Video: The Jimi Hendrix of cello, Claude Lamothe, in Morristown
Posted by Kevin Coughlin on May 30, 2011 · Leave a Comment
They say the cello is the instrument closest to the human vocal range, and we believe it after hearing Claude Lamothe perform on May 27 at Morristown’s Presbyterian Church on the Green.
Claude made his cello talk.
Cellist Claude Lamothe made Bach rock at the Presbyterian Church in Morristown. Photo by Kevin Coughlin
And squawk like a seagull. And creak like a ship. He made Bach rock and Vivaldi roll. (See Bach, above.)
“You’re like the Jimi Hendrix of cello,” church Music Director Jim Hicks told the French Canadian after Friday’s lunchtime show.
Most astounding was Claude’s disclosure that he did not start playing the instrument until the ripe old age of 18. He could not even read music. At the time, he played bass in rock bands.
Nuns accepted him into a music school and gave him one year to catch up. As his studies progressed in Montreal, he continued playing bass gigs on weekends to pay the bills.
What was it about the cello that grabbed him?
“I saw the cello. I heard the cello. It was a call,” said the native of Trois-Rivières, Quebec, where he saw baseball star Ken Griffey Sr. play for the minor league Aigles years ago.
Claude played classical cello for a decade.
“Then I wanted to do my own thing,” he said.
CELLO DUET: Former Morristown resident Leah Kaller and her copain, Claude Lamothe of Montreal, performed a Vivaldi concerto at the Presbyterian Church in Morristown. Photo by Kevin Coughlin.
His thing was to become the cello’s answer to rock violinist Jean-Luc Ponty.
“I was sensing the possibility,” said Claude, 53. “Why is there no cellist who does rock and roll?”
Claude’s dynamic style is hard to describe, and harder to forget.
“It’s crazy, but in a good way,” said his girlfriend, cellist Leah Kaller, who played in the bell choir of the Presbyterian Church while growing up in Morristown.
Claude has a following in Quebec, but awaits his big break in the U.S.
(Celine Dion, are you listening? Here is a great opening act for your Vegas show!)
At Friday’s show, Leah performed a Vivaldi concerto with Claude. They were accompanied by Leah’s mom, cellist Marnie Kaller, and Jim Hicks on the organ.
What’s it like playing cello next to Claude?
“We made a pact a long time ago,” Leah said. “When we mess up, we smile.”
The audience was doing all the smiling on Friday.
Stay tuned for more video clips.
Claude Lamothe, 'The Jimi Hendrix of cello,' at the Presbyterian Church in Morristown. Photo by Kevin Coughlin
