ukvibe

Fil Straughan - Live at Shaka Zulu

It was back in April 2011 at a Jenigue Giscombe (daughter of Junior) benefit gig that I first became aware of FiL Straughan, when he was introduced on stage as FiL Strong! Following a quick chat after the gig, Mr Straughan subsequently invited me to come and check out his full ‘Spirit of Luther Vandross show’ later that year in July at Shaka Zulu, London. In between times, I had received a copy of his ‘FiL the SouL’ CD which was on constant rotation in my car. This heightened my anticipation of his forthcoming performance.

The day, hour and the minute came and I along with all those gathered were truly inspired and empowered by the man’s energy, passion and dedication to his art. Not only did he do justice to the spirit of Luther but he also opened my ears to his own unique lyrical and vocal prowess. Our subsequent interview backstage led inadvertently to the title of his follow-up album ‘FiL the Power.’ Though i was subsequently busy with other journalistic commitments, I was always keeping track of FiL’s career progression from afar; also thanks to his regular monthly newsletter. So when FiL reached out to me once more to attend as an invited guest to see him perform at Shaka Zulu, London, his now spiritual home, it was a no-brainer.

And so it was on Friday, 20 April 2012 at 8 PM, that the familiar strains of the Luther Vandross classic ‘Give Me the Reason’ focused all eyes on the intimate setting of the Shaka Zulu stage. With the band already in situ, we didn’t have to wait long before accomplished background vocalist Verna Francis appeared through the double doors, stage left. Strolling nonchalantly around and up onto the stage singing as she strolled. It was now time for the main protagonist to make his entrance. We could already hear the familiar, dulcet tones of FiL Straughan emanating throughout the venue and then the double doors stage left swung open once more, revealing a an extremely dapper gent, dressed head to toe in black topped by a sparkling jacket; pressed black trousers and shiny show shoes were the order of the day.

Mr Straughan knows how to engage with an audience! He exudes charm and charisma from every pore. And like a dynamo he seems to store up the energy he draws from his audience to and is able to give even more. And so now he had our attention, he proved he can change it up, with his very own soothing and emotive rendition of ‘So Amazing.’ Next up we were treated to the first track of the night from his newly released ‘FiL the LOVE’ CD; the beautifully paced ‘Special Place.’ FiL had preceded the song by enquiring of the audience if they have or ever have had that special place that they retreat/visit to by themselves or with a special person that evokes pleasant memories for them.

We were then transported back to the spirit of LV and FiL Straughan’s sensitive and most welcome cover of “A House Is Not a Home” He then segued into one of my favourite songs from the ‘FiL the LOVE’ set, the gorgeous and velvety smooth ‘Beautiful Love Affair.’ You NEED to hear this performed live to appreciate it fully. Wow! More Luther classics followed – ‘Any Love’ and ‘See Me,’ obviously two of FiL’s most favoured tracks as well this scribe’s. ‘See Me’ had the true Luther faithful singing along verbatim. Big props must go out at this point to John Matthews on bass; John Fisher on drums; Javier Ginarte and Abe Hampton who got down, deep and dirty on this one. A unique twist on Whitney Houston’s ‘I Wanna Dance with Somebody’ preceded ‘Darlin’ Darlin’ the third track of the evening from Mr Straughan’s new project. This sublime two-step ditty highlighted perfectly another team player in this tight and cohesive outfit – Igor Fejzula on guitar. Pure mellow niceness! The audience lapped it up!

Next up FiL went on to explain in some detail about the song he was about to sing ‘Dance with My Father.’ As fate would have it, although Luther had written the tune as the title track for his 2003 release, he never ever got to sing live! This said, FiL Straughan went on to perform one of the most moving and emotive renditions of the song I’ve heard, finishing with his customary look up to the heavens, sending out a silent blessing and sincere thanks to his mentor. The weight, pride and privilege that he feels when performing the song was evident for all to see, with FiL acknowledging how the song moves him from deep within his being.  The first set was rounded out with an up-tempo, jaunty version of ‘Shine.

Set 2 - And our man came out dressed to impress yet again this time in shiny blue trousers and white patterned shirt.  From the get go, Mr Vandross was the order of the day. And the late crooner’s enveloping ballad ‘Wait for Love’ was followed by a full on, pumping and at times reggae-fied version and of ‘Searching.’ This prompted those who were now imbued with the spirit of Luther Vandross to gravitate towards the dedicated dance floor space in front the stage and shake their moneymaker, young and old alike - this is the magnetic attraction of FiL Straughan singing Luther Vandross! FiL’s vocals are so versatile, whether high, low or mid-range and his able assistant, Verna Francis’ controlled power and subtlety is the perfect foil to FiL’s chocolaty heart warming and ear caressing delivery.

The already ‘must have’ album ‘FiL the LOVE’ was dipped into for the final time of the evening with two further tracks – firstly in the form of ‘To Be with You’ and secondly via the song simply titled ‘I Love You.’ By way of an introduction, FiL poignantly pointed out that men find it much easier to buy chocolates, flowers and such for their special lady as an alternative to reciting three simple words ‘I love You!’ When I told him after his performance I was guilty as charged, FiL simply said, “Michael, just play her track 17 from my album!” You know what? It worked! This guy should become a relationship counsellor!! Once again, Javier Ginarte, percussion, married with Igor Fejzula, guitar, worked so sweetly on this flamenco-esque ditty.

And so, no sooner had it seemed that the show had just begun, it was time to call time on our joyous evening of entertainment FiL Straughan style! But not before the dance floor was saturated with people once again, getting on the good foot to two all-time classic Luther tunes, ‘Never Too Much’and ‘Ain’t No Stopping Us Now.’ This was the cue for FiL to go one of his now infamous roams around the audience, singing, gyrating and spreading the love to all corners of the venue. If you have any stress or baggage coming into a FiL Straughan concert, by the time you leave you will feel as if you are levitating! That is the magical effect and latent healing powers FiL Straughan has on all your senses. All I can say is thank you Mr Straughan for putting the ‘Feelgood Factor’ back into Friday night! And believe me whatever night you witness this musical tour de force in concert you WILL feel good! Just call him ‘Mr FiL Good!’

NB* Special mention must go to Award Winning guest saxophonist, Joe Leader, whose soothing and seductive horn playing complimented FiL’s voice and band supremely! He seemed to have a pair of mega-expandable lungs on all the tracks he graced! Splendid!

Michael J Edwards

The Band: Verna Francis – BV’s; John Fisher – Drums; John Matthews – Bass; Igor Fejzula – Guitar; Abe Hampton – Keys; Javier Ginarte – Percussion and Award Winner Joe Leader – Guest Saxophonist

Joe Leader:


Essential Website:
http://www.FiLstraughan.com

Essential Albums:
FiL the LOVE (2012)

FiL the Power (2011)

FiL the SouL (2011)

My Music Part 1 (2008)

  

NB* soon come FiL the Vibe

All Available for purchase or download on:

Vieux Farka Touré, 14 February 2012, Band on the Wall, Manchester

Malian guitarist, singer-songwriter and leader Vieux Farka Touré belongs to that new generation of African musicians that, while steeped in the tradition of their ancestors (in Vieux’s case the formidable musical legacy of his father, Ali Farka Touré), are very much at ease with western music which they have also in part grown up with. On Vieux’s latest album, ‘The secret’ (Six Degrees), the leader collaborates with Grammy winning blues guitarist and singer Derek Trucks and jazz guitarist John Scofield among others. His musical influences are wide-ranging to say the least and stretch from the electrified blues of John Lee Hooker and Muddy Waters through to B.B. King, and rock music’s premier guitarist Jimi Hendrix. Contemporary American black music is equally cited with Beyoncé’s other half Jay-Z listed among Vieux’s desert island discs.

In live performance the sound differs from the studio recordings in two important respects. First of all the musical formation is significantly reduced, comprising on this evening of a trio with western drum kit and African percussion played by Tim Keiper, basslines courtesy of Valery Assouan and Touré himself on guitar and lead vocals. Secondly, the compositions laid down on CD merely serve as the pretext for some extended jam-session performances in a
live context that are, to the listener’s ears, a definite nod towards the music of both Cream and Hendrix in the late 1960s, though with an obvious additional West African dimension.

The evening’s entertainment commenced with an instantly recognisable blues riff solo that could only emanate from Mali, yet with Western drums, this made for a fascinating cross-fertilisation of northern and southern hemisphere sounds that blended together beautifully. Key to the successful interplay between the trio members is the manner in which the three musicians were able to shift gear, up or down, with seeming ease, at times reaching a crescendo only to immediately thereafter take the tempo all the way down in the very next passage. While this took the audience a little while to appreciate, once they had become attuned to the changes in rhythm, they were then smitten and thereafter hooked for the rest of the evening.

What, then, of Viuex Farka Touré the guitarist? While father Ali is a near impossible act to follow and a virtuoso of the Malian style of guitar playing, son Vieux is himself an accomplished guitarist and one who has wisely charted a distinctive path from his father and in so doing has widened his repertoire to external musical influences beyond Mali. Vieux’s family musical pedigrtee extends beyond even his father for his uncle is none other than fellow guitarist Afel Bocum while in many respects the spiritual father of Vieux is kora maestro Toumani Diabaté, who was a very close friend of father Ali. Thus the extended musical dynasty in which Vieux Farka Touré was born is even more impressive.

Indeed as the evening’s performance unfolded, it became apparent that Vieux was adept at playing rhythm guitar in funk and reggae idioms while weaving this into an underlying West African groove and this particular aspect was one of the night’s highlights. At times it felt as though Vieux Farka Touré was able to encapsulate the essence of Nile Rodgers, Earl ‘Chinna’ Smith and Eric Clapton into one musician being and that is no mean accomplishment. The crucial point here is that the sound created was both cohesive and deeply personal and the crowd reacted to the effort mustered by the trio.

Dialogue with the audience was kept to a minimum by the leader, though Vieux had clearly picked up some useful colloquial phrases in English and at one point was heard to enquire of the spectators, ‘What’s up? Why not dance?’, to which the audience responded positively on both accounts. Alongside Assouan, the leader and bassist started cooking up some hypnotic and lengthy grooves that had the audience in a party mood.  Percussionist Keiper relished the challenge of this double guitar assault and laid down some melodic licks, alternating on occasions with the West African calabash, and other local instrumentation. For the listener there was a sense of being transported on a musical journey across the Sahara and the panormaic view conveyed was such that at some stage in ihs career, Vieux Farka Touré should seriously consider composing for film soundtracks since his music is ideal for that medium and it may just catapult his career in a similar way to that of Ry Cooder when he famously composed the music for ‘Paris, Texas’.

Nearing the end of their tour the trio were clearly in top form and at some point they really need to go into the studio and record together, and even better still, record themselves in an intimate live context. For a well received encore, Vieux Farka Touré performed a slow blues at a gentle tempo which part way through suddenly gathered pace and audience participation in the form of handclapping was immediate and forthcoming. A fine way to end the evening.

Tim Stenhouse

Yaaba Funk at The Venue 4th Nov 2011

On November 4, 2011 Michael The Dood Edwards was fortunate enough to be invited to 229 The Venue, along with a couple hundred African music fans and aficionados to witness an evening of African musical bliss. Many fans had packed this intimate venue in London’s Great Portland Street for the main protagonist Seun Anilkupalo Kuti. However, having been sent the support acts CD, “Afrobeat” a few months before, the Dood was keen and willing to view London’s premiere purveyors of Ghanaian Hi-Life and Hi-Energy, new age Afro-broken beat and dub music, a.k.a. Yaaba Funk.

This multicultural outfit based in Brixton, south London have somehow managed to marry together their diverse musical influences into a unique and intensely powerful and infectious sound. This mix of 70s Ghanaian Hi-Life, the funk of James Brown/the JBs spliced with the UK flavours of The Specials and Roots Manuva were all in evidence on their opening track ‘Nyash! E Go Bite You,’ a driving pulsating rhythm punctuated by the JB style funk stabs of the horn section. Lead vocalists Richmond Kessie and Helen McDonald led their troops admirably from the front with an energy that emanated out into the audience. The next track ‘Political War’ segued neatly into Yaaba Funk’s rousing cover of Alhaji Frimpong’s ‘Hwe Hwe Mu Na Yi Wo Mpena.’

It was this song that highlighted the class musicianship of each individual in Yaaba Funk’s line-up. Paul Brett (Analogue Bass) and Lou Ciccotelli (Drums) set the foundation groove for Clive Wales (Congas); Christian Arcucci (Lead Guitar); Tobias Sturmer (Rhythm Guitar) and guest horn section Jason Yarde (Sax) and Robin Hitchcock (Trumpet) to jam over the top of. By this time the crowd were fully aware of what Yaaba Funk were about. And that was nothing but good wholesome feel good vibes rooted in African/Ghanaian heritage.

Further homage to another African music legend, none other than Fela Anikupalo Kuti came in the form of their self penned but soon-to-be classic ‘Kalabule Man.’ Richmond cajoled the crowd as any consummate front man would do, but this man does have a charm and charisma about him that is hard to ignore - His love of and faith in the music and heritage that Yaaba Funk represent is evident in both his impassioned dance and demeanour. Yaaba Funk’s explosive musically colourful set was concluded with another upbeat and anthem-esque song entitled ‘Gye Me Ne Mendwen.’ Fittingly both Helen and Richmond took it in turns to display some traditional Ghanaian high-kicking and pulsating dance moves, whipping those gathered into a frenzy of excitement in anticipation of the arrival of one Mr Seun Anilkupalo Kuti.

Well, Mr Kuti couldn’t have wished for a better warm-up act than London’s very own Yaaba Funk! They are indeed a most wonderful band to witness live and I suggest at your earliest opportunity you do just that. In the meantime make sure and secure your very own copy of their current album “Afrobeat,” it will keep a permanent smile on your face during the spring summer autumn and winter months.

Michael J Edwards

The Dustaphonics

Live at the Blues Kitchen 27/10/11

Jeff Dexter, (former manager of Marc Bolan & T. Rex, Lemmy (Motorhead & Hawkwind), Ike & Tina Turner, America) says: “I am a fan. The Dustaphonics are real music stars; they are what many wannabes want to be; one of the best bands I’ve seen in England for years. What a great sound and energy!”


Band Leader Yvan Serrano-Fontova with legendary band/artist manager, Jeff Dexter)
Photo: Courtesy of Julien Creff

A chance meeting with Yvan Serrano aka DJ Healer Selecta at Corrina Greyson’s old skool house party in North -West London led to an invite to come and ‘check out’ his band the following week. So it was that Michael ‘The Dood’ Edwards set off to The Blues Kitchen in Camden Town, London to witness his first introduction to “the Dustaphonics – Live Experience!”

On arrival at this intimate venue it wasn’t long before i happened upon a few more familiar faces from the aforementioned house party – Paul Clifford Strutter-Brown, Healer Selecta’s tag-team DJ on the night and also Greg Boraman, organ player extraordinaire for another ‘must see’ live band, The Fantastics!  It was then that the Dustaphonics band leader and main protagonist pulled me to one side to introduce me a living legend and guru of the 60’s and 70’s music scene, Mr Jeff Dexter. His music credentials are impressive. He’s the former manager of Marc Bolan Ike and Tina Turner; Lemmy from Motorhead; America as well as the UK MC for Otis Redding and Jimi Hendrix to name a few. Furthermore Mr Dexter was the first curator of the Glastonbury Festival in 1970, as well as being the first DJ at Glastonbury one! Prior to this he was “The Man” who created the mod scene in London back in the 1960s!!!

The mere fact that such a luminary was in Camden Town, London to witness a fledgling band such as the Dustaphonics created a murmur of anticipation inside The Blues Kitchen. And within 10 min we got our answer, the Dustaphonics led by guitarist, musician, songwriter, DJ and bandleader Yvan Serrano-Fontova took to the stage and launched into “Take it from Bo Diddley,” their very own tribute to one of the blues masters, Bo Diddley. With fingers still clicking and toes still tapping, the respectful homage to Bo Diddley continued in the guise of a well executed cover version of “Dearest Darling.” The driving incessant rhythm and fast tempo raised the temperature inside this cosy little blues club.

The tributes continued with a full on, in your face version of the recently demised Louisiana Red’s “Ride on.” The bluesy rockabilly/skiffle vibe the Dustaphonics created on this track was gratefully appreciated by the ever increasing audience. “The Jinx” was the 2nd track lifted from their recently released must have debut album “The Party.” It gave lead vocalist Kay Elizabeth a chance to truly expose her vocal range – And that she did! Bruce Brand on drums and Michael Jablonka did their best to match her effervescence and vitality with Healer Selecta playing his high pitched guitar riffs over the top of it all.

Kay Elizabeth, Healer Selecta & Michael Jablonka - Photo: Courtesy of Julien Creff

Yvan Serrano/Healer Selecta (guitar), Kay Elizabeth (vocals & percussion), Michael Jablonka (bass) - Photo: Courtesy of Julien Creff

A riveting cover of “Shotdown” by the Sonics kept the happy, groovy vibes within the Blues Kitchen with punters freely dancing on the restricted dance space. “When You Gonna Learn.” followed hot the heels of “Shotdown”.

Now with the gig in full swing the Dustaphonics segued into the quirky, upbeat and 1960s sounding vamps of “Party Girl.” By this time, the limited dance floor space in front of the stage was crammed with audience members caught up in the heady and positively stimulating atmosphere created by Healer Selecta’s band. It definitely felt like we had been transported into a bygone era with the freaky go-go dance moves in full effect.


Yvan Serrano-Fontova Live at the Blues Kitchen (27-10-11)
Photo: Courtesy of Julien Creff

A short but rousing, driving and high octane version of “I Think I Had It,” originally performed by ‘the Gories’ made sure we remained in this artificially created, but most welcome 60s time-warp.

The cover versions continued firstly with the Dustaphonics tipping their hat to the Dial Tones’1963 ditty “Chicago Bird” followed by a stomping version of Howlin’ Wolf’s “Wrecking My Life.” Confirmation if needed that Mr Serrano-Fontova has brought together a tight group of consummate musicians and vocalists who vibe off one another.

The Dustaphonics live @ the Blues Kitchen 27-10-12
Photo: Courtesy of Julien Creff

The set was rounded off with two more supremely upbeat tunes, “Show Man Twang Tiki Gods,” a smooth surfers’ instrumental segueing into the raunchy and vibrant tribute to the dark’n’sultry actress Tura Santana.

Oh! But the Dustaphonics were not finished yet! After a brief respite, normal business was resumed in the form of three in your face tunes - “Big Smoke/London Town,” a cover of MC5’s “Looking at You,” and “Eat My Dust.” The latter two tracks are to be found on their fresh, eclectic and stunning debut album release “Party Girl.”

It was a fabulous debut performance by the Dustaphonics who had their audience in the palm of their hands from the first rift. The performance made extra special by the mere presence of music guru and high priest of popular music Jeff Dexter. It was a blessed evening indeed. A big shout out must go to the protagonist Yvan Serrano a.k.a. Healer Selecta who proved without a shadow of a doubt why he was recently voted “Most Influential French Londoner,” his mere stage presence, like a rising tide raised the all-round playing capacity of his fellow cohorts. Make sure you catch these guys perform at your earliest opportunity.

Michael J Edwards

The Dustaphonics are:
Kay Elizabeth – vocals
Bruce Brand – drums
Michael Jablonka – bass
Yvan Serrano aka Healer Selecta - guitar

Essential Album:
Party Girl

Essential Websites:
http://www.ason2b.net
http://www.facebook.com/yvan.s.fontova

Essential Dates: 
12th to 24th April > Spanish Tour including session at RTVE radio
29th June > Bordeaux France

The Dood and Healer Selecta

London Mela

On Sunday 4th of September all roads led to Gunnersbury Park, Ealing, London W3 for the annual Asian festival fun, food and feel good music, aka the London Mela.
Nuff people came down to represent and soak up the authentic atmosphere and quality music on offer. The main attraction coming in the form of Britain’s premier Asian export Jay Sean! Other key protagonists on the main stage included Asian Music Awards winner Mumzy Stranger and Canadian Crown Prince of Bhangra, Jazzy B.

A day that initially started out as a gloomy morning turned out to be a beautiful sunny afternoon in Gunnersbury Park. On arrival at the Park one was greeted with an array of market stalls, many of which were food stalls selling a variety of Asian and African, West Indian and Chinese cuisine. The smell alone enticed you to venture in further. There are also a variety of tents or zones evenly spaced around the perimeter consisting of a Mix tent; BBC Introducing...; A Classical stage; Community and Kids zone; Outdoor arts and In conversation with… The centrepiece of which was The Main Stage.

The ‘In conversation with...’ tent was naturally the centre of much attention as it all the days main protagonists were interviewed. The dedicated devotees got to be up close and personal with acts such as Ash King (Southall born-and-bred Bollywood singer - Ash King ); Humza Badman (The man behind the “Diary of a Badman” and the Youtube Comedian); Amir Khan (IBF and WBA World Light Welterweight Boxing Champion - Amir Khan) and of course Jay Sean (British Asian music royalty Jay Sean).

Amir Khan “In Conversation with...”

Ash King “In Conversation with...”

Vast amounts of people gravitated towards The BBC Asian Network Mix Tent. Given the stellar line-up of quality DJs it was no surprise. Those who attended were mesmerised by DJs spinning a combination of bhangra; hip-hop; funk; drum and bass; Desi beats; Bollywood and much more. A few of the 12 DJs on the show were Nihal; Metz & Trix; Jags Klimax; Sonny Ji and DJ Kayper. DJ Kayper also got major props on the main stage


Metz & Trix in the BBC Mix Tent

Nihal in the BBC Mix Tent

Shide Boss in the BBC Mix Tent

Ashanti Omkar (Compere & Curator, Classical Stage)

Other tents worthy of a mention included the Classical Tent - This year’s compere and co-curator once again being Ashanti Omkar, after her sterling job at the 2010 London Mela.

Samyo (the UK’s premier junior Indian orchestra)

This year’s classical stage paid homage to 2 renowned poets of the subcontinent, Nobel prize-winner Rabindranath Tagore and Faiz Ahmad Faiz, Lenin peace prize winner and Nobel nominee. Both individuals left an indelible imprint on the hearts and minds of classical arts lovers. In conjunction with the Indy Indie tent and the Community/Kids Zone, all bases were covered and all age groups catered and for.

However, it was the main stage it was the first focal point for the lion share of the morning and especially the afternoon. Talented and diverse artist such as Hunterz, Lehmber Hussainpuri, Mumzy Stranger and Jazzy B raised the temperature on a mildly overcast day as the grounds swelled in anticipation of the arrival of the main protagonists Jay Sean.

As the time rolled around to approximately 5:20 PM the main stage compere and BBC Asian network’s presenter Tommy Sandhu strode purposefully onto the stage to introduce north-west London’s prodigal son, Jay Sean.

As expected Jay Sean didn’t disappoint on his first UK live performance in three years, since his meteoric rise to fame in the USA. Classic Jay Sean favourites such as “Eyes on You,” “Stolen,” and “Ride It” where lapped up eagerly by his exuberant London Mela audience. We were taken again back down memory lane as Jay Sean hooked up with his homeboys from the Rishi Rich Project – Juggy D and Rishi Rich himself.  Their energy was electric as they bounded across the stage and also battled on the turntables – a notable highlight!

With a few choice tracks from his recent “Freeze Time” album thrown into the mix the London Mela massive came, saw and were conquered by Prince Jay Sean and his merry men. At the end of a great day and a great festival, fans young and old were sent home with both their food and musical needs completely satisfied. Roll on London Mela 2012.

Michael J Edwards

Funfair & great tasting, diverse food at the London Mela
Essential website:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/asiannetwork/events/melas/2011/londonmela/

The Fantastics! Live @ the Jazz Cafe 3/9/11

Mark Norton (Sax) & Sulene Fleming (Vox) Live @ Jazz Cafe

Photo: Courtesy of Giglens - http://www.flickr.com/photos/giglens

With a critically acclaimed sophomore album recently released via UK-based Freestyle Records Ltd and a plethora of country wide and European gig dates behind them, The Fantastics! have built up a well-deserved hard-core following of loyal fans. The diverse musical tastes of all the band members has led to their music emanating as an eclectic fusion of funk, rhythm and blues, jazz, Afro beat, Brazilian, rock, reggae, Latin and numerous other influences. Now with the added cherry on top in the guise of one of the U.K.’s pre-eminent soul songstress’ Sulene Fleming, The Fantastics! have all the bases loaded.
So it was on this September evening that The Fantastics! entered the Jazz Cafe’s infamous platform stage right. “Soul Saviour Stew” kicked off proceedings and then quickly segued in to “The Doctor Is In” lifted from their Mighty Righteous Album. Then it was straight into a cover of Boogaloo Joe Jones’ “Sweetback” the first of the new tracks from their stunning ear friendly new album “All The People,” the incessant and hypnotic funky retro groove provoking ritualised head nodding in the audience. After “Fat Hector” the mood on the vibe changed up into the smooth soulful hypnotic 70s style 2-step groove of “Know No Gods,” Mark Norton’s mellow flute gliding effortlessly over the top of James Smith’s rhythmical drums; Raydn Hunter’s deep baseline; Pete Collison’s staccato lead guitar and Greg Boraman’s tight and on point Hammond organ playing. Nice!


