whoopin that trick. Ha.
We are hardly the type to think that there should be absolute quiet for the Opus series, but we were really surprised that during some pieces that members of the audience were trying to talk over the performance. I guess it’s our fault for not squeezing closer to the stage. We had to strain to hear much of Glass’s String Quartet #3 and half of Yaman was drowned out by bar talk. By the end of the Opus the back half of the crowd had gotten pretty close to resembling the typical Beale Street bar scene.
The Glass quartet took a real hit. I was down front for it and had to really focus. Too bad, it was really good. Such is the animal. Different every time... and learning every time. So maybe no more quartets in that kind of room.
And here's my video of Yaman (not all, obviously). It's so quiet all you can hear are the players and actual bar noise (bottles restocking etc) all the way in the back. That's more jarring than I remember. Overall, I was impressed by how well people adapted. But I expected even more restlessness and disruption in a bar.
CD- Yeah- it got quiet, but it took a while for a lot of the loud chatter in the rear to quiet down. Basically when the MSO was perceived to become very subdued the crowd talk dropped a few decibels. Depends on a person’s viewpoint. You could infer that the crowd suddenly began actually paying attention when they sensed the change or you might also guess that people realized they didn’t need to talk as loud to be heard over the music. All in all I kind of wish they had saved a premier piece - and an enjoyable one at that- for a different venue where it could actually be heard in its entirety. You live you learn.
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