Concert Critique: Black Violin

Concert Critique

Kanye West meets Beethoven is the only way to describe the three gentlemen who make up the sensational violinist duo known as Black Violin. Kev Marcus and Wil B are the violinists and are accompanied by DJ TK. Black Violin has created incredible synergy between classical and Hip-Hop music. They have created beautiful music like I have never heard before. They first made their big splash when they won the 2005 “Apollo Legends” contest in the famous Apollo Theater in Harlem, NY. They take the hip-hop culture and music and blend it together with the classical genre, and trust me your ears will thank you for taking them to the show. I admit I am not a huge fan of violins and the music they can create, but hip-hop is my life
and I spend most of my days listening to it. I trusted that the hip-hop aspect of their music was enough to give them a chance. I would soon find later that I was not only impressed but became an immediate fan. Black Violin composes music that nobody else can offer, and it is an innovative way to introduce children to the classical genre and all it has to offer. They opened up the concert with their own renditions of some of the greatest hip-hop songs of all time.
They attempted everything from Jay-Z to Biz Markie and excelled in recreating the songs while the whole time added there own flavor to the music. Hearing you favorite Jay-Z songs played by violin is an experience in itself. They use the violins to recreate the sample that each song would use and had DJ TK add heavy bass to create music that takes control of your hips and forces you to dance, and I don’t dance. Kev Marcus and Wil B are incredible violinists with a rare talent that nobody can recreate. There chemistry on stage together rivaled that of the chemistry of some of the greatest groups such as Rolling Stones, The Beatles, or even the hip-hop legends The Wu Tang Clan. You could really tell they have been playing together for 12 years. The real show began when they decided to perform some of their own music. When they played their song “Brandenburg” (I looked up their music after the show and found out all the names) I really became a fan of their music. The violins along with the DJ scratches and drum kits used on the track are sensational; it was like I witnessed a musical masterpiece being created before my very eyes. The sounds the violins created sounded similar to those of large orchestra groups playing at an Opera House. They not only use violins, I’m guessing they add the snares and kicks with the help of a drum machine. The violin duo attacked the music
with such precision and elegance, that it had me closing my eyes and bobbing my head, is was like I was experiencing a personal concert. “Brandenburg” was and is my favorite piece by them. There other music reminded me a lot of watching a ballet dance elegantly move on stage and create poetry with her legs. I was standing in complete shock the whole concert, taken away by the constant arm movements that seemed to never stop and just kept surprising me one song after another. The concert was incredible and I recommend it to anyone and everyone. People need to experience Black Violin and everything they have to offer. They express a positive message trying to reach out to the children of the world to help them recognize that all types of music can be brought together to make unbelievable musical energy and blow people away. I wouldn’t say that Black Violin is not completely unrelated to the music we have studied so far in class. The violins definitely have the classical sound in them and sometimes have the same vibe and rhythm to them, for example the “Symphonies Fantastique” is what Black Violin goes for. To say I am just glad that I attended the Black Violin has been nominated for the biggest understatement of the year. I am now in live with Black Violin’s music and since the concert I have purchased their CD from I-tunes and keep it in heavy rotation on my ipod. I was most impressed with the violins and the duo’s ability to replicate hip-hop music and actually make it sound fantastic. Their ability to make the violin cool is what blows me away. Before this concert I would have laughed at someone for going to a concert with a violin as the musical instrument of choice. I was not disappointed at all during the concert, instead constantly blown away every time a new song was played. The only thing that would have made it better was if the concert was extended and they played some of the other hits they have on their CD. Overall Black Violin was the best concert I have ever attended but I am not sure if that is because I went in expecting nothing or if the group is actually that good. They capture the crowd right away and have you on you heels for a violin rollercoaster that takes you from the birthplace of hip-hop to the orchestra grand concerts played during Beethoven’s era.