In my last post, I explored ideas about music inspired by a recent book. Pretty soon after I finished the book and the blog, I went to a concert at the Center for Spiritual Living that was a Beatles tribute. Michael Gott has been the musical director there for 17 years and is an excellent singer/songwriter/pianist in his own right. He was joined by Robin Hackett on vocals and a guitar player to create a unique interpretation of Beatles songs for a 2 hour concert.
One testament to the Universal appeal of the songs is the power they embody in so many different interpretations. This was especially true at the Sunday evening concert where many of the songs were slowed down, allowing the essence to become appreciated. One example was "Help" which was played as a duet with piano accompaniment at a moderately slow tempo rather than the fast rock-n-roll version recorded by the Beatles. Other memorable songs from that evening include Imagine, Yesterday, With a Little Help from my Friends, Because, Across the Universe and I Want to Hold Your Hand.
Since I grew up with this music, lots of memories that had long been split up in the various bit buckets of my mind came together to create a heighted sense of enjoyment and sensitivity to the music. Time stopped for a couple of hours as I enjoyed the classic melodies, harmonies and rhythms that spoke to the era of their composition as well as "across the universe" of time to September of 2009.
For the record, my favorite Beatles albums are: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Abbey Road, Magical Mystery Tour.
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