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Page 20 Thursday, February 23, 2006 The Westfield Leader and The Scotch Plains – Fanwood TIMES A WATCHUNG COMMUNICATIONS, INC. PUBLICATION Mother Nature Rolls Out White Carpet For Symphony’s Valentine By SUSAN M. DOUGHERTY Representing South America was seeing Maestro Wroe up close. He is Specially Written for The Westfield Leader and The Times composer Carlos Frangetti, who said a focused whirlwind of activity that WESTFIELD – “World Premiere” in the program notes, “This short echoes the sentiment of the music. connotes an occasion replete with work encompasses my reflections, Just watch his fingers, hands and celebrities and a red carpet. While the my thoughts, and the merging of in- wrists and you’ll see a master crafts- Westfield Symphony Orchestra digenous Latin-American music with man molding the composition like a (WSO) may have provided the guest American music.” He used the actual potter with a piece of malleable clay. composer celebrities for their Febru- poet’s words during a portion of his So thoroughly entranced by the ary 11 concert, Mother Nature piece, narrated by Kristin Rothfuss, sounds the orchestra produced, he switched the red carpet to a snowy mezzo-soprano. barely glanced at the Prokofiev score white one on the night touted by the A flamboyant brass section and even once. It was impressive indeed. media as the “Blizzard of ’06.” syncopation featuring xylophone and Many people in the Union County Despite the inclement weather, the maracas enhanced the flavor of his area will remember the crippling snow- show went on, consisting of three music. storm of February 11, yet others will distinct parts: Leonard Bernstein’s The third section of the quartet of recall the night for the musical valen- “Overture to Candide,” the world pre- short compositions reflected Ge Gan- tine presented by this master conduc- miere of “The New Colossus” and Ru’s interest in combining Eastern tor and equally talented New Jersey excerpts from Prokofiev’s “Romeo and Western music. He explained in composers and the musicians who and Juliet.” the program notes, “While in West- made the old and new music sing. Musical Conductor David Wroe Linda Condrillo for The Westfield Leader and The Times DIZZY UP THE GIRL…Daughter of Dizzy Gillespie, Jeanie Bryson, and Chuck Mangione guitarist Coleman Mellett ‘kick opened the musical valentine at a it up a notch’ every Wednesday night in the lounge at Northside Trattoria. fantastic pace—almost like a child ripping open a chocolate-filled crim- son heart. Precision and magnificence entwined to fill the Westfield Presby- Northside Trattoria’s Great Food, terian Church’s sanctuary with the familiar Bernstein piece. The effer- vescent “Glitter and Be Gay” seg- ment of the overture fairly skipped Talent Are Recipe For Success along at breakneck speed. By LINDA B. CONDRILLO big influence on my music career. two could have a belated honeymoon A pale-pink program insert gave Specially Written for The Westfield Leader and The Times There was always music in the house, in Cape Town. Mr. Mellett also teaches background as to how the next section WESTFIELD — The recent addi- all kinds of music, and a lot of jazz of guitar at the Jazz Institute of New of the night’s program originated. tion of a bar and newly renovated course. Her birthday was just the other Jersey, and his new guitar actually “The concept (of “The New Colos- lounge at the Northside Trattoria has day, and I had been cleaning out the played a small role in landing the gig sus”) came out of a creative partnership all the right ingredients for mixing basement and came across about 25 in town. between WSO’s Music Director David eclectic cuisine with great music years of sheet music, demo tapes and So how did the couple end up at the Wroe and the Geraldine Dodge Founda- thrice weekly. Wednesday night’s fea- recordings on cassette. One of them Northside Trattoria? The two revealed tion, whose vision coincided in the de- tured act boasts a famous musical was a tape she made for me singing that it was a series of interesting coin- sire to create a work representing a mani- lineage and some amazing creden- one of the songs she wrote when I was cidences. Mr. Mellett told The Leader festation of the ‘American Dream,’ as tials. about five or six. I played it for her on and The Times, “John Reynolds of expressed by New Jersey artists,” it said. In a recent interview with the her birthday and the words came right Golden Age Fretted Instruments re- Each artist represented a different Westfield Leader and The Times of back to me as if they were sung yes- cently moved his vintage guitar