A pianist’s pianist for Opening Night
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Ever turned on the radio and some music comes on, you know it by heart
Less than a week to go for NCMF 2025, and I have fresh parts in front of me of the commissioned work “Beat Chick: Tunes for Hettie Jones” for string quartet, jazz vocalist, and digital beats, by our 2025 Composer-in-Residence, Guthrie Ramsey. Six poems he has set to music, by trailblazing poet and his late mother-in-law, Hettie Jones (New York Times: Profile “Hettie Jones, Poet and Author Who Nurtured the Beats”). The piece will be sung by Guthrie’s daughter (who also happens to be Hettie’s granddaughter), Bridget Ramsey.
Hettie Jones was born almost the same year as my mom. In a mid-century act of love and defiance, these two fearless Brooklyn Jews married a man of another race and went on to forge impressive careers in a man’s world. As the father of two daughters, I’m full of gratitude for the work and sacrifices of this generation of women. It can’t have been easy. I hope we do Hettie proud this summer, wherever she is.
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Ever turned on the radio and some music comes on, you know it by heart
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David YangQuestion: What is better than a string quartet? Answer: Two string quartets
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David YangTomorrow starts the Big Ride™. Between you and me, I’ll take rain over cook-an-egg-on-the-sidewalk heat. I hope to be on the road by 7:00 am.
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