Brevia

Saturday, May 10

Random Surreal Moment #1:

LaGuardia Airport, NY, sleepily ambling through the Northwest terminal looking for coffee, who do I bump into but an old friend, violinist Soovin Kim along with pianist Mitsuko Uchida. Of course, because this is a random surreal moment, we are all on the same flight to, of all places, Detroit. Soovin and Mitsuko are on their way to play Messaien's "Quartet for the End of Time" in Kalamazoo. Mitsuko, in her inimitable voice, tells us, "The last time I was there, I received a pen that had written upon it 'Yes, there is a Kalamazoo'!".

Random Surreal Moment #2:

Hungrily ambling down Monroe Street in downtown Detroit several hours later, looking for a meal, I'm assaulted by blaring music. At the intersection of Beaubien and Monroe, in the heart of Greektown, a couple of street musicians are playing drums and sax, riffing on a funk groove, going full throttle. They abruptly stop, and after a moment of silence, the drummer begins an unmistakable ostinato, and four bars later, the sax comes in with...Bolero.