by William Walsh, Letters to the Editor – Litchfield County Times – August 8, 2008
To the Editor:
I attended Joyce Lyons recent Music Mountain concert and can earnestly state that I was blown away by her performance. In a word, she’s a keeper.
We, that is, my wife and I and another couple, make an annual trek to Music Mountain to attend one jazz concert each year. I wish we had the time and resources to attend more often but that’ another story. We have been going to the concerts for the past six or seven years or so and have enjoyed each and every one. We try to mix it up to see a new group each time. There is just no substitute for a live performance, especially one that is as up-close and personal as the venue offered at Music Mountain.
I was genuinely moved by Joyce Lyons and her all-star trio.
Her stage presence, voice and musical selections were outstanding. I think this is the first time that I have felt “captivated” by a performer.
Many technically skilled performers can sing on key and maybe have greater range but Lyons knows how to play that finely tuned instrument of hers and take her musical selections to whole new, perhaps unexplored, delightful level. Indeed!
My sincere compliments to the guys in back too. To call them three great musicians would fall woefully short of the mark, they are a trio in every sense of the word. I mean that as a high praise. Their interpretation, timing, phrasing and seamless interaction enhanced Joyce’s show without overpowering her. I am absolutely certain they alone could have been the attraction without her but that was not their job this night. Well done!
Lastly, I want to compliment the powers at Music Mountain who control the sound; I’m not talking about just this performance but all that I attended. I know that the building itself has the highest acoustic qualities but the guys with the audio equipment know that high volume is not the prime quality for good sound, a fact unknown by many others in that profession. They know that high-tech equipment is not the show, the performers are. Too often I leave a performance, whether it be a concert or wedding or something else, shaking my head in dismay with my ears ringing and feeling other unpleasant sensations, but not so at Music Mountain. Kudos to the sound team for a most pleasant and uncommon experience.
William Walsh
Pleasant Valley, NY