Tidepools

by Adam Tendler

In his acclaimed memoir 88x50, pianist Adam Tendler came out and came of age during a grassroots fifty-state recital tour. tidepools picks up three years later in New York City as Tendler, recently-single, new in town and all-but-unknown, forges a path both onstage and off. Raw, funny, heartbreaking and unflinchingly candid, this collection captures the complexity of modern life in the artistic trenches, told by "an astonishing pianist and a brilliant writer" (Rick Whitaker, author of An Honest Ghost) who "rethinks the very nature of memoir" (Kevin Brannon, Lambda Literary).

186 pages, Paperback

Published December 5, 2018

About the author

"An exuberantly expressive pianist" who "vividly displayed his enthusiasm for every phrase" (Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times), a “maverick pianist” (The New Yorker), a "modern-music evangelist" (Time Out New York) who "has managed to get behind and underneath the notes... living inside the music and making poetic sense of it all. If they gave medals for musical bravery, dexterity and perseverance, Adam Tendler would earn them all." (Tim Smith, Baltimore Sun) Nominated for the 2012 American Pianists Association Classical Fellowship Award, and a finalist for the 2013 American Prize, Adam Tendler is quickly emerging as one of the country's most prolific and exciting pianists, building an international reputation through unique programming and a grassroots approach to classical music making, working one-on-one with presenters to cut costs and increase access. He first made national headlines with America 88x50, a completely independent recital tour organized from the front seat of his Hyundai that brought free concerts of modern American music to underserved communities in all fifty states. Tendler has gone on to perform in some of classical music’s most distinguished halls and series, and has directed modern music initiatives across the country, serving as an announcer and new music liaison for NPR and Pacifica stations nationwide, direct classical music initiatives across the country, and serve as an announcer and contemporary music liaison for NPR and Pacifica stations nationwide. He is also the founding director of a nightly jazz series at Soho House New York. Since 2007, Tendler has toured with a memorized performance of John Cage’s complete Sonatas and Interludes, including a Symphony Space performance for the Cage100 Festival, listed by New York Magazine as one of the Top 10 Classical Music Events of 2012. An outspoken GLBTQ advocate, he was recently keynote speaker at a Human Rights Campaign event in Boston, and performs regularly for clients at New York’s Gay Men’s Health Crisis Center. He maintains the blog, The Dissonant States, and just published the memoir, 88x50, about coming out and coming-of-age during the America 88x50 tour. Tendler is currently developing an album of music by composer Robert Palmer on the Albany label.

Reviews

[Linda Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Tidepools, Adam Tendler has reached into my soul and plucked at the heartstrings of being alive.
The exquisite writing pulsed through me right to the end...