Despite their marketability and obvious mass appeal in contemporary culture, there are few true instrumental crossover artists. Compiling a list of musicians who play both popular and classical music doesn't take a lot of effort, and the names are few.
On the pop side, there are trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, who's performed and recorded concertos by Haydn and Hummel, and pianist Chick Correa, who plays Mozart. Clarinetist Benny Goodman realized a lifelong dream when he recorded the Mozart Clarinet Concerto and the Clarinet Quintet, back in the 1950s at Tanglewood.
Among classical musicians, the list is equally short. Friedrich Gulda became a respectable jazz pianist, and he and Correa even recorded some albums together, one of which featured Mozart's Concerto for Two Pianos. Cellist Yo-Yo Ma, who has his hand in everything, plays bluegrass and tangos, as well as Dvorak's Cello Concerto.
Locally, there are a couple of musicians who can be considered crossover. The Utah Symphony's principal clarinet Tad Calcara cuts loose and swings on occasion, on both clarinet and piano.
Then there's pianist Jed Moss, who in addition to being a member of the Paradigm Trio, along with violinist Kelly Parkinson and violist Joel Rosenberg, is also a member of the venerable pop group Air Supply. And as far as Moss is concerned, touring with Air Supply is just fine as long as he can play classical concerts in between gigs.
Moss says, however, that his first love is classical music.
The Idaho native moved to Utah to study with Gladys Gladstone at the University of Utah, and through her he met Rosenberg. "I've known Joel about 20 years," Moss said. "We did some concertos together in the early 1980s, some Mozart and the Beethoven Third."
They kept their collaboration going over the years, and in 2001 formed the Paradigm Trio with Parkinson. "My work with Ballet West (where he is the principal keyboardist) connected me with Kelly," Moss said. The trio gave its first performance at the Madeleine Festival in 2001.
Moss' background is strictly classical. He's appeared on several local series besides the Madeleine Festival and the Paradigm Concert Series. He's performed on the NOVA Chamber Music Series and with Canyonlands New Music Ensemble, and he accompanied flutist Carol Wincenc at her recital at Brigham Young University last September.
He's also toured with Ballet West, playing Leonard Bernstein's "Age of Anxiety" at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
With those credentials, it's somewhat surprising to discover that Moss has also been the keyboardist with the pop group Air Supply for the past eight years. "Pop music is a horse of a different color," he said. "I feel like I'm a fish out of water, but I enjoy being with Air Supply."
He also manages to mix the two together occasionally. Graham Russell, one of the original members of the group, always gives the individual people in the band solo spots during the band's concerts, Moss said. And Moss likes to surprise the audience at those times. "I like to throw in something classical. That catches everyone's attention."
Moss relates that it was happenstance that he joined Air Supply. "I was at Daynes Music — at their old location — rehearsing one day. They had a great but quirky recital hall with a couple of 9-foot concert-grand Steinways. It was a perfectly good location to rehearse, and I used it a lot."
One day, owner Skip Daynes approached Moss and told him that Russell, who lives in rural Utah, had come into the store and said he was looking for a pianist to replace Guy Allison, who had left the band to play with the Doobie Brothers.
"Air Supply was leaving soon for a major tour of South America, and Graham told Skip he was looking for a classically trained pianist who has chops," Moss said. "And Skip told him he probably knew somebody who fit the description."
Moss admits that he never auditioned for Russell. "I called Graham, who was in Los Angeles, and he told me to come out there, which I did. We rehearsed for four days and did one concert in Thousand Oaks, Calif. Our next concert was in Lima, Peru." And the rest, as the saying goes, is history.
Playing with a pop band is considerably different than playing in a classical trio, Moss said, especially as far as audiences go. "Audiences really participate in pop music. They're very passionate about what they hear."
And what audiences hear at an Air Supply concert depends on where the band is playing. In the United States, where radio stations have labeled the band "romantic balladeers of the '80s," people want to hear the old hits. Abroad, especially in Asia, where the group is probably even more popular than in America, audiences expect new material. Russell writes all of the group's songs, and he satisfies this craving for something new by releasing an album every 18 months.
An indication of Air Supply's popularity in the Far East is that they were invited to participate in a huge music festival in Hong Kong last November, which was aimed at bringing tourists back to the city. "There were major stars at this festival," Moss said. "Prince opened and the Rolling Stones closed."
Moss said one of the reasons for the band's popularity and longevity is that no venue is too large or too small. "We play any venues, from Indian casinos on reservations to basketball stadiums." The band also takes its act to exotic locales. "We've played in Vietnam, Brunei, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon."
After nearly a decade with Air Supply, Moss said he still plays from charts that local pianist and accordion player Steve Keene arranged. "After all these years, I still have them on the piano, and everyone still jokes about it."
E-mail: ereichel@desnews.com