Mark Norton (flute)

Raydn Hunter (bass)
Photos: Courtesy of Giglens - http://www.flickr.com/photos/giglens

The Fantastics!’ distinctive retro feel to their music continued in the guise of “Mushroom Strut,” the lead off track from their new album. Once again it was Mark Norton’s flute that initially took centre stage, like the Pied Piper leading the way for the others to follow. And oh how they followed! Once again Raydn Hunters chunky baseline in perfect sync with James Smith’s steady drum pattern opened the door for Mr Boraman’s freestyle organ solo and Pete Collison’s 70s style guitar riffs.


Greg Boraman (Hammond organ)

Pete Collison (guitar)
Photos: Courtesy of Giglens - http://www.flickr.com/photos/giglens

On a roll the collective then launched into a faithful really working of soul/jazz/blues organist and singer Billy Hawks’ Oh Baby (I believe I’m Losing You). Greg Boraman required no second invitation to emulate one of his major influences and laid down a stone cold groove. Continuing the classic covers the next tune “Love Addict,” originally done by Honey and the Bees led to the entrance of The Fantastics!’ Jewel in the Crown, the sultry Sulene Fleming. Sulene descended to the stage looking resplendent in a stunning off white satin and lace embroidered mid-length dress. The focal point being an eye-catching satin rose trimmed with rhinestones (methinks) situated dead centre in the middle of her waist on a chunky 4 inch belt. Nice!!


Sulene Fleming Live @ Jazz Cafe, London
Photo: Courtesy of Giglens - http://www.flickr.com/photos/giglens

It didn’t take long for Sulene’s magnetic persona and powerful Etta James/Betty Davis style vocals to reel in the audience even further, as she more than did justice to a track she always wanted to cover. With Miss Fleming now in situ, the band segued smoothly into the outstanding first single release from their “All The People” album, “Somewhere...Finally.” The laid back soulful intro of Mark Norton’s saxophone and Mark Clayton’s understated percussion touches set the tone for Sulene’s smouldering and intoxicated vocal delivery. Sulene’s mildly husky yet velvety vocals caressed each and every word of this original but strangely familiar tune – a sure sign of a classic in the making.

As Sulene took her leave from the stage, we were already anticipating her return later in the set. The Jazz Cafe massive’s musical embers were now fully stoked and eager for more. The Fantastics! didn’t disappoint as they launched into their JB’s style retro-funk album title track, “All The People Pt1,” which was sweetly followed by “The Bone Breaker,” another original piece of soulful funk. Up Yours! hidden away as the b-side to the aforementioned “Somewhere...Finally” was the connecting tune to “Cecil’s Slide,” an up-tempo, Brazilian/ Batacuda infused ditty, which employed Mark Clayton’s percussion virtuosity and dexterity to the maximum. It was a pure case of ‘get your whistles out!’ and ‘shake your rump!’ a la Carnival.


Mark Clayton (percussion)

James Smith (drums)
Live @ Jazz Cafe Photos: Courtesy of Giglens - http://www.flickr.com/photos/giglens

T’was the perfect time to welcome back the precious pearl in the oyster aka Sulene Fleming, to give all in attendance goose-bumps with her full on, intense rendition of Gil Scott-Heron’s/Esther Phillips’ “Home Is Where the Hatred Is,” ably supported by the tight musicianship of The Fantastics! This time Sulene was not allowed to leave the stage as she continued to front the band, beguiling us with her raw sassiness and feminine charm. The rock tinged “I Breathe” and the southern twang of the forth-coming single release “Cold Case,” completed the show-casing of the new album, the latter tune generously laden with some deep blues harmonica playing courtesy of multi-instrumentalist Mark Norton.


Mark Norton (harmonica)
Jazz Cafe, London Photo: Courtesy of Giglens - http://www.flickr.com/photos/giglens

And so to the climax of the evening with Sulene keeping hold of the reigns as The Fantastics! doffed their imaginary hats once again to James Brown and the JB’s via the last two numbers, “Soul Child” (taken from their 2009 “Mighty Righteous” album feat. Noel Mckoy) and “Give It Up, Turn It Loose,” the latter affording Radyn Hunter the freedom to lay down some more nasty basslines! Sulene Fleming got to winding her waist and shaking her booty on both tracks as The Fantastics! turned up the heat for the final time, bringing the evening to a rousing conclusion.

Sulene Fleming Live @ Jazz Cafe Photo: Courtesy of Giglens http://www.flickr.com/photos/giglens

The night was indeed a truly “Fantastic!” experience and whilst the new album is an essential addition to your CD collection, nothing can prepare you the full-on, feel good feeling The Fantastics! convey in the live arena. Make sure and catch the show as and when they pop up in Europe over the next year or so.

Michael J Edwards

Raydn Hunter (guitar) & Mark Norton (Sax) Live @ Jazz Cafe Photo: Courtesy of Giglens - http://www.flickr.com/photos/giglens

Essential Albums: 
All the People (2011)
Mighty Righteous (2009)

Essential Websites:
http://www.freestylerecords.co.uk/
http://soundcloud.com/freestyle-records/sets/the-fantastics-all-the-people/

Candi Staton, Pavillion Theatre, Manchester International Festival (MIF), 10 July 2011.

It was with the unexpected success of a song designed for a slimming video, ‘You got the love’ in 1991, that catapulted soul singer Candi Staton back into the hearts and minds of the wider UK public (soul fans had never forgotten her), yet as this evening was to amply illustrate, her back catalogue is just as impressive and the knowledgable crowd were out to have a party and simply lapped it all up. 

From the outset Candi Staton entered into an evening long banter with the audience, ‘How ‘ya doin’ Manchester?’ and her ability to communicate the meaning of a given song added a genuine personal touch to proceedings that was greatly appreciated by the audience. Staton in fact came to prominence at the legendary FAME recording studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. It was there that she cut a series of critically acclaimed albums between 1969 and 1973 including one of this evening’s first showcased songs, ‘I’d rather be an old man’s sweetheart than a young man’s fool’. This particular style came to be known as southern soul, fusing blues and even country elements (often the lyrics of country music songs are ideal terrain for soul musicians and vice-versa). Blessed with the tightest of rhythm sections featuring among others Mick Talbot, formerly of the Style Council, Staton and the band quickly created an atmosphere that was intimate and this on a swelteringly hot evening inside the Pavilion.

Lurking behind the friendly demeanour and inquiring tone of the songstress, ‘Any of you girls know what I’m talking about?’, however, was a more tragic personal history of broken and abusive relationships in her early years, though happily Candi has for some time now been in a long lasting and fulfilling one. Certainly the voice has remained remarkably intact and a healthy lifestyle has made her look a good decade younger than she actually is. As part of the MIF, Staton had performed at a nearby gospel church and on the Grammy nominated 1971 single ‘Stand by your man’ which went gold, gospel hues were all too evident with the groove-laden rendition. This then segued seamlessly into a version of the soul standard ‘Stand by me’ with the background male vocalist taking the lead and was well received. After a supremely crafted ballad, Staton entered into a new phase of her career from the mid-1970s onwards as disco took hold of the dancefloors. It was an inspired decision to cover ‘Nights on Broadway’ and, with an extended instrumental section showcasing the fine brass and guitar sections, both Candi and the band milked this song for all it’s worth. The well drilled eight piece band impressed especially on the seemingly more straightforward numbers such as ‘You’re breakin’ me down’ where the chorus was developed and embellished by the three background vocalists (one of whom was none other than one of Candi’s daughters) and by Candi’s own inimitable ad-libs. 

An unexpected bonus was a lesser known song, originally on a mid-1970s compilation of the blues, and on this song Staton delivered a blistering soul-blues take on the standard ‘I’d rather be lonely than blue’. Just as the audience were beginning to settle into a more sedate groove, the tempo was taken all the way up again with Candi enquiring, ‘Are you feelin’ alright? This is a soul revival show’. The audience was then treated to a fabulous version of ‘Suspicious minds’ and even joined in the chorus with Candi remarking supportively, ‘Ah you’re sounding good’. Of course this is a song associated with one Elvis Presley and his presence was alluded to on the following song, another Grammy nominated number, ‘In the ghetto’, which was a favourite of the man and for which Staton expertly delivered a version akin to that from 1973. This tempo the song developed into a mid-tempo burner with full-on horns and funky guitar lines.

The best was yet to come, though with the anthemic intro to ‘Young hearts run free’ which set the tone for an entire era and a song that virtually defined all that is good about disco. On this latest take, the piece was transformed into a ten minute plus epic with gospel tinges added on vocals and even a funkalicious instrumental breakdown with Talbot, who was excellent all evening, excelling. Candi thereupon introduced the individual band members as the song progressed ad infinitum and offered, ‘How ‘bout it for the band!’ Collectively the formation are known as Push and will shortly be relasing an album in their own right.

Much foot stomping and handclapping ensured a lengthy encore and this was to include the song that introduced Candi to a whole new audience, the dance classic ‘You got the love’. A mixed-age audience was as appreciative of the recent past as of the early years and relished some of the newer material. A gospel-infused ‘Praise him ‘til your blessings fall down’ was the ideal way for Candi and the band to depart stage. Candi Staton is not merely a consumate performer, though she has talent and experience in abundance. She is also genuinely gifted at communicating her love both for her audience and her musical craft, and is clearly at one of the happiest stages in her eventful life. Candi could not have summed it up better herself when stating, ‘Love is a beautiful thing. Makes you feel good. It’s all about life’. On feel good criteria alone, this concert could not have been bettered. Staton overflowed with love for the ecstatic crowd and parted on, ‘God bless you Manchester, you’re beautiful. Just keep the vibe ‘til I see you again’. We most certainly will.

Tim Stenhouse

Dennis Coffey - Live @ XOYO, London 27th June 2011

Dennis Coffey: Live at XOYO, London EC2 - Photo: Courtesy of Giglens http://www.flickr.com/photos/giglens

When guitar colossus Dennis “Wah-Wah” Coffey flew into town to do a one-off gig in support of his eponymously named new album on Strut Records, then Michael ‘The Dood’ Edwards made darn sure UK Vibe were there to document proceedings. So it was that music aficionados and lovers of that raw 70s fuzz-tone, echoplex distortion and Wah-Wah funk sound introduced and popularised by Mr Coffey gathered at the XOYO club in London EC2 and to be part of a very special evening.  As nine o’clock rolled around Dennis Coffey decked out from head to toe in black (including his Gibson 355) strolled onto the stage closely followed by ‘live gig band of choice’, The Haggis Horns. Having greeted the assembled devotees, DC then ripped into Miss Millie from his latest funk filled release. Both Dennis and the Haggis Horns seemed in full stride from the get go and 2 mins and 30 seconds in, there was no doubt that we were witnessing a living legend when Coffey began one of his famed guitar solos, rocking back and forth in time with the music, his trusty axe nestling neatly on his rotund belly.

Dennis Coffey & the Haggis Horns - Photo: Courtesy of Giglens http://www.flickr.com/photos/giglens

With the blue touch paper now lit, Dennis then launched into “Ride Sally Ride,” one of a plethora of tunes heavily sampled tracks by the hip-hop fraternity. Once the break beats kicked in, we fully understood why. Again, those gathered into this intimate venue were treated to another extended ex-Funk Brother solo from the main man as he teased the strings and bent notes, his Gibson 355 guitar emitting a high pitched psychedelic squeal in the process - his left hand was frantically sliding up and down the frets on the guitar neck. With his black flat cap and dark sunglasses on, he looked every bit the guitar maestro.

Dennis Coffey & Kendra Morris (Guest Vocals) - Photo: Courtesy of Giglens http://www.flickr.com/photos/giglens

Next the first of Mr Coffey’s special guests took to the stage in the form of the sultry Kendra Morris. The onus was on her to provide the vocals on three heavyweight covers, the first two of which were also lifted from Dennis’ new album. First up was a nod to that gritty soul vocalist, Wilson Picket and “Don’t Knock My Love,” followed by an energetically delivered version of the Funkadelic classic “I Bet You,” complete with hauntingly distinctive intro and guitar solo. The trio was completed by a faithful lowdown’n’funky, free-spirited take on Edwin Starr’s, “Easin’ In.” As pleasingly distracting as Kendra Morris’ sassy outfit, flowing locks and come-hither eyes were, make no doubt that the audiences gaze was transfixed on the sublime dexterity of the master funk protagonist as he made his Gibson 355 once again sing to his tune, treating us to yet another sizzling solo.

Kendra Morris (Guest Vocals) - Photos: Courtesy of Giglens http://www.flickr.com/photos/giglens

As the lush Kendra Morris exited stage right, the hits kept on coming. Dennis Coffey’s one and only venture into motion picture soundtracks; “Black Belt Jones” was given a full and complete airing. The knowledgeable crowd murmuring appreciatively as the first strains of the blaxploitation classic reverberated around the acoustically friendly venue. The one-two punch came in the form of Dennis’ stone cold monster jam, “Scorpio.”

Dennis Coffey: Live @ XOYO, London - Photo: Courtesy of Giglens http://www.flickr.com/photos/giglens

In case we were not aware, Dennis made sure in his introduction to brief us that the following tune had been “sampled by almost everyone.” As expected Dennis held his own during his solo, but I was most impressed by the bass player Grieg Robinson from the Haggis Horns who laid down a very meaty solo of his own. Original ‘Funk Brother’ and bass player Bob Babbitt would have been very proud. The observation of how tight these musicians were was not lost on DC as he was quick to lavish praise on his backing band the instant that “Scorpio” finished.

Alice Russell (Guest Vocals) - Photos: Courtesy of Giglens http://www.flickr.com/photos/giglens

Greig Robertson (Bass, the Haggis Horns) - Photos: Courtesy of Giglens http://www.flickr.com/photos/giglens

An energetic version of The Detroit Spinners’ “It’s a Shame,” heralded the arrival of the night’s second guest vocalists, the U.K.’s very own jazz and soul songstress, Alice Russell. The elegantly attired Miss Russell did justice to this fine tune before segueing into the second of her three guest vocal tracks, an emotive rendition of Rare Earth’s “Smiling Faces,” further popularised by “The Undisputed Truth,” in 1971, “The Temptations” having turned it down. Dennis delivered his sweet riffs as per the original but with a little twist for his live punters. “Friendship Train,” closed out Alice Russell’s all too short but most welcome stint as keynote vocalist, before we were offered up another chance to digest just how good the combination of the Haggis Horns alongside Dennis Coffey sounded as they laid down the smooth instrumental, “It’s Your Thing.”

Alice Russell (Guest Vocalist) - Photo: Courtesy of Giglens http://www.flickr.com/photos/giglens

Luke Flowers (Drums, and Taz Modi, Keyboards & Percussion, The Haggis Horns) - Photos: Courtesy of Giglens http://www.flickr.com/photos/giglens

Ben Barker (Guitar, the Haggis Horns) - Photo: Courtesy of Giglens http://www.flickr.com/photos/giglens

Once again Dennis addressed the microphone, this time to bring to the fore a talented young vocalist with an old ‘soulful’ soul - Mr Mayer Hawthorne. And what an impact he made too, belting out a rasping vocal cover of The Dramatics’ “Whatcha See Is Watcha Get.” (Yes, Mr Dennis Coffey also supplied the original guitar licks on this evergreen track) With the crowd now suitably roused, Mayer Hawthorne asked the audience if they had Dennis Coffey’s latest album, and if not implored them to invest in a copy, where they can hear a version of the next tune on which Mayer himself is guest vocalist. And as he simultaneously picked up a tambourine, the intro to “All Your Goodies Are Gone” boomed out. A very catchy ditty it is too.

Dennis Coffey & Mayer Hawthorne (Guest Vocals) - Photo:  Courtesy of Giglens http://www.flickr.com/photos/giglens

Mayer Hawthorne - Photo: Courtesy of Giglens http://www.flickr.com/photos/giglens

For that evening’s penultimate tune, Mayer Hawthorne thanked Dennis Coffey upfront for allowing him to perform, “Just Ain’t Gonna Work Out,” the first song he penned which subsequently became a massive retro soul hit, bringing his name into the consciousness of the masses. The audience, most notably the ladies were mightily appreciative - especially the young single lady who received a blood red heart-shaped vinyl copy of the single - A nice touch by Mr Hawthorne for sure. All the while Dennis Coffey and the Haggis Horns kept the two-step funk and rhythm impeccably as was evident by the numerous heads nodding as one.

Simon Nixon (Trumpet, the Haggis Horns) - Photo: Courtesy of Giglens http://www.flickr.com/photos/giglens

Atholl Ransome (Sax, the Haggis Horns) - Photo: Courtesy of Giglens http://www.flickr.com/photos/giglens

And no sooner it seemed had the gig begun we had reached the final track of the night. And oh what a track to go out with! Mayer Hawthorne called his vocal cohorts back to the stage for a storming version of the Temptations’ foot-stomper, “Cloud 9.” Back onto the stage hot-stepped Kendra Morris closely followed by Alice Russell. With the bases loaded, the raw, edgy and distinctive whirring of Dennis Coffey’s Wah-Wah pedal set the tone for the high energy thrust of “Cloud 9.” Kendra, Mayer and Alice took it in turn to sing a verse, in what can best be described as tag-team vocals. Whether or not they required the extra backing vocals during the chorus, they sure enough got them, from the pumped up and effervescent audience members.

Dennis Coffey & Mayer Hawthorne - Photo: Courtesy of Giglens http://www.flickr.com/photos/giglens

After just over six minutes the tune built to a pulsating crescendo. Directly after the last strum of his guitar Dennis Coffey approached the microphone stand to warmly thank his three guest vocalists and of course the highly impressive and accomplished Haggis Horns. Mayer Hawthorne, tambourine in his right hand, embraced Dennis wrapping his left arm around that axe man’s shoulders, congratulating him in the process on a job well done. Simultaneously, Kendra Morris and Alice Russell did likewise, beaming grins on both their faces. 

Dennis Coffey: Live @ XOYO 27-6-11 - Photo: Courtesy of Giglens http://www.flickr.com/photos/giglens

Dennis Coffey came, he saw and he most definitely conquered. The 70-year-old native of Detroit, Michigan belied his years to put on a rock, soul and psychedelic funk master-class. There may not be many opportunities in the future to witness Dennis Coffey live on these shores, this being only his fourth visit to the UK, but if he does venture back, cancel all appointments and make a beeline for the venue he’s performing at.

Michael J Edwards

The Haggis Horns line up was:
Atholl Ransome – Sax; Simon Nixon – Trumpet; Ben Barker – Guitar; Taz Modi – Keyboards; Greig Robinson – Bass; Luke Flowers - Drums

Essential Albums:

Out March 2011 on Strut Records

Out Now

Essential Websites:
http://www.denniscoffeysite.com/
http://www.myspace.com/thehaggishorns
http://www.strut-records.com/
http://www.stonesthrow.com/mayerhawthorne
http://www.myspace.com/ckendrago
http://www.alicerussell.com/showscreen.php?site_id=46&screentype=folder&screenid=844

Impossible Gentlemen, Bridgewater Hall, Manchester 17 June 2011

It is seldom that musical formations gel quickly and instead close, intimate units are normally formed over a considerably longer period of time. The Impossible Gentlemen are the exception to the rule in sofar as they have only been in existence for just over a year, first performing a UK tour in 2010. This included a prime spot as part of the Manchester Jazz Festival at the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM). They then went on directly to record their debut self title album which has met with considerable plaudits, not least from this writer. Manchester connections are all too obvious with pianist Gwilym Simcock a former alumni of both Chetham’s School of Music and more recently of the RNCM. Guitarist Mike Walker is the Salford-born musician who has frequently performed in the cities jazz venues. Completing the quartet are the veteran American pairing of bassist Steve Swallow and drummer Adam Nussbaum. The former has played with many of the all-time greats including Joe Henderson and Pat Metheny while Nussbaum is simply one of the most respected and versatile drummers and has played on countless recordings, including the prestigious ECM label.

For this collective return to Manchester, they performed a Band on the Wall presentation that took place at the Bridgewater Hall, as part of a series of musical collaborations between the two venues during the summer months. A fine start to the evening commenced with Mike Walker undertaking an extended introductory solo, backed by some delicate ensemble playing. Once the piece had ended, Gwilym Simcock then stood up, on the first of several occasions, to enter into some friendly banter with the appreciative audience, explaining how a given composition came about. Clearly he is an active and enthusiastic educationalist as well as being an outstanding musician. First up was a variation on the standard, ‘Early as in a morning sunrise’, humourously re-titled ‘You won’t be around to see it’. What the quartet immediately conveyed here was the constant quest for musical exploration while at the same time operating as a collective whole. This requires no little virtuosity and teamwork, but it was self-evident how comfortable each of the musicians were in the other’s presence. Mike Walker was in more reflective territory here, echoing the blues-inflected hues of one of his guitar heroes, John Scofield. As would be the case throughout the evening, Simcock would then take over soloing in imaginative bursts as a piece developed in intensity. In general the quartet constantly switched the order of soloists and this added great variety to the performance, and kept proceedings free of needlessly repetitive clichés. Indeed once drummer Nusbaum was in full flow, the numbers became more jazz-inspired and Swallow was always there behind everyone else both maintaining and propelling the band to ever greater heights.

Travelling the globe as a creative musician can in fact serve as a major inspiration to write and while touring western Australia, Simcock developed a new riff which was aired here with the pianist revealing his most lyrical side. This was further illustrated on the piece ‘Wallanda’s last stand’ where the pianist deployed the use of the little known (in jazz circles at least) melodica, a keyboard instrument that is blown via the mouth, thus creating at once a haunting and sensitive sound. The instrument’s major practitioner was the late roots reggae instrumentalist Augustus Pablo and it was an inspired choice by Simcock to opt for this instrument and made for a lovely contrast with acoustic piano.

For the second part of the concert, Mike Walker introduced the opening number to the album and one of his own compositions ‘Laughlines’, a familiar piece to those who have heard the quartet previously, and one during which both Simock and Walker set off on an exhilarating duo. Blues and jazz have long enjoyed a fruitful relationship over the decades and Adam Nusbaum explained that for the following piece, the down home blues themed ‘Sure would baby’, the band would be paying homage to some of his personal blues heroes such as Leadbelly and Muddy Waters. At times the quartet would effortlessly shift the mood within a number and this was perfectly illustrated on a tune such as ‘When you hold her’ which at the outest started as the most delicate and refined of pieces, but, over several minutes, developed and morphed into a mid-tempo groove with electric guitar featuring delightful blues licks from Walker before the quartet returned to the quiet contemplation of the introduction.

What new directions for this formation? One posiitve direction was hinted at towards the end by a Latin-flavoured composition penned by Swallow while driving in his car in Boston, Massachusetts. Here and on the well deserved encore, Steve Swallow demonstrated what a fine soloist he is with subtle accompaniment from Nussbaum. In short, this was a small-scale demonstration in musical master craftsmanship.

Warming up the evening’s musical was local guitarist Stuart McCallum who performed solo and was showcasing numbers from his later in the year to be released debut album. Simply accompanied by amplified guitar and pre-recorded keyboards, McCallum demonstrated how imaginative one musician can be and he delighted the audience with a quirky reworking of some old, familiar themes including a lovely take on ‘Wonderwall’ from local rock heroes Oasis. Possibly the tour de force was the sparse interpretation of ‘Amazing Grace’ while at various points during a piece, a light Latin-style vamp would be introduced seamlessly. Stuart McCallum will be performing at this year’s Manchester Jazz Festival on 27 July with extended band and this promises to be a definite festival highlight. One looks forward with some relish to hearing the debut CD.

Tim Stenhouse

Trichotomy, Tuesday 22 February 2011, Band on the Wall, Manchester.

In the more intimate table setting of a Tuesday night at Band on the Wall, the much fêted Australian trio Trichotomy made their first foray into the north-west’s jazz community and before a well versed audience, contributed to a lovely, laid back evening dissecting the art of the piano jazz trio. Throughout the evening the trio would shift tempo several times within a piece, creating in the process layers of space for the soloists in which to shine. During the first half the three constituent parts did operate separately at times and bassist Pat Marchisella impressed above all, frequently taking solos to wonderful effect and creating new riffs from the initial theme. One of the most distinctive numbers performed was ‘Cute’, a John Parker composition, with impressive oscillating tempos and latinesque comping from Foran. Parker’s own considerable polyrhythmic percussive skills were demonstrated here and the drum solo dovetailed beautifully into the ensemble playing.

Elsewhere minimalist piano riffs from Sean Foran directly led into pieces taken largely, though not exclusively, from the excellent new album ‘Culture ‘ and the empathy between the trio members was immediately apparent, particularly between bassist and pianist who revelled in each other’s company. In particular keyboardist Sean Foran comes across as a studious disciple of both the early 1970s acoustic Chick Corea sound and the bluesier side to Herbie Hancock with Keith Jarrett thrown into the mix and delighted the audience with gentle piano comping, solos and witty banter that immediately endeared him to all listening. He excelled on ‘Not according to plan’ taking a lengthy solo in the intro and using the inside of the piano to embellish the sound with additional percussion. However, even on this seemingly melodic piece, just beneath the surface, there was a good deal of experimentation going on.

Everything came together as a cohesive whole in the second half of the evening when the ensemble playing became more confident and they were truly in full swing. This was illustrated on the churchy, gospel-infused hues of ‘The gentle war’ with a cascading bass riff from Marchisella, betraying possibly the influence of Eddie Gomez on his playing, and creating a drone-like sound. The bass riff continued while Foran set off on another solo, ably supported by the ever inventive John Parker who played hand drum style on the main drum kit.

