Simone Dinnerstein and Tift Meritt
Simone Dinnerstein and Tift Merritt may make for one of the oddest musical combinations out there. Yet, despite their totally different musical schools, the classical pianist and the multi-Grammy nominated folk singer have come together to create ‘Night’, a gorgeously sparse experiment of an album.
With the record out now, we spoke to Tift and Simone about the record, how they became fast friends and Simone’s experience of playing in a prison.
So, just to start off with, what can you tell us about the album?
Simone: This is a first for Tift and me. We’re from really different backgrounds so bringing our bringing our two styles together has been a really interesting project and the album has songs from both of our genres and some that we commissioned ourselves. It’s been really exciting for both of us.
So how did this collaboration come about?
Tift: First of all, Simona and I are really good friends. I have a policy in my life that making music with someone is a very intimate and dear thing so it’s very important that whoever you’re working with be someone you naturally admire and want to spend time with.
Simona’s definitely one of those people. I think part of this was our friendship unfolding, but also Simone’s very brave uinsistence that we do it.
Is it true that this first started when you interviewed Simone?
Tift: Yeah, I think that was the first time we’d met, but I’d gone to her concert the night before to do my research for it and it brought me to tears. I was utterly humbled and inspired by her playing before I’d even met her.
This album’s very much you two. Were you ever tempted to bring in more instruments or voices?
Simone: I think that this [the album] is really about our friendship and it’s a very intimate and almost minimalist.
Tift: I think the very nature of trying to get to the heart of where our music met and felt authentic to each of us was a process of stripping back to the basics and the bare necessities.
As you say, this is a really intimate album. What was the recording process like that.
Simone: Well, that was an interesting process because while we were used to performing together, this started as a concert together, but recording is a very different process to recording. We’re used to very different recorded sounds as well, so what we did was that we brought our own engineer to the sessions which meant that we were able to reach a sound that felt true to both of us.
Tift: I think what’s interesting about this is that once you get steeped in your own world, you get engrained into thinking there is a set way of doing things. In fact there isn’t and it was just so surprising to see how different our worlds approach nearly everything and it was super fun to think about why and what you want to keep and what you want to throw out. You learn a lot not only about someone else’s’ world but also your own. You’re able to question why you’re doing things the way you are and what you can change.
Do you think that more artists would benefit from doing something as experimental and different as this?
Simone: I think that certain types of music are naturally drawn to looking at different types of music, I don’t think that all musicians would feel comfortable leaving their own little world but there are a lot more connections between different genres than you’d imagine and it’s really fun and challenging to stretch yourself and go out of your world.
Tift: I think that the less musicians think about genre as a barrier, or a limitation or a rule the better. I feel genre is like a library system, you need it to make your way through music and where to sort things but it’s something that someone in a marketing office came up with. Music as a rule has more in common with other music than not (both laugh).
Simone: Also, I think that sometimes these projects can seem a bit contrived, like someone came up with it in theory and then just put it together. I think that what was really great with the project with Tift was that we were genuinely responding to each other’s music and the collaboration came about because of our interest in each other’s music. It wasn’t just putting to random people together and seeing how they go.
You two come from totally different spectrums of music. Did you learn anything from one another’s worlds?
Tift: Absolutely. I admire so much the structures that are in place in the classical world, such as the dedication and commitment to practicing the fluency with which the language of music is spoken. To me it gave me a way to dedicate myself more to my music. In rock and roll there’s this illusion that there are no rules and that it’s all meant to be off the cuff. I think that there is a place for taking risks and improvisation but I think there’s also no end to practicing and dedicating yourself to your music.
Simone: The classical music world I come from is pretty conservative and we have this, in my opinion, out of control respect for the score. You have to follow every single marking that’s in the music and I’ve always found it slightly confining to think about music that way. What I found interesting working with Tift is how many rules exist in her world that I didn’t know about.
I always thought of it being completely free, but in different ways there are just as many as there are in classical. It was very interesting to find out what those rules were and I think I really learnt a lot working with Tift.
So Simone, what was it like playing in a correctional institute?
Simone: Oh, that was really amazing. I also had the experience of playing at the Maryland Correctional Institute For Women, which was an even bigger prison. Those experiences were really amongst the most memorable concerts I’ve ever given. The people there really showed me that you really can’t pre-judge what people’s reactions will be.
I was particularly concerned before I played in the women’s correctional facility because I somehow felt they would be very sceptical of what I was doing, but in actual fact they were incredibly warm and emotional and they all talked to me after the concert. They were so appreciative and were telling me all about their children who were playing different instruments. It was a bit of a revelation for me in realising how different people can be from what you think they will be.
I felt like I was doing something really important. Sometimes you can forget when you’re playing concerts really why you’re playing them. I think the purpose is to communicate through music with people and I felt that very profoundly where I played in those festivals.
You’re going to be playing the Cornbury Festival this year Tift. You looking forward to that?
Tift: Yes, absolutely, I’m really excited about that. I’ve played it once before and it was one of my very favourite festivals and just looking at the line-up, I mean, Van Morrison is playing the same night so I can’t wait to see that. I’ve been coming to England for many years and it’s always a treat. I’m really excited to bring the full band over.
Finishing off, what’s in store for you two this year?
Tift: Well, we’re about to go on tour together and we’re both going to be both going to be busy women (both laugh).
Simone: We’re excited to go on tour together following the release of the album and we both have our own projects. Tift has an album that came out last year called Travelling Along that’s amazing album and I’m getting ready to record my next album in the summer which will be another all Bach album. I’ll be recording all the major works he wrote for keyboard, so we’re both going to have a lot on our plates.
Simone and Tift’s album ‘Night’ is out now.