Oscar Ii - Music

Tristan Allen Was Minding His Business When A Chance Encounter With A Stranger Drastically Altered His Career Path. On The Last Day Of A Five-Week Summer Program At Berklee College Of Music In Late August The 17-Year-Old Pianist — Prodigy Is A Better Word — Was Now Saying His Goodbyes. In The Middle Of Hugging Two Of His New Friends A Woman Walked By And Stopped To Snap A Photo On Her Camera Phone. Amanda Palmer The Wily Boston Rock Musician Who Fronts The Dresden Dolls Was On Her Way Home From Rehearsals For “Cabaret ’’ The A.R.T. Production She Recently Starred In. She Was Touched By Their Tenderness. As She Walked Away One Of Allen’s Friends Mentioned Who Had Just Taken Their Picture. Being A Dresden Dolls Fan Allen Ran After Her And Had The Gall To Ask If He Could Play His Own Piano Compositions For Her. It Was The Kind Of Exchange Palmer Thrives On — Fearless Spontaneous Gutsy. She Accepted His Offer Took Allen And His Friends Back To Her Apartment To Play Music And Within Weeks She Asked Allen If He’d Like To Record His Songs With Her At A Boston Studio. “It’s Incredibly Exciting ’’ Allen Says From His Home In Saratoga Springs N.Y. With More Than A Hint Of Glee In His Voice. “It’s Really Just A Dream. If It Weren’t For Her None Of This Would Have Happened. Everything Happened So Perfectly.’’ Nearly Four Months After Their Random Meeting Allen Has A Lot To Be Proud Of. He And Palmer Recently Recorded An EP Which They’ll Celebrate Tonight With A Joint Performance At Berklee Performance Center. A Highlight Of The Album Is “János Vs. Wonderland ’’ A Dynamic Four-Handed Piano Instrumental They Co-Wrote And Play Together. Not Bad For A High School Student Who Expected To Record His First Album By The Time He Was 21. But Palmer Recognized His Talent Immediately And Wanted To Foster It. “I Just Liked Him Right Away ’’ Palmer Says. “I Walked These Kids To My House Not Knowing What I Would Get And Figuring His Music Would Be Sweet And Terrible And I Would Have Done Something Cool For An Hour. But I Was Actually Blown Away By Him.’’ As With Most Of Palmer’s Projects Her Collaboration With Allen Happened In A Whirlwind — And In Front Of The Cameras. Inside Her House Palmer Had Set Up A Webcam And Broadcast Allen Live To Her Devoted Fanbase. For The Next 90 Minutes Allen Played His Own Songs — Portentous Compositions Full Of Repeating Patterns And Rhythmic Flights Of Fancy — And Palmer Essentially Interviewed Him About His Experiences. read less