One word to describe my experience this evening: WOW. Tonight, Phil and I saw Oliver Jones (jazz pianist) live in concert, thanks to Phil's dad. From beginning to end, the performance was flawless, breathtaking, exciting, thrilling, awe-inspiring, entertaining, skillful... and so much more. There was not a single moment where I was anything less than enthralled by the playing. I didn't know all the songs he played, but I knew most of them.
Wow. I still can't believe it.
Jones was playing with a bassist and a drummer - both of whom were wonderful musicians. The bassist had an instrument that looked like a regular wooden double bass, but with both sides chopped off. It also had a sort of vase sticking out from where the soundboard would be - for his bow. All through the evening he alternated between plucking and bowing the strings. It was wonderful. The drummer was young (Jones made a joke about it) but unbelievable! In some ways, he stole the show. His playing was, to my ear, flawless. I was especially impressed with his skill with the brushes. So much energy in his playing, and his timing was dead on with everything that Jones did.
And then the pianist himself. Before he came on, there was an opening group that had won some award from the festival. I wasn't very impressed with them and after their first (and only) song, Phil leaned over and whispered "boring" in my ear and I wholeheartedly agreed! Then the bassist and drummer for Oliver Jones came out and started playing... and after a few seconds, Oliver Jones himself walked out on stage to huge applause. Then the concert really began and was impressive from the very first note. I know I'm sensationalizing this right now, but I really did enjoy it that much! They played fast songs, they played ballads, they each had solos, they all played together, they played a song with some 20th century idioms, they played a Caribbean influenced song. It was just all so good. Like a massage for my ears.
Then Oliver Jones announced he had a special treat for the audience, and a lady (don't remember her name) came out on stage... AND THEY SHARED THE PIANO! They played Autumn Leaves - one of my favorite jazz tunes. First of all, they took turns. He then she then he then she. Then the bass and drums came in and he comped and she improvised (very well). After a verse or two, she got up and switched seats with him: she comped and he improvised! Then they went back and forth: she improvised half a verse, he finished the verse... to someone who couldn't see what was going on at the piano, I'm not sure you could tell there were two separate people playing. They didn't have drastically different styles, and they complemented each other so well. No one tried to outdo the other. It was so much fun to watch and listen to!
The whole concert... wow.
...And then I got home and stood on my porch to watch the last little bit of the fireworks competition - also quite fabulous :)
Two fantastic nights in a row... what a nice change from grumpy incompetence!
Showing posts with label Experience. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Experience. Show all posts
Saturday, July 7, 2007
Friday, July 6, 2007
One Year
One year ago today, Phil and I got married. Then I moved to Montreal away from all my family and friends and started a job. This year has been full of frustration and disappointment, but none of that has been caused by my relationship with my husband. In fact, I'm sure that without him, I would not have been able to deal with everything life threw at me this year.
Tonight we went out to dinner to celebrate this special occasion. We went for supper at the Hilton and it was a flawless evening. We're still in shock. After a year of struggling with the incompetence of other people, it was amazing to have an evening where nothing went wrong, there were no misunderstandings, and we didn't have to deal with any rude people.
We started off by leaving the house almost an hour before our reservations. I wanted to enjoy the lounge or public area that all hotels have - especially nice ones. We ran into traffic, but it didn't matter because we knew we had loads of time to get to the hotel. After parking, we sat in the bar area and a waiter came up and took our drink order. The waiter was extremely polite, and when the drinks came, he served them with incredible flair. It was our own little show - we loved it! We calmly sipped our drinks while listening to some live jazz, care of the Montreal Jazz Festival. A little after 6pm, we sauntered into the restaurant - the only guests there. We were seated at the nicest table in the place: right next to the window, looking out onto the terrace with the garden and decorative pool. The terrace was closed because of impending rain, so there were no people to block our view of the beautiful garden. Both of our waiters were incredibly polite, respectful, calm, helpful... We knew we were in for a good evening.
