TIME FOR THREE with the Seattle Symphony Benaroya Hall Seattle, WA 2/18/2020
TIME FOR THREE
Seattle Symphony
Benaroya Hall
Seattle WA
2/18/2020
I always enjoy attending performances at Benaroya Hall. While the city of Seattle itself leaves much to be desired currently, the gem of the Seattle Symphony at Benaroya Hall remains a constant of excellence that I continue to enjoy.
Last night the popular trio Time For Three performed with the Seattle Symphony, as conducted by Associate Conductor Lee Mills.
The group arrived in town on Monday and performed at a local SoFar Seattle show that same evening. The group can go from a small intimate setting like that to a grand setting like Benaroya Hall without blinking an eye.
Charles Yang (violin and lead vocals), Nick Kendall (violin and vocals), and Ranaan Meyer (double bass and vocals) waited in the wings as the Seattle Symphony performed an intro piece by George Gershwin. Immediately after the three talented musicians walked out to a loud applause and their portion of the concert began. They were also accompanied by kit drummer Matthew Scarano.
Performing several pieces by Chris Brubeck entitled, “Travels in Time for Three”, the trio brought an undeniable positive energy to the stage. For some in attendance, they were waiting for the crossover music that the group is arguably best known for. But the first act of the program was incredibly well done.
After the intermission, the trio launched into their best known cover song, Ben E. King’s, “Stand By Me”, as the Seattle Symphony looked on. Loud applause accompanied the first line of the song as the audience recognized the tune. Charles Yang is not only an incredible violinist but he is clearly a fantastic vocalist as well. The harmonies from Nick Kendall and Ranaan Meyer throughout the second act were also spot on. In the next song, a beautiful original written for the group, “Vertigo” displayed the vocal chops of all three musicians. This song was a highlight of the program for me.
The next song was introduced as a song dedicated to the founder of an organization called Musicians On Call. The founder and his wife were in attendance and were recognized from the stage. The group said that they have been playing music in hospitals, both in the lobby and in patient rooms, for the organization. One of the songs they play often at these visits is Leonard Cohen’s, “Hallelujah”, which they performed for the audience at Benaroya Hall.
The main program ended with an extended medley of Time For Three songs called, “Songs Of Joy”. This was a long musical exercise that ran the emotional gamut from, well, joy to cinematic grandeur. Once the last note echoed through the hall, the audience rose to their feet and gave everyone on the stage a well-deserved standing ovation.
Time For Three returned to launch into one encore - their version of Guns N’ Roses megahit, “Sweet Child O’ Mine”. The crowd once again roared in approval and stood on their feet for several minutes.
And then it was over.
Time For Three were as advertised. A fun, energetic, and extremely talented group of musicians that worked even better with the Seattle Symphony. A beautiful night of music on a Tuesday evening.
Thank you for reading,
Mark Sugiyama
Eclectic Arts
Eclecticartszine AT gmail DOT com
P.S. One thing to mention - it looked like the trio would be signing autographs and meeting fans after the show in the lobby. I saw a sign and a table with three chairs ready. This should have been said from the stage by the group or over the PA. Just a small suggestion. Cheers!
P.S. One thing to mention - it looked like the trio would be signing autographs and meeting fans after the show in the lobby. I saw a sign and a table with three chairs ready. This should have been said from the stage by the group or over the PA. Just a small suggestion. Cheers!
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