Although I knew that the music would be somewhat lighter, being summer and at an outdoor venue, I thought it would be nice for my parents and us to attend together.

The orchestra was led by Carlos Ponti, Jr. (he was an associate conductor for them). The orchestra was wonderful and all three encores (Mr. Ponti quickly went through them) was quite amazing although the outdoor setting tended to make the overall sound a bit muted.

The only gripe about the concert was that they had a soloist for “Carmen Fantasy”, but his name was neither mentioned in the program nor announced during the concert. I mean he wasn’t that great (good, but maybe not being able handle the number fully), but we all thought at least his name should have been mentioned.

Another thing unrelated to the concert… We opted to have dinner there before the concert (catered by PSRT and served by volunteers) because it was only $10 more on top of the ticket. They said it was $30/$35 if purchased separately. We thought it definitely wasn’t worth $30, but not a bad deal for $10 more.

Emanuel Ax and Kronos Quartet are coming later this year, so those should be nice to attend.

The quartet was, if I remember correctly, Dave Brubeck on piano, Randy Jones on drums, Michael Moore (no, not that one) on bass, and Bobby Militello on saxophone and flute.

I don’t remember all the numbers played that evening, but they began with “On the Sunny Side of the Street” and finished with “Take Five” (I think “Blue Rondo a la Turk” was in there too). Mr. Brubeck was amazing at any age. And Mr. Militello’s “Dancing Santa Clause Doll” (that’s what we are calling it), when not playing, was funny and his music was also very good.

It was quite amazing to listen to a legend, a legend who can play his title.

I saw Wynton Marsalis‘ name and decided to check it out. It was a quintet and although I am not certain whether I got all their names correctly, I think they were Wynton Marsalis (trumpet), “Top Professor” Eric Lewis (piano), Carlos Henriquez (bass), Ali Jackson (drums), and Walter Blanding (saxophones).

They played mostly things I never heard of (seemed to be original compositions). The only one I recognized was “A Night in Tunisia” they played with a young trumpet player (about 15) from the area. I think they do this often. Oh, and the birthday song they did as an encore (it was Mr. Henriquez’s 25th birthday).

Of all the members, I was impressed by Mr. Blanding, Mr. Henriquez, and Mr. Lewis. I think that a drummer, although not showing up too often, is the one who’s everywhere and keeps things in tact. And not only that, a good rhythm part adds subtle differences in the “colorization” of the piece, and I was most impressed by Mr. Blanding and Mr. Henriquez.

Mr. Lewis, the “Top Professor”, seems to have an amazing skill to use well all the fingers in the both hands. Most of his linear phrasing reminded a lot of canon-like counterpoints of the Baroque eras. A-ma-zing!

As for the venue, there are several things we noticed. The parking on the ground is very limited (first-come-first-serve) and most will have to take a shuttle. The only thing is that after the show, it took us close to an hour to get on the shuttle. It was a great relief that they handed out some cookies, but still it was rather long (a shuttle don’t seat that many).

Another thing is, it’s not allowed to bring alcohol into the premise, although they do sell wines. I’ve seen many wine bottles confiscated by a security person from those having a picnic in the front lawn.

Finally, it gets cold at night. Don’t forget to bring an extra jacket or a blanket if it’s an out-door event.

BTW, a couple of years ago, I’ve taken some pictures at the estate.