On some of the more freer pieces, which were in parts untempo and chaotic, the trio were always capable at any moment of returning immediately to the main theme and displayed both an historical awareness and contemporary mastery of the trio format which they constantly sought to challenge and indeed expand the boundaries of. This is a trio that has not yet reached its zenith, far from it, and it definitely needs the regular live setting in which to truly hone Trichotomy’s undoubted talent. Out of this, they are more likely to produce stronger self-penned compositions that will attract a larger audience. It remains to be seen whether they will replicate the success of the Esbjorn Svensson trio who achieved the virtually unprecedented feat of appealing to fans outside jazz with their indie-rock approach and attitude. Trichotomy in this respect are not exact equivalents and it would be unfair to judge them accordingly. However, they are a trio of considerable talent and given time will extend their appeal. At the end of the evening’s performance, the band were happy to chat with concert goers and promote their repertoire. An ideal way for the audience to interact with band members. All in all a relaxed and very enjoyable evening of fine contemporary piano trio jazz.

Tim Stenhouse

Creole Choir of Cuba, RNCM, Manchester, Saturday 12 February 2011

Cuba has a rich diversity of musical styles that embrace some of the neighbouring countries. One of the lesser known musical connections, however, is that between the island and Haiti. Enter Desendann, better known outside the island as the Creole Choir of Cuba. They are in fact the descendants of Haitian slaves who were brought ot the east of the island to work on the coffee and sugar plantations. In terms of harmonies (gospel-infused), language (Creole) and multi-layered melodies, they are quite unlike any of Cuba’s multifarious music forms and as such have created their own niche.

In fact this had all the feel of a gospel choir, though not in the traditional sense of one from say the United States. Rather it evoked those emanating from the townships of South Africa with a more percussive bent. Each of the songs related to a specific aspect of the Haitian diaspora’s historical journey to Cuba and their subsequent settlement and daily lives there. Typically a female lead would introduce a song before the choir as a whole would join in, dividing up the harmonies, sometimes between different rows of singers, sometimes between male and female vocalists and with a continual rotation of lead singers. Thus the first two songs, ‘Mangaje’ and ‘Edem chante’, were devoted to a symbolic Haitian slave who has become disoriented and a freedom song respectively.

In general the voices were deeply emotional and varied from baritone to soprano. Lines delivered by the singers have a tendency to be repeated while the rest of the choir sing in unison and this creates cascading layers of vocal sound.  The songs themseleves were quite concise in nature, yet well constructed nonetheless. Within this structure there was leeway for a good deal of improvising, and this was something the singers would attempt throughout the evening. Call and response patterns similar to gospel predominated. Additional West African influences became apparent during the dance routines, particularly on a number such as ‘Kadja boswa’ which was based around a prayer to help protect travellers en route to a given destination. Indeed it was fascinating to observe how initially this aspect of African culture has over time been transposed into a quintessentially Caribbean context. During the first half of the evening this was by far the best received song among the audience.

Another moving piece, ‘Marasa elu’, recounted the experience of orphaned children with the singers acting out the former’s search for their parents. Here the excellent choreography immediately conveyed the tragedy that had befallen the children. One of the most compelling numbers was ‘Tande’, ostensibly a song in favour of freedom and against the Duvalier dictatorship which wrought so much suffering on the Haitian people. 

During the second half of the evening the conga players maintained a rapid pace that only intensified with the vocalists in full flow. The audience was swept up in the emotion of the moment and from early on in the evening actively participated, first of all invited by the singers to hand clap and thereafter out of their seats to dance. They were greeted by one of the singers with a ‘Bonsoir’ and a few introductory comments in English. Certainly one of the most interesting songs to emerge in the second part was ‘Ou pa nan chaj’, which was in fact a dialogue between two female singers. This was then expanded to six singers including a male lead and led to amusing role play. At one point during the evening a female lead vocalist went into the audience and enticed a man onto the stage to dance with her. An hilarious dance routine then ensued with humiliation by a thousand cuts for the unfortunate male, much to the obvious delight of the entire audience. By this stage the audience was feeling far more relaxed and in a mood to party which they did for the rest of the show.

For a well earned encore, the Creole Choir of Cuba changed attack and introduced more traditional Cuban musical flavours which were naturally sung in Spanish. Beefed up percussion and no slacking off in the, at times blistering tempo, enthralled the audience and elements of Cuban son were introduced where the art of vocal improvising over a basic rhythm came into play. This evoked the sonero greats from the past of the calibre of Cheo Marqutti, Beny More and the inimitable Celia Cruz who all came to the fore during the 1940s and 1950s in pre-Castro Cuba. Equally, however, it brought back memories of the more recent heroes to grace Cuban son under the collective umbrella of the Buena Vistas such as Ibrahim Ferrer, Pio Leyva and Compay Segundo who were virtually all just beginning their careers in the 1950s.

Finally, some comment should be made of the wonderful choreographical work which was greatly aided by a highly creative stage setting with an ethnic black, red and yellow printed background and raised platform to take into account the numerous percussionists (which varied from congo player to cowbell and even hand-wrist tambourine) and allow the rest of the floor to be covered by the singers/dancers. The evening was as much a visual treat as it was an aural delight.

Tim Stenhouse

Drizabone Soul Family Live @ the Jazz Cafe 3rd February 2011

Drizabone Soul Family –
Live @ the Jazz Cafe

Nataya, Drizabone Soul Family Photo Courtesy of Harry Russell http://www.harryrussell.co.uk

On the 3rd February 2011, The Drizabone Soul Family performed their first gig ever at London’s Jazz Cafe. The jaunty up-tempo beats of their opening tune, ‘Never Gonna Stop the Groove,’ it was as if they were a regular yearly fixture in the Jazz Cafe calendar.  The warm and engaging tones of Nataya Musiq’s vocals as well as her demeanour married with the feel good musical vibes gripped the audience from the off.

Half way through the song the first vocal tag team change took place as Nataya swapped lead vocals with the equally sassy and talented Anna-Marie Johnson who effortlessly carried the song to its conclusion.  Big respect to Stevie Dee also on bass guitar, laying down some raw Mark King (Level 42) style licks. Nice vibes indeed.

Stevie Dee Photo: Courtesy of Harry Russell http://www.harryrussell.co.uk

Billy Freeman Photo: Courtesy of Harry Russell http://www.harryrussell.co.uk

Anna-Marie Johnson continued on lead vocals as the band now switched to the familiar strains of their 1994 single, ‘Brightest Star.’ This time it was Billy Freeman’s lead guitar playing ala Bernard Edwards (Chic) which caught the ear.  Already the Drizabone Soul Family’s infectious and trade mark catchy chords and hook lines were fully apparent. Anna-Marie rounded off the song with a flourish.

Anna-Marie Johnson Photo: Courtesy of Harry Russell http://www.harryrussell.co.uk

Shniece Mc Photo: Courtesy of Harry Russell http://www.harryrussell.co.uk

Returning to the superb new album release, the Martha and the Vandellas sounding ‘I Fell Apart’ exquisitely showcased the vocals of Shniece Mc, the third of the vocalist entrusted this evening with bringing Billy Freeman’s song writing abilities to the wider audience. For someone of such tender years (eighteen), Shniece Mc maturely and sultrily conveyed the meaning of the song very admirably indeed. Big future ahead for this young lady methinks.

Current single, ‘Girlfriendz’ was next up, which brought Nataya back to the fore.  A pleasantly lilting ditty about when a woman’s man let’s her down, she’s always got her girlfriends on hand to comfort her and pick her up.  More new material in the form of ‘Hit That Spot’ and ‘Love Me like a Lover Should’ followed with Nick Dispenza on keyboard and Stuart Russell on drums keeping a tight’n’funky groove throughout both tracks.

Nick Dispenza Photo: Courtesy of http://www.harryrussell.co.uk

Stuart Russell Photo: Courtesy of Harry Russell http://www.harryrussell.co.uk

This was turning out to be a really enjoyable evening and so it continued as ‘All The Way’ the swaying and harmonious title track from the new album smoothly segued into the bumping and optimistic refrains of ‘No More Sorrow.’ Shniece Mc initially set the pace, handing the reigns over to Anna-Marie who willingly brought the song home.

We were catapulted back to the Motown era once again via the toe-tapping, tambourine slapping ‘Don’t Break My Heart,’ Mr Billy Freeman’s husky vocal complimenting sweetly with the three Supremesque backing singers. The arrangements are such that although it’s an originally penned tune, it just sounds so familiar and one can’t help but sing/hum along to the chorus – another grower.

A great night of accomplished musicianship and A - grade vocal dexterity and delivery was brought to an un-wanted close by two classy tunes. First up was ‘Lovin U,’ sung on the new album as a duet with another unsung UK artist, Keni Stevens. Nataya however did full justice to it. The final hurrah came in the guise of their 1991 and 1995 club anthem ‘Real Love.’ It was so good they released it twice. There was no way Nataya passing the lead vocal for this classic, remaining centre stage whilst the good grooves filled the Jazz Cafe cavern.

Shniece Mc, Nataya & Anna-Marie Photo: Courtesy of Harry Russell http://www.harryrussell.co.uk

So an extremely satisfying hour and a half show ended as upbeat as it had started. This new re-incarnation of Drizabone as Drizabone Soul Family is definitely joy to behold. This life experience more than gave a massive fillip and boost to an already very strong, ‘Real Soul’ album release which was shifting healthy units prior to this stupendous live advertisement.

Michael J Edwards

Shniece, Michael ‘The Dood’ Edwards & Anna-Marie Photo: Courtesy of Harry Russell

Band Line-up: 
Vocals: Nataya Musiq, Anna-Marie Johnson, Shniece Mc
Guitar: Billy ‘April’ Freeman
Keys: Nick Dispenza
Bass: Stevie Dee
Drums: Stuart Russell.
Essential Album: All The Way (Dome Records -2010)
Essential Single: Girlfriendz (Dome Records – 2011)
Essential Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TheDrizaboneSoulFamily?v=wall
Essential Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/thedrizabonesoulfamily

Venezuelan Brass Ensemble, Bridgewater Hall, Manchester, 30 January 2011

Under the aegis of the festival of brass which was held at Manchester’s other venerable music venue, the RNCM, the Venezuelan Brass Ensemble arrived in Manchester for the first time and the formation are less than a decade old. They are in fact but one segment of the Venezuelan state orchestra, better known internationally as ‘El systema’. The underlying logic of El Systema is simple in its aims, yet equally profound in its influence. Over a period of thirty years of hard work a national (and now international ) network has built up to bring together children from disadvantaged backgrounds in order to teach them the basic skills of musicianship and beyond required as well as equipping the youths with instruments with which they can practice and subsequently hone their craft.

For this afternoon’s session, an eclectic repertoire was selected, reflecting the open-minded approach of the ensemble itself. Thus classical, jazz and world beats all combined into a seamless whole, but throughout the music was expertly guided by German conductor Thomas Clamor who entered into the general fun atmosphere of the day. For the first half the an initially pared down version of the ensemble began with a brief modern symphonic piece ‘Gran fanfaria’ by Giancarlo Castro which sounded positively Bernstein-esque in inspiration and shifted from a languid introduction into a more uptempo number. The audience felt very much at home with the concept of a brass ensemble and in parts at least it did conjur up the traditional British brass band, though in many other respects it was anything but. For the remainder of the first half, the ensemble performed one of the staple pieces of the modern classic repertoire, ‘Mussorgsky’s ‘Picture at an exhibition’ which is a wonderfully impressionistic offering. Of note here was the game of musical chairs that band members entered into (and continued to do so) as the full ensemble finally made its way onto the stage. What really impressed here was the use of both French horns and trumpets to create a quasi-string orchestral sound. This was received with rapturous applause and no less than three encores before the interval.

The mood changed somewhat for the second half and the audience was immediately transported to downtown New York and the barrios of the Latin quarter inhabited during the 1950s and beyond by the Puerto Rican immigrants who made the city their new home. A favourite of Latin Americana, ‘Tico Tico’ was played as a fiery mambo with a significantly enhanced percussion section comprising bongo, congo, timbales and cowbell, and this was the ideal way to introduce what was to be the piece most in the audience had really come to hear, the ‘Symphonic Dances from West Side Story’ and one that had all too obvious parallels with the urban landscape of modern day Venezuela. After another brief bout of musical chairs, it was straight into the all too familiar main theme with fingerclapping and the entire brass section in unison. Indeed the brass in fact worked especially well here creating an electric tension which would reach its zenith in a thrilling crescendo. It was like a trip down memory lane with the sound of the bongo conjuring up the big three bandleaders who personified the mambo era, Machito, Tito Puente and Tito Rodriguez. Needless to say the reed section were producing full on and no-holds barred musical mayhem as the audience delighted in the Latin rhythms with particularly good work from the timbales player and even vibraphonist during the calmer, jazzier passages of nocturnal life in the Big Apple. The main theme was emphasized at one stage by the use of muted trombones, hinting perhaps at the influence of Aaron Copeland and his expansive musical vision of the United States while the ever popular ‘Maria’ was introuced with great subtlety with barely a whisper and began in a mournful, quasi-funereal tone. For a richly deserved encore (by which stage the audience were up on their feet and had already delivered one of several standing ovations and encores of applause), a nine piece percussion section performed a breakneck speed Afro-Cuban number that evoked Dizzy Gillespie’s masterly ‘Gillespiana’ suite. A terrific way, then, to spend a Sunday afternoon and the audience were acutely aware and appreciative of all the effort required by the individual band members to reach this standard of excellence. Definitely a triumph of the human spirit over adversity and a moment to savour.

Tim Stenhouse

Cheikh Lô, Band On the Wall, Manchester, 14 January 2011

On a chilly January evening, an expectant Friday night audience harking back to the old days of Band on the Wall was in the mood to party away those post-Christmas blues. Cheikh Lô and his six-piece band delivered in every respect before a virtual full house. For the first part of the evening, Lô played a somewhat more reserved role as band drummer at the back of the stage, even though he continued to be lead vocalist throughout.

Senegalese musicians back home are quite used to playing concerts of several hours at a time and so in a European concert venue setting they were thoroughly relaxed and this laid back atmosphere was immediately transmitted to the audience. A sedately paced opening song from the excellent new album ‘Jamm’, arguably Lô’s best in over a decade since the exhilarating debut ‘Ne la Thiass’ from 1996, got proceedings off on exactly the right footing with frequent shifts of pace within a same piece. This was a technique the band would deploy to perfection as the evening progressed. In general there was a distinctive 1970s retro feel to the music, sometimes accompanied by wah-wah guitar and funky rhythm guitar riffs, the latter of which could have been right off a Nile Rodgers solo from the classic Chic repertoire. Of particular note were the wailing saxophone solos that were influenced in part by the soul makossa man Manu Dibango, but equally and closer to home for the musicians, by the seminal Orchestre Baobab sound of the 1970s. What was especially impressive was the ability of the band as a whole to create a pan-African groove that took on board elements of western music, yet was nonetheless thoroughly rooted in West Africa with the truly amazing and often ear-shattering sound of the talking drum. The sound of this alone delighted the extremely receptive audience. This being said, there is a good deal of sensitivity displayed by the band’s ensemble performance. This was no better illustrated and showcased than on the gently paced new album title track. Indeed it was on the slower numbers that the extended riffs created by the musicians really took off and lingered long on the mind and ears. Simply put, Cheikh Lô’s band are consumate live performance artists. On other, more shuffling beats, it was the percussionists who came to the fore as on the French language song, ‘Il n’est jamais trop tard’ with a wonderful guitar riff woven in. In fact on the very subject of guitar solos, Cheikh Lô and his musicians have clearly been influenced by Congolese rumba in terms of the incessant use of extended guitar riffs and allied to the already intoxicating Senegalese rhythms, this made for an unbeatable rhythmic combination. Some of the best rhythms were reserved for towards the end of the evening with the classic ‘El manisero’ rhythm being used for the number ‘Seyni’ while a reworking of the Buena Vistas epic ‘Chan chan’ went down a storm. Here the tune is given a thoroughly Senegalese treatment complete with talking drum, timbales solos and interminable guitar riffs. Audience participation provided additional percussion with regular call and response chants and handclapping. In super cool dark glasses and with high pitched tone voice, Cheikh Lô looks and sounds at least ten years younger than his mid-fifties, but on the evidence of this evening alone his music is simply timeless. A joyous occasion for all who had the privilege to witness proceedings.

Tim Stenhouse

Jocelyn Brown & the Allstars Collective Live @ London’s Jazz Cafe 10th Dec 2010

Jocelyn Brown & the Allstars Collective Live @ London’s Jazz Cafe

Julie Payne @ the Jazz Cafe
Photo: Courtesy of Balk

When Jocelyn ‘Somebody Else’s Guy’ Brown is in town, it is given that one is in for a special night indeed! However, the more musical astute amongst you will know that over the past few years Ms Brown’s dulcet tones have been accompanied both in the studio and occasionally on the live circuit by some extremely consummate, professional and funky musicians. Enter The Allstars Collective.

Chantelle Duncan @ the Jazz Cafe
Photo: Courtesy of Balk

Graeme Flowers (the Allstars Collective) @ the Jazz Cafe
Photo: Courtesy of Balk

Comprising of forty of the World’s most talented and gifted session musicians from the UK, the Allstars Collective have toured and recorded with numerous international superstars. Take a closer look at the credits on your Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Chaka khan, Madonna, Elton John and Mariah Carey albums to name a select few.  Their tentacles even reach across the Jazz, Rock, Blues, Calypso and Reggae genres – Herbie Hancock, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Arrow, Ernest Ranglin and Jimmy Cliff. With such an impressive CV who better to get proceedings underway at London’s Jazz Cafe.

So it was that the Allstars brass section (Greg Heath – sax & Graeme Flowers – Trumpet) let off their opening salvo hailing the intro to ‘Sometimes.’ Seasoned vocalist Julie Payne

Chantelle Duncan @ the Jazz Cafe
Photo:  Courtesy of Balk

Greg Heath (the Allstars Collective ) @ the Jazz Cafe
Photo: Courtesy of Balk

Julie alongside her vocal cohort Chantelle Duncan sang their way effortlessly through the next four songs – ‘Change Your Situation,’ ‘Today Forever & Always,’ Don’t Get Fooled,’ and ‘Blue Skies.’ The Jazz Cafe collective were now fully respectful of the precision musicianship of the Allstars Collective.

The next two tracks were lifted directly from the Allstars Collective infectious current album release.  First up was the James Brown – ‘Payback’ rift inspired, ‘Satisfied’ followed by the full on, feel good title track and single, ‘All about the Music.’ Finally, this highly charged set was rounded off with ‘Gotta Get Up,’ which had the desired effect of levitating those patrons seated upstairs to their feet to get their groove on.

Mark Dyer (the Allstars Collective ) @ the Jazz Cafe
Photo: Courtesy of Balk

Julie Payne @ the Jazz Cafe
Photo: Courtesy of Balk

Jocelyn Brown @ the Jazz Cafe
Photo:  Courtesy of Balk

There was to be no rest for this hardworking collective because no sooner had they ascended from the stage they were descending to it again in support of the one, the only and the UK’s adopted ‘Soul Sista’ – Jocelyn ‘The Voice’ Brown. Once on stage before her adoring fans, Jocelyn kicked things off with a high octane medley of upbeat songs. ‘No More Tears’ smoothly segued into ‘Aint No Mountain,’ ‘It’s Alright, I Feel It’ and ‘Believe.’ This toe tapping medley was closed out by more classic club stompers, ‘Something’s Feelin’ Good’ and ‘Keep on Jumpin’.’

What do you do when you want to maintain already heightened feel good factor in your audience? You introduce Imaani, on/off vocalist from that other UK collective, Incognito. Then on with the show! Together these two esteemed vocalist Jocelyn and Imaani ripped their way through stalwart classics and crowd sing-a-long favourites, ‘Always There,’ and ‘Night’s Over Egypt,’ before Imaani took her leave to well deserved cheers and applause.

Imaani @ the Jazz Cafe
Photo: Courtesy of Balk

Imaani & Jocelyn Brown @ the Jazz Cafe
Photo: Courtesy of Balk

Ms Brown remained on stage to delight those gathered further with her dulcet tones by belting three more bumping tunes: ‘Tell Me Something Good,’ ‘Real thing,’ and the perennial favourite and Jocelyn Brown’s signature calling card, ‘Somebody Else’s Guy.’

The audience were definitely up for it, oftentimes relieving Jocelyn of the task of having to reach the high notes by taking on singing duties themselves.  An artist definitely knows they’ve arrived when a hit song no longer belongs to him or her but to the people.  This was definitely the case on this particular night. Ms Brown could have hummed the entire song and we would have still left ecstatic and musically sated.


Jocelyn Brown @ the Jazz Cafe
Photo: Courtesy of Balk

So that was it – job done! Jocelyn Brown and the Allstars Collective are a truly powerhouse combination. If any of these masters of their craft are playing anywhere in your vicinity, take The Dood’s advice – Get on down to the venue, you’ll be richly rewarded.

Michael J Edwards

The Allstars Collective is:
Chantelle Duncan – vocals
Julie Payne – vocals
Guy Phethean – (MD/keys)
Luke Smith – keys
Tim Cansfield – guitar
Greg Heath – saxophone
Graeme Flowers – trumpet
Randy Hope-Taylor – bass
Mark Dyer – drums
Robert ‘skins’ Anderson – percussion

Essential Album:

Essential Websites: 
http://www.theallstars.co.uk/
http://www.myspace.com/theallstarscollective

Kindred the Family Soul

Live @ the Jazz Cafe 26-11-10

Having missed them on their last UK visit in 2007, Michael ‘The Dood’ Edwards was keen to be part of the family when husband and wife duo Fatin Dantzler and Aja Graydon aka Kindred the Family Soul (Kindred) brought the mature side of Philadelphia Neo Soul music to London’s Jazz Cafe.

Rising to prominence with their multi-million selling 2003 debut album, ‘Surrender to Love,’ released in 2003 on Jill Scott’s Hidden Beach label, Kindred have since capitalised on that success with two further well received projects, ‘In This Life Together’ in 2005 and ‘The Arrival’ in 2008.  All three albums were generously represented on the night, whetting our appetite for a fourth to be released in early 2011.

Taking to an already warmed up stage courtesy of London talent in the form of underground UK Soul guru Don-E, Kindred slipped straight into the funky vibes of ‘Alright’ from their third album ‘The Arrival.’ At its conclusion Fatin addressed the microphone and hollered, ‘Are y’all alright! It’s a pleasure to be back here...Thank y’all for coming very much. Did you miss us?!’ The audience whooped in response as the baseline to ‘Where Would I Be?’ the hit lead single from their second album filtered in. As a measure of how far their music has spread, the crowd sang- a- long to its die-hard message of gratefulness word for word. 

After professing his love to his wife of twelve years, Fatin proceeded to introduce the jazzy, soulful vibes of ‘Rhythm of Life’ one of many stand out tracks from their first album. The change up into an upbeat Reggae stomp towards the end had the audience bouncing in synch. Fatin rounded out the tune singing a capella, show-casing his vocal prowess to the max. 


Obviously, still buzzing Fatin playfully began to get fresh with wife. Aja quickly quelled his amorousness stating, ‘Calm it all down. Take it down! They know what we do!’ to which Fatin retorted, ‘I know. And we’re gonna do it again tonight!!’Aja then made it clear that they already have six children and she doesn’t intend to have any more...ever! Immediately ready with his comeback Fatin replied that he wasn’t gonna stop practicing anytime soon.

Interlude now over the loved up duo then dipped back into their second album, belting out sincere versions of ‘As of Yet’ and the ladies anthem, ‘Woman First’ in which Aja monopolised the stage and spoke and sang directly to her fellow mothers about juggling family life with setting aside quality time for themselves.  Fatin made sure to edify and exhibit some love for ‘his’ woman when she was done.


Fatin continued to add fuel to the fire and stoking the sold out Jazz Cafe by asking, ‘Are you sure you want that old school Soul?!’ Before those gathered could answer in the affirmative, the timeless introduction to Eddie Kendrick’s ‘Intimate Friends’ consumed the air and everyone got their side to side sway on. Needless to say Mr and Mrs gave the tune more than a respectful re-working and I would dearly love to see a version of it on their imminent fourth album release.

After Aja had been suitably impressed by the equal of numbers of old and new customers who had come to witness the ‘Kindred Live’ experience, we were then treated to two deeply uplifting songs. First up was ‘No Limit’ from their most recent project, followed swiftly by ‘My Time,’ yet another catchy ditty of self belief, lifted from ‘In This Life Together.’ Once again time was made for some Fatin and Aja banter, this time Fatin confessing that he had recently had a vasectomy! He allegedly told the doctor to zip him on up! With that Aja defiantly claimed, ‘Six is it!’ a subtle reference to their online reality series of the same name.

From here on in it was nothing but pure kindred the Family Soul back to back classics. Beginning the trio was wedding favourite ‘Stars’ the second single from their debut album, ‘Surrender to Love.’ This smoothly transitioned into the warm vibes of ‘House of Love.’ Moving in for the kill, Fatin and Aja thanked the audience for their love and support in making the next song such a big hit. With that they launched into the smooth grooves of their jump off single from their first album and spring board for their careers, ‘Far Away.’


