May
2002
Art
Garfunkel: A Heart from New York
By
Michael Gartlgruber
Art
Garfunkel, who rose to fame with the electric folk duo Simon and
Garfunkel in the 1960s, performed with the New Jersey Symphony
Orchestra at the Trenton War Memorial April 19 to a nearly full
house. The show, which had a few surprises, was a mix of the duo's
hits, as well as his own solo work and that of Paul Simon.
The
War Memorial, an imposing, grand and neoclassical structure with
great acoustics and rich detailing inside, lends itself particularly
well to performances of this kind. The sound was crystal clear
and seemed to envelop the War Memorial.
The
orchestra, conducted by Andrew Carl Wilk, opened the evening with
four rousing pieces most likely chosen so the audience wouldn't
fall asleep, or grow impatient waiting for Art Garfunkel. The
orchestra was at its most vibrant playing selections from the
show Annie, but also played two pieces by John Williams and one
from Aaron Copland.
Overall
they performed flawlessly in a relatively short first act of 30
minutes.
After
a short intermission, the room went dark, and his backing band-Steve
Gadd on drums, Warren Bernhart on piano, Teddy Baker on synthesizer,
Eric Weisberger on guitar, and as a surprise, his wife Kim as
background vocalist-came out. After the first few bars of "El
Condor Pasa," Garfunkel, wearing a blue suit and a white
shirt, walked out on stage and started singing. He has aged-the
famous Afro is gone-but his voice hasn't faded.
"He
still hasn't lost his voice after all these years," said
audience member Shuvo Rafiq of Plainsboro. "He was very passionate
about what he was doing."
They
continued into "A Heart in New York," a song that now
has more resonance, especially when sung by Garfunkel, a native
New Yorker. The band was pretty tight and Garfunkel interacted
with them well.
"I
know I'm supposed to have more hair," said Garfunkel when
he finished. "I sing about New York, but I'm thrilled to
be in Trenton here with you."
Garfunkel
talked to the mostly middle-aged audience between each song, and
was quick with the quips: "I'm gonna give you a song that's
one of your favorites. I hope it's one of mine," he said
before he started "I Only Have Eyes for You."
While
more than half of the evening's songs were written by Paul Simon,
and he has left an indelible mark on them, Garfunkel took hold
of them with his backing band and the symphony. One exception
was "Mrs. Robinson," which missed Simon's voice.
The
pensive songs "American Tune" and "Scarborough
Fair/Canticle" were somber, but beautifully backed by the
symphony, which at times over powered his voice.
The
crowd started clapping in time as the band started "Cecilia,"
which they performed with a calypso feel. While the band got a
chance to let loose, the keyboards and synthesizer didn't quite
mesh well with the orchestra.
Garfunkel
also performed a song he wrote called "A Perfect Moment."
After a positive reaction, he said, "Well, I'm gonna write
some more then."
Before
singing "Kathy's Song," a song that Garfunkel calls
his favorite Paul Simon love song, he told the audience how they
would sing on the streets while Kathy collected the change in
sailor's caps.
"Poverty
looks so nice in retrospect," he said.
He
closed the first set with the Grammy-winning "Bridge Over
Troubled Water," a powerful song that allows Garfunkel to
show his range. The audience didn't quite recognize the song until
he started singing, but gave him a standing ovation when he finished.
The
biggest surprise of the evening happened during the encore when
his son, who looked like Mini-Art with jeans, white shirt, vest,
and curly blond hair, sang "The 59th Street Bridge Song/
Feeling Groovy." He was joined by his mother and father,
and when the song was finished, he bowed shyly and walked off
the stage.
The
two-hour performance concluded with "Sounds of Silence,"
which, thanks to insistent drumming and guitar, had an edge and
a sense of urgency not found on the record, and the show closer,
"Goodnight My Love."
