GREENSBORO – The Canadian group, Cécilia came to Greensboro at the Highland Center for the Arts on Thursday evening, August 21, and gave a vibrant concert of music spanning the genres of traditional, Celtic, Quebequois and jazz. The trio of pianist Evin Leahy, accordion player Timi Turmel and violinist Louis Schryer, were all masters of their respective instruments.
They begin with a toe-tapping tune having great dance rhythms and sweeping momentum, the beat reinforced by stomping one of their feet on the floor. “Farewell to Whalley Range” (by Michael McGoldrick) was a fine melody in a slow tempo, which then accelerated with several high-energy reels: the “Edinburgh Rock” (David Lim), “Jack Brown’s 70th” (Gordon Duncan) and “Lad O’Beirne’s” (Jamie Lad O’Beirne)
An old Irish song, “Si Bheag Si Mhor” by Turlough O’ Carolan, dated back several centuries, with a beautiful melody, peaceful and nostalgic; evocative of another time. A stride piano piece in the manner of James P. Johnson featured Erin Leahy with jazzy rhythms, while the next selection had real drive with all the players going full strength together in a well integrated performance. The following number gave the violinist, Louis Chryer, a chance to demonstrate his impressive improvisation skills with its playful, frolicking pace. Timi Turmel then showed his dexterity on accordion in a melody with quite rapid tempos.
After intermission, the piano and violin had something of a duet with Schryer exhibiting expressive bowing in a tune with a rolling flow. The classic song “Lady Be Good” was given an excellent rendition by Turmel, doing imaginative permutations on his accordion. A piece with a nice relaxed swing to it had Turmel and Schryer playing with a close knit harmony.
A medley of rag tunes brought everyone together for the “Twelfth Street Rag,” and the “Maple Leaf Rag” (Scott Joplin) with complex might and left hand interplay, and one final rag with a fast pace.
Leahy and the group’s booking agent, Danielle, gave a lively demonstration of French Canadian clogging, which got the audience clapping to the beat. There was joyous energy Irish melody performed with great ensemble effect, while the increasingly rapid fingering of Turmel on his accordion in the following work was something to behold. “Stuck In my Head” was an engaging number that came to Turmel during the enforced isolation during the Covid-19 epidemic. The final composition of the program had a laid back ambience that brought out both individual improvisation and highly coordinated musicianship, which earned them a standing ovation from the appreciative audience.
Each member of Célilia connected with the people attending the concert in a genuinely personable way, especially in their talks between selections, and you could tell from the constant smiles on their faces that they love making music. We hope they will return soon to remind us of the richness of the culture of Quebec, hardly fifty miles north of us.
David K. Rodgers
David K. Rodgers is a writer, mason and card carrying dilettante, who dabbles and babbles in art. He has lived in East Craftsbury for the past 40 years.
