MUSIC REVIEW: Global Music Ensemble @ Cleveland Institute of Music by Linda Eisenstein

If you’re like me you might not know about the dozens of great concerts in the area, with so many free. Many of them are at our three stellar music conservatories, whose faculty include world-class musical geniuses. So when I saw master percussionist Jamey Haddad headlining this bill at the Cleveland Institute of Music, I was there.

Oh! What a wonderful concert!

It opened with duets between Haddad & cellist Mike Block, who founded the Global Music Ensemble. They’ve played together often, including in YoYo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble. They started with a Hindustani piece, then one featuring Brazilian fusion. Haddad is like three players at once, he’s so skilled & versatile. Have you ever heard a tambourine sound like a bass drum? I did last night.

Then the ten CIM students joined. As a lifelong pianist myself, I how difficult it is for classically trained students to shift to this other method. No notation. Learning by ear from different traditions: Chinese, Brazilian, bluegrass, Lebanese, West African Mandinka. Improvising. Scatting.  Terrified. Then a turn to triumphant joy.

What a consummate pleasure to see young musicians blossom among masters, as Haddad introduces pieces: “Mike & I learned this from a pipa master in Hangzhou.”

I joined their mailing list. Wouldn’t want to miss a single one. Check out future concerts at CIM.edu. They livestream most concerts.

[Written byLinda Eisenstein]

Cleveland, OH 44106

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