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MOINES REGISTER IOWA LIFE
Thursday, October 6, 2005
Music Review
by Ben Allaway. freelance writer
There were smiles, sighs and belly laughs all over the Hoyt Sherman Auditorium Tuesday night as the great Roger Williams entertained a capacity crowd with dazzling piano technique, virtuosic storytelling and comedic timing that brought down the house many times. Maybe he just loosens up a bit more when he comes home, but he really seems to enjoy being back. And at a young 81, Mr. Williams, like other great pianists, seems only to get better.
It was good to see that this show, a benefit for the Iowa Hall of Pride put on by the Iowa High School Athletic Association and Hoyt Sherman Place, was completely different than the one he played three years ago in the same place. While he did duplicate some from his list of 22 Billboard top hits -- like “Autumn leaves” -- they were done in fresh arrangements, at unexpected moments, wrapped in a great story or punctuated with a great one-liner.
He opened with “The
Sound of Music”, played in rhapsodic
style, but with intimate changes in texture, a hallmark of a Williams
performance. He favors center octaves in unison to bring out a melody,
and no one can make the Steinway sing baritone or alto better. Williams
then launched into “Whirlwind”,
his only original tune on the program. a
vehicle for demonstrating another hallmark -- speed. His flying arpeggios
and cascading chromatic runs are a marvel to hear and watch.
His excellent five-piece band is colorful and versatile. An extended
medley of ballads followed, played largely without the band, comprised
of “What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life”, “The
Windmills Of My Mind” and “All
The Things You Are”. These and his “Embraceable You” featured
Hallmark No. 3 -- sophisticated harmonies and voicings. These gorgeous
melodies were elevated further by the treatment they were given. The
medley ended with an up tune that escaped unnamed. The introduction
gradually
morphed from ballad to virtuosic mental breakdown, slipping with great
relief into a “bop” sort of ordered craziness that came
just in the nick of time.
There are many classical pianists who can’t play popular music, much less real jazz improvisation. Williams does both brilliantly, giving a masterpiece a popular flavor, or playing any popular tune in a classical style, anytime, anywhere. True musical genius.
The best part of the program was a medley of the songs he played
for eight presidents, including Harry Truman, who had him play Chopin,
and then sat down and played Chopin for Williams. Eisenhower requested
Bernstein’s “Maria”. Kennedy traveled with a portable
record player, and Williams told how the president listened to his
record of “Yellowbird” while shaving on the morning he
was killed. The record player and his album are both in the Kennedy
Library.
The second half was one big “by request” session. Williams had folks call out favorites, some more obscure than others, and the band took notes. then on the spot Williams led them through the list. Both Drake and North High (Williams’ alma maters) fight songs made the list, and people from Wisconsin were delighted as he weaved the requested “On, Wisconsin” throughout almost every other number the rest of the night - odd for an Iowa fundraiser!
Williams exited on a hilarious final biblical story involving Adam and Eve and what happened “when the leaves began to fall.” Keep coming home, Mr. Williams. We have fallen -- for you.