Fatin’s poignant opening line was cheered to the rafters. The words palm and hand come to mind. The Kindred devotees were hanging on to every word. Fatin on behalf of the band again thanked each and everyone for their support before we were all treated to a full blown version of Sly and the Family Stone’s, ‘Be Thankful.’ Half way through Don E was summoned to join them on stage for a group sing song. He duly obliged, his unique and silky vocals surfing the rhythm sweetly.  We were made to feel one with the group especially when Fatin and Aja offered their mikes to audience members to see who could sing the chorus the best.  Their musical spirit and harmony must have been catching that night because at least one man and one woman laid down some seriously soulful vocals to everybody’s surprise and joy!

Yes, we were all most definitely thankful for the arrival of Soul music stars, Kindred the Family Soul for transforming the Jazz Cafe into a house of love for one night only. It was a pleasure to surrender to love Kindred style and move forward in this life together in the knowledge that the institution of marriage is alive and well and that the legacy of real Soul lyrics and Soul music is in good hands.

Michael J Edwards

Essential Albums:
The Arrival (2008)
In This Life Together (2005)
Surrender to Love (2003)

Essential Websites:
http://www.kindredthefamilysoul.com/
http://www.myspace.com/kindredthefamilysoulspace
http://www.hiddenbeachmedia.com/index.php?option=com_artist&Itemid=35&id=35

Fred Wesley and the New JB’s

Live at the Jazz Cafe, London 7-11-10

By Michael ‘The Dood’ Edwards

It was February 2008 when the Godfather of Funk trombone, Fred Wesley Jr. last brought the New JB’s to town and their return visit was as eagerly anticipated as it was then - even more so having experienced such a tremendous feel good factor previously. 

Fred Wesley @ the Jazz Cafe / Photo: Jeff G Photography
And so it was that the New JB’s assembled on stage minus Big Papa amid tumultuous roars and whoops! Straight away Dwayne Dolphin, whose physique somehow depicts the archetypal bass player, began twanging the familiar intro to Herbie Hancock’s, Chameleon. Thirty seconds later the crowd roused again, this time for the ‘Main Man’ Fred Wesley Jr. as he sauntered onto centre stage, picked up his horn and began a choreographed side to side sway with his fellow horn section.

Two and a half minutes into the groove Mr Wesley laid down his first solo of the evening. Has ‘Chameleon’ ever sounded funkier? I think not!  Guest alto saxophonist, Dale Gordon then got his moment in the spot light and represented big time. Next up to solo was to be Uncle Ernie Fields Jr., his distinctive black and silver tenor sax looked majestic and boy could he play it! Gary Winters soon stepped to the fore, the rounded tone of his trumpet soothing ones ears.  Gary made way for Reggie Ward on guitar to represent before everyone joined in for a full blown crescendo. And this was just their opening salvo!!

Ernie Fields Jr. @ the Jazz Cafe, London / Photo: Jeff G Photography

Next came the big phat infectious groove of ‘Damn right I am Somebody’ with Mr.Wesley leading the way swaying side to side as he delivered his trademark staccato solo. Once again Gary Winters followed suite, this time muting his horn, producing some subtle and sweet sounding emissions. Ernie Fields Jr. completed this round of solos. With the crowd suitably warmed up, Fred and his cohorts raised the funk stakes by off loading a pulsating version of ‘No One.’

Dwayne Dolphin (bass) @ the Jazz Cafe, London / Photo: Jeff G Photography

The opening five or so bars making you believe that the tune belongs to the score from a 1970’s action thriller. Two and a half minutes in and the animal that is Dwayne Dolphin took over proceedings, laying the down the nastiest three minute bass solo The Dood has witnessed. His thumbs must be made from asbestos, because I do believe I saw smoke rising from his axe strings! Special mention must be made here of Bruce Cox who kept a tight rhythm on the skins whilst Dwayne did his thang.

FW then got to expose his softer side with two significantly more downbeat tracks; ‘For the Elders,’ Fred’s dedication to the great Jazz and Funk musicians of yesterday, and then the soulful ballad, ‘In Love in L.A.’ Fred’s trombone control was as masterly here as on the more recognised up tempo jams.  Interlude over it was back to familiar territory with the toe tapping, head nodding refrains of ‘Same Beat’ filling the Jazz cafe air - the crowd needing little encouragement to chant ‘Same Beat’ in time with the groove.

Ernie Fields Jr. @ the Jazz Cafe / Photo: Jeff G Photography

Then Fred and his new JB’s took us back to his 1974 album ‘Breakin’ Bread’ pumping out the title track.  Mr. Wesley began his narrative, explaining to keen listeners about how it was back in the day when his Mom would bake a traditional bread called, *‘Hoecake’ bread. He also goes on to extol the virtues of good ole family values and get togethers.  Everyone to a man and woman joined in with the catchy chorus, ‘Breakin’ bread with my Mama, breakin’ bread with my mama, breakin’ bread!’

Fred Wesley @ the Jazz Cafe, London / Photo: Jeff G Photography

The transition into the classic deep down and dirty licks of ‘Pass the Peas’ was ecstatically welcomed by a very appreciative audience as there was an even smoother segue into an equally legendary Funk classic, ‘Gimme Some More.’ Now we entered the back end of the show and it was time to unveil Fred’s long time friend from upstate New York, vocalist Willi Amrod.  Willi took to the stage dressed in a white shirt, black waistcoat, black trousers and a black woollen cap to perform, ‘Everywhere is Out of Town,’ a song he wrote for Fred’s new album, ‘With a Little Help From My Friends.’ The grittiness of Amrod’s vocal marrying neatly with Fred Wesley’s and Pee Wee Ellis’ musical arrangement.

Willi Amrod – Guest vocalist with Fred Wesley and the JB’s/ Photo: Jeff G Photography

Willi, quite rightly remained on stage to partake in the climax to the evening. Then Fred and the guys once again piped up and hollered, ‘We’re gonna have a funky good time! We’re gonna have a funky good time! We’re gonna take you h-I-g-h-e-r!’ Yep, the incredibly uplifting and punchy Wesley/Brown composed ‘Doing It to Death’ had the room of dedicated funk-a-teers, jamming, singing and waving their arms in unison. Fred proved he had plenty enough puff in those well trained lungs to send down yet another fierce solo that even the late godfather of Soul, James Brown himself would have appreciated and praised him for.

Gary Winters (trumpet) @ the Jazz Cafe, London / Photo: Jeff G Photography

As the band left the stage the audience remained steadfast, knowing full well Fred Wesley’s signature encore tune and perfect grand finale to any gig was yet to come. Sure enough, Fred and his band of funky men gathered for one of the best ‘feel good’ songs ever written, ‘House Party.’ He had us in the palm of his hand, orchestrating everyone from start to finish as we sang, ‘Gonna have a House Party! Gonna have a House Par-teeeeee!’ Once again Fred Wesley Jr. had demonstrated that he has long since loosed the shackles of the JB’s sideman, and was one hundred percent, front man and the ‘Main Man.’ He is band leader, pied-piper, entertainer, story-teller, conductor and trombone player supreme all in one ‘Super-Funky’ body.
Michael J Edwards

*Hoecake is a type of thin cornbread made of cornmeal, salt, and water, which is baked on a griddle. [1][2] It became known as “hoecake” because field hands often cooked it on a shovel or hoe held to an open flame. Hoes designed for cotton fields were large and flat with a hole for the long handle to slide through. The blade would be removed and placed over a fire much like a griddle.

Michael ‘The Dood’ Edwards with Joya Wesley (Mr. Wesley’s Daughter & Manager) after Fred Wesley and the New JB’s gig @ the Jazz cafe, London

Essential Album: With a Little Help From My Friends (Sep 2010)

01:Spring Like (Pee Wee Ellis) [3:47]
02:Swedish Funkballs (Wesley) [4:01]
03:Beautiful (John Dolgin) [5:09]
04:Ashes To Ashes (Wesley, Cox, Dolphin) [4:15]
05:Palms Up (Dolphin) [5:59]
06:Homeboy (Maceo Parker) [4:55]
07:Obamaloo (Madsen) [5:01)
08:Everywhere Is Out Of Town (lyrics by Willi Amrod, music by Wesley/Ellis) [4:41]
09:Peace Fugue (Wesley) [4:42]
Essential Websites:
http://www.funkyfredwesley.com/
http://www.myspace.com/fredwesley
http://www.funkyfredwesley.blogspot.com/
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=2

Robert Glasper Trio, RNCM, Manchester, Tuesday 16 November 2010

Taking the stage in the most laid back and casual of manners complete in sweatshirt and baggy jeans with a friendly ‘Hello how y’re doin’?’, this was to be a fine exhibition of the contemporary piano jazz trio and one in both an informal and intimate setting. Yet let there may be no mistake about it, once the music commenced, the virtuosity of the musicians and the interplay between them was exemplary.

Houston born pianist Glasper belongs to the soulful school of jazz pianists and in this respect, his Texan roots fit into a distinctive lineage with the likes of Erykah Badu and further back in time to Bobby Bland. However, he is no retro artist and has been anxious to explore the use of hip-hop beats and unsual time signatures common to rap and hip-hop, and then reset them in a jazz context. In this respect he is part of a recent tradition of rappers such as Tribe Called Quest who, during the 1990s, successfully fused funk-inflected jazz samples (and even Ron Carter’s bass lines) with conscious and more reflective rap musings, The Disposable Heroes of Hiphopresy and Buckshot Le Fonque aka Branford Marsalis to mention but a few. One of the main features of the evening was the frequent and innovative use of unusual time signatures by all three members of the trio, but especially by St. Louis born drummer Marc Colenburg.

The trio specialise in extended pieces in a live setting, often featuring a medley of tunes that neatly segue into one another. Glasper is a fully mature pianist who does not overly embellish the underlying rhythms, but has a particularly fine sense of when to use repetition in order to heighten tension and engage in delightful interplay with drummer Colenburg. Collectively they have been likened by some to a neo-EST. In fact they are much more of a neo-Keith Jarrett, or more relevantly a Brad Mehldau trio with the latter’s excursions into contemporary pop and rock tunes being noteworthy. The understated basslines of Derrick Hodge should not be underestimated and indeed keeps the trio bubbling over during the whole evening. Hodge promises to be one of the major bassists of the future and his debut album for the Blue Note label in 2011 will be eagerly anticipated and include the participation of both Glasper and fellow label pianist Aaron Parks.

Blue Note artist Robert Glasper has over three albums cut some particularly fine material with ‘In my element’ (2007) and ‘Canvas’ (2005) both being fine examples of the jazz trio in a resolutely modern setting Glasper and is proving to be an extremely gifted composer into the bargain and a great storyteller on both acoustic and electronic keyboards. Stylistically he has been heavily influenced by the modal inventions of McCoy Tyner and especially both the acoustic and electronic improvisations of Herbie Hancock. Indeed Hancock featured significantly on the evening’s proceedings and paradoxically, in comparison with the great man’s concert at the Bridgewater Hall, only a few days previous, the Hancock jazz content was notably higher. On Hancock’s ‘I have a dream’, Glasper uses the delicate hues of the fender rhodes and transports us back in time for a few minutes into the 1970s while ‘Butterfly’ from the Headhunters period becomes a gentler paced, but nonetheless funk-tinged number than the original. The one contemporary addition is the use of hip-hop inflected drum beats part way through which makes the number sound thoroughly twenty-first century. On ‘Maiden Voyage’, the title track of Hancock’s modal masterpiece album on Blue Note, the trio breathed new life into the standard with a gentle fall and rise in tempo and left the stage to a hugely appreciative audience.

For the first part of the encore, Glasper enquired as to what the audience would like to hear and the over whelming democratically chosen number was his signature tune ‘No worries’. The trio by this time were well into their humorous routine and played a sedate mock version of Ellington’s ‘Take the ‘A’ train’ before entering properly into the Glasper composition with the pianist playing a long roll. The unison of the trio performance was in the demonstration class and the melody was simple, yet incredibly effective. Even when the tempo slowed and the rhythm became staccato, there was still a relaxed feel to the overall sound. An intimate piano passage and drum-propelled percussion segued into the trio’s main theme with heavy bass and funk-based drums to the fore.

The trio left the stage to rapturous applause. Herbie Hancock would do well to observe this trio and re-infuse some of the fresh sounding jazz contained within into his own repertoire. How about a duet album between Glasper and Hancock? Now that would be a pianistic treat worth the pennies.

Tim Stenhouse

John Williams Bridgewater Hall, 15 November 2010

Guitarist John Williams has carved out a unique route in guitar music with his espousal of Latin American folk forms and this was to be an evening in which this was demonstrated to the full with the occasional eclectic selection from central Africa thrown into the heady mix. Williams is a self-effacing personality and took to the stage in humble fashion before briefly explaining the repertoire for the evening. Clearly the educational aspect of the music is a key ingredient to his live performances and the audience greatly appreciated the immediate rapport struck up with them. The evening’s music began with the highly rhythmic five preludes from Brazilian composer Villa Lobos, with the third being particularly melancholic in nature. Anyone with an interest in contemporary Brazilian music would do well to listen to these. They were seminal pieces in the musical education of the originator of bossa nova, one Antonio Carlos Jobim. Williams cuts a lone figure on stage, with left foot perched on a stand while he caresses the guitar strings with all the delicacy that one might expect of a true guitar maestro. The music speaks for itself and requires no visual embellishment. From Brazil the music shifted towards the Caribbean and more specifically to Cuba. Composer Leo Brouwer is one of the most prolific among contemporary composers and is noted particularly for his work on film scores. Williams has long appreciated the more challenging ‘El Decameron Negoro’ that Brouwer wrote during the 1970s. While the piece may not be as immediately as compelling as Villa Lobos, it is ultimately equally, if not more satisfying. The piece reaches a dramatic crescendo with a flurry of notes and Williams evidently admires the fact that Brouwer is himself a guitarist (though sadly arthritis has deprived us of hearing the composer himself deliver some of his own compositions) and this enhances the former’s appreciation of the piece significantly. In general John Williams has done a sterling job of promoting lesser known composers from other parts of the globe and this is, perhaps, best illustrated by the composition ‘O Bia’ by the multi-talented singer-songwriter, novelist and composer from Cameroon Francis Bebey.

For the second half of the evening after a brief interval, Williams showcased one of his absolute favourites composers from Paraguay, Agustin Barrios. Throughout the pieces there is a joyous feel with themes that follow a distinct call and response pattern and even a quasi-Carribean and in places calypso ambience. Williams delights in recounting some of Barrios’ life before tackling ‘La Catedral’. This is a beautifully paced number and highly melodic at that. The performance by Williams is quite simply exquisite. A brief rendition then follows of ‘Julia Florida’ which is a deeply romantic piece and with a certain amount of repetition used. This then leads into two waltzes, ‘No. 3 and 5’ which are taken at a more rapid tempo and are multi-layered with Williams intricately weaving in and out of the notes here. In particular the second waltz features different movements within the same piece and is something of a melancholic lament. The piece ends to rapturous applause from the ever appreciative audience. For the final Barrios number, ‘Dream in the forest’, Williams is perched on the edge of his chair and the piece has something of a regal feel to it. Polyrhythms abound on this number and merely serve to remind the listener of Williams’ virtuoso level. It is a musical challenge he is more than up to and there is astounding deftness of touch on the guitar. As an encore Williams plays three short separate pieces. The first is romantic and from the pen on Spanish composer Albeniz with an intoxicating rhythm. The others, in contrast, are delivered at a much quicker tempo with mucho gusto. The guitarist departs stage after an enthralling evening’s craftsmanship.

Tim Stenhouse

Herbie Hancock, Bridgewater Hall, Friday 12 November 2010

Legendary pianist and multi-keyboardist Herbie Hancock made a return visit to the Bridgewater Hall on the back of an extensive world tour that has taken in North America and Europe to highlight contemporary pop and rock numbers from the ‘Imagine Project’ album. There has been a shift away from largely instrumental pieces to a conscious attempt to appeal to a wider and, possibly, younger audience beyond the confines of his already eclectic staple audience and one more in tune with pop/rock than even the most progressive of jazz fusions. Hancock is an extremely open-minded artist and is to be commended on his continued stand not to be pigeon-holed into one or more musical category as he made clear in a famous radio interview for local radio in Manchester during the 1980s and has repeated since in print at various junctures. The transition from a predominantly acoustic repertoire in the 1960s with his albums on the Blue Note label and his extended period of stay in the classic Miles Davis band gave way to marvellous explorations of music during the Mwandishi and then the Headhunters phase that took his music in whole new directions.

Long-time fans of Hancock have marvelled at such developments and stayed faithful to him throughout. More recently during the 1990s Hancock has at times returned to acoustic format reworking 1970s pop standards in an instrumental setting on the 1996 album ‘The New Standard’ and playing with greats such as the late Michael Brecker, percussion master Don Alias and fellow Miles alumnis Dave Holland, Jack de Johnette and John Scofield. Even the project devoted to Joni Mitchell songs had a logic to it, while if ‘Gershwin’s world’ was seen as a slightly self-indulgent album, this was something that Hancock could every once in a while be forgiven for.

Hancock took to the stage with a multi-talented band, but with a repertoire that relegated their talents to largely comping along to pop tunes such as ‘Imagine’ with keyboardist Greg Phillinganes encouraging the audience to clap along while ‘Times they are a changin’ segued into a medley with Sam Cooke’s ‘A change is gonna come’.

The question nonetheless needs to be posed with respect to the present: is the current direction of a pop-jazz fusion simply a step too far and more importantly, does it actually work? As far as the individual band members are concerned, the choice of individuals is near impeccable. James Genus on the bass has cut his musical teeth with Steps Ahead and played with the likes of Dave Douglas. Cameroonian guitarist Lionel Loueke is making a reputation as a leader on Blue Note fusing contemporary African and jazz grooves while keyboardist Greg Phillinganes has simply graced some of the most important albums in musical history, notably ‘Off the Wall’ and ‘Thriller’ by Michael Jackson. Both the drummer and vocalist Kristina Train, hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, are perfectly respectable and, in the case of the latter, is a competent singer who, in addition, occasionally doubles up on violin. The problem lies rather with the very concept itself, combining virtuoso jazz playing with pop compositions, and here the buck lies fairly and squarely on Hancock’s all too considerable shoulders. Reprising pop standards in a jazz context is not at all a new phenomenon.

The jazz greats of the 1950s and before and beyond all interpreted the great songs of the day which are now referred to as the great American songbook. Miles Davis always made space for pop tunes new and old and in the latter stages of his career, breathed new life into the Cyndi Lauper song ‘Time after time’. Indeed pianist Brad Mehldau has regularly reworked the likes of Oasis, Radiohead and even Nick Drake, often with sublime results.  The key point here is that such musicians have succeeded because they have added something new to the original while retaining an improvisational base. Sadly, with all too many of the contemporary standards showcased by Hancock and the band, it invariably sounded just like a vocal piece with added instrumentation and nothing new of substance. In short, the programme was at times jazz-lite. That is not to say that the whole evening was totally devoid of improvisational prowess. An artist of Hancock’s stature and seasoned experience is simply too skilled to avoid that pitfall and at various stages we had brief glimpses of his former self when various numbers from the Headhunters were revisited, especially towards the very end of the evening and the band members clearly enjoyed the chance to finally stretch out more.

Yet the crucial point here is that they were all too brief glimpses and as a whole the show simply did not fit together at all well, lob-sided and at times plain confusing, and simply became in the end too all-encompassing for its own good, thereby alienating many of his staunchest supporters, some of whom expressed their dissatisfaction at proceedings by walking out less than halfway through. This is not the first time that criticism of this nature has been at levelledand indeed reservations have been expressed by other journalists. In fairness to Hancock and the band, the new approach was not unpopular with certain sections of the audience and younger members of the Hancock fan club were regularly clapping along to the vocal pieces and he was given a standing ovation by many in the audience.

A final question nonetheless remains: does Hancock really want to be remembered as a sing along artist? More to the point, does he actually believe he can crossover to the pop charts with such material? Clearly, on this evidence, he feels he can. Unintentionally,however, Herbie Hancock only succeeded in dividing his audience and this left a bittersweet taste in both this reviewer’s mouth and on his journalistic pen. A frustrating evening, then, of frequent over-indulgency from one of music’s most eclectic and talented performers.

Tim Stenhouse

Paco Peña ‘Flamenco sin fronteras’

Bridgewater Hall, Manchester Tuesday 9 November 2010

On a windswept evening in a wintry Manchester setting, the altogether sunnier climbs of Andalucia and the tropical south-eastern coastline of Latin America came to town for just a few hours and lit up the inside of the Bridgewater Hall and thereafter entered our hearts with passionate rhythms. This was to be an evening in which Spanish flamenco and the folkloric rhythms of Venezuela came together in a most fascinating and intricate of musical fusions, hence the title ‘Flamenco without frontiers’. In fact for some time now, flamenco has been evolving within and outside its own political borders and this phenomenon is referred to as the ‘iba y vuelta’, or ‘coming and going’ style of flamenco. Simply put, the music leaves the Iberian peninsular and takes on other musical influences in Latin America such as Cuban and Mexican son for example and then comes back with an added layer that in turns results in a far richer sound. A whole new sub-genre has thus been created and flamenco, rather than being an obsolete art form that has stood still, has taken on a whole new creative and resolutely modern life of its own.

This was partly the idea behind guitarist Paco Peña’s latest project, to bring together the traditional rhythms of flamenco with the folkloric instrumentation of Venezuelan music that is strongly influenced by African rhythms and is now rightly called Afro-Venezuelan culture. The reason for this is linked to the period of slavery during Spanish colonisation when three centuries of slave trade had transported African migrants from the west coast of that continent (principally Senegal and Nigeria). Slavery ended in 1834, but one of its by-products was the importation of indigenous African rhythms and instruments and these have subsequently become part and parcel of the national musical landscape in Venezuela. The genius of Paco Peña was to envisage how these rhythms might co-exist with traditonal flamenco which, in itself, is heavily influenced by the Arabic rhythms of North Africa. This is especially the case for dancersof flamenco when it comes to the dancing technique of moving the arms, possibly a means, along with the eyes, of attracting the opposite sexes attention. It takes a great deal of skill to weave seemingly disparate musics together and that Pena succeeded so effortlessly is testimony to his unquestioned skills as an arranger.

With this in mind, the audience was in great expectation as to how this musical cross-fertilisation might materialise in practice. An intimate setting greeted the audience on stage with a semi-circle of guitarists. A male flamenco dancer entered centre stage and after a short shuffling of feet, the three guitarists to the left of stage (all dressed in black like the dancer) entered immediately and the musical explorations took off in earnest. Of note was the use of the percussion instrument, the cajón, which is an Afro-Peruvian wooden box that the percussionist slaps with his hand and has now become an integral part of the flamenco group instruments at their disposal, especially during the 1970s innovations of Paco de Lucia. At the end of this piece, the music then immediately focused on the Venezuelan musicians situated to the right-hand side of the stage, who alternated at various times between percussion and string instruments. One of the instrumentalists doubled throughout the evening as prinicipal vocalist and, as he began, a Venezuelan female dancer, dressed in white traditional dress for most of the evening, entered centre stage. In contrast to the flamenco dancer, this was a much looser style of dancing, with a sensual swaying of the hips, and a shaking of the arms often to move in unison with her ample dress hem, moving from side to side. Venezuelan folk music is extremely melodic on the ear and the audience immediately felt transported to the sultrier temperature of a steamy afternoon in the tropics. Integral to the lyricism is the use of the Venezuelan cuatro, a four-stringed instrument that serves a similar purpose to the cavaquinho in Brazilian samba and with a not dissimilar sound into the bargain.

By the third piece, a musical fusion of the two distinct styles was well underway with the Caribbean flavour of the Latin American musicians giving way to the Spanish guitarists and the sudden appearance of two flamenco dancers and one Venezuelan dancer. It is the commonality of the Spanish and Venzuelan music that Pena was eager to explore and they certainly combined well here. It has to be stated at the outest that the quality of the dancing was breathtaking. The dexterity of the male flamenco dancers and the expressionate emotion contained within the arm movements had more than one female heart a fluttering during the evening, while the two women dancers simply excelled in their art. In particular the female flamenco dancer managed to use her arms in such a way that she seemed to be controlled like a puppet on a string and the physical contorsions she weaved in and out of truly had to be seen to be believed. With so many musicians, singers and dancers on stage in various pairings, there was always something new for the eyes and ears to ponder and at one point the Venezuelan singer entered into a dialogue of sorts with the female flamenco singer. The Latin American expert sitting in the audience would undoubtedly have remarked that the dialogue between the two was mockingly flirtatious, but in a register of language that was most eloquent and not at all what Spaniards (women especially!) refer to as ‘piropos’, or flattery, something of a misnoma in English since the term is often a pretext for the most inelegant and bawdiest of suggestions by men.

During the second half of the performance the fusion of styles, both in music and dance, was becoming more intricate and the interplay between Spanish and Venezuelan musicians all the more memorable for that. For much of the evening Pena was unselfishly content to play a largely secondary role accompanying and allowing another guitarist to take solos, but at one point he finally came centre stage to engage in a riveting face to face duet with a Venezuelan guitarist, weaving notes together, before the band took off in an altogether different direction.

Pena is that most expressive of guitarists and has made a virtue out of bringing together contrasting styles. One of his most acclaimed albums being the 1991 ‘Misa Flamenca’ which reworked the Catholic mass in a flamenco context. 

