It was beyond beautiful, a huge pleasant jolt, in the midst of a wonderful, sold-out "The Fab Faux" Beatles tribute performance at Valley Performing Arts Center, when Dhani Harrison, pictured at left, made a surprise appearance on stage.
Harrison, in Los Angeles for an appearance during Conan O'Brien's tribute week to his Beatle father, gigged Saturday night, honoring his father by performing, "Savoy Truffle."
Truly the spitting image of George Harrison, a guitar master and composer whose departure from our planet was premature and sad, but we were compensated by the sight and sound of his only son. Harrison père's twanging guitar solo punctuates "Truffle."
[Notes Wikipedia: "Harrison is named after the 6th and 7th notes of the Indian music scale, dha and ni. Dhani is also a raga in north Indian classical music."]
"It's great to bring our classical music to a house built for classical music," noted Will Lee, The Fab Faux's bass player. He referred to the sparkling acoustics at the four-year old Valley Performing Arts Center, which is the pride of the campus at California State University at Northridge.
University president Dr. Dianne F. Harrison, clearly a Beatlemaniac, attended the concert.
The concert rejuvenated, with wonderful rock musicianship, a sprawling cross section of the Beatles' song book. The program's second half replicated the "Abbey Road" album in its entirety.
Enjoy "Savoy Truffle," with a few key playful lyrics, below:
Creme tangerine and montelimat
A ginger sling with a pineapple heart
A coffee dessert, yes, you know it's good news
But you'll have to have them all pulled out
After the Savoy truffle
Cool cherry cream and a nice apple tart
I feel your taste all the time we're apart
Coconut fudge really blows down those blues
But you'll have to have them all pulled out
After the Savoy truffle
You know that what you eat you are
But what is sweet now, turns so sour
We all know Ob-La-Di-Bla-Da
But can you show me, where you are?
Yes you'll have to have them all pulled out
After the Savoy truffle
Debra Levine is a Los Angeles-based arts journalist blogging about dance, film, and music on arts•meme.