Schick Is No Machine
by Arelzed on 3/5/14Ralph Freud Playhouse - Los AngelesA stageful of percussion instruments! How could anyone resist? The kids can't. There were a lot of children at the performance, and most were quiet. (The parents bodily removed two unsuppressable ones closest to me--I can't blame the kids. I wanted to dance and vocalize too.) After the performance we stood in line after the special ones, the sponsors, et al., to have at the instruments, with Paul Dresher and another instrument maker around to demonstrate. (Dresher had brought an earlier version of his hurdy-gurdy.) Schick hooked it. Probably had to rush back to La Jolla--busy person as distinguished professor at UCSD & music director of the La Jolla Symphony. He has a reputation as a fine performer, and he deserves it. Even if he is only the 2nd percussionist I've ever seen gently kick sounding surfaces to play them. (The first I saw do this was Gino Robair, whom I also recommend as a finely tuned performer.)