We had a busy day in NYC today. First was an afternoon concert at Jazz at the Lincoln Center; the last concert in this season's Jazz for Young People series entitled "What is Free Jazz". Now I like jazz of almost every variety but I've always found free jazz the most challenging to appreciate. And I know that Deirdre most definitely does not appreciate it based on her reaction to a Charlie Haden concert we saw together many years ago at the Montreal Jazz Festival. Furthermore, Pierce clearly enjoys the symphonic Young People's Concerts more than the Jazz for Young People's Concerts and I can empathize: I didn't really start to enjoy jazz until I was in my early teens. Needless to say, we entered Rose Hall with some trepidation. But our anxiety was dashed the moment the Matt Wilson Quartet took the stage. Matt and the band did an exceptionally good job of breaking the genre down into its components in order to explain what's behind free jazz and how to listen to it. And they did it all in an exceptionally engaging way for kids and the adults. While we came away with a better appreciation for the music, I can't say that I'm going to run out and buy an Albert Ayler recording.
After a quick subway trip to the Village our next event was the World Science Festival's Cool Jobs lecture at NYU's Kimmel Center. Four scientists and engineers described their passion for creation and discovery and explained some of the science and technology underlying their work: a roboticist, an extraterrestrial life hunter, a marine biologist and a neuroscientist. Pierce loved the roboticist and his ingenious creations.