After the most delicious bread I have ever had (it was sliced super thin and I think it had been coated with a garlic oil and then lightly baked), our appetizers came. The presentation was, again, amazing. And they tasted great. Phil and I both had the pheasant as our main course and I thought I was in heaven. The pheasant had a sort of soy sauce, but it wasn't the only attraction. There was also a shrimp and asparagus portion, in a cream sauce. I may have enjoyed that even more than the pheasant! The shrimp and asparagus together in the cream sauce was the perfect taste combination. There were also mini squash and a white fibrous vegetable I couldn't identify - also fabulous. To accompany our dinner we had an exquisite Bordeaux. It was a very fine wine! I savored every single morsel of that meal.
For dessert, I had chocolate mousse with raspberry sauce - and two strawberries (juiciest ever) and some raspberries on the side. Phil had a strawberry and cream cheese dessert, with a Brazilian coffee. This was no ordinary coffee - it was also presented beautifully. The waiter came up with a cart and a burner. He sugared the glass, poured in some cognac and set it on fire, then used it to caramelize the sugar on the rim of the glass. More burning, then the coffee was added, and then what I believe was clotted cream. It was another exciting show, and it smelled amazing. As we were eating our dessert, the maitre'd brought a little tray of chocolates and shortbreads to our table. We were too full to enjoy them fully, but they were deluxe. After the cheque was paid, our main waiter asked us if we were celebrating anything special and then had a nice little conversation with us.
Fabulous service, impressive showmanship, polite and pleasant people, delightful company... It was the perfect evening. Phil and I felt like royalty. What a wonderful first anniversary - I will remember this forever.
Tonight we went out to dinner to celebrate this special occasion. We went for supper at the Hilton and it was a flawless evening. We're still in shock. After a year of struggling with the incompetence of other people, it was amazing to have an evening where nothing went wrong, there were no misunderstandings, and we didn't have to deal with any rude people.
We started off by leaving the house almost an hour before our reservations. I wanted to enjoy the lounge or public area that all hotels have - especially nice ones. We ran into traffic, but it didn't matter because we knew we had loads of time to get to the hotel. After parking, we sat in the bar area and a waiter came up and took our drink order. The waiter was extremely polite, and when the drinks came, he served them with incredible flair. It was our own little show - we loved it! We calmly sipped our drinks while listening to some live jazz, care of the Montreal Jazz Festival. A little after 6pm, we sauntered into the restaurant - the only guests there. We were seated at the nicest table in the place: right next to the window, looking out onto the terrace with the garden and decorative pool. The terrace was closed because of impending rain, so there were no people to block our view of the beautiful garden. Both of our waiters were incredibly polite, respectful, calm, helpful... We knew we were in for a good evening.
After the most delicious bread I have ever had (it was sliced super thin and I think it had been coated with a garlic oil and then lightly baked), our appetizers came. The presentation was, again, amazing. And they tasted great. Phil and I both had the pheasant as our main course and I thought I was in heaven. The pheasant had a sort of soy sauce, but it wasn't the only attraction. There was also a shrimp and asparagus portion, in a cream sauce. I may have enjoyed that even more than the pheasant! The shrimp and asparagus together in the cream sauce was the perfect taste combination. There were also mini squash and a white fibrous vegetable I couldn't identify - also fabulous. To accompany our dinner we had an exquisite Bordeaux. It was a very fine wine! I savored every single morsel of that meal.
For dessert, I had chocolate mousse with raspberry sauce - and two strawberries (juiciest ever) and some raspberries on the side. Phil had a strawberry and cream cheese dessert, with a Brazilian coffee. This was no ordinary coffee - it was also presented beautifully. The waiter came up with a cart and a burner. He sugared the glass, poured in some cognac and set it on fire, then used it to caramelize the sugar on the rim of the glass. More burning, then the coffee was added, and then what I believe was clotted cream. It was another exciting show, and it smelled amazing. As we were eating our dessert, the maitre'd brought a little tray of chocolates and shortbreads to our table. We were too full to enjoy them fully, but they were deluxe. After the cheque was paid, our main waiter asked us if we were celebrating anything special and then had a nice little conversation with us.
Fabulous service, impressive showmanship, polite and pleasant people, delightful company... It was the perfect evening. Phil and I felt like royalty. What a wonderful first anniversary - I will remember this forever.
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