Jazz that Riffs off Ravel

(left to right) Marco Mezquida, Martin Melendez and Aleix Tobias

Last night was all about classical music, and tonight it was jazz riffing off of the music of Maurice Ravel.

As part of the Hong Kong Arts Festival, I attended a concert by the Marco Mezquida Trio entitled Ravel's Dreams, held at the Drama Theatre in the Hong Kong for Performing Arts in Wan Chai.

Last year when I watched a jazz performance at the nearby Arts Centre, the place was barely filled, but this time it was almost full, with ushers encouraging people to sit closer to the stage.

Mezquida is a very talented Spanish pianist -- he is technically as brilliant as someone like Lang Lang and takes his musicality to another level with improvisation on the spot depending on the venue, the audience and how he feels.



Only 31 years old, he is very comfortable experimenting with all aspects of the piano -- even reaching over and playing with the strings inside the instrument. His fellow musicians are very accomplished as well.

Cellist Martin Melendez who was born in Moscow of Cuban parents and lives in Barcelona, playing jazz, Cuban, funk and flamenco. Melendez was soaking in the music, mostly eyes closed and moving to the music as he played, plucked and even strummed his cello.

Aleix Tobias on drums is very deft on percussion and has a range from adding beats to creating new textures with the music and complementing the two other players very well.

At first the audience was timid and didn't know when to clap -- many were Chinese -- but after a while they got the hang of it and enthusiastically clapped after each piece. 

Towards the end, Mezquida performed the Adagio assai from Ravel's Piano Concerto in G major all on his own and we were all mesmerized watching his fingers literally flying all over the keyboard, doing very fast chords and melody all on his own -- the cellist and percussionist took a break, and it wasn't until the very end did they join him.

The last piece they played was their riff of Ravel's Bolero -- so full of energy and the piano and percussion taking turns keeping the signature beat of the piece. The cellist held his instrument like a giant guitar and was strumming it!



By now the audience was so excited they clapped enthusiastically and got an encore. We don't know what it was, but Tobias held a tambourine, Melendez hit/tapped different parts of the cello and Mezquida strummed or plucked the piano strings -- it was completely unconventional music, and it was fun.

The audience clapped loudly again, but alas, the trio only came out to wave goodbye and that their CDs were available outside the venue!

Marco Mezquida Trio - Ravel's Dreams (arranged by Mezquida)
String Quartet in F major
Pavane pour une infante defunte
Le Tombeau de Couperin
Adagio assai from Piano Concerto in G major
Bolero