CONCERT FOR ONE
La Gare jazz club in Paris is offering “concerts for one.” Judging from the line outside the venue, socially distanced, of course, it is hugely popular. For 5-minutes it’s just you and the musician. And it’s free, though donations are encouraged. How many 5-minute sets could a musician do per night? Hang on a sec and I’ll tell you…
A concert for one is a fabulous way to hear music. I know. I was once the ‘one’. A long time ago, when I was in college, a flyer on the door to the Commons caught my eye. It said, “Regionally known bluesy acoustic guitarist playing the Ballroom at 12-noon.” As that sentence held three of my favourite words I went.
When I showed up it was just me, the sound engineer and the performer. There were no late-comers. I assumed the ‘plug would be pulled’, so to speak, but the show went on as planned. To my surprise, rather than being downbeat and apologetic, the singer/guitarist proceeded to blow the roof off the place, singing her heart out and playing a battered but excellent sounding Martin D-18. Her voice painted pictures. Her fingers danced nimbly up and down the fretboard without a single hint of trickery or flash. Every riff served the song. In fact, it rocked. I had a feeling music ‘could’ do that, I just hadn’t actually witnessed it before.
I won’t name the artist because I haven’t asked her permission to tell her story and I’m not sure how she would feel as she has gone on to some fame and notoriety, but for me that day was like a “Before/After” photograph.
After the gig I had more lectures, but I skipped them. I had a cunning plan to formulate and the local record shop was just the place to start. There were records, of course, but there were flyers advertising gigs. I entered a new world that day.
It never occurred to me to think about that gig in terms of success, which is difficult to determine in the best of times. It all depends on one’s criteria, don’t you think? Some might deem that midday gig not successful because no one, except me, was there. Fair enough. Others might deem it not successful because the finances couldn’t possibly have worked out favourably. Truth be told, those two thoughts never crossed my mind. I was on my way to somewhere, to paraphrase John Steinbeck, where the deep chords beat, the melody runs up the strings, and the singing comes into your dreams.
So I know about a concert for one. I’ve been on the receiving end. It’s a powerfully positive thing. A powerfully positive thing is what some of us need right about now. So, all to say, if you have the opportunity to go to a concert for one, then do. Likewise, if I get asked to do a concert for one, I’ll do it.
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