KSFNM: Tift Merritt, guitar; Simone Dinnerstein, piano Friday, February 21, 2014
Pianist Simone Dinnerstein and singer-songwriter Tift Merritt have joined forces to create a unique collaboration uniting the folk/Americana and classical worlds on their recent release, Night. Though Dinnerstein (a Juilliard-trained classical pianist from Brooklyn) and Tift Merritt (a singer-songwriter from North Carolina whose father taught her to play by ear) could not come from more different musical backgrounds, the duo met in 2008 and immediately realized their shared passion for music and performance. Exploring the common terrain between their two worlds and uncovering new musical landscapes, Dinnerstein and Merritt have been performing and honing the material for Night since 2010. On the process of creating this work together, Merritt says, “We were coming from completely different directions and taking the risk of extending ourselves into foreign territory to find each other. We both felt very exposed and vulnerable but in very opposite ways and places. And, that risk, ultimately, was very exciting.” Dinnerstein adds, “This album has been about pushing our creative boundaries.” Night features new songs written especially for the duo by Brad Mehldau and Patty Griffin, along with Tift’s own songs as well as classical selections. The album also includes the world-premiere recording of The Cohen Variations by Daniel Felsenfeld, based on one of Simone’s favorite songs, Leonard Cohen’s “Suzanne.”