By the time the cajón player took a solo, the audience were starting to raise to their feet in appreciation and the temperature on stage became ‘demasiado caliente’ or red hot as the intoxicating rhythms of the Venezuelan band were equalled by the Spanish guitarists while dancers on both sides adapted to the other’s musical style.

Proceedings were brought to a fitting climax with dramatic interplay between musicians on either side of stage all playing at full capacity and all dancers finally entering centre stage with extended percussion. The frenetic pace was maintained, before suddenly ending to rapturous applause. A terrific way to end the evening and thus leaving the audience hungry for more. Finally, some mention needs to be made of the visual backdrop. A reddish sky convincingly conveyed the brightness of daylight that greets anyone in either Spain or Latin America. The apparent simplicity of the costumes contrastedperfectly with the rouge hues of the sky and moreover facilitated the audiences ability to distinguish between musicians and dancers of the two styles.

Tim Stenhouse

UB 40 Thirtieth Anniversary Tour, Bridgewater Hall, 7 November 2010

Coinciding with the thirtieth anniversary of the seminal pop-reggae album ‘Signing On’ that caught the mood of early 1980s Britain with mass unemployment and economic deprivation, the current tour has been partly overshadowed by the absence of the band’s regular lead singer, Ali Campbell, after a fallout and his replacement by Campbell brother number three, Duncan, henceforth assuming the lead vocal role. This fact did little, though, to detract from the overall sound of UB40 which remains as tight as it ever was back in the day. If the sheer charisma of the more experienced Ali was missed, then Campbell junior still seemed blessed with the family’s gifted vocal chords. It is noteworthy that this family tradition goes back even further to father Ian who was leader of the Ian Campbell folk group in the 1960s. The first half of the evening was devoted to the ‘Signing Off’ album in its entirety, stand out numbers among them being ‘King’, ‘Burden of shame’ and ‘Madame Medusa’. These were embellised by excerpts of political speeches such as ‘I have a dream’ by Martin Luther King and infamously ‘The lady is not for turning’ by Mrs. Thatcher. In general the sound created by the band matched the mellow and rich hues of the original album. In fact UB40 provided a gateway for many young white music fans (now forty-somethings and beyond) into the bona fide world of reggae and there was a distinct whiff of nostalgia to proceedings.

A stabbing horn section was led by the ever excellent Brian Travers on saxophone whilst Robin Campbell gave out concise instructions, with younger brother Duncan being content to play a more passive role, possibly in deference to his better known predecessor. For some, however, in the audience, the album was released before they had even been born, yet they still managed to connect with the irresistible rhythms. Roughly speaking there was a 70:30 divide between the older (this scribe included) and younger members of the audience, though it is certainly true to say that the younger ones made the most noise. 

The second half of the concert changed focus and in place of the protest songs that had characterised the rootsier side to the band’s repertoire, there was a marked transition to the poppier songs that reworked the original Jamaican classics of the rocksteady and early reggae period of the mid-1960s and early 1970s. This was the era in which labels such as Trojan records introduced youths to the sounds of reggae music and the Campbells were clearly caught up in this devotion to 45s and compilation albums. Thus the proverbial spliffs and dreadlocks were instead replaced by the omnipresent iphones of a new generation of reggae fans. It as at this stage that the crowd really came to light. Of course among the favourites, Tony Tribe’s ‘Red Red Wine’ took pride of place and was particularly well received while ‘Kingston town’, originally by Lord Creator, had a particular resonance to the evening. The royalties from the reworked songs were used to help the original performer, then down on his luck and in deeply precarious economic circumstances, to keep alive and well. In general UB40 are extremely well viewed in Jamaica where they are seen as genuine promoters of the island’s greatest cultural export to the world. They are not, however, averse to more recent reggae beats and the ragga riddims of ‘Boom shaka laka’ went down a storm as did another song, intriguingly devoted to the people of Manchester, ‘Rat in my kitchen’. One hopes that this was no reflection on the city’s fine culinary tradition!

Surprisingly, perhaps, UB40 did not reprise ‘One in ten’, one of the most compelling songs from their earlier repertoire nor did they showcase the Jimmy Cliff anthem ‘Many rivers to cross’ which was a big hit for them. One should in fact view the contribution of UB40 to pop music in terms of pioneering a new pathway for acts such as Lily Allen and Amy Whinehouse who have, among other genres, incorporated reggae rhythms into the very fabric of their sound. One gripe. It was probably not lost on some that that the entrance fee would have been well beyond the means of the current signing on generation and this seemed to go counter to the band’s earlier ethos of aligning themselves with the disadvantaged. This aside, the music was exemplary. 

Tim Stenhouse

Avery Sunshine & Anthony David

Live at the Jazz Cafe, London 4th November 2010

* “On with dance, let joy be unconfined, is my motto; whether there’s any dance to dance or any joy to unconfined.”
Mark Twain

PART ONE:

The gig should have been billed as ‘Atlanta’s Anthony & Avery: The A-team Come to Town.’ This tag team complimented each other so perfectly.  Put all the clichés you want together: Ying & yang, hand & glove, rhubarb & custard or even grits & gravy! By the close of the evening it was glaringly obvious that the common denominator between these two Atlanta based artists is their supreme and captivating vocal ability. UK Vibe’s Michael ‘The Dood’ Edwards was one of those whose life was enriched by witnessing ‘live’ two genuine classy and engaging purveyors of ‘real’ Soul music.

Picture courtesy of Jite Ugono.  http://www.pics-elate.com

First to enthral the sold out Jazz Cafe was the bubbly, buoyant and beautiful Ms Avery Sunshine. Having joyously twinkled onto the stage and taken her seat behind her Motif keyboard, Avery sent down her initial ray of sunshine - the jaunty and up tempo first single, ‘I Got Sunshine’ From the moment she opened her mouth whilst jigging to the rhythm on her stool, the whole audience were vicariously infected by the positive vibes emitted.

Avery instantly got the audience involved, instinctively employing her skills as a Choir Director to full effect by orchestrating those in attendance to sing- a- long. Ms Sunshine’s first ever set at the Jazz Cafe continued, rolling smoothly into the emotive and fans favourite ‘Ugly Part of Me.’ She gave a brief soliloquy beforehand explaining how women (and men) can sometimes vehemently chastise

their partner for no apparent reason and then on reflection realise how insensitive and cutting they were at that moment. Hence, the ‘Ugly Part of Me.’ The apology is sublimely and soulfully delivered.

There was no disguising Avery’s blatant vocal prowess now, showing why she is being described as an artist in the mould of Jill Scott and even compared to the Queen of Soul and Gospel Aretha Franklin. Praise Indeed. What I think individualises Avery Sunshine is her presence at and skill on the keyboard. Best description this scribe can give is that she reminds me of a female version of Donny Hathaway or Stevie Wonder.

Picture courtesy of Jite Ugono.  http://www.pics-elate.com

The audience were now so engrossed and under Ms Sunshine’s musical spell, most forgot Grammy Award Nominee Anthony David was still to follow!! On she went transitioning into her own personal favourite track from her self- titled debut album, ‘Pinin’. Yet another deeply emotional tune about reminiscing over a love lost.  Aside from absorbing those powerful Jazz-Go-Soul vocals (Jazz/Gospel/Soul) once again, this number gave those gathered in this intimate venue a chance to see on acoustic guitar the rock and guiding force behind Avery Sunshine, musician, album co-writer, producer and musical partner Dana Johnson.

Renowned for his work on India Arie’s voyage to India CD, Avery has been quoted as saying that, ‘Without Dana Johnson, there would be no Avery Sunshine’. Together and with a little help from their friends they proceeded to entertain us in the manner in which we had now become accustomed, seamlessly segueing into Gladys Knight’s, ‘Mignight Train to Georgia’ and back again to her own ‘Pinin’ on the same rhythm – gorgeous!

Picture courtesy of Jite Ugono.  http://www.pics-elate.com

With the party jumping Avery made time to pay homage to Jill Scott by laying down her own funky and sassy version of the aforementioned ‘He Loves Me.’ Before this ray of sunshine departed the stage she pounded out the riffs to another new but strangely familiar album track, ‘All in My Head.’ The lyrics of which again showcased the synergy of the Sunshine/Johnson writing combo.  The familiarity factor become evident when once again Avery glided effortlessly into yet another Soul diva classic, Anita Baker’s ‘Sweet Love’ But oh! She does it SO well!!

The lady even had the audacity to request we take out our respective networking devices and look her up on Myspace and Facebook. As if her performance wasn’t sufficient enough to send us surfing the net far and wide to garner the tiniest morsel of info on this Atlanta Princess. What a self-assured self promoter!  Mark Twain once quoted: *‘...let joy be unconfined..!’ Avery Sunshine is most definitely an unconfined bundle of joy. Go catch some sun-rays, it’ll do you good!


Avery Sunshine and Michael ‘The Dood’ Edwards

Michael ‘The Dood’ Edwards

Essential Album: Avery Sunshine (2010)
Essential Single:  I Got Sunshine b/w Ugly Part of Me (2010)
Essential Websites:  http://www.averysunshine.com
http://www.twitter.com/averysunshine.com
http://www.facebook.com/averysunshine
http://www.youtube.com/bigshinetv

PART TWO

The gig should have been billed as ‘Atlanta’s Anthony & Avery: The A-team Come to Town.’ This tag team complimented each other so perfectly.  Put all the clichés you want together: Ying & yang, hand & glove, rhubarb & custard or even grits & gravy! By the close of the evening it was glaringly obvious that the common denominator between these two Atlanta based artists is their supreme and captivating vocal ability. UK Vibe’s Michael ‘The Dood’ Edwards was one of those whose life was enriched by witnessing ‘live’ two genuine classy and engaging purveyors of ‘real’ Soul music.


Photo courtesy of Jite Ugono http://www.pics-elate.co.uk

Prior to Grammy Award Nominee Anthony David taking to the stage an audio sound bite of President Obama was played responding to what music he’s currently listening to on his iPod quoting, ‘...I just heard this CD by Anthony David, who’s an R&B guy — I put him on there. That’s brand new, so I’m kind of enjoying that a lot now...’ With the Jazz cafe massive whopping in agreement to the Presidential stamp of approval for the Georgia native, Mr Acey Duecy himself descended the stairs stage right dressed in black leather jacket, white shirt, red tie and fawn coloured trousers and glasses.

The band slipped straight into the bumping Stop Playin’ from his sophomore album on Dome Records, ‘The Red Clay Chronicles.’ From there on in the subtle writing style and uniquely soothing velvety delivery of David’s vocal was in full evidence. Not surprising then why his singing voice has been likened to Bill Withers. Next came the first of two covers during the evening, Level 42’s ‘Something About You’ also from The Red Clay Chronicles, given the A.D twist. To aid him in performing the swaying and finger popping duet ‘4evermore’ from the yet to be released ‘As Above, So Below’ project, he summoned the illuminating Avery Sunshine, who had mesmerised us all earlier, back to the stage. Does it get any better than this! What chemistry and charisma they both have.

Photo courtesy of Jite Ugono http://www.pics-elate.co.uk

The Atlanta Soul Session as Anthony David dubbed the evening was definitely in full flow. After thanking Ms Sunshine for her assistance, he then plundered his debut album release, ‘3 chords & the Truth’ for tracks such as ‘Cheatin’ Man,’ ‘Spittin’ Game,’ ‘Part of My Life’ (the tune he initially wrote solely for India Arie’s 7 x nominated ‘Acoustic Soul’ CD but decided on doing his own version also), ‘GA Peach’ and crowd pleaser, the laid back slow burner ‘Cold Turkey.’ By this time he had his three chord guitar wrapped around his neck and the Anthony David stage persona was complete.

Photo courtesy of Jite Ugono http://www.pics-elate.co.uk

The set then moved into highlighting more tracks from his forth-coming 2011 album release, ‘As Above, So Below.’ If ‘Let Me In,’ the infectious lead single and ‘God said’ are evidence of the quality we can expect, then roll on 2011!! Mr David continued with the musical goodness, holding the audiences’ attention with a deep down dirty and raw version of ‘Smoke One.’ Big shout out to the band at this juncture, they were tight and on point throughout both sets.

Anthony David has made no secret that he enjoys covering tracks he really admires, purely out of respect. On this night having already welcomed Level 42’s ‘something About You,’ we were now treated to David’s superb and ear friendly version of Drake’s ‘Find Your Love,’ the crowd once again instinctively singing along.

And no sooner had the Atlanta Soul Session begun, it was all over, but not before Anthony David signed off with a stripped down acoustic freestyle ditty featuring himself, his guitar and the microphone. This man definitely needs to record a purely acoustic album to put the spotlight on THAT voice. Fortunately, during a chat I had with him earlier that day he divulged that owing to public demand such an album is imminent! God is great!

As he unhooked his guitar from around his neck I do believe any true Soul lover present in the Jazz Cafe that evening were fully aware and appreciative of the stupendous evening of quality musicianship and singing or should that be sangin’ they had just witnessed. It was definitely a night to remember.

Michael ‘The Dood’ Edwards

Essential Albums:
The Set Up: AD live unplugged
As Above, So Below: UK release Feb 2011
Acey Ducey: 2008
The Red Clay Chronicles: 2006
3 Chords & the Truth: 2004

Essential Websites:
http://www.anthonydavidmusic.com
http://www.myspace.com/anthonydavid
http://www.domerecords.co.uk

Mystère des Voix Bulgares, RNCM, Wednesday 3 November 2010

Resplendent in their traditional costumes in vivid red, green and orange colours, the twenty piece Womens choir of Bulgarian Radio and Television to give them their formal title and function took the stage to a virtual full house and rapturous applause from the outset. It is seldom that one sees, let alone hears, music of this calibre and setting in Manchester and the audience were extremely appreciative of the privilege of sharing an evening with them.

Their French title of Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares stems from their discovery from a western perspective by French ethnomusicologist Marcel Cellier during the 1970s and it was indeed via a French record label that they were first heard by a wider international audience. Part of their charm is that the voices themselves are difficult to categorise, but lie somewhere between Gregorian chants and improvisational music, though immediately accesible to all even if, like most people listening in the concert hall, you do not have any command of Bulgarian and are certainly more folk in inspiration than say classical. Rather it is both the vocal textures and the interplay between the singers who perform in various settings and pairings, thereby successfully communicating everday stories to the audience, that truly stands out and impresses above all else. The choir has been recruited from villages throughout Bulgaria and each of them individually possesses a highly distinctive repertoire. The blending of these is a delicate process, but in the extremely capable hands of conductor Doris Hristova, a fusing of styles has been achieved. The songs themselves are relatively short in length, ranging between three and four minutes on average, and the different singing styles seem to be symbolised by the slight variation in dress of choir members who roughly range in age between twenty somethings and seventy plus and each contribute something different to the songs. Sometimes there may be a lead singer who improvises at one stage and at other time groups of singers take centre stage. On a couple of occasions, a male singer takes the lead role, though immediately leaves thereafter and does not regularly participate in the ensemble sound. At the beginning of every song, Hristova plays a chord on the piano and then the choir are ready to enter. 

Several of the songs have a plaintive sounding quality and judging by some of the translated titles such as ‘A dark cloud is coming’, ‘The mountain is burning’ and ‘Duda is ill’, reflect the negative as well as positive aspects of daily life we can all readily associate with. It would be totally inaccurate, however, to think that all the music is in any way morbid in nature. Far from it. Joyous sounds abound on songs with titles like ‘The wedding’, ‘Bulgarian reel dance’ and ‘Beautiful young girl’. The choir simply reflect in musical form all aspects of daily life. At one point during the second half of the performance, the choir begin singing randomly as disparate voices in order to create a cacophony of sound, but within a short space of time join up collectively to sing in unison. This is by no means an easy skill to acquire and one with the potential to alientate the audience, but the choir pull off the feat effortlessly.

Overall, this is quite a unique evening’s entertainment and the audience left the auditorium with the distinct sensation of having heard and witnessed something quite extraordinary and unique. That is perhaps the true gift of this highly talented choir and its leader. Little wonder that the likes of George Harrison and Frank Zappa have been entranced by their sound.

Tim Stenhouse

Kenny Wheeler 80th Birthday Tour, Saturday 23 October 2010.

Octogenarian Kenny Wheeler has embarked upon an extended tour to celebrate his eighty years on this planet and in so doing has sought to present his music in a variety of contexts that vary from intimate quartet to full size big band. Taking the stage somewhat gingerly these days with the aid of a walking stick, Wheeler retains a youthful curiosity for jazz in all its guises. Proceedings began with the first of a three part suite composed by Wheeler and featuring a quartet that comprises of pianist John Taylor, bassist Chris Laurence and drummer Martin France with Kenny opting for his trusted flugehorn.

What immediately grabs the listener’s attention is the sheer lyrical quality and beauty of the foursome’s playing which vividly recalls the epic ECM recordings that Wheeler cut back in the 1970s such as ‘Gnu high’ (1975) and Deer Wan’ (1977). The trumpeter built upon the post-bop explorations of the 1960s and the freer musings of later in the decade (at least in terms of his own participation), yet retains a classicism of approach that in part reminds one of the quartet albums of Booker Little. The influence that Wheeler has exerted cannot be underestimated and yet trumpet quartets have become something of a rarity these days, Terence Blanchard and Dave Douglas being notable exceptions. Martin France proves himself to be that most sensitive of accompanists and the quartet sound provides a wonderful introduction to Kenny Wheeler’s music with the leader himself adding just the right touch of fragility to his tone. The pared down format also affords one the opportunity to hear the wonderful John Taylor stretch out on an extended solo one minute and then comp as part of the quartet during the next, and one who is richly deserving of a place among the doyen of British jazz pianists. 

For the second piece Diana Torto and saxophonists Stan Sulzmann and Julien Argüelles enter centre stage to transform the quartet into a septet. Particularly fascinating is the use of Torto in this context as an added layer of sound, not unlike a keyboard instrument, though she is already a fine vocalist in her own right. Kenny Wheeler is that most generous of leaders in that he recognised early on in his career as a leader that it is not necessary to constantly be the focus of attention and consequently there is ample space in which the other instrumntalists can operate and indeed thrive. Conductor Pete Churchill meanwhile expertly keeps the ensemble in coherent order and regularly entertains the audience with informative details on the pieces and witty banter. A second feature of Wheeler bands is the totally uncliched manner in which the solos unfold. This lends an additional air of spontaneity to the ensemble sound and helps keep the music fresh.

For the third and final part of the suite, tenorist Evan Parker enters the stage and immediately sets off an a freeform excursion with Taylor vamping to good effect. If the musings of the former comes as a surprise to some members of the audience, it is a totally logical extension of the Wheeler repertoire when, during the late 1960s and early 1970s, he openly embraced the freer concepts of jazz musicians such as Anthony Braxton and Tony Oxley and became a part of groups such as the Global Unity Orchestra. In stark contrast to Parker, Stan Sulzmann is schooled rather in the bop of Stan Getz and even hard bop (though still beautiful lyricism) of Hank Mobley and Ronnie Scott. The suite ends with all three saxophonists playing in unison before Taylor takes off on another engaging solo.

Fully warmed up, the big band proper enters including Italian electric guitarist John Parricelli. This is a golden opportunity for Kenny Wheeler to introduce some recently composed pieces including the delightful ‘Canta number 6’. Wheeler has in fact been a consistently prolific composer and joins a select band of trumpeters including Dizzie Gillespie and Lee Morgan who have made a significant impact on other jazz musicians with their writing skills. ‘Canta number six’ is a mid-tempo piece with a floating quasi-waltz feel and plenty of space for the soloists to explore. Once this has been accomplished, the format is pared down to a truly thrilling duet between Torto on scat vocals and Parricelli on guitar.

One thing that becomes evident as the evening unfolds is that while Wheeler is now wisely more choos(e)y about when and for how long he might solo, there is no obvious diminution in his playing chops. An interesting aside is the standard ‘I didn’t know what time it was’, an evergreen of the great American songbook, which is taken here at a slower tempo than per usual. Here the big band reverts to quartet plus vocals and tenor saxophone with Wheeler playing a particularly plaintive solo. The delicate arrangements and accompaniments of the saxophonists in particular are simply breathtaking. Throughout the number there are various changes in tempo. With a guitar solo that reminds one of Bill Frisell in his prime before the tempo returns to its initial phase. On fine ensemble pieces such as ‘Upwards’, the exchange between pianist and big band emphasizes the advantage of the larger format in that its elasticity facilitates musical contrasts while on another number, ‘The long wait’, vocalist Torto plays off the big band sound with Ray Warleigh undertaking an especially fiery alto saxophone solo.

During the second half of the evening, further Wheeler compositions were showcased such as the lilting mid-tempo waltz that is ‘456’. Of note here is a particularly fine and surprisingly warm solo from baritonist Julien Argüelles from an instrument that is often considered to be a somewhat cold sounding instrument, but not here. Kenny Wheeler has clearly been influenced by another great Canadian conductor and arranger, a certain Gil Evans, and no more is this evident than on the intro to ‘Canta number one’ before the tempo shifts up a gear. Parricelli here plays a delightful 1970s esque solo that recalls both John Abercrombie in full flight and the young Pat Metheny. As with his best work, the large scale pieces are designed with a clearly defined structure while still inviting freedom from the individual band members. A follow up piece to the aforementioned, ‘789’ is an enticing number with wordless vocals from Torto who excels throughout in her role while the intruigingly titled ‘Double w’ provides an unusual spot for both Wheeler and Parker to engage in some free wheeling (no pun intended) cutting edge solos, a passing nod to Wheeler’s mid-career stylistic change, before the rest join in.

Both individually and collectively, the Kenny Wheeler big band are an outstanding formation by any evaluation, but on this evening they are more than willing to allow the leader to take all the accolades. In some respects Kenny Wheeler is a reluctant figure to take the limelight, yet as his impressive discography amply illustrates, it is a challenge that he has been more than able to rise up to and this over several decades. A fititng standing ovation sets the seal on a night that was first and foremost a joyous celebration of the trumpeter’s craft.

Tim Stenhouse

Soil & “Pimp” Sessions – Live at Jazz Cafe 21st July 2010

The adjectives do not exist, even in the English language to begin to describe the Soil & “Pimp” Sessions live experience. Even this scribe was left awestruck – along with the baying masses- having witnessed the full force of “Death Jazz” first hand at London’s Jazz Cafe after hearing so much positive vibes.

Photo courtesy of Mickael Dubois

So it was that The Dood stood expectant with the Soil & “Pimp” Sessions devotees and the soon to be converts as Giles Peterson introduced yet another quality acquisition to his burgeoning Brownswood Label Roster:  ‘....For me I’ve seen this band probably about thirty times maybe more, could be forty times. And I’ve still come up here again tonight because I want to see them again, they’re that good. They are one of the greatest bands in the world today. Please give it up, from Tokyo Japan, Soil & “Pimp” Sessions!!!!

Photo courtesy of Mickael Dubois

With that the unmistakable strains of Ennio Morricone’s classic ‘Ecstasy of Gold’ (the Good, the Bad & the Ugly) gradually enveloped the venue. ‘Soil & “Pimp”!  Soil & “Pimp”!’ chanted the audience beckoning the group to come to the fore. After thirty seconds or so they sauntered to the stage and assumed their positions. Ecstasy of Gold was interrupted abruptly by front man and ‘agitator’ Shacho, dressed immaculately in black suit, black shirt and black hat, with a piece of bling around his neck ‘Ice T’ would’ve proud of – Pure Pimp! He grabbed the microphone and bellowed, ‘HERE WE GO!!!!!’

Photo courtesy of Mickael Dubois

We were off and the band let off their opening salvo, a thunderous version of ‘Hollow’ from their 2008 ‘Planet Pimp’ project. With the crowd already bouncing off the walls, the six piece outfit segued straight into the first of five tracks from their current release ‘6’ – ‘Papa’s Got A Brand New Pig Bag.’ An evocative cover of the Art Blakey & Bobby Watson composition and DJ favourite, ‘Wheel Within A Wheel’ gave Tabu Zombie and Motoharu on horns an opportunity get their freak on, egged on by the Jazz Cafe massive. Somehow the two of them manage to give the impression and fullness in sound of a much larger six piece brass section – Amazing!

Keeping the up-tempo mood was the instant anthem, ‘Quartz Chronometer’ the second track of the night from their ‘6’ CD. The ‘agitator’ got to agitating his people by chanting ‘Soil’ repetitively while orchestrating the crowd to do likewise as they pogo jumped in front of him, fists raised high pumping the air. The quiet genius that is Josei got to flex his fingers during a brief solo on keyboards. However, it was on the following track the nursery melody sounding but complex and infectious ‘Sahara Mint’ that Josei as well as Akita (bass) and Midorin (drums) aka J.A.M got to represent proper. Josei laid down the gauntlet, twinkling the life out of the ebony and ivories, handing the virtual baton over to the animal that is Midorin. He distressed the skins and I mean spanked them proper! The crowd went mental. All the while it was left to the anker that is Akita Golding to keep the tempo on the double bass. No surprise then that this tight trio already have a couple of albums in the can in their own right. Spell-binding!

