We're ready in New York for Toast of the Nation. Yesterday, we set up at the Village Vanguard. Today, we'll rehearse the opening and midnight countdown with The Bad Plus, eat some dinner and wait for showtime (11 p.m. ET).
New York is the first location to ring in 2010. The Bad Plus brings their A-list set for the show. Expect original music from each member of the band, compositions from Ornette Coleman and Gyorgy Ligeti, and some surprises.
Ethan Iverson of The Bad Plus at the Village Vanguard.
Toast of the Nation is much bigger than our New York segment. There's a team at NPR in Washington that includes producers, directors and uberhost Lisa Simeone. They will steer the overall show, moving from location to location across the country, crediting the appropriate parties, playing back your favorite sponsorship message.
You will also hear short pieces of music that bridge two different elements. The fancy radio words for these are "noses" and "bumpers." And if you hear happen to hear solo piano, it's Bad Plus pianist Ethan Iverson.
While soundchecking yesterday, I asked Ethan to play some variations of "Auld Lang Syne" that we could use during the show. Here's what he gave us:
Variation #1:
Two more variations, after the jump.
Variation #2:
Variation #3:
Ethan also requested a favor from us, but I don't want to give too much away. Let's just say you'll hear more solo piano from Ethan online. He's posting something special on the band's blog, Do The Math, for New Year's Day.
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