store sphere of the world- Africa, South Susan M.Dougherty for The Westfield Leader and The Times Scotch Plains-Fanwood, Times, jazz terday.” to Westfield. He kept telling me about America, Asia or Europe. TUNING UP…Moments before the Westfield Symphony Orchestra present their vocalist Jeanie Bryson and guitarist Her mom also wrote the lyrics for the Trattoria and that I should come in Local composer and choral arts musical valentine to the community on February 11, orchestra members do last Coleman Mellett spoke about them- Ms. Bryson’s recording “Deja Blue.” to check it out because they were director for the Westfield Methodist minute tuning in the Westfield Presbyterian Church sanctuary. The blizzard of selves and their regular gig at their Her album Some Cats Know for starting to feature live music and it Church Trent Johnson was one of the ’06 didn’t deter too many of the diehard fans. new “home.” Telarc, a label that has released sev- might be the perfect place for us.” four men commissioned to write a Ms. Bryson is the daughter of the eral of her recordings, is a tribute to Ms. Bryson was getting the same section of the larger work. He said he ern music composers are concerned late Dizzy Gillespie, a fact she had Peggy Lee. A selection of her CDs is signals, but from a different source. had no foreknowledge of what the with the relationships between kept hidden until after his death in available at the Trattoria, and Ms. Her good friend, Toni Lissman, the other composers were planning. “We pitches, in Chinese music what is 1993. Early in her career, Ms. Bryson Bryson is happy to autograph them. manager of Town and Country Wine did not meet as a group,” Mr. Johnson important is the particular pitch and sang for her father at one of his en- She married her husband of two – the Trattoria’s cheese supplier – told the Westfield Leader and The microtonal and timbral character.” gagements. Fondly recalling the mo- years, whom she warmly refers to as mentioned the same thing. Times of Scotch Plains-Fanwood. dur- Soprano Carole Farley translated ment, she told the newspaper, “He “Coley,” at Dizzy Gillespie Park in One night, the two stopped in for ing intermission, “but we were given Ge Gan-Ru’s portion in untraditional was playing near Atlantic City and Cheraw, S.C. In attendance were Mr. dinner and, according to Ms. Bryson, a portion of the Emma Lazarus poem vocal sounds. Unfortunately, the or- invited me to come up on stage with Gillespie’s first cousins, Renee Wil- “From the moment we walked in the to interpret through music.” The fa- chestra overpowered her bird-like him. My son was just about two at the son and Hanson MacIntosh. Mrs. door, we knew we found our home.” mous poem is engraved at the base of staccato vocal notes. A lovely cello time and waiting backstage for me. Wilson and husband, Jack, hosted the When the couple talked to the own- the Statue of Liberty. and viola section echoed a memo- There I was, standing at the mic, couple’s wedding party. ers, they discovered they had some- Representing an African voice, Mr. rable refrain. when he runs out to find me and No stranger to big names himself, thing else in common. Johnson opened his composition with Segment four of “The New Colos- clings on to my leg, as I’m singing Mr. Mellett is Chuck Mangione’s Although they had never met, both bird-like flutes, which suggested sus” was written by Mark McGurty, (Billie Holiday’s) ‘God Bless the guitarist. He started playing music Ms. Bryson and Trattoria co-owner dawning, and a luxurious harp to cre- who said in print, “This work is a very Child’ for my father.” early on, first on the piano. “My fa- Chris Boyle worked together – in ate waves lapping on the American simple three-part structure with an Get Outta’ Ms. Bryson admits that having ther played a little guitar, so I started different ends of the restaurant – 15 shore. Three sections of his piece extended obligato for mezzo-soprano Dizzy Gillespie for a dad may have getting interested in that. Then I took years ago in Madison at the Cook gave the listener a snippet of a Euro- soaring over a lush orchestra state- The House helped her career, but only partially. guitar lessons from a nun. She was Plaza Café. The musicians and the pean jig, an African song and a Ko- ment.” “I think maybe cosmically, and surely very strict,” he said. restaurateur took it as a sign, and the rean tune. Mr. McGurty’s music spotlighted a By CAROL F. DAVIS genetically, it definitely helped, but Obviously, the discipline has paid rest, as they say, is history. One’s imagination could soar envi- gorgeous duet of Ms.

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