Photo courtesy of Mickael Dubois

Shacho, Tabu Zombie and Motoharu rejoined their cohorts on stage keeping the momentum by reeling off three high octane tunes in succession – ‘Fuller Love’, the funked up ‘Mirror Boy’ from the new ‘6’ set and ‘Fantastic Planet’ from their ‘Planet Pimp’ collection.  The whole time Shacho was playing to and interacting with the audience.  This captivating set was brought to a close by two more soon to be classics from their ‘6’ outing, ‘Pop Korn’ and the madcap ‘Satsuriku Theme’.  Trust me this tune is off the hook! Shacho bringing the psychedelic feel with his hand held synthesiser, chanting in Japanese and screaming ‘Soil!’ repeatedly via a mega phone! Akita mashing the double bass strings with a drum stick and Tabu Zombie and Moto prancing around the stage. At one point Moto was balancing one foot on Midorin’s drum kit whilst playing his saxophone – Awesome entertainment!

Photo courtesy of Mickael Dubois

So it was they exited up the stairs – job done! No sir! This crowd weren’t leaving anytime soon chanting Soil & “Pimp” incessantly until eventually their Japanese ‘Death Jazz’ heroes where assembled back on stage for one last hurrah. And so it was with the toe tapping, head nodding feel good vibes of ‘Summer Goddess’ from the mini album of the same name that Soil & “Pimp” Sessions sent home their entranced followers, musically sated.

Photo courtesy of Mickael Dubois

There’s a popular saying in Japanese: ‘Hageshii Jazz’ which means ‘to tear down old Jazz and rebuild it.’ Well having witnessed up close and personal the Phenomenon that is Soil & “Pimp” Sessions, The Dood can confidently report that these guys have not only torn down any old school Jazz stereo types, but completely reformulated it and taken it to the next level, whilst staying tethered to their Jazz roots. Soil & “Pimp” Sessions – we salute you!

Photo courtesy of Mickael Dubois

Do make sure that wherever you are on planet Earth or should that be ‘Planet Pimp’ that you get to experience Soil & “Pimp” Sessions LIVE! The excellent CD’s and You Tube clips still only scratch the surface of the unconfined joy and energy they bring to every live ‘SESSION.’

Michael ‘The Dood’ Edwards

Soil & “Pimp” Sessions are:  Shacho (‘agitator’), Tabu Zombie (trumpet), Motoharu (Sax), Josei (keyboards), Akita Goldman (double bass) and Midorin (bass)
• Essential Albums: 2009 – “6”
• 2008 – “Planet Pimp”
• 2007 – “Pimpoint”
• 2006 – “Pimp of the Year”
• 2005 – “Pimp Master”
• 2004 – “Pimpin’”

• Essential Myspace:  http://www.myspace.com/soilpimpuk

A little addition from the editor when Soil & Pimp landed in Birmingham the night before the Jazz cafe gig.

Bilal – Live at Fabric, London 14th July 2010

With The Dood frustratingly unable to stay to experience one of the modern era’s true Soul/Jazz vocalist (last train ‘n’ all), it was left to background vocalist to the stars and also black music connoisseur Sarah Nelson to step in to the breach and review this his one-off London gig for UK Vibe.

Drummer: Steve Mickie, Bass: Tone Whitfield, Guitar: Mike Stevenson, Keyboards: Corey Bernhard – this band are ‘Air Tight!’ With both drummer and guitarist sharing backing vocals, it was a strong sound. This handsome slender man, Bilal, hits the stage ready! The crowd bellow as both men and women rush forward.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uE883gLdObc

He kicked things off with ‘Free’ segueing into ‘Hey Hey.’ Bilal has an amazing vocal ability diving and soaring from mid to low to high vocal ranges within 0 – 5 seconds. As the strains of ‘Something to Hold On To’ waft in, the crowd start screaming! Now on a roll he moves onto ‘Reminisce’, ‘Cake and Eat It Too’, ‘Think It Over’. He is breezing through these tracks effortlessly! Boy does he put on a show!
Imagine Prince, Maxwell, JB, Bobby Womack and Hendrix without his guitar all on stage in one person! His vocal abilities are boundless – a mind blowing act to witness. I have seen nothing like it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dtm7-X-TuQ

He has a soulful, Funk ‘n’ Rock infusion sound that just grabs you from start to finish. A rapid fire selection of classics ‘Now for Love,’ ‘Restart,’ ‘Since I’ve Been Lovin’ You,’ ‘U Matter,’ ‘White turns to Grey,’ ‘Sometimes,’ ‘Levels,’ carried the Bilal faithful and converts toward his final song ‘Soul Sista.’ At one stage he was laying on his back singing! He is all that and a bag of chips WITH THE DIP!!
He commands the crowd and has an awesome stage presence. He introduced the band members in true James Brown stylee, voice ‘n’ all! Funny! He engages the crowd, owning and oozing sex appeal! He is HOT property! The most amazing show ever! We love you Bilal! He is a Man on Fire!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brouS9xfs2U

He performed a two hour set (12am to 2am) without gasping for air! This show was outstanding!! 20 out of 10! Yes I said it 20 out of 10!
Sarah Johanna Nelson

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTKWkJt1QIw

Bilal: Essential Albums:
New album ‘Air Tight’s Revenge’ released 14th September 2010
‘Love for Sale’ – 2006
‘1st Born Second’ – 2001
Essential Myspace:  http://www.myspace.com/bilaloliver

Eddie Palmieri and the Afro-Caribbean Jazz All Stars

RNCM, Manchester, 2 July 2010

Piano legend and Latin band leader extraordinaire, Eddie Palmieri, has been among the crème de la crème of Afro-Cuban musicians for the last forty years or so. The innovations that he pioneered in Latin music at the end of the 1960s and throughout the 1970s onwards, are akin to those of the key musicians in jazz and Palmieri came to be regarded as a leading musical godfather of what is now referred to as salsa. Hard-hitting songs such as ‘Justicia’, ‘Verdict on Judgement Street’ as well as the heartfelt tribute to ‘Puerto Rico’ have meant that Palmieri’s contribution to the genre has been well and truly gargantuan. The list of musicians who have played alongside him reads like the who’s who of Latin music and includes the Gonzalez brothers, bassist Andy and trumpeter/conguero Jerry, timbales legend Manny Oquendo and Cuban greats Israel ‘Cachao’ Lopez on the bass and Alfredo ‘Chocolate’ Armenteros on the trumpet, not forgetting a memorable duet album with timbalero Tito Puente which was the very last recording by the latter musical giant. It is not for nothing that Palmieri has earned the nickname of the ‘Son of Latin music’ and his bands have served a similar apprenticeship as those of Art Blakey and Miles Davis in the jazz world. Parallel to this, Eddie Palmieri has been keen to explore the relationship between Afro-Cuban music and jazz with a separate all-instrumental only line-up. During the 1990s this has become his preferred modus operandi and it was with a pared down six piece band that he took to the stage at the RNCM in front of an expectant audience.

Palmieri immediately embarked upon a solo intro before his rhythm section comprising timbales, congas and bass entered proceedings and settled into a gentle rumba with the leader vamping on piano to marvellous effect. Eddie Palmieri is now in his mid-seventies and if the driving piano chords of his early years are not quite as ferocious in their intensity as previously, it is simply that Eddie is infinitely wiser and able to incorporate a wider ranger of variations. On this evening he seemed more in jazz mode, taking on board the pianistic innovations of both Bill Evans and Thelonius Monk as well as Latin piano masters of the calibre of the great Peruchín. As the band demonstrated throughout the evening, this group effortlessly shifts gear from a sedate pace to a more frenetic one before returning to the former tempo. Among the distinguished musicians to have graced Palmieri’s band, current trumpeter Brian Lynch is one of the longest serving and fully deserving of a place with the likes of Chocolate. An apprenticeship first with Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers and then with left-field salsero Angel Canales has served Lynch well and given him a broad musical perspective from which to develop. In tone he has the same intensity of sound as Lee Morgan and Kenny Dorham, both equally adept in bop and Latin idioms. Lynch is very ably abetted on the alto saxophone by young Cuban musician Yosvany Terry, an altoist inspired at times by the fiery tones of Jackie McLean, but whose laid back, soulful approach is all his own.

For non-aficionados of Afro-Cuban music, the archetypal rhythm section is a major departure from the usual rock format. Timbales player José Clausell has been a staple member of the band for well over a decade and was totally at ease taking an ear shattering solo, or blending to the overall sound by playing on the timbales rim in concertation with the other percussionist, conguero Vincente Rivera who was apt to verbally encourage the other musicians. Finishing off the rhythm section was young bassist Luque Curtis, whom eddie in turn would actively encourage to take a solo. The fluidity and surefire nature of the bassist’s playing recalled the young Eddie Gomez in Bill Evans’ trio.

Collectively the Afro-Caribbean Jazz All Stars impress above all on the mid-tempo numbers with catchy bass riffs, intricate percussive polyrhythms and the leader himself, in relaxed mood, evidenced by his tendency to groan when taking a piano solo. Among the classic pieces to choose from the seemingly bottomless repertoire, one piece, ‘17.1’ from the seminal album, ‘Superimposition’, received a classic treatment with the band going up several years in the process and the horn players maintaining the blistering pace and then outdoing one another in some fiery solo slots. One technique employed by the band is the use of the false start, before Eddie would announce, ‘And now for our next number!’, much to the receptive audience’s delight. Elsewhere a gentle solo interlude from Palmieri was a pretext to display his jazz-loving credentials and this helped to create a relaxed atmosphere, typified during the interval by timbales player Clausell happily chatting with members of the audience and seen taking photos with them. Two fifty minute sets provided a fitting climax to an evening that never once ventured into clichés and where the audience were left at the end wanting more. A standing ovation gave the band all the information they required as to how the audience felt about the evening’s performance.

Tim Stenhouse

Matthew Halsall

Matthew Halsall, St. Clements Church, Chorlton-cum-Hardy Arts Festival, Manchester, 29 May 2010

It was to the stunning backdrop of a multi-coloured stainglass window in St Clements church as part of the annual arts festival that local jazz innovators under the aegis of trumpeter Matthew Halsall and saxophonist Nat Birchall laid down some truly spiritual jazz vibes. This would be the ideal setting in which to hear the sextet. Divided into two parts, the first half of the evening was devoted to a classic reworking and interpretation of some of the seminal pieces of what has now been termed modal jazz as pioneered by Miles Davis and John Coltrane in the late 1950s and early-mid 1960s. Indeed it was the latter’s wife, Alice Coltrane, an accomplished pianist and harpist in her own right, who provided the inspiration for the first number which was the title track to the ‘Journey to Satchidanada’, a seminal album on the Impulse label from 1971. Here Nat Birchall wisely opted for soprano saxophone with Rachel Gladwin providing the melodic component on harp, faithful to the original version. This epic twelve minute number was memorable also for the unexpected entrance of Adam Fairhall on piano with a modal vamp that inevitably conjured up images of the young McCoy Tyner during his tenure with the classic quartet of John Coltrane. Meanwhile while the music unfolded, Halsall remained crouched throughout on the stage, soaking up the spiritual sounds emanating from the rest of the band. This is a formation that has toured extensively throughout the UK, including a prestigious concert at the legendary Ronnie Scott’s, the British mecca for jazz, and equally regular gigs at Matt and Phred’s in their home city of Manchester, a venue that has earned a reputation for capturing some of the key musicians early on in their careers. These experiences have certainly stood Halsall, Birchall et al in good stead and consequently there is a mature, relaxed feel to the playing with ample freedom and space for the musicians individually to explore the sounds on their instruments while at the same time adhering to a collective rigour and discipline. It is this freedom to flourish and performing for the collective whole that made the evening such an enjoyable experience for the audience. If the riff to the first number was familiar, then the second was quite simply a jazz classic with one of the most distinctive riffs of all time, ‘A love supreme’ by John Coltrane. As with the original, drummer Luke Flowers laid down some scintillating polyrhythms on drums, but unlike the classic rendition Matthew Hasall soloed on muted harmon trumpet. The pretext of a piano solo afforded the rhythm section the opportunity to enjoy an extended outing minus the two leaders.

Key to understanding the band’s sound is is the rapport between the two horn players. Whereas in a conventional be-bop setting the reed players might engage in a ‘cutting edge’ contest attempting to outdo one another, here Birchall and Halsall operate at a different level and on a more complimentary playing field, allowing each other the space to go off and explore before eventually returning to the source and repeating the main theme in unison. Among influences the independent labels out of black America in the 1970s such as Strata East, Black Jazz and the legendary Detroit-based Tribe have proven a seminal influence and have helped shape the musical style and trajectory of the band. One of these labels, Strata East, provided the inspiration for an album by Clifford Jordan, ‘Glass Bead Games’, from 1974 that included a devotional tribute to John Coltrane and it was this composition simply entitled, ‘John Coltrane’, that the band really stretched out on from the immaculate bass solo intro from Gavin Barass to the vamps on harp and piano, all carefully managed by Nat Birchall who looked on with serious intent. Another Coltrane composition was a vehicle for harpist Rachel Gladwin. The harp in a jazz setting is quite a rare occurrence and apart from the aforementioned Alice Coltrane and Dorothy Ashby, has largely been ignored. This is a loss to the jazz idiom since it blends in beautifully with the other instruments and enables a seamless transition from drum through to piano. in addition the harp adds layered textures to the overall sound and weaves in between the two horn players. A crescendo of notes enveloped the auditorium as the harp strings were carefully plucked and the harp is that most flexible of instruments where once a theme has been stated, it is then possible to improvise on that same theme. Rachel Gladwin performed this task with aplomb.

After a well deserved interval, the band returned to the compact stage and the repertoire changed to the more recent numbers from the latest Nat Birchall album, the excellent, ‘Guiding Spirit’ (Gondwana) and from Matthew Halsall’s own ‘Coloured Yes’. It was the lengthy opener from the former that re-introduced the band and included a lovely evocation of the theme before Halsall took a restrained solo. At times the tempo and sound descended to a whisper, before gradually building up again in intensity. Always melodic, Halsall’s solos created a plaintive sound emanating from the trumpet with never a note too many. Nat Birchall is an extremely reflective saxophonist, taking in the influences of Joe Henderson and Charles Lloyd as well as more obviously John Coltrane when reverting to the tenor and toying with the audience on some pieces with a false ending that then continues. He has enjoyed a varied career, guesting with the Cinematic Orchestra and played one number inspired by them. Overall this was a deeply contemplative evening of jazz, but one that created accessible riffs and gloriously improvised virtuosity. The audience went away with a far greater appreciation of this somewhat neglected aspect of the jazz world.

Tim Stenhouse

MATTHEW HALSALL VISITING BIRMINGHAM FOR THE FIRST TIME TO PERFORM - 28TH MAY 2010:

Rakesh Chaurassia, Bridgewater Hall, Manchester, 22 May 2010

It was in the more intimate surrounding of the smaller venue at the Bridgewater Hall on a roasting hot summer’s afternoon that Rakesh Chaurassia, nephew of the great master Hariprasad, serenely took to the specially constructed stage with luxurious Indian carpet and pastel coloured cushions to create a relaxed ambience, partnered by percussionist Bhavani Shankar. Greatly aiding the audience’s ability to follow proceedings and the musicians playing more closely was the use of a video screen on the wall. One of the great virtues of Indian classical music is the way in which a piece, or raga can convey the mood of a particular time of day and so it was that Rakesh introduced the opening number as an afternoon raga. With the alap, or first introductory part, one is immediately transported into a different world where all sense of time is lost. As is the normally the case in the alap, Chaurassia began with a slow rhythm aided only by a drone beat in order to provide a full exposition of the raga. He is indeed an exponent of the bansuri flute (like his uncle), a long wooden instrument that gives it an altogether meatier sound than a conventional western flute. Here the sheer ability of the musician to improvise on a simple riff and go off onto another tangent is simply breathtaking. It was a full fifteen minutes before Shankar entered proceedings. We then entered into the jorh, or second part, where some elements of rhythm are introduced. Shankar plays on the pakhawaj, a drum where the right hand is used to produce a heavier sound whereas the left places emphasis on the end of the fingers to create a tinnier sound. A drum solo elicits spontaneous applause and is testimony to the virtuosity of the musician. Chaurassia finally begins to accompany and plays a frenzied improvised passage ati-drut (at a very fast tempo), creating in the process a high-pitched sound on the bansuri. The role of the percussionist seems to be to play off the flautist and thereby enrichen the overall sound. As the intensity builds at drut, or medium tempo, the two delight in trading licks, listening to one another intently in the process. This is a musical genre where a split-second reaction is required and they are not dissimilar in this respect to a master jazz musician. During quieter passages the percussionist retunes his drum, encouraging the flautist to comment, ‘You shouldn’t play so loudly!’, much to the amusement of the appreciative audience.

After a brief interval, tabla player Vijay Ghate entered the stage, introduced by Chaurassia. Ghate is, perhaps, best known in the UK for his presence in the Indo-Jazz fusion band Bombay Jazz that included guitarist Larry Coryell and assorted musicians on saxophone, flute and tabla among its alumni and toured this country in the autumn of 2007. Clearly there is a friendly camaraderie between Ghate and Chaurassia, doubtless due in part to the fact that they both hail from the same part of India, and share a similar outlook on music. After a couple of passages of flute, the tabla player begins to improvise with his left hand, keeping time with his right. The two instruments contrast, yet at the same time compliment one another beautifully, the flautist engaging in a lilting melodic solo while Ghate plays off him, and as a result the music takes on a looser feel. They manifestly delight in each other’s presence and after a relatively short piece, it is finally time for the other percussionist to return to stage and they now become a trio. Both percussionists sit at either end of the stage to view one another. Chaurassia starts to play a flute vamp and Ghate responds by soloing, then Shankar in turn plays a riff, all to great applause from an audience really digging the interplay between the three. In general the musicians are adept at shifting roles in the trio while playing sometimes at breakneck speed and this is a true reflection of their craftsmanship. When the piece ends suddenly, the musicians burst into spontaneous laughter. For the final six minute piece, Rakesh Chaurassia opts for a smaller bamboo flute that has a true storytelling quality (almost akin to a nursery rhyme) and Shankar this time uses a smaller hand drum that looks similar to a castanet, but has several small cymbals inside. With the number complete, the audience stand to applaud in unison at the end of what was a unique and intoxicating musical experience.

Tim Stenhouse

Sa Dingding, RNCM, Manchester, 20 May 2010

Chinese singer Sa Dingding came to international attention during 2008 with her debut album and quickly established a rapport with British audiences via appearances at both Womad and the BBC Proms. With her second album ‘Harmony’ (Wrasse), Sa has returned to the UK with an all-Chinese band and a sound that typifies her approach to music, a melting pot of influences comprising Chinese traditional and contemporary Western. The traditional element is provided by the use of the pipa, a pear-shaped four-string lute not dissimilar to the mandolin and the guzheng, a zither with sixteen or more strings, the latter producing a sound that oscillates between harp, harpsichord and marimba all rolled into one. Both instruments are most ably played by Zhang Yi. However, by clever use of keyboards, the Chinese element is reinforced by programming traditional instrumentation riffs and strings. In contrast the Western component comes together with the use of conventional
bass guitar, drums and vamping on keyboards.

Communication between East and West is a key theme to Dingding’s philosophy and non-verbal dialogue comes in the form of her visual performance which recalls the young Kate Bush in performance. Sometimes swinging form side to side, sometimes prostrate on the floor for dramatic effect, Sa immediately attracts the eye with her traditional dress in burnt orange and turquoise. Sa’s voice is high-pitched and slightly nasal, but remarkably flexible, even bluesy in places, and this enables her to engage in vocal gymnastics including the practice of her own invented language. This is best exemplified on the song, ‘Yun Yun Nan Nan’. Fusing Chinese and Western musics is no easy task and does not necessarily work for every song. On one uptempo piece the rock influences are simply not melodic enough to mix successfully, but it is surprising overall how well the seemingly disparate elements do combine to good effect. Far more successful are the mid-tempo songs where the bass and drum combination enables a number to build and bubble up in intensity while the subtle effects of the keyboards from Peng Bo and traditional instrumentation provide a fine counterbalance. An English language song, ‘Lucky day’, receives an almost whispered delivery from Dingding with the bass riff sounding as though it has been borrowed from Talking Heads’ ‘Once in a lifetime’. On the slower numbers, it is the haunting sound of the keyboard and the guzheng that compliment Sa’s voice, especially on the wordless vocals of one number where a programmed violin accompanies.

Sa is eager throughout to communicate her thoughts in English with the audience and explain in particular how her interest in music was stimulated by staying with her grandmother in inner Mongolia. This led to the beginning of Sa the songwriter. One song, ‘Pomegranate woman’, is devoted to women in South East China where there are no less than twenty-six ethnic groups. Here the symbolism of the fruit is used to depict the harsh outer appearance of the women, contrasted with the softer and beautiful inner self. Unquestionably, this is one of the evening’s highlights when the new and the traditional work best together over a slow nu-soul inspired beat accompaniment and gorgeous pipa strumming. Keyboards here provide added texture and the band have clearly interiorised many of the western sounds that they now feel at ease with. The best is reserved for almost last with the incredibly catchy and compelling ‘Hua’, a song about everlasting love according to Sa and one that illuminates the use of wordless vocals. Sa encourages the audience to wave their hands in the air, which they respond to in kind with mobile phone lights in the dark creating a quasi-candlelit ambience. For the hi-energy tempo of ‘Blue heart’, Sa reassures the audience that lucky blue heart is for them.

After a final bow and a comment from the keyboardist, ‘It’s all rock and roll’, the concert comes to a logical close. The concert as a whole is an illustration of how from a cultural perspective globalisation has facilitated greater experimentation between musical cultures. Sa Dingding may just be among the first wave of musicians to exploit these cross-cultural exchanges.

Tim Stenhouse

Rokia Traoré, Bridgewater Hall, Manchester, 5 May 2010

Malian singer Rokia Traoré has had a far from normal upbringing. Born into a family with a diplomat father, she has been exposed from an early age to other cultures and rapidly became at ease in both West African and European lifestyles. This cosmopolitan experience has clearly shaped her musical perspective and outlook to life in general. Traoré has been keen to explore new sounds that fuse both sides of her life thus far and this is reflected in the musical development of her albums. Whereas earlier projects were essentially devoted to updating traditional Malian sounds, in recent years and especially with the release of ‘Tchamantché’ in 2008, Traoré has focused far more on a genuine merging of genres and is both innovative and visionary in this respect.

Taking centre stage with a French trio comprising the rhythm section plus ngoni player (four stringed West African instrument) and percussionist, and background singer, one cannot fail to notice the coming together of seemingly disparate musical traditions. The band immediately enter into an uptempo number that places firm emphasis on funky guitar riffs with the chorus of ‘Je t’aime’ sung in French. Discernible influences on the singer would include blues, funk, rock and even and disco while late 1970s Talking Heads seems to permeate a good deal of the French musicians playing. Malian influences are harder to identify, particularly in terms of vocalists and this one of Traoré’s aces, namely her ability to sound like none of her contemporaries with the booming voice of say an Oumou Sangare wheareas Rokia has an altogether softer tone. The balance between African and Western music shifts with each song. While on one song there might be a distinctly Malian tuareg (denoting the political border between Mali and Algeria) feel with repetitive riffs strummed by the ngoni player, on another piece there might be greater stress on rock music sounds. Yet even here multiple influences are subtly bubbling underneath with the band in jam session mood and Traoré dancing from side to side. An evening highlight is the tribute paid to the South African songstress Miriam Makeba in the form of the English language, ‘Quit it’, which skilfully blurs the lines between world roots and popular music. Indeed this raises an important question: should not world roots music by its very nature be easily accessible to all and not limited to an elite in the know? Troaré’s approach would surely endorse greater accessibility and mainstream acceptance. Throughout the evening one is constantly reminded that Rokia Traoré is capable of playing within and outside her musical tradition and in so doing has finally created her own unique style. What is interesting is how receptive the audience is to some of the more fusion oriented songs, giving lie to the argument that western world music audiences only want to hear older sounds in contrast to African audiences who openly embrace modern instrumentation and external influences.

Accompanying Rokia Traoré is an impressive band who are oustanding individuals not afraid to stretch out (and given free rein to do so by the singer), yet always conscious of their role as being part of a cohesive whole. Bassist Christophe Minck deserves particular praise and appears to be the musical director in charge. It is noticeable how bassist and ngoni player exchange riffs while the rhythm guitarist is often deployed within a song to denote a brisk change in tempo, so common to music throughout the African continent. Traoré herself is a fascinating individual. Of slim build with cascading hair that recalls the Supremes, she might at first glance appear to be a Malian equivalent of the young Diana Ross. This would be a false perception for once adopting guitar for various numbers, Traoré looks far more like Sister Rosetta Thorpe with all the confidence and distinctiveness of the latter and when adlibing revealing a blues-inflected tone in addition. For a well deserved encore, Traoré’s piercing voice is heard a cappella with the audience joining in on handclaps and with the majority of the lower tier already out of their seats before the band eventually join in and take the song in another direction, becoming a terrific dance number. Rokia Traoré is a musician with real stage presence and her regular if somewhat quiet banter with the audience is well received. She is in microcosm the very future of world roots music, seamlessly blending musical traditions to create something new, yet never losing sight of, or disrespecting her own tradition. Preceding her were British alt.country group Sweet Billy Pilgrim who presented an excellent set of sweet harmonies and folksy Americana sharing lead vocals, and created an instant rapport with the audience adding a few personal anecdotes from the drummer for good measure.

