IMFourPlay

Jim Rhinehart does double duty in FourPlay once again, returning to his roles as musical director and improvisational accompanist (although those titles really don't seem to do his crucial contributions justice). A regular in SAK's pit, Jim's finesse on the keyboards has garnered him adoration from company and audience members alike. I perched high on a sturdy maple tree limb beside Jim as we watched the pedestrians below, lapped up syrup, and mused on the oddity that is musical improvisation.

Current favorite musical: West Side Story, and Act I of Wicked
Current favorite improv game: For me to play? I suppose "Song Cue." To watch? I have no idea - there are so many!

DC: Jim, in addition to holding down a demanding day job and serving as a regular improv accompanist on the weekends at SAK (and fellow FourPlayer Mark Baratelli's Improv Cabaret), you've had a pretty busy year in terms of theatre projects since we last engaged in FourPlay together. What have you been up to?

JR: You know, David, I just had a wonderful experience performing in The Musical Of Musicals: The Musical! with Jester Theatre Company. In addition to playing, I get to be onstage with four incredibly talented, funny actors! Definitely one of the highlights of my year. And it's happening again in December!

DC: Heather and I loved the show. You clearly work with ease in both the traditional scripted theatre realm and that of improvisational theatre. Do you approach these types of projects differently as a musician?

JR: Honestly, on my best days, no. Whether scripted or not, one still has to be aware of (and part of) the "flow" of the production. The greatest challenge often seems to be staying in the moment, not ahead of, and not behind, the players.

DC: That's apt. As the lead musician on each FourPlay show, you are responsible for creating roughly twenty original accompaniments each performance. It makes my head spin just to think about it! Have you found any specific ways to jumpstart your own creativity under this pressure, or does it all come as second nature at this point?

JR: Um, you know, I hadn't really thought of it like that! Geez, that's a lot of music! Maybe this isn't such a good idea . . . But seriously, for inspiration I just go to the source - soundtracks! In preparation for this show, I find myself listening to songs in a different way, and trying to find connections and similarities across the repertoire. It's like learning composition, or martial arts, or chess: First you LEARN the rules (and conventions), then you can figure out the most effective ways to break them!

DC: Do you have any future projects on the horizon that we should eagerly await?

JR: I am hoping to record a CD of original solo jazz piano this summer, and am currently working on several new compositions. Definitely check out Musical of Musicals in December, and before that is The Lost Comedies of William Shakespeare, here at SAK - another David Charles inculcation!

DC: Let me know what happens with your CD - that sounds like a great project. And on that high note of unapologetic cross-promotion for The Lost Comedies, I will give you that $20 as promised and stop calling your home number late in the evenings. Now... how do we get down from this tree?

To learn more about Jim, go here.