We’re not quite done yet

If you clicked on Auld Lang Syne #1 in my previous post, you heard what I consider to be a really bad musical saw rendition of “Auld Lang Syne” by Nicki Jaine. I’m sure Nicki is a lovely young lady, but I fervently hope that her technique has improved since 2006 (the date of the clip). It made my ears hurt because of just how off-key it is in places and also because of the swoops and slides from note to note, never a good thing. I’m assuming you understand that I included it in our festival precisely because it was so bad, just as I included Darlene Edwards in an earlier post for the same reason, which some of you did not seem to catch. Of course, Darlene’s performance (a parody by the great Jo Stafford) was purposely bad. Nicki’s, I think, was not.

A new commenter, Michelle, gave us a link to a pitch-perfect rendition of “Auld Lang Syne” on the musical saw by a young lady who has performed it in the subways of New York every New Year’s Eve for the past 17 years.

Here is the same person playing John Rutter’s "Pie Jesu" in a trio consisting of musical saw, recorder, and piano in a Lutheran Church.

She is none other than Natalia Paruz, the increasingly well-known “Saw Lady.” Natalia has performed on Garrison Keillor’s A Prairie Home Companion and with Zubin Mehta and the Israel Philharmonic.

Now we’re done.

Well, with New Year’s Eve, “Auld Lang Syne,” and the musical saw, at least.

For now.