Dave Eggar thrills with cello magic

Curtis Campbell, Gleaner Writer

World-renowned cellist and pianist, Dave Eggar, recently performed at Redbones Blues Café, thrilling patrons with his musical talent. The Grammy-nominated musician, who has done musical projects with Tuff Gong, disclosed that performing for Jamaicans made him nervous.

The musician has been in the island on several occasions doing charity projects and recordings, however, it was his first time performing locally.

"I have performed all over the world, however, performing for Jamaicans makes me most nervous because these people know good music," he laughed before going on to play a Bob Marley song on his cello.

Patrons sat and listened in awe as the sound of the instrument created an atmosphere of tranquility.

Eggar was later joined by Jamaican singer Brian Gold of the duo Brian and Tony Gold. The experienced Gold then caressed the notes with his vocals and the audience could not help but applaud the dexterity and complexity that both musicians delivered.

Among the songs they performed were Bob Marley's Old Pirates, an original dubbed Are You Ready?, and the popular Bull Fighter song.

Delicate delivery

Following the collaborative effort with Gold, Eggar then gave the audience a well-received solo performance, showing off his vast experience as a cellist. His choice of songs was on point and he deli-vered each note with perfection as he hugged the instrument like his partner.

Songs like All Blues by Miles Davis and Purple Haze by Jimmi Hendrix received good responses from the audience.

Eggar also entertained the audience by performing stunts with the cello. "I am known to play the cello in various positions, and tonight, I'm going to show you," he said.

He then displayed some skilful stunts while performing as he sat on the floor, and lay on his side, then on his back while he played the instrument. The crowd gave resounding applause.

He was later joined by Luciano, and they performed a new single and Eggar's favourite song, Earth's Paradise.

Eggar's most recent album, Kingston Morning, received a Grammy nomination at the 53rd Grammy celebrations.

His awards and accomplishments include accolades from Time Magazine; the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers; the National Endowment for the Arts; Sony Records Elevated Standards Award in classical music and the Geraldine Dodge & Leonard Bernstein Foundations. At 15, he was the youngest winner in the history of the Artists International Competition.