BKO Pianist Uel Wade and violinist Mitsuko Suzuki will go ‘Black, White, and Blue’

BKO Pianist Uel Wade and violinist Mitsuko Suzuki will go “Black, White, and Blue” in a salon concert on Sunday, October 27th. It is happening in Wade’s spacious studio at 40 Church Street in Chatham, NY, at 3 p.m.

African-American musicians created the blues in the first decade of the 20th century, somehow musically embracing their pain and sadness.

But if early blues musicians were depressed, you wouldn’t know it from some of their names, such as Cow Cow Davenport and Scrapper Blackwell. And, as this program reveals, the idiom can encompass a myriad of styles and feelings, from the laments of Blind Willie Johnson to the boogie-woogie of Jay McShann and Charlie Parker, the gospel of David Baker, and the ragtime-influenced stride piano of Erroll Garner.

Blues also influenced many classical composers. Mitsuko and Wade will play pieces by Copland, Ravel, and Gershwin (Who could ask for anything more?) that make creative use of the blues.

Gradually blues lost some of its pain and sadness and become absorbed into the world of commercial entertainment—which means that this program can celebrate as well as regret!

The event is an hour long, followed by wine and conversation. Admission is $20 (free for persons 18 and under). For a guaranteed chair, please reserve early at 518-392-4697 or email: uel@uelwade.org