Tim Stenhouse

Jerry Dammers and Spatial AKA Orchestra, Bridgewater Hall, Manchester, 30 March 2010

Formerly founder member and leader of the Specials, Jerry Dammers has long championed more exploratory musical terrain and this latest, much anticipated project, was devoted to cosmic jazz and avant-garde keyboardist extraordinaire, Sun Ra. It promised to take the extended band, audience and auditorium into an altogether different and at times a truly alien musical stratosphere and visually it was an absolute treat. Even before the band came on stage, the audience were able to marvel at an impressive array of space age artificats ranging from Tutenkhamun facsimiles, flashing space mobiles, voodoo masks and Dammers’ own vast electronic keyboard wizardry, fittingly arranged in the shape of a starship enterprise-style cockpit. As the cast members suddenly appeared down the principal aisle, dressed in spaced out garb and entered centre stage, the audience expectation of being transported onto a cosmic musical odyssey heightened considerably. With a near twenty piece band, no less than eight members of the excellent reed section, comprising alto, tenor (Denys Baptiste among the cast) and baritone saxophones plus flautist, keyboardist Zoe Rahman, vibist, tympani and conventional drummers, percussionist, electric and acoustic bassists and even two main vocalists, this was a big band of epic proportions.

The first surprise of many during the evening was an interpretation of one of Erik Satie’s ‘Gnossienne’s’, here transformed into a dub meets jazz head-on classic that had something of a Middle Eastern flavour to it. Dammer’s first utterances were, ‘We’re going backwards in time, forwards in time’, and this was very much an accurate résumé of how the evening would proceed. A minor theme ska piece from the Specials era was totally revitalised with an electric piano solo from the ever excellent Rahman and an Afro-Cuban feel permeated the stage from flute and percussion. It was four numbers in before Dammers openly acknowledged the evening’s direct homage to Sun Ra with a revisting of the seminal, ‘Where pathways meet (Prince of Peace)’ to the impressive visual backdrop of Sun Ra on a large screen with numerous examples of egyptology that Sun Ra was such a devotee of. To a bubbling funk-bass accompaniment, the tenor saxophonist (a Charles Lloyd lookalike if ever there were one), honked and squawked in the style of a mid-1960s Pharoah Sanders complete with a solo from the conguero and ending with vocoder vocals from Dammers himself. An extremely well received piece from the knowledgable crowd.

One of the evening’s highlights was a tribute to Jamaican saxophonist and one-time Sun Ra Arkestra band member Cedric ‘Im Brooks and leader of the legendary Jamaican band Light of Saba that fused reggae and jazz during the 1970s. This is where the Dammers project was at its most successful with a gorgeous rendition of Brooks’ ‘Sabia’, echoey dub provided by Dammers on the keyboards and the brass section in full flow. In turn one homage was followed by another, on this occasion to another Jamaican tenor saxophone legend, Tommy McCook, who graced many a classic recording at the Studio One studios in Kingston. McCook’s anthemic ‘Exodus’ was given the ska treatment. In a far more sedate vein there was heartfelt tribute to Dammers’ own father who had recently passed away with a Sun Ra blues vocal entitled, ‘I’ll wait for you’ with Zoe Rahman very effectively conveying the sombre mood of the piece.

A Jerry Dammers concert would not be complete without at least one of the Specials favourites and ‘Ghost Town’ was arguably the band’s finest moment and a timely one too during the last economic recession. Here Dammers introduced the number in typical eclectic fashion, ‘Have a gargle in your throat’, with audience participation requested. Consequently, a gargled voice instead of the normal vocals accompanied the song along with a poetic rap of the chorus from Trinidadian Anthony Joseph and this was an indication of how Dammers has moved on from this era. The tune was taken at a far more sedate pace than the original, jazzier, but with lyrics emphasized just as emphatically. Jerry Dammers has never been one to avoid political issues and here a later period Sun Ra composition, ‘Nuclear war’ was introduced with once more poetic chanting. Spiritual jazz, as espoused by the recently passed Alice Coltrane, was celebrated on ‘Journey to Satchinanda’ with the original sound of the sitar replaced by vibes and electric piano and on another Coltrane piece, the uptempo, ‘On Armageddon’. A fine interpretation of both.  After twenty numbers and almost two and half hours of playing without any break, the band slowly departed stage individually to what was something of a Sun Ra anthem, ‘Space is the Place’, the title track of both a film and album from the early 1970s that attracted a whole new audience to the keyboardist’s music. This was to be no conventional exit, though, and as the audience left the main auditorium, the band were to be found jamming to the same tune in the bar section, much to the delight of the departing crowds. Quite simply, one of the year’s best concerts.

Tim Stenhouse

African Soul Rebels Tour Bridgewater Hall, Manchester, 28 February 2010

As ever an eclectic mix of styles from the African continent were presented and this year’s instalment of the African Soul Rebels featured musicians from as far afield as West and southern Africa, with the little known nation of Benin represented by the Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Contonou. It was indeed the latter who started off proceedings, a kind of equivalent of Senegal’s Orchestra Baobab, though with a quite different and more urban sound. The group were in their prime during the 1970s and 1980s before disbanding and were known throughout the region for their Afro-funk beats. Comprising a ten piece band with three horns, two lead vocalists, beefed up percussion and the obligatory cheesey keyboard, Poly-Rythmo immediately set about hitting the choiciest of retro grooves with the reed players providing a wonderful counterpoint to the singers. Stylistically Poly-Rythmo oscillate between Afro-funk (though never derivative of the Nigerian sub-genre) with a subtle use of the drumbeat pattern associated with the music and more laid back styles that enable the emotional warm of the saxophonists and trumpeter to shine through. Key to the overall sound is the use of rhythm guitar to propel the beat and this is what Poly-Rythmo do to perfection while the slick arrangements fail to prevent the band from offering a rawer edge to their music, as their excellent recent compilation from 2007 ‘The Kings of Urban Groove 1972-1980’ so amply illustrated. It was this gritty side to the band’s repertoire that had the audience on the edge of their seats, particularly on the extended workouts with manic percussion work from the bongo player and reed players doubling up on cowbell to add an extra layer. Call and response dialogue with the public worked wonders and on the minor themes the band came across as akin to the Malian supergroup the Ambassadeurs with whom Salif Keita first plied his trade. Make no doubt about it, this was a master class in African big band extravagazna and the sheer versatility of the musicians in shifting from one style to another made for an intoxicating beginning to the evening.

Taking centre stage as the principal act for the final performance, Malian diva Oumou Sangare cuts an imposing tall, yet equally elegant figure and arrived on the stage after her two female vocalists has entertained the audience with their tambourines. The band hit an instantaneous rhythmic groove and were made up of kora player, hand drummer as well as two guitarists and flautist, with the West African calabash instrument intriguingly stuck to what appeared to be a piece of plywood and played on a table. The lilting sound of the band serves as an ideal background over which Oumou’s piercing nasal vocals soared and enveloped the auditorium. They excelled on the mid-tempo numbers and the building of intensity was enhanced by Sangare inviting the audience to clap along which they immediately reacted to. Oumou Sangare has had to fight long and hard to achieve her status in Malian society and was anxious to point out that in her native country, and in Africa more generally, the plight of women is an extremely hasardous one. She devoted one song to this very subject and emphasized the inestimable contribution that women make to society as mothers. Despite language barriers, Sangage managed to convey this message most effectively. Instantly recognisable were the introductory chords to one of her most loved songs, ‘Wanita’ where for once her vocal delivery was far more delcate and restrained, entering into a lengthy call and response session with her two vocalists. By now the audience were up out of their seats and Oumou Sangare departed to a standing ovation which ended the evening on a high note.

In between the two main acts were a relatively little known trio from Capetown, South Africa, the Kalahrai Surfers who are a clear indication of the multi-racial side of South African music in the twenty-first century and of the multitude of musical influences that South Africa has taken on board, including techno or electronica as evidenced by the array of sound effects the trio had at their disposal. For instrumentation the trio use programming beats plus bass and rhythm guitarists while the vocals veer sometimes towards reggae and at other times towards mainstream reggae, and even indie rock that takes in Talking Heads’ innovations. This made for an interesting contrast with the primarily acoustic instrumentation of the other two acts and was a reminder of how globalisation has greatly facilitated the dissemination of newer electronic sounds to the African continent. Particularly impressive was the use by the Kalahari Surfers of lyrics to put across political content as demonstrated on songs such as ‘General amnesty’ and ‘Child soldier’.

Tim Stenhouse

Mariza, Bridgewater Hall, Saturday, 6 February 2010

Current Portugese fado queen Mariza is not an obvious contender for best known singer in world roots music so it was an unexpected and very pleasurable surprise to see that the event was extremely well attended with the audience coming from as far afield as Argentina, Brazil, France and Spain, not to mention all parts of the north-west. Mariza cuts a quasi-supermodel figure with a tall and slender frame, futuristic ash-red dress, closely cropped blond hair and theatrical gesticulations that an actress at the Royal Exchange would be proud of. However, it is her voice that everyone is here to sample and what a distinctive diction it has too. The clarity of the delivery is simply astounding and takes one’s breath away even if the lyrics are entirely in Portugese (bar one song as an encore).

Accompanying the fado diva are three guitarists on collectively mandolin, acoustic lead and bass, and they teak a leaf out of the three great guitarists tour (Paco de Lucia, John McLaughlin and Al DiMeola) with the spotlight on them dressed in black and sat on stools on either side of the stage with the lead guitarist in the middle. Providing occasional accompaniment are a drummer/percussionist and pianist who also doubles up as a trumpeter. Part of the genius of Mariza’s repertoire is to constantly mix up these elements to provide endless variety for the listener. Mariza entertains the audience between numbers with her excellent command of English and on one number explains why a song is devoted to her native city of Lisbon where fado reigns supreme. The uptempo number has the audience immediately clapping while the mandolin player delivers a refined solo. On other compositions Mariza reveals the intimacy of fado with a beautifully excecuted ballad and one that indicates just how fado has become the Portugese man and woman’s take on the blues. Sometimes with the quintet in full flow the music takes on jazzy overtones and Mariza comes across as the logical modern day inheritor of Amelia Rodrigues’ mantle as the undisputed all-time fado great. This is particularly noticeable on the songs where the trumpeter plays a muted harmon in the style of late 1950 and early 1960s Miles Davis and where sheer sophistication simply oozes out of the ensemble sound. A good deal of credit should also go to the multi-percussionist who manages even with hand drums to create layers of sound that compliment Mariza’s vocals to perfection and blend in ideally with the guitar trio, no easy feat for a drummer.

The audience are very appreciative of the fact that Mariza in her introductions goes to some lengths to explain the reasoning behind her recordings and in particular the latest album’ Terra’ from which much of tonight’s repertoire is taken. At one point Mariza departs stage to rightly allow the three guitarists to take centre stage and engage in what is referred to in Portugese as ‘guitarrata’, with the bassist soloing while the other two accompany sensitively. The tempo suddenly increases a notch and we then find the trio playing in unison with a distinctly gypsy feel and the music taken at a rapid tempo. The mandolin player solos displays great dexterity until Mariza finally re-appears on stage and the guitarists are introduced in turn by her. Crucial to understanding the logic of fado is the concept of ‘saudade’, which Mariza translates as ‘longing’ and is one of the recurring themes of the fado songbook alongside love and lust. That she manages to convey this to the audience while reciting a song devoted to nineteenth century female poets in Portugal is testimony to her unquestionable communicative skills. Mariza recounts how her early childhood was spent in Africa (Mozambique to be precise) before she returned with her family to Lisbon. She then takes the audience to the south of Portugal with a song that has all the flavours of Spanish flamenco and at a brisk tempo then invites the audience to clap along which they respond to immediately. The warm rapport with the audience is all too evident and Mariza responds to this by descending the stage and singing among the audience, much to the latter’s delight followed by a mandolin solo con mucho gusto before there is a deliberate paused silence and then a dramatic vocal re-entry by Mariza once again on stage. The singer has a complete command of proceedings and to a standing ovation this seems a wonderful way for the evening to come to a conclusion.

However, all is not yet finished and to a second standing ovation, Mariza and the band return on stage at which point the singer then calls out to the audience to determine where precisely in the world they come from. For the first time Mariza starts to sing in English, a heartfelt rendition of ‘I’ve been crying over you’, before, as a second encore, the mandolin and lead guitarist go close up to Mariza in the middle of the stage to create further initmacy and the singer commences for the final time a classic mid-tempo groove of a song with the audience clapping throughout. A marvellous way to conclude an evening of Portugese soul music projected straight into the heart of Manchester.

Tim Stenhouse

Bassekou Kouyate and Nogoni Ba Band on the Wall, Manchester, 22 October 2009

It was in the newly renovated and recently re-opened surroundings of the legendary Manchester concert venue Band on the Wall that Bassekou Kouyate entered stage followed closely by other band members. This comprised a six piece band with a difference. In fact it would be more apt to descibe them as a mini orchestra for the unsual (in appearance at least) rectangular string instrument specific to West Africa, but known in Mali as the ngoni. The different size of each of the ngonis corresponds to the varying instrumentation in a western-style band and are designed to replicate bass and rhythm guitars among other instruments.

The songs on offer were a fascinating combination of the largely uptempo numbers from the excellent new album ‘I speak Fula’ and the more reflective pieces from its predecessor, the critically acclaimed ‘Segu Blue’. In the evening’s opening offering Bassekou immediately engages in a lengthy solo. He plays like a seasoned bluesman and the ease with which he solos stems in large part from the apprenticeship that he has served both with his father and grandfather, both nogoni players and makers. This is a feature of many of the top musicians in Mali and more generally in West Africa, belonging to a musically oriented family that goes back generation upon generation. Pieces alternate between uptempo and more laid back grooves. For the latter the bass nogoni plays a solo riff alongside which Bassekou lays down a vocal monologue, fingersnapping while the percussionist slowly builds in intensity. Suddenly there is a rapid shift in tempo and it is at this point that the whole band enters with Amy Sacko taking over vocals. The leader, Bassekou, is resplendent in a sashed camel-coloured traditional dress while lead singer and Bassekou’s wife Amy Sacko dazzles in a burnt orange dress.

On the uptempo numbers of which there are several, Bassekou moves to the left hand side of the stage to trade riffs with another nogoni player. When interviewed just before the concert, Bassekou declares his love of classic Congolese rumba with its renowned guitar duets and he seems to be taking on board their stage antics in order to warm up the audience. The sounds created on the various nogoni are quite astounding given the relatively simple nature of the instrument. Sometimes it can be likened to a blues guitar from John Lee Hooker or Muddy Waters in full flow while on other occasions it can sound like a harp. For one number, which is devoted to kings of the Bambara kingdom, Bassekou sits down and plays his ngoni like a zither with minimum accompaniment on bass ngoni. To the astonishment of the audience he even conjurs up a 1970s style wah-wah guitar without any use of electrification. Amy Sacko adopts a serene stance throughout the evening and delights in taking the lead vocals with Bassekou on a shifting mid-tempo song. In the tradition of the great Malian divas Amy adopts a high-pitched tone. Part way through the concert the talking drum (a small drum held under the armpit and beaten with a large thin stick) becomes the core percussion sound (with calabash taking a secondary role) and one one song the percussionist leaps forward and jumps in the air as he solos, followed in hot pursuit by other band members. By now the appreciative audience are loving the on-stage gymnastics while Amy sings in praise of ‘Coulibaly’, a famous family name in Malian history. Endless repetition of a riff-laden groove begins to exert its influence upon the audience who are clearly in a dancing mood. Similar to Amadou and Mariam in concert, Amy calls out in French: ‘Do you want to sing with us? Ok’ while at another moment in the evening Bassekou enquires in English ‘You happy?’ to which one audience member implores him to speak in French. This pleases Bassekou greatly and he thanks him in the language of Moliere. Indeed at one point four ngonis play an identical riff with Amy singing before the talking drummer takes the tempo up a notch again.

For the deserved encore band members are introduced once more and the ngoni solo this time sounds more like the graceful and meditiative kora instrument. The visual side to the performance is emphasized further by instrumentalists indulging in twisting and turning routines to the obvious delight of other musicians and the now frenzied crowd alike. When Amy enquires once more whether the audience would like to sing with her, there is an immediate response before one by one the group members depart the stage leaving just a trio to play out. A great evening’s entertainment for an audience that was in the mood to party. Band on the Wall was surely tailor-made for this kind of concert.  Tim Stenhouse

Tord Gustavsen Quartet RNCM 21 October 2009

Norwegian pianist Tord Gustavsen has emerged without great fanfare during the early noughties as one of Scandinavia’s and more generally Europe’s finest jazz musicians, quietly consolidating his growing body of work. Indeed Gustavsen’s minimalist style is ideally suited to the ECM label with which he has become closely associated and the chamber-jazz sub-genre that defines much (if not necessarily all) of the ECM catalogue. It is the echo-laden production of ECM founder Manfred Eicher allied to the distinctive sparse album covers that makes the label such a collector’s and listener’s delight. The label has proven to be the ideal home for Gustavsen where he has recorded three highly acclaimed trio albums, ‘Changing Places’ (2003), ‘The Gound’ (2005) and ‘Being There’ (2007). What is particularly interesting about tonight’s proceedings is that Gustavsen has extended the previous intimacy to a new quartet setting introducing new member multi-reedist Tore Brunborg as illustrated on the latest recording, the excellent ‘Restored, Returned’ (2009).

It is the apparent simplicity of Gustavsen’s playing that first strikes the listener and in terms of influence one can hear that the Norwegian has taken on board the romanticism of Bill Evans, the lyricism of Keith Jarrett and possibly even the spatial freedom that Brad Melhdau practices. Among his contemporaries in Scandinavia fellow label mate Bobo Stenson and the late great Esbjorn Svensson are conjured up without in any way being derivative of them. A delicate piano solo greets the audience for the opening piece before Brunborg enters gently on tenor, recalling Jan Garbarek at his most melodic. Gustavsen is a fascinating figure to watch, hunched up over the piano keys and engaging in a hypnotic riff, very ably assisted by the rhythm section. Thunderous applause at the end of this first number and a bow from the leader is followed by a softly spoken rap to introduce the quartet members. Gustavsen alternates between solo piano and piano-saxophone duet intros, and on the latter engages in a simple folkloric melody that gradually builds in intensity. Sometimes the pianist drops out altogether, before re-entering in order to re-emphasize the riff as on the delightful ‘Left over lullaby no. 1’, though minus vocalist Kristin Asbjornsen as on the CD. On other occasions he builds a vamp as the level of sound increases, or plucks the piano blocks to create a different sound. Occasionally Gustavsen improvises freely as the rhythm section maintains its rhythm, even standing sideways to achieve a specific sound. A good deal of credit for the cohesive ensemble sound must go to the two members of the rhythm section, bassist Mats Eilersten and drummer Jarle Vespsted. The latter, currently leader of a quartet featuring Manchester’s very own John Taylor, must surely be one of the most sensitive jazz accompanists on the planet and even when towards the end has his own solo, it is of the most delicate type imaginable before seemlessly re-integrating the ensemble. The former, who has recorded and toured on and off with Gustavsen, alternating with long-term trio member Harald Johnsen, provides a steady groove throughout and often uses a bow to compliment Gustavsen’s solos.

One of the most pleasing features of the ensemble is the degree of individual space band members have in which to flourish. This is certainly no group of major egos. Saxophonist Tore Brunborg alternates between the warm tenor and the higher-pitched baby alto which creates a more plaintive sound, recalling Wayne Shorter on soprano. When staying out of proceedings, he moves to the back of the stage before returning to the centre. This reminds one of the mid-nineteen-sixties Miles Davis quintet on stage. Gustavsen is extremely sensitive to everyday sounds and on one piece seemingly replicates the trickle of rain. In general when taking solos, the pianist explores the variation of a given theme, sometimes inspired by impressionistic music from the classical field and other times laying down blues-inflected licks. On another the ensemble are almost funereal in tone, but this is more a Scandinavian mourning than a New Orleans one. Brunborg caresses the tenor displaying a soulfulness Johnny Hodges would have been proud of and Gustavsen samples ‘The shadow of your smile’ in his solo. In fact Gustavsen is at his most Evanesque here. The addition of a saxophonist, far from subduing Gustavsen, seems to have stimulated even greater musical ideas and freedom with the latter inspired by the reed instrument and either embellishing the theme stated on either tenor or baby alto, or conversely playing sparses chords. By the final piece the quartet are in full swing with wailing tenor and Gustavsen setting off on another improvisatory roll. Rapturous continued applause from a very appreciative audience results in an encore with the band returning and being re-introduced before a short, contemplative rendition brings the evening to a quiet ending. This is simply music ideally designed for reflective, nocturnal listening. Catch the met the London Jazz Festival in November if you can.  Tim Stenhouse

Julie Fowlis RNCM 3rd October 2009

On a wet and windy evening that would not have been out of place in the Scottish Isles, Julie Fowlis began proceedings with an evocative walking song that conjured up her native northern Uist and one almost felt as though one had been transposed to the highlands. Scots Gaelic may seem an unlikely vehicle in the current increased interest in folk music, yet in Fowlis and band’s accomplished hands, the audience were treated to a masterclass in the musical genre. Throughout the evening it is the purity of Fowlis’ vocals that shine through, irrespective of whether the accompaniment was sparse or full on. Julie Fowlis came to prominence two years ago with a critically acclaimed debut album, ‘Cuilidh’ that won an award at the annual BBC Folk presentations and the songs on that album along with her brand new recording, ‘Uam’ (literally ‘From me’ and referring to a book Fowlis received of north Uist poems and songs) formed the basis of this evening’s repertoire. However, key to her art is an exploration of the common roots of Irish and Scots music and this is something that folk musicians as distinguished as Andy Irvine and Bert Jansch have long believed in. This interest in common roots was perfectly illustrated on another collaborative album from 2008 ‘Duet’ featuring Irish guitarist Eamonn Dorley who is an integral member of Fowlis’ current band. A technique that the singer has perfected is that of the wordless vocal, seemingly inspired by the scat vocals of jazz singers such as Ella Fitzgerald and Betty Carter, yet here sounding thoroughly grounded in a traditional folk setting. The audience is transfixed by the vocal gymnastics even if the overwhelming majority understand little or nothing of the Gaelic lyrics. Fowlis alternates between vocal pieces and instrumental numbers where she joins the rest of the band with an assortment of penny whistles and flutes (she can even plays the pipes as heard on her albums) that are ideally suited to the music. She is very ably assisted by a talented bunch of musicians. These include the long-time musical partner and guitarist Eamonn Dorley who frequently intervenes between songs with witty banter (doubling up also on fiddle) and Glaswegian Martin O’Neill who, in addition to being a fine bodhran player (and one who can play in a variety of contexts - witness his performances at the Manchester Jazz Festival a few years back with Neil Yates) can also accompany Fowlis on piano or play solo. Two other members, a fine fiddler and guitar player, add layered texture to the ensemble sound and in general the interplay between musicians was simply excellent. A definite highlight was a Gaelic version of the Beatles classic ‘Blackbird’ with gorgeous accompaniment on fiddle. In this pared down version, it is the bare essence of the song that emerges and Fowlis even returns to the English original part way through.  Julie Fowlis’ rendition of the song was actually the first folk song download to feature on the national playlist charts.

The singer seems very much as ease in a live setting and her frequent musical collaborations as witnessed on the recent Transatlantic seessions for the BBC have done her no harm at all, rubbing shoulders with the likes of James Taylor and Martha Wainwright, and even Mancunian Irish multi-instrumentalist Michael McGoldrick. Often the inspiration for writing traditional folk songs was an everyday happening such as one devoted to having a new pair of shoes, or the plight of women on the island. To the general amused bemusement of the audience, Fowlis announced that they would be singing along to some Gaelic lyrics (the singer is also a presenter on radio Alba - the Gelic-speaking digital channel with Gaelic now officially recognised as a national language) and her perseverence succeeding in teaching them a few lines of the language via a classic love song during which the audience joined in on the chorus. A new song translated from Breton was an indication of Fowlis’ desire to explore new territory within the Celtic musical domain and this piece was in fact first performed at the Celtic Connections festival in Glasgow. On the purely instrumental pieces the band cooked up a folk equivalent of a jam session which generated some intensity and had the audience clapping in unison. Tumultuous applause resulted in a greatly appreciated encore and a fitting song about cows! This proved to be a mournful lament with O’Neill supporting Fowlis on piano. The evening’s entertainment ended on a definite high with an uptempo instrumental jig with Fowlis on penny whistle and a joyous rapport between band and audience.  Tim Stenhouse

Jorge Pardo 3 dd’3/ Enrico Pieranunzi Trio RNCM, Manchester, 31 July 2009

It was with a distinctly Mediterranean flavour that MJF concluded its occupancy of the RNCM for this year with a double bill of Spanish and Italian interpretations of the universal art form known as jazz before a packed auditorium. First up was Jorge Pardo and trio collectively referred to as 3 dd’3. Pardo is a largely self-taught musician who served his apprenticeship in fusion band Dolores, then came to international prominence as part of the pioneering flamenco-jazz group under guitarist Paco de Lucia and participated on such landmark recordings as ‘One summer night’ and ‘Solo quiero caminar’. This opened up Pardo to a multitude of influences. As sideman his work has taken in Madrid-based Brazilian singer-songwriter Jayme Marques and flamenco singing legend Camaron de la Isla on the seminal ‘ Volando Voy’, not to mention more recently Chick Corea in the jazz sphere on the album ‘ The Ultimate Adventure ‘ from 2001.

