Yeager Quartet performs compositions inspired by the incisive wit of Vonnegut
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SOUTH BEND — The Jason Yeager Quartet performs “Unstuck in Time: The Kurt Vonnegut Suite” at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 10 at Merrimans’ Playhouse, 401 E. Colfax Ave., Suite 135.
The quartet consists of Yeager on piano; Lucas Pino, woodwinds; Michael O’Brien, bass; and Jay Sawyer, drums.
The suite, set for release Nov. 11, includes 11 compositions inspired by the incisive wit and skewed vision of Vonnegut, an Indianapolis native and one of the 20th century’s most inventive and celebrated novelists. This year marks his centennial.
The eclecticism of “Unstuck in Time” reflects the often-uncategorizable nature of Vonnegut’s work: Although he could be categorized as a satirist, a science fiction writer, a humorist, a fantasist or any number of other terms, none are quite sufficient to contain him.
Beginning with the earliest composition on the album, “Blues for Billy Pilgrim,” written shortly after Yeager had read “Slaughterhouse-Five,” the pianist attempted to capture that eccentricity and uniqueness during his next decade of writing.
He drew from across Vonnegut’s canon for inspiration: The stealthy opener, “Now It’s the Women’s Turn,” references the lesser-known 1987 novel “Bluebeard,” while the freewheeling, Caribbean-inflected “Bokonon” is named for the outlaw religious leader from “Cat’s Cradle.”
“Ballad for Old Solo” is dedicated to one of the aliens from Vonnegut’s “Sirens of Titan,” who are also the subject for the cosmic, album-closing “Tralfamadorian Rhapsody.”
The chanted motto and carnivalesque motif of “Kilgore’s Creed” paint an off-kilter portrait of Vonnegut’s alter ego, Kilgore Trout, and “Rudy’s Waltz” pays tribute to the protagonist of the 1982 novel “Deadeye Dick.”
In addition to “Unstuck in Time,” Yeager also recently released “Hand in Hand,” a collaborative album with spouse Julie Benko, who is currently performing as the Fanny Brice alternate in the Broadway Revival of “Funny Girl.”
Tickets are $10-$5.
For more information, call 574-310-9977 or visit merrimansplayhouse.org.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Pianist performs Vonnegut suite at Merrimans' Playhouse
