In 1990, Mary Grace recorded herself talking as she drove home from Frankfort to Louisville, Kentucky. Hi, Chuck is a 75-minute piece for solo performer made from and with her tape by her son Shawn Jaeger. It’s a musical memoir—somewhere between a pop album and an episode of This American Life. Samples from the tape are transformed to become various instrumental sounds—synths, flutes, drums, and ambient textures. What initially seems journalistic or objective becomes increasingly vulnerable and personal as the story unfolds. Hi, Chuck is a powerful musical dialogue between Shawn and his late mother, exploring the past and present of their relationship, and contemplating social issues that Shawn's mother observed in her work in Kentucky's educational system in the 1990s.
Experience Shawn Jaeger's Hi, Chuck exclusively on facebook.com/classicallouisville this Sunday, August 22, at 4pm. Shawn will perform a shorter (30-35 minute) version and will be followed by a conversation with him. (Note: this is not an in-person event)
photo: Arthur Moeller
