advertisement


What concert have you last been to #3

London Jazz festival this week.

Cassandra Wilson: She didn't turn up! Refused to leave her hotel, was having a Diva strop with the promoter. Most of the audience left. Apparently she turned up at 9:45pm and gave a half arsed rendition of a couple of tunes and then left. What a charmer.

Hiromi: She's Super Human. No normal being can really play like this. She has Super powers! Way beyond amazing. Beautiful in every way. Check her out on Youtube.
 
Sam Leak at the Vortex, Dalston. Unexpectedly wonderful.

András Schiff performing the last sonatas of Haydn, Beethoven, Mozart and Schubert at Sacred Heart Church, Wimbledon. Predictably wonderful.
 
Theo Travis and Double Take at the St Ives Jazz club...really excellent stuff...just went as we were in St Ives for a few days away, not knowing his stuff but was rather blown away!

He also plays with Robert Fripp so there was a prog element to the Jazz which was great
 
Nils Lofgren last night, as great as usual. A nice touch was "Rockin' in the free world" as a tribute to all in Paris
 
Slim Chance + Special guests Des Horsfell & Frank Mead at Half Moon Putney on Saturday. Reworkings of Ronnie Lane classics plus new songs for the new album launch. Great atmoshphere and sound.
 
Yesterday afternoon at the RNCM where Giovanni Guzzo returned to play with the Manchester Camerata with guest pianist Gabriela Montero.
We had the slow Fratres by Part, Mozart's piano concerto no 14 in E flat, Britten's Variations on a theme by Frank Bridge but the highlight was a change go the advertised programme with Guzzo once again leading in Piazzolla's The Four Seasons of Buenos Aries.
I was fortunate enough to have been in the audience a few years ago to have seen it first time. This time once again the whole piece was brought to life by Guzzo's playing. Montero's Mozart was also well received. I hope it isn't long before Guzzo returns to play again in Manchester.
 
Judas Priest +Michael Schenker supporting at Wolves Civic.An awesome greatest hits evening, me poor old ears are suffering now though.
Schenkers band were very good with Doogie White on vocals and former Scorpions Herman Rarebell (drums)and Francis Buchholz (bass)
 
Martin Turner's Wishbone Ash at the Westcoast in Margate last night. A great night out for not a lot of money. Everyone there seemed to enjoy the band.
I suppose that I should actually say that I saw Martin Turner play the music of Wishbone Ash in case Mr Powell gets to read this!
 
Rocket from the Tombs at the London Fields Brewhouse. David Thomas was the wine swigging Crocus Behemoth, an easily irritated Ignatius J. Reilly style alter ego, backed up by a band playing the kind of fierce and precise Radio Birdman/Stooges style hard rock there isn't enough of. The encore of Final Solution/Rocket Reducer was truly awesome. The orginal band's star was, of course, Peter Laughner, who was recognised with a great version of 'Take the Guitar Player for a ride', although 'Life Stinks' and 'Ain't it Fun' were conspicuous by their absence. Great venue, too.
 
Michael Rother at Under The Bridge.
Excellent gig with music from his Neu!, Harmonia, and solo eras.
I'd not been to the venue before (it's at a football ground ffs - why would I?), but the sound was absolutely great - both for the DJ (Rusty Egan) and the band.
 
John Grant last night at the O2 Academy in Oxford - cracking gig ranging from solo piano and voice to full band rock outs (honest). Interesting support from Sóley - an Icelandic singer I'll be checking out further.
 
Matthew E White at Camden Roundhouse. We mainly went becuase mrs had tickets for Natalie Prass gig which got cancelled so we decided to see her with Matthew instead. As it turned out, the gig exceeded my expectations by a mile - it was really superb. The band he plays with are top notch and great party atmosphere with other artists joining the stage. Slight shame about the strange levels adopted by the sound engineer, but not bad enough to spoil the gig.
 
In the last few weeks:
- Jean-Efflam Bavouzet playing Beethoven's last three piano sonatas at St John's Smith Square. Very good, I thought (Op. 110 was absolutely superb). He must have needed a good drink after playing that lot.
- Rachel Podger and students from the Royal Academy of Music Baroque Soloists at Wigmore Hall: Telemann's Tafelmusik II. Nice to see her live after listening to so many of her CDs, and to see the new talent coming through.
- A Bartók violin and piano recital with Ehnes/Armstrong, also at Wigmore. Difficult music to play, but the pair pulled it off very well.http://arcana.fm/2016/01/12/james-ehnes-alexander-armstrong/
 
The Takacs at the Wigmore Hall: Beethoven, Timo Andres, Elgar. Great stuff.

Just booked tickets for Springsteen at the Circus Maximus in Rome in mid-July. can't wait.
 
Felt I needed to reinforce my fast fading reputation for being stuck in the '60s, so when my good friend Tony Coburn of the Cavern Club Beatles invited me down to their Friday show at the Cavern last night, how could I resist?

Wouldn't normally push into the artists dressing room, but was passing on the way to the Gents and spotted Tony through a part open door. Stuck my head in and was greeted with 'Hi Col! Wannabeer? Always a good start.

This show is well worth catching of a Friday (Pretty casual.. good time sort of thing. Requests, dedications etc.) Or on Saturday, when the show is more structured and takes a tour through the Beatles from start to finish, with a video backdrop, costume changes etc. (And better IMHO than the 'Bootleg Beatles')

I make no special claims except that these guys are by a country mile the best Beatle tribute around.

And if proof were needed, they are shortly off on rehearsals for:

http://www.eventim.co.uk/the-sessio...n=tickets&kuid=504619&xtor=SEC-400000124-GOO-[The_Sessions]-[60514848225]-S-[the%20sessions]

Worth checking out if you're a Beatles Fan, a Nostalgist, or just interested.

Mull
 
!!! last night at Patterns in Brighton, supported by themselves as Stereolad (a Stereolab covers band). Excellent sets, up for it audience, top night out (and not paying too badly today thankfully).
 
guey said:
John Grant last night at the O2 Academy in Oxford - cracking gig ranging from solo piano and voice to full band rock outs (honest). Interesting support from Sóley - an Icelandic singer I'll be checking out further.
Click to expand...

Great, Im seeing him in july
 
You must log in or register to reply here.


advertisement


Back
Top