Junior Luis Plaza, who is pursuing a Bachelor of Musical Arts, held his first recital at Lawrence University in Harper Hall on Friday, April 11 at 8 p.m.. The songs were infused with jazz, duende, bossa nova and borderline avant-garde jazz. Plaza performed with shaded glasses covering his eyes and dramatic, almost humorous, use of the piano’s sustain pedal. With slight textures of pop within the syncopation, the performance carried strong individual personalities.
By the time the audience arrived in the evening, the atmosphere of nighttime was already set. With lilted eyes at the end of an arduous week at Lawrence, the first song performed was “Society Red” by Dexter Gordon with senior Nico Hernandez-Webster on sax, Plaza on piano, sophomore Danny Vizin-Esquivel on bass and sophomore Dan Schmidt on percussion. Introducing the song, Hernandez-Webster jarred the audience as he repeated the title of the song into the microphone with a chuckle. The sax was loud and infectious, making it the standout of the piece, and Vizin-Esquivel played bass with a hat upon the pegs. Clearly the formalities were lost, and it was a true performance of music, not sterility.
The opening was eventually followed by “Spring,” an original of Plaza’s, with Plaza on piano, senior Nate Andalman on guitar, senior Ben Lewis on bass and Schmidt on percussion. The song brought another feeling of intrigue that left an indentation on the audience, furthering a solidified sound in the recital and its establishment of Plaza’s humor and imbued personality.
Plaza would explain his recital as a retribution of friendship and an injection of personality in what he considered to be a “hostile place.”
“Just look at this place. You walk around and it’s — like it’s kind of hostile, you know? It’s kind of like walking around in a hospital; there’s no humanity in the architecture,” Plaza said. For him, these antics were not informalities but a creation of a fun atmosphere. He did more than just play music, he performed.
The next song performed was “Believe me when I say” with senior Seckou Soumare, voice, senior Josué Ríos López on guitar, Plaza on piano, Lewis on bass and junior Quintin Fernandez on percussion. This performance featured Lawrence band NOIR, which has performed numerous gigs on campus. Soumare, NOIR’s lead singer, explicated his adoration, stating he “felt honored to be performing” for Plaza’s recital. Soumare attested the last two performances were his favorite, though I would say each performance brought a different story and a specific cadence. By no means did Soumare underwhelm — his charisma was that of a crooner, with a warm apparition left with the audience.
The next song performed was “Debí llorar” by Piloto y Vera and arranged by Javier Colina, with Kimberli Y. Mazariegos-Bautista, voice, Plaza on piano, Lewis on bass and Schmidt on percussion. Ultimately, this was the song that brought tears. This song would not have been as successful without a voice as evocative as Silvia Presz Cruz’s. Mazariegos-Bautista does not disappoint, however, as there is a sentimental sadness and naturalization in her voice that delivered the clearness of an adagio, a rumination in the past with a sad “¿Por qué?” repeated throughout.
Plaza ended the recital with “Time to Love,” written and performed by Plaza, sophomore Yvie Pacatang, voice, Andalman on guitar, Vizin-Esquivel on bass and Schmidt on percussion. The last song was performed with Plaza’s band SOMOS, with Pacatang, who performed poised in motion as the presence of music seemed to be inhabiting their body. Andalman provided steady rhythm with the infectious bass and percussion. With each performance, Plaza was the facilitator as he lifted his foot from the pedal, a silent command of energy pulsated from just a foot.
There was something notably spontaneous within the performance, even Plaza’s selection was adaptable as he only asked for Mazariegos-Bautista to perform “Debí llorar” a few weeks prior to the performance. Lyrics sung included “Cuánto cariño soy capaz de ofrecer?” which roughly translates to a question of how much affection can really be offered, and the answer is that the affection was so surmountable as true affection was shown in Plaza’s friendships. Although Plaza’s recital poster was titled “a public stoning,” there were truly stones after the show, left in the bucket with a stoning of shared admiration where the performers entered the stage from the audience.