Review: Black Violin’s non-traditional harmony of sounds breaks stereotypes
Reggae music filled the Bayou theater as ticket holders found their way to their seats April 9. Recognizable UHCL staff and faculty came trickling in along with large groups of families who brought their young to hear a unique performance, of a non-traditional violin concerto.
Advertised as “not your grandmother’s violin concert”, this did not stop senior-age people from buying tickets or enjoying the concert. People dressed in formal attire, some in suits or nice dresses, others in jeans, and some with khimar’s. The audience was a wide array of age and cultures.
As the seats filled up, the smoke on the stage became more luminous. Red lights illuminated the red theater curtains giving the appearance of a smoldering, hot stage. Now there was a focus; a red and white light shown upon two turntables stage left, a full, raised drum set stage right, and two microphones front stage center. The stage glistened with red, white and blue lights, setting a patriotic mood, then moved into an emergency-vehicle, strobe-light mode before the dueling violinists came out onto the stage.
DJTK (Dwayne Dayal) started spinning while drummer Beatdown (Jermain McQueen) laid out some beats signaling the other two artists Kev Marcus (Kevin Sylvester) and Wil B (Wilner Baptiste) to the stage. “We are Black Violin” is heard through the speakers.
Kev Marcus started to play some wild high notes on his violin, while Wil B added his duets with his viola. His viola has a name. Her name is Tiffany. For the third song, Wil B sang a lovely serenade proclaiming his love for the viola, Tiffany. Wil B not only played her as an upright stringed instrument but also plucked her strings like a ukulele.
Smiling, Kev Marcus also turned his violin to its side and plucked the strings like a guitar. He didn’t mention any names or perform a serenade for his violin, but he did demonstrate his admiration for the youth in the audience. He spoke to them about how they could get a college scholarship by playing an instrument, and he encouraged them to try something new and not be afraid. Marcus told the children and students in the audience not to worry about how others perceive them, and just be who they are.
Many of the songs they played were from their new album “Stereotypes,” however Black Violin did perform some familiar cover songs such as Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking out Loud” and Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s get it on.”
Kev Marcus and Wil B fiddled a sick duet that would have made country singer Charles Daniels, of “Devil went down to Georgia” fame, envious. The classically trained gentlemen raised the bars on how a person should play a classical, stringed instrument. Their high-strung notes and pitch were spot on!
As the night progressed, the group threw down some epic solos and remarkable, improvisational jam sessions that made the audience hoot and holler. “University of Houston-Clear Lake” was projected over the speakers in a transient robotic tone, and cheerful ticket holders jumped to their feet. Wil B got everyone going by chanting “Everyone throw your hands in the air.” The diverse crowd all raised their hands in uniformed unity in the Bayou Theater.
Black Violin’s explosion of violin concertos from Bach, Handel, and Beethoven, mixed with hip-hop turned out to be a masterpiece. The group’s astounding gifts of an invention for rhythm paired with string vibrato and accents transformed classical music, giving it a new face that will carry over into the next generation. Sometimes musical corruption and a bit of non-tradition are all it takes to bring people together.
The performance from the Unity Tour marks Black Violin’s 60th show in the tour.
Black Violin Performance
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