Pianist’s Set Makes Fraze Crowd Happy

By Carol Simmons Staff Writer

KETTERING — Pop balladeer and pianist Jim Brickman acknowledged during his Saturday night, July 19, headline performance at Fraze Pavilion that his music is frequently used as background filler, sonic wallpaper if you will.

And he’s OK with that, he said; he’s just happy to be invited to the party — or dinner, or drive, or whatever the occasion may be.

What this means is that his music, particularly his instrumental selections, has an unobtrusive quality that asks nothing of its listeners. Which is just fine and dandy for lots of folks, i.e. the happy crowd at Fraze on Saturday.

Those who like their music with a little more bite or edge were in the wrong place — except perhaps during the evening’s opening set by folk and cabaret singer-songwriter Susan Werner.

The interesting thing for those of us in the second category was to observe how even though Brickman’s piano pleasantries made no demands on his listeners’ thoughts and feelings, they nevertheless elicited plenty.

Couples snuggled closer together, some shed tears, one young man identifying himself as Michael Spencer was given prior permission to take a minute of the concert time to propose marriage to his girlfriend, Lauren. That’s precious stuff — and not unique to this concert.

Brickman, a native of Cleveland, has made his career being a part of such moments — both public and private.

He’s also enhanced that career by being smart about collaborating with sympathetic vocalists and instrumentalists. For Saturday’s Fraze performance — which topped off the amphitheater’s second annual Festival of the Vine — he brought along longtime friend, singer Anne Cochrane (they met in high school) and electric violinist Tracy Silverman, both of whom contributed welcome textural variety.

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