Nero captures small, but devoted audience
by Marilyn Moran, The Saratogian
Music lovers missed a fine concert at SPAC Tuesday night. The amphitheater was less than one-fourth filled for pianist Peter Nero’s late-scheduled performance.
“Thank God you’re here,” he said to the audience of approximately 800. The musician, accompanied by a bass guitar and drums, warmed up after a slow beginning in which everyone present was uncomfortably aware of the vast expanse of empty seats.
By the time his two-hour performance concluded, the audience was no longer a small turnout, but a hard core of devoted fans. Nero’s final number, a 15-song Gershwin panorama, drew an extended standing ovation and brought the trio back for two more pieces.
Nero’s music ranged widely in mood and tempo, from his opening “Never Say Goodbye” in traditional jazz style, to “Killing Me Softly” with a sensual dance beat and the hard rock sound of “Jesus Christ Superstar” and “Nuthin’ from Nuthin'”.
As it grew dark, Nero played “If,” and the stage lights turned blue. The sound of his music floated over a background chorus of crickets and the swish of the park’s rushing stream and rustling breezes.
Dressed casually in navy blue slacks, a blue and white print shirt and blue patent leather shoes, Nero struck an impressive pose with his bushy gray hair and beard. Though generally subdued and totally involved with his piano, he emphatically pounded out the beat with both feet.
Nero’s selections were all lengthy, and heavily sprinkled with improvisation. Members of the trio seemed keyed in to one another, however, for not one was left behind when another swung into individual style. Nero noted on an earlier occasion that more than half his performance is improvised, and the musicians’ harmony must be a tribute to each performer’s adaptability.
Among the other selections on Nero’s program were “There’s Got to be a Morning After,” “Theme from Love Story,” “What the World Needs Now,” and a long four-piece tribute to Duke Ellington, including “Satin Doll” and “Take the A Train.” His encore numbers were “A Summer Place” and a boogie version of “I’ve Got Rhythm.”
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