The Patrick Zimmerli Quartet at the Art Alliance

The date of this event was Sunday, Sept. 11, 3016

  Scott and I  took a cab to the Art Alliance downtown to hear CLOCKWORKS, a composition that had been gestating with Patrick for 20 years. He finally wrote it and has had several performances. The night before, they performed it in New York.

Ethan Iverson, my son/law, played with the Patrick Zimmerli quartet, which featured a bassist, whose fingers moved rapidly up and down the bass, and an energetic drummer who made a variety of different sounds, a bit reminiscent of David King from TBP. He had so many tools to choose from including something resembling an egg beater and when finished, tossed it onto the floor.

Sometimes he used regular drum sticks with the pointed tips, other times ones that looked liked hammers, all made of wood, Pinocchio.

Tim McCluskey our cab driver picked us up at 6 and got us downtown early, around 6:45. The show started at 8, tho they were late coming on.

The Art Alliance was once the home of the wealthy theater aficionado and philanthropist Christine Wetherill Stevenson. 


   "She must've liked DARK WOOD," we said when we walked inside. Really dark wood.

With my boot on, I clung to the railing as we walked up a gazillion stairs. One of the railings seemed to be made of Velvet.

I purposely did not bring my camera and then regretted it.

I did bring my iPhone, tho, and snapped pix.

Scott just figured out how to upload them onto my laptop.

Oops! Grace Catherine how'd you get on here.

Sitting idly, watching the other audience members sit idly... this brilliant man brought something to read!

 Scott looked very nice in this blue shirt we bought at the shore. Scott, I said, you're gonna be cold.

No, I won't, he said. I'm wearing another shirt under it.

I stuffed myself before leaving home bc I'm always hungry and also have to take c/o my diabetes. I brought pretzels with me in case I got hungry. Ate em in the cab going home, driven by Garub, from Ethiopia. He had no idea where Willow Grove was but Scott guided him.

Ruth, said Ethan, you can take as many pix of me as you want. Of his playing, I mentioned to him later, some of your solos were "very sweet."

Ethan said that Patrick Zimmerli was the first great jazz musician he ever played with. They were both 17.

 The drummer wore a beret.

I asked Pat about his next project. It'll be his first vocal piece. The libretto? About the father of folksinger Pete Seeger.... George Seeger, a pacifist. 

Patrick Zimmerli, saxophone
Ethan Iverson, piano
Chris Tordini, bass
John Hollenbeck, drums

Each of these artists are googlable, should you wish.

 Hello again, Chris Tordini, bass. They all changed back into their street clothes. On stage they all wore black. Each of them had solo parts. They used extraordinary amounts of energy onstage.

I enjoyed watching the maestro, Patrick, as he watched each of his performers and also the entire audience in this small intimate venue, that was pretty much packed.

 A few fans came in to say how much they enjoyed the show.

Afterward, Tony Creamer was gonna take Ethan, me and Scott out to dinner. It was after 10 pm and nuffin was open.

Scott saw this sign "Depression Support Group." It also said, "Photograph Me."  I'll see if I can enlarge it to see where it meets. Truthfully, there can't be enough of these around. Here's my group.

 Ever wanted to change your life? I do. I've gotta go downtown more often. Scott said, "Let's do it!"

In the cab, Scott and I were talking about GREAT people we know. I'll save that conversation for another time.