The trio are a cohesive unit with a distinctly rootsy feel not dissimilar, though in a specifically Spanish context, to the mid-1960s Brazilian outfit Quarteto Novo headed by flautist Hermeto Pascoal. Both formations engage in a large degree of freedom for their individual constituent members, yet nonetheless operate within a coherent and strictly defined structure. Malaga-born bassist Francis Posse displays his Andalucian roots on a modal bass solo that is possibly inspired, in part at least, by Arabo-Andalucian music and going back further in time to the maqam modes of Iraq. Drummer Jose Vazquez was part of the free jazz scene in Madrid in the 1980s and it is his ability to play both within and outside a given structure that impresses. While the trio may on the surface appear to some to be a somewhat restrictive format, in the hands of a master craftsman it opens up all kinds of possibilities and this is exemplified by a fiery tanguillo from the Cadiz region where percussive flamenco rhythms are conjured up by the use of handclaps from Pardo and by the particularly inventive use of the double bass as a percussive instrument reproducing the sound of the cajon*1 Multi-reedist Jorge Pardo alternates between flute and soprano (the latter shaped like a baby alto)saxophone and while Eric Dolphy and John Coltrane have unquestionably influenced him, he has long ago created his own personalised sound. There is a fiery intensity to Pardo’s playing, particularly on flute, yet this is always tempered by great lyricism and the use of space, knowing when not to play too many notes. The latter is a skill first developed in jazz by pianist Ahmad Jamal and one that Miles Davis took on board. As a collective the trio are supremely skilled in taking a riff and going off in a whole new direction with it, changing tempo at ease yet always returning to the theme on several compositions showcasing their excellent latest album ‘3 dd’3’(Quadrant). This is clearly an environment Pardo feels comfortable in and the empathy generated by the trio members is self-evident. Pardo introduces his bassist part way throughout proceedings as ‘Francis from downtown Malaga’. The trio leave the stage to rapturous applause with the audience clearly wanting more. As Spaniards might say: *2”!Como Jorge Pardo y su trio no hay dos!” In other words, Jorge Pardo and his trio are truly one of a kind!

Jazz music has been blessed in recent decades with a multitude of piano trios ranging from the evolving genius of Brad Mehldau to the sadly departed Esbjorn Svensson as part of EST. It was with great anticipation, then, that Italian pianist Enrico Pieranunzi took the stage, without great fanfare, but to greatly appreciated applause. The trio began in restrained manner with sensitive percussive accompaniment from Enzo Zirilli. Pieranunzi possesses that quality that all great jazz pianists are blessed with: the ability to construct a melody and then improvise on it effortlessly. Thus the standard ‘Everything I know’ receives a latinesque vamp on piano in the introduction with polyrhythms embellished by Zirilli before Pieranunzi demonstrates what a wonderful blues lexicon he has at his disposal as well as swinging beautifully (a much maligned quality Bill Evans also had in abundance - Pieranunzi has written an acclaimed book on the all-time great pianist).
Integrating the trio ensemble sound are some delightful bass riffs from Daryl Hall, building a new melody into a given composition. Excelling on tunes from the great American songbook, the trio create a meditative ambience and this is illustrated on ‘Yesterdays’ where even though the piece is taken at a quicker tempo than per usual, Pieranunzi seemingly floats over the piano and Zirilli deploys cymbals to great effect, creating a de facto Brazilian theme on percussion. In this respect the trio seem to be taking a leaf out of the great Brazilian piano trios of the 1960s such as Tambo trio, or those led by master drummers Milton Banana and Edison Machado. On the last piece, a staccato piano intro leads into some ferociously paced trio playing with Pieranunzi exploring new territory, using the whole range of the piano. A crescendo of applause results in the trio returning to stage with the pianist engaging in a lengthy piano solo intro, quoting ‘My funny Valentine’ before the other two members enter and the piece is played as a quasi-waltz. All in all an evening of wonderous entertainment and a marvellous advert for MJF’s commitment to jazz from southern Europe.  Tim Stenhouse

*1 A wooden percussive block originally used by Black Peruvian musicians, but introduced into flamenco as it evolved and now considered a staple instrument)
*2 Please note that in correct Spanish the first exclamation mark should be placed upside down. I could not find the key to accomplish this on my keyboard.

RNCM, Manchester Tuesday 28 July 2009.  MJF Festival Art of Sound/Alata

The innovative combination of acoustic instrumentation and electronic gadgetry has earned British trio the Art of Sound rave reviews and a cult following in recent years, and it was therefore with great anticipation that they took the stage as part of a double bill during MJF week. After an informal introduction to greet the audience, a repetitive yet highly melodic riff opened proceedings with the inventive interplay between trio members immediately apparent. Pianist/leader John Law partakes in a good deal of solo improviation and is especially influenced by the romantic school of jazz piano of Bill Evans who has proven to be such an influence on the 1960s generation of pianists such as Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock in their acoustic phases. Evans would surely have been fascinated by the manner in which Art of Sound have taken the trio format in a wholly new direction. On the piece ‘Congregation’ the electronic sound intro serves as the springboard for extended piano improvisation, yet is is the delicate entering, departure and re-entering of the bass and drums with piano that impresses here. In general the Art of Sound are supremely well versed in jazz history at the same time as looking to the future and on ‘Trap clap’ the modal bass riff fromSam Burgess in the introduction and Latin-tinged drumming from Asaf Sirkis gives way to be-bop soloing from that Bud Powell would have been proud of.

The range of electronic sounds are used almost as a turntable like with old-school 1970s rappers to create special effect and embellish the overall trio sound. It is the ability of the trio to stretch out a seemingly simple riff and explore that is undoubtedly one of the Art of Sound’s major strengths, exemplified on the lyrical ‘Watching and waiting’. On the provocatively titled ‘Cannibal nibble’ the riff is repeated and improvised over (complete with siren sound) with a distinct Latin vibe and is reminiscent of the classic percussion outing ‘Jingo’, originally aired by Santana, but whose definitive version became a clubland hit for master Cuban conguero Candido. The full range of piano keys are deployed here hinting at Cecil Taylor as another influence. A quasi-religious tone was struck during the encore with ‘Kira’, a composition that pays homage to Bach (recalling also Jacques Loussier and his unique take on the composer) with the trio gently building in intensity and a piano vamp from Law that even takes in calypso, before gently fading out a la Abudullah Ibrahim. Even an untimely fire alarm (definitely not one of the intended accompanying sounds!) after the very first piece could not dampen proceedings on a performance that demonstrated above all the elasticity of the piano trio format.

The second half of the evening was taken up with a very welcome addition to the annual MJF, a French musical presence, which came in the form of Parisian-based quartet Alata. The group take as their inspiration and starting point the electric piano ensembles of the late 1960s and early 1970s as pioneered by Miles Davis on ‘In a silent way’. Keyboardist and leader Francis Le Bras proved to be an extremely sensitive accompanist and soloist following in a fine tradition of French jazz pianists from acoustic masters such as Martial Solal through to those combining electic and acoustic formats best illustrated by Michel Sardaby and the sadly departed Michel Petrucciani. He was ably assisted in these endeavours by the sure double bass of Emmanuel Brunet and the polyrhythms of Guillaume Dommartin. If Le Bras explaining titles in English to the audience belonged, perhaps, to the Jacques Tati school of sign-aided communication, the well behaved audience took this all in good humour. Alata excel on mid-tempo pieces where the multi-reedist Olivier Py impressed on tenor and was influenced by the soulful as well as exploratory sounds of French ace Barney Wilen, and more generally by the tenor giants Joe Henderson and Sonny Rollins. The best was left for last with two final compositions on which Py reverted to flute playing highly melodic solos a la Joe Farrell from his CTI tenure with Chick Corea. Alata came into their own on these and would do well to pursue that particular sound further. A night of new discoveries, then, for audience and band alike to cherish.  Tim Stenhouse

Joe Bataan Live At Cargo, London 11th June 2009

Joe Bataan – The KING of Latin Soul - Live At Cargo, London

So finally, after THIRTY years, the self confessed ‘Ordinary Guy’ and Latin Soul legend, Mr Joe Bataan performed his FIRST ever gig on a UK stage. Thanks to the Red Bull Music Academy, Karen P’s broadcasting and Stone Throw’s James Pants, the 11th June 2009 became a historic and indelible evening for all those in attendance, including UK Vibe’s The Dood.

The anticipation was heightened when the band took the stage, minus their Latin Guru. Then enter stage right - a red peaked cap came into view – the originator of New York Latin Soul, Joe Bataan had arrived in London, EC2! He worked his way along the stage front handing out signed photos to his adoring fans.

Then Mr B addressed his UK audience, ‘Ok, before I start, I gotta say something and then we’ll get on with the party. I travelled all the way from New York, and it took me twenty – nine years! The first time I came to London, I met this young lady, and we were at a disco….She said, ‘Do you wanna dance?’ ‘I said sweetheart, I never dance! She said, ‘Well you better start learning. So I went home with a lesson like that and here I am twenty –nine years later and I’m ready to party - with you!!

‘So let me tell you my story. Most artists come and they play for you, they look nice, they sound good and they go home and collect their money – not Joe Bataan, alright! I’m gonna tell you my story, my life, I’m gonna tell you what I’ve been doing for the last twenty – nine years! And I’m gonna include you in my prayers, which is most important.’

‘You see because when I tell you that story, then you’ll know the tragic and the good parts of Joe Bataan’s life.  So, it’s not an accident that Joe Bataan is here in London tonight, this was all planned. And it took twenty – nine years to make history and this is what were gonna give you today!’ Joe exclaimed.

James Pants, who insisted on Joe Bataan being the main attraction for this Red Bull event, duly took up his position, cow bell in hand as he promised. The scene was now set for an enthralling evening of Latin Soul/funk flavours – Joe Bataan style.

After catching the band(Grupo X) off guard by kicking off with a smooth soulful ballad intro taster, Joe changed up suddenly and proclaimed excitedly, ‘And so now, without modulation I’m gonna change the key and bring you the first song I did in 1966, and it goes like this….!!!’

Then BAM! The percussionist and pianist got mad busy, as did the brass section and backing vocalist (Joe’s wife Yvonne), as the familiar vibes of ‘Gypsy Woman’ filled the intimate Cargo venue. The party had most definitely started now. Half through the tune, Mr. New York requested the band bring it down real low and then take it gradually higher.

Sub-consciously, the Bataan faithful were drawn trance-like into Joe’s world as he got them to chant repeatedly, ‘We don’t need no music, all we need is rhythm!’ The brass section and timbales exploded once again for a final flourish. The cheers were deafening. Just one track in and we were already thinking, what great music the UK had been deprived of for the past thirty years.

With barely a breather, Joe introduced the next foot shuffler, ‘The next song, Mick Jagger took something from it and recorded the ‘Devil’s Advocate.’ I don’t know if that’s true, but here’s my rendition of ‘Johnny’.’ The rich soulful timbre of Joe’s voice was suited so well to the Latino rhythms.

On a roll now, the band smoothly segued into an immensely catchy, frenetic instrumental of ‘Puerto Rico Me Liama’. The supremely talented Grupo X, led by Jonny Enright got their time to shine, impressing Mr Bataan in the process. As did Joe’s good friend of forty years and legendary Timbales player/percussionist, Peter ‘Chukie’ Quintero.

The break from lyrics gave Joe and his wife a prime opportunity to lead a Conga train from the stage, out into their welcoming and adoring fans. They snaked rhythmically across the length of the floor and then back to base. Awesome!  There was to be no come down from this high just yet!

The classic tunes kept on coming as Joe hollered, ‘Back in 1979 there was a new thing coming out! Joe Bataan was right there. When I brought it to people they would say, ‘Hey Joe, you crazy, what the hell is that?’ I’d say, ‘This is something new!’ They’d say, ‘Well, so you don’t sing anymore?’ I’d say, ‘Yeah, but this is something new.’ They’d say, ‘Get outta here with that junk man, we’ll see you later!’

So instead of being the first, I became the third, and we had one of the top records in the world at that time. And it was one of the first rap songs called, ‘Rap-O-Clap-O!’ The infectious and insistent bass line kicked in as all present clapped their hands to the beat as instructed by Uncle Joe.

Three quarters into this delicious jazzy, sax laden version, Joe fleshed the story out further. ‘The story is, they didn’t let that play in London – it went on to be the number one hit in France, Holland, Spain and all over the world. Well, now Joe Bataan is back to claim his spot!’ The Cargo massive whooped their approval as the King of Latin Showmanship launched into the next verse.

In a set with no fillers, the 1968 hit ‘Riot’ was followed enthusiastically by the trumpeted intro to an even bigger smash, ‘Subway Joe.’- Everybody joining in with the sing-a-long chorus, Hey! Hey! Hey! Subway Joe!

After a lengthy but cathartic explanation of how he found a new spirituality following a near death experience, Joe Bataan treated the respectful crowd to an emotive version of ‘My Prayer.’ Sublime!

His adopted sound track to his life had the following introduction. ‘The next song is a song I happened to record ten times! A lot of people don’t know the story, but I recorded it in Spanish, English, I’ve done it slow, I’ve done ‘Bossa Nova’ I’ve done ‘Cha Cha’. And they told me it became popular here in the UK. And here’s my rendition of ‘Ordinary Guy.’ That was the bands cue to break into a languid and laid back ‘Bossa Nova’ version of the same.

With the evening drawing to a close, and before thrilling the audience with his unique version of Gil Scott-Heron’s ‘The Bottle’, Mr Bataan thanked them and introduced those supporting him. ‘Thank you so much, it’s been a pleasure….To my left, straight from New York, my wife Yvonne. And of course to my left we have James Pants.’ He then proceeded to name check the members of Grupo X and stalwart friend Peter ‘Chuckie’ Quintero, before adding, ‘…Last but not least my name is Joe and I’m the ‘Ordinary Guy!’

Joe Bataan’s first performance before a UK audience was rounded off with an uplifting, jaunty expression of Latino passion, Afro-Filipino style via ‘Do the Bush/Special Girl. A grateful Joe confessed, ‘It’s been a pleasure. You let Joe Bataan come back to your shores and I love ya!’

All I can say is on behalf of ‘Good Music’ lovers around the world and especially those present for his seminal and memorable show in the UK – Mr Bataan, It’s been a pleasure to indulge in ‘The Live Latin Soul/Funk Experience’ first hand. Please!  Please! Please! Don’t keep us waiting another twenty-nine to thirty years before you grace these shores again. One love!

Remember that ‘Nothing is Promised’ always love and appreciate those around you. You are blessed. Thank the Lord each and every day. – Joe Bataan/Your Ordinary Guy

Michael ‘The Dood’ Edwards

NB Big thanks to Georgia at Red Bull Music & Karen P’s broadcasting for arranging gig invite and subs sequent Joe Bataan interview. Respect!

The Line Up:

Joe Bataan: (lead vocal & keyboards)
Yvonne Nitollano: (background vocals)
Peter ‘Chuckie’ Quintero: (timbales, percussion)
James Pants: (cow-bell, percussion, background vocals)

Grupo X:
Jonny Enright: (band leader & trombone, background vocals)
Finn Peters: (alto sax, flute)
Grant Windsor: (piano)
Jimmy Le Messurier: drums
Leon Stenning: guitar
Elpadio Casedo: bass
Simon Finch: trumpet
Pete Eckford: congas/bongos

Essential Joe Bataan London gig link: 
http://redbullmusicacademyradio.com/shows/1603/

Essential website:
http://www.joebataan.net

Essential Joe Bataan You Tube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Qmy6BGhV5A

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wWh61RBNvw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGwV5LPa6Dc

Essential Grupo X websites:
(The backing band of choice for visiting Latin musicians)
http://www.grupo-x.com/Site_1/Welcome.html

http://www.myspace.com/grupox

NATURALLY 7 - Live at the Stables, MK & the Barbican, London 9th & 10th June 2009

NATURALLY 7 – A NATURAL HIGH
The Wall of Sound Tour (Live at the Stables, MK & the Barbican, London 9th & 10th June)

Every so often in life, an individual, or in this case a group come along who exceed your expectations ten fold and then some. Naturally 7 are such a phenomenon. I must confess, I jumped on late to the Naturally 7 band wagon, but I’m fully on board now and do not intend to alight any time soon.

Thanks to a heads up email from UK Vibe’s editor Steve, a few days later I was sat in ‘the Stables’, Milton Keynes about to be awakened to the delights of ‘Vocal Play’ – a term coined by Naturally 7.

‘Fly Baby’, their opening number dispelled at once any notion I had that these guys were and are the real deal. From the moment Jamal Reed followed closely by Garfield Buckley loped onto the Stables stage, vocally mimicking a guitar/harmonica, with a high pitched ‘T’wah! T’wah! – T’wah! T’wah! , the audience were transfixed.

That then transitioned into gasps and whoops as vocal percussionist Warren Thomas chimed in with a heavy, heavy kick drum, cymbals and hi – hat, which resonated throughout the whole building! He was sat as if addressing a transitional drum kit and even mimicked the actions, but this kit was invisible! The booming tones of Hops brought in the bass and all the ladies present dissolved into their seats.

Trust me, if one was to close their eyes you’d be forgiven there was a real band hiding behind the curtains. That vibe was continued two songs later in Naturally 7’s classic arrangement and interpretation of Mr Mister’s timeless ‘Broken Wings’. Warren and Jamal’s intro guitars making way for Dwight Stewart’s smooth and rounded baritone, which did justice to the partially restructured lyrics.

The initially low, then gradually increasing and tight harmonies led into the incessant primal and upbeat rhythms of ‘Speed of Sound’, supported by an equally tribal dance routine and chants. The pace changed markedly with a pure sweet a cappella version of Naturally 7’s first ever song, ‘Bless This House’.

Now came Warren Thomas’ ‘Drum Solo’, the first of six individual spotlights on the night. Again Warren sat as if astride a complete drum kit and proceeded to ‘do his thang!’ for the next three minutes – truly spellbinding!

The stage lights faded then, ‘Drip drop, I need just one good cry…’ were the words that emanated from the darkness, before the haunting, angelic strains of ‘Let It Rain’ wafted over us. Jamal and Dwight exchanged lead vocals for this plea to the heavens.

Rod Eldridge performed his original and amazing ‘loop pedal solo’ next – building an entire composition with his voice, a microphone and that loop pedal! The first session was concluded with a powerful vocal and visual rendition of ‘Wall Of Sound’ and the classical treatment of ‘Another You’, flute ‘n’ all!

After everyone had splashed cold water on their faces during the interval - to confirm they weren’t dreaming – the funky swing of ‘Open Your Eyes’ heralded our welcome to part two. Jamal took centre stage, with his soaring vocals raising people out their seats who had just sat down.

They remained standing as Jamal segued into his ‘Guitar Solo’. A scarily real electric guitar screeched from his vocal chords, amusing his UK hosts with a respectful version of ‘God Save The Queen.’

The mega impactful ‘Say You Love Me’, introduced as a request from God’s point of view, resounded throughout the auditorium, mainly due to Warren’s thunderous kick drum effect and the imploring vocal of Dwight. By now it was standing room only!! No chairs required.

Next into the ‘Solo’ spotlight was Garfield, ‘the incredible Harmonica Man’. The superlatives were quickly being used up. Roger and his brother Warren then did a comedic skit, to explain how their household had only three albums – one of John Denver, one of Cliff Richard and one of Simon and Garfunkel. The latter being the musical template for an enthralling three song medley homage; ‘Sound of Silence’, ‘Scarborough Fair’ and ‘April, Come She Will’.

We were all snapped out of our trances by the full on ‘Don’t Shoot the Messenger’, acted out ala Michael Jackson’s ‘Smooth Criminal’. Slenderly built bass man’ Hops stepped to plate next to thrill his growing legion of fans with his booming ‘Bass Solo’ including an impromptu version of MJ’s ‘Billie Jean’ – with moves! The audience lapped it up.

As the evening drew to close, Rod got to itchin’ and scratchin’ on his ‘DJ Solo’ prior to the group belting out hair raising versions of ‘Amazing Grace’ and ‘Feel It (In the Air Tonight)’, both received with rapturous applause and whooping.

This gushing show of approval didn’t die down until Naturally 7 took to the stage again, implored by those gathered for more natural flavours. They duly obliged with the barber shop quartet styled ‘More Than Words’ and the Motown inspired ‘Ready or Not’, complete microphone stands and ‘Four Tops’ dance steps.

Naturally 7 are definitely the real deal and a breath of fresh air on the live music circuit. If ever they come to a town or city near you, make sure and check them out. I guarantee you’ll leave the venue intoxicated! However, it will be a natural high brought about by the ‘Vocal Play’ of Naturally 7.

Michael ‘The Dood’ Edwards

Many thanks to Sorcha Hunter @ Serious for her efforts

http://www.naturallyseven.com

Christy Moore Bridgewater Hall 29 May 2009

Singer-songwriter and all-round musical bard Christy Moore has since the mid-nineteen sixties carved out a fascinating parallel career; co-founding member of pioneering Irish folk group Planxty and later fusion-folk group Moving Hearts; headlining folk singer drawing upon a wide range of influences taking in the North and Latin American social protest song tradition as well as English, Irish and Scottish folk music such as the Watersons and Hamish Imlach. In fact these two facets to Moore’s career trajectory came together on his second album, ‘Prosperous’, recorded by legendary English folk producer Bill Leader. This was in all but name the debut recording by Planxty and featured the four long-time members. Here the traditional Irish repertoire of ‘Raggle Taggle Gypsies’ and ‘Cliffs of Doneen’ was selected side by side with contemporary Dylan. In the larger picture Planxty marked a conscious break with the likes of the Clancy’s and the Dubliners and attracted a whole new audience to Irish folk. Furthermore the group acted as the catalyst for new bands such as the emerging Clannad, the later Bothy Band and even prog-folk such as Horslips.

It was with this towering reputation and yet down to earth manner that Christy Moore came onto the stage to rapturous applause from a passionate and devoted audience. Among them were members of Christy’s family (the song ‘Michael Hatton’s house’ being devoted to them) and the association with Manchester dates back to the nineteeen-sixties when the then up-and-coming singer had digs in Longsight, and has frequently returned to the city to perform. Moore’s repertoire in the first part of the concert is laden with songs telling tales of emigration of the Irish diaspora such as ‘I pity the poor immigrant’ and ‘I’m missing you’. However, he leaves the audience in no doubt that he feels at home in his adopted city of Manchester with a cry of ‘Tis grand to be back at Bridgewater’. While there was no doubt this was a Christy Moore concert and not a Planxty one, he still found time to play in a traditional vein on bodhran for ‘John Reilly’ and the Planxty favourite ‘The well below the Valley’ (another Moore original) which went down a treat. One can only hope the band rekindle the spirit of the 2004 Dublin reunion with a UK tout at some stage.

Moore occupies a unique position in Irish music; that of the social conscience of modern Ireland. This has meant in practice singing about polemical topics in Irish society, challenging the establishment, and in recent times this has included a critique of the gap between the rhetoric and practices of the Catholic church. The new song, ‘God works in strange ways’ and especially the reworking of Joni Mitchell’s ‘Magdalene Laundries’ leaves the listener in no doubt of Christy’s views on the subject, but he is content to let the songs speak for themselves. Throughout proceedings Moore engages in friendly banter with the audience and is generous enough in the second part to respond positively to request songs. Of the new material from the excellent and recently released ‘Listen’, ‘Does this train stop on Merseyside?’ impresses as does a startling and radical revision of Pink Floyd’s ‘Shine on you crazy diamond’ which becomes an altogether different song in its condensed acoustic version.

After an extended sabbatical in the nineteen-nineties, Christy has returned to solo perfomances, ably assisted by guitarist Declan Sinnott and so it was in this pared down format that the evening unfolded on the second night in his adopted city. On songs like ‘I’m an ordinary man’ the sheer melodicism of Moore’s songwriting craft comes to the fore and Sinnott’s electric and acoustic guitar playing proves to be the icing on the cake. Equally Moore has always had a sensitive ear for other songwriter’s songs that he might adapt and so Bob Dylan has been fertile territory with a rendition of ‘Lonesome Hattie Carroll’ as well as Moore’s brother Luka Bloom on the superb ‘City of Chicago’, another tale of migrant saudade.

Of course among the Christy favourites, the anthemic ‘Ride on’ has always had pride of place (the live version of the song in Dublin from the mid-nineteen nineties with the audience singing along is a classic) and listeners replicated the 1994 version, participating with equal passion. Running the fomer a close second was a rousing version of ‘Lisdoonvarna’ where Moore sang the verses almost like a rap. By now the audience were off their seats, helped in no measure by Christy recalling in song a trip to Germany in 1990 and the footballing exploits of the Irish national team in that year’s World Cup.

However, Moore has never been an artist who has limited himself to songs relating exclusively to the Emerald isle, however proud an Irishman he may unquestionably be, and it was the reflective side to his character that was emphasized in the encore. Some might argue that taking the tempo down after what preceeded was a misguided choice. This, though, would be to ignore Moore’s passionate espousing of the underdog, the downtrodden people who have no voice in the celebrity-obsessed media. It was with this thought in mind that the singer performed flawless renditions of ‘Viva la quinta brigada’ and ‘Victor Jara’. Fitting, then, that for the former, devoted to Irish recruits to the Republican cause during the Spanish civil war, an exhibition of the war was being aired in a Manchester museum, and that one of the presumed assassins of Chilean singer-songwriter Jara had been caught that week. In sum a marvellous evening of mastercraft singer-songwriting from Christy and in just over two hours almost thirty songs were performed with no interval required.  Tim Stenhouse