50 fingers and 440 keys

This weekend we made a trip to Borders, also known as the money pit for me. So I picked up a few things. One CD was on a whim and I must share it with you. The album is called "No Boundaries" by The 5 Browns.

If you have not heard of them, let me elucidate. The 5 Browns is a group of five siblings, all Julliard-trained in piano. They range in age from 19 - 25, and this is their second release.

They play together, or in smaller groups. And they have a bright contemporary attitude towards music. Basically they are trying to do for the ivories what Chalotte Church did for opera. (They are all sweet, perky, and cute, which helps.)

Now that sounds blah, but on top of all this, they are GOOD. Super good. And uber fast! It's rather astonishing to hear Gershwin's "Rhapsody In Blue" pounded out on several pianos at once.

True confession - I took 10+ years of piano, and have been playing since I was quite young. I did some competitions, was an accompanist, and played "dinner music" for a university dining room. I just never caught the bug the way these kids have. I still like to play once in awhile. But it's more catharsis than anything else.

To see them in action, check out this clip on NPR. It's a medley of "West Side Story." (Are you listening, Lord & Lady B?)

In the video you'll see a couple things that struck me:

1. Complex music, but no sheet music! I wish I could memorize that well.

2. Challenging eye contact! I swear, if my eyes are anywhere but the keys or the page, I'm screwed.



You can hear some free audio clips of the new album on The 5 Browns' own website.

So does this make me solidly cool, or tragically un-hip?