Symphony Review: Bobby McFerrin
About 10 months ago I mentioned to my friend Dan that Bobby McFerrin was coming into town to conduct the Seattle Symphony and do some of his trademark voice improvisations at Benaroya Hall. I was told by Dan that the event should not be missed. So I bought a couple of tickets; tickets that have been in my symphony file folder for a long, long time... until tonight.

The program tonight consisted of two classical music selections that Mr. McFerrin conducted, followed by McFerrin's vocal improvisations, then an intermission, and lastly Mr. McFerrin conducted the symphony in Beethoven's Symphony No. 8.

As Dan noted, the improvisations were extremely entertaining. Had either Kristy or myself been consulted beforehand, we would have recommended to the event planners to simply have Mr. McFerrin do his vocalizations only. The rest of the program was enjoyable, but not unforgettable. The Beethoven Symphony, though very good, was still a let down after hearing McFerrin's vocal performance for 45+ minutes.

The style of the vocal improvisations is jazz-influenced a capella. McFerrin has an incredible range of four octaves. There were several songs where he showcased this range by alternatively hitting high and low notes while he carried on two melodies simultaneously. He also used his voice to create percussion-like and trumpet-like sound effect by singing while tapping on his chest. For example, listen to this sample selection of "Thinkin" (which was one of the songs he performed tonight). Mr. McFerrin also displayed an incredible control over the volume of his voice... during one of the songs, he self-faded his voice to a whisper as he closed the song while holding the microphone pretty much as the same distance away from his mouth. We were both blown away. Here are a couple of additional sample to enjoy: "Drive" and "Blackbird".

Not only is Mr. McFerrin an incredible talent, but his is also an exceptional entertainer. For example, he did a selection that boiled down the Wizard of Oz into a 10-minute song. It was very humorous. His program also involved the audience quite extensively. For example, while he vocalized a selection from Bach, the audience voiced over "Ave Maria". For another song, he split the audience in half and had each side repeat a series of four notes on his command. The result was beautiful and it was fun to participate. We were very sad when his part of the program ended.

Dan was right... McFerrin is a talent not to be missed.

Restaurant Review: Gelatiamo

Just before we stepped into Benaroya Hall tonight to see Bobby McFerrin perform, Kristy and I visited nearby Gelatiamo, an Italian Ice Cream and Pastry store, that is located on the Northeast corner of University and Third (kitty corner from Benaroya). The concert started at 8pm and Gelatiamo closes at 8pm (even on the weekends), so the schedule seemed to dictate that we stop in and have a small bite.

I had one scoop each of the coconut and dulce de leche gelato. It hit the spot. Kristy had a hazelnut tart. It was well prepared, but far too dry to consume without a scoop of gelato to accompany it. Since Kristy did not order any gelato with her tart, she had some of mine (I had plenty to go around... the scoop size at Gelatiamo is very generous). The service at Gelatiamo is very prompt and the restaurant is clean and bright.

Summary: Good place for a quick dessert.

Restaurant Review: Harvest Vine

This evening Kristy and I had tickets to see the performance of Bobby McFerrin at Benaroya Hall. Before the show, we stopped by the Harvest Vine restaurant for dinner.

The Harvest Vine is located in Capitol Hill away from downtown Seattle (near the wonderful Rover's). The table layout of the restaurant is split between two floors. The open kitchen is on the main floor and includes some bar seating (around the open kitchen) and some limited table seating. We were led downstairs to a room that was decorated in the style of an old wine cellar. We sat on a long slender table opposite each other; there were three other parties seated at the table, but there was plenty of distance between us to make us feel like we had our own space.

The Harvest Vine is a Spanish restaurant known for its tapas (or small plates). I really didn't know what that meant until tonight. When we ordered, I figured that the Kristy and I would get our salad at the same time, followed by our main course. This was not the case. The plates are served "family style" and brought to the table sequentially one after another. Salads and cold tapas are served first, followed by any hot tapas. We ordered two salads, and three hot tapas. The first salad served was the one that Kristy ordered; a green salad that was tossed with a light vinaigrette composed of olive oil, honey, and this marvelously sweet vinegar made from Spanish Pedro Ximénez grapes. Oh, it was fantastic. The salad I ordered came second. It was a golden and red beet salad with garlic, sherry vinegar, and lagrima olive oil. The beets were firm and extremely flavorful by themselves, but the oil/vinegar/garlic treatment enchanced the delicious beets.

Our first hot tapas was a plate of lovely spinach. The spinach was sautéed in garlic and olive oil and finished with a creamed sherry sauce. Exceptionally well presented on the plate and very, very tasty. Our next dish was some delightful scallops that were perfectly prepared (medium rare). And our final dish include three small tender venison filets that were incredibly yummy.

We didn't stay for dessert, but instead ventured over to the Gelatiamo (located kitty corner from Benaroya Hall).

Summary: The small size (and cost) of each of the tapas allowed us to build a surprisingly filling five-course dinner for just over $10 per course. The quality of all the food was top rate.

Truck Ride
I have wanted to plant some trees on the southern side of our house for many years; some big-leaf trees that would grow up and provide some shade for Berkeley's room (which gets miserably hot during the summer even with the A/C cranked up). Costco is selling some maple trees of decent size at a decent price, so I borrowed a truck from one of our neighbors and, accompanied by Berkeley, set out to buy them and haul them back to our place.

Berkeley loved riding in the truck. So much so that he stated that "When I get old enough, I'm going to buy a truck." Berkeley had previously remarked that he was going to buy a convertible and he points out any convertible he sees on the road with giddy enthusiasm... so the truck made an impact on him. I'm planning on keeping the BMW or the Mercedes for the kids to use (which will both be more than 20 years old by the time Berkeley turns driving age), but maybe a big 'ol beat up truck wouldn't be such a bad idea either.