Stereo

Glasgow

28^th September

Day 1

On the face of last night’s stunning set of performances the future of improvisational music is safe in the hands of the upcoming generation of instrumentalists and composers who appeared as part of the Whirlwind Recordings Mini-Festival at Stereo in Glasgow.

Label founder and internationally renowned bass player, Michael Janisch, during a brief conversation prior to the gig, says he wanted to present music on his own terms and creating an independent record label was the only way to further those aims. The label is now in it’s sixth year and has an impressive array of talent among it’s roster of artists.

The evening opened with a rousing set of self penned and yet to be recorded compositions from Glasgow-based sax player Konrad Wiszniewski backed by the Paradigm Shift rhythm section of Michael Janisch on upright bass, Frenchman Cedric Hanriot on keys and New York resident Colin Stranahan on drums.

Playing mainly tenor sax throughout, with a couple of excursions on soprano sax, Konrad Wisniewski played with a full sound and great intonation. He opened up on the first number in exuberant style which set the tone for the rest of the set with some great sympathetic accompaniment from the talented trio. Highland Mary was notable for some subtle brush playing from Stranahan and Destination Unknown with it’s opening theme stated on soprano sax featured a tremendous solo from Henriot.

Next up was Shetland born but London-based Rachael Cohen on Alto Sax, again in a piano trio setting with Tom Gibb on keyboards, Dave Houghd on drums and Mark Lewanoswski on bass. A slightly more laid back and clear sound belied a forceful set of mainly self penned numbers with Lewanoswski outstanding on a couple of bass solo excursions. Cohen’s angular bluesy solo on Ornette Coleman’s Just For You was a particular high point in a constantly engaging performance.

Paradigm Shift finished off the night with a tour de force display of instrumental firepower that ranks alongside any jazz gig I’ve been to in the past and I’m including some very big names in that list.

The driving rhythm section of Janisch (on electric bass too), Stranahan and Henriot was fronted by Paul Booth on tenor sax and Didgeridoo(!), Jason Yarde on soprano sax and Alex Bonney on trumpet and electronics. Bonney was using live feeds of the band and processing them back through the PA mix which gave some very interesting extra textures to the overall sound. When all three front men were blowing at the same time there was a bizarre mixture of demented hot jazz from the 1920’s and Eric Dolphy in outer space somewhere. Jason Yarde’s soprano sax solo on Crash had the audience gasping in disbelief at his sheer virtuosity and the quirky Mike’s Mosey had a great echo bass solo. Likewise,Awakening, a Paul Booth composition, had a stunning keyboard solo from Henriot that had the audience shouting their appreciation.

Mention has to be made of the crystal clear quality of the sound throughout and the sheer enthusiasm of all the performers who were obviously having a great time. No po-faced old jazzers here. Looking forward to day two.

Day 2

A distinct feeling of deja vu as I trudged down the remarkably uneven cobbles of Renfrew Lane for day two of the Whirlwind Recordings Mini-Festival at Stereo in Glasgow. That feeling evaporated as soon as the first band of the evening Ryan Quigley Quintet took to the stage. After an opening bass theme played by Michael Jarmisch (who would go on to play bass all night- his fingers must be sore today) the rest of the band featuring Ryan Quigley on trumpet, Alyn Cosker on drums,Alan Menzie on keyboards and Paul Booth on tenor sax basically exploded into action for nearly a solid hour of music.

There were perhaps about six distinct pieces which were played without a break or introductions and Ryan Quigley showed a talent for cliché-free soloing that was totally refreshing in it’s delivery. He has a beautiful clean tone.The music in it’s approach was reminiscent of the Plugged Nickel era Miles Davis Quintet in many ways. The other soloists played a major part too with some absolutely thunderous drum excursions from Alyn Cosker a major highlight and Paul Booth along with Alan Menzie had some great moments too.

The second act of the night, Tom Gibbs Quartet was a complete contrast to the pyrotechnics of Ryan Quigley and was a far more reflective and melodic set. Featuring composer and keyboard player Gibbs, alto saxist Alan Jackson, Dave Houghd on drums and the aforementioned Michael Jarmisch on bass the band played a number of Tom Gibbs’ own compositions. Outstanding for me were Heartbreaker and A little Something both featuring Fender Rhodes tinged piano solos from Tom Gibbs and well constructed sax playing from Jackson. A subtle and captivating performance.

Finally Paradigm shift returned to the stage for the second night and showed yet again what an accomplished act they are with Jason Yarde’s soprano sax solo on Crash again absolutely astonishing in it’s virtuosity. They have a new double CD out shortly which should be well worth a listen. Another five star night of absorbing music and outstanding musicianship.

Reviewer : Dave Ivens

Perth Concert Hall
2^nd September 2015

Perth Concert Hall, when you consider that Perth is hardly a major hub, gets some great name acts. It’s hardly surprising that they got in on the current Richard Thompson tour. I guess it’s less surprising that The Rails wangled a support spot, given that half of the duo, Kami Thompson, is Richard’s daughter – as Richard himself remarked later in the evening, “Nepotism will get you just about anywhere!”

Let’s be clear about this, no way am I saying that The Rails didn’t merit and didn’t carry the support spot. On the contrary, they most certainly did, and gave us a wonderful set. There is no nation on earth like the English for holding its own folk music and customs in utter despite, in laughing at the morris dances and bucolic songs of its past. Maybe there’s some good historical reason for this, maybe it has to do with the Industrial Revolution and the drift of population from country to town – who can say? – but despite the evangelism of singers like Martin Carthy, England is a country largely without significant extant folklore. I know it’s strange to write this in Scotland, but it feels good to find members of a post-Carthy generation who are prepared to draw on an English past treasury and make it their own. Thus when James Walbourne and Kami Thompson come on stage and sing versions of The Butcher’s Boy, Bold William Taylor, and The Jealous Sailor, it’s damned refreshing to say the least. James is the stronger of the two musically, his guitar often carrying the songs along, in a way rather reminiscent of Martin Simpson’s accompaniment of June Tabor, but with a more attacking, punky style. His is such positive and confident playing that when they prologued the second half of the concert with a song from the ‘Thompson’ album, James actually took a precedent solo to Richard, and indulged in a sawal-jawab with the man! James and Kami sing together harmonizing perfectly, but less convincingly when they both take the melody line. Their set contained other folk material from Scotland and Ireland, songs like The Willow Tree and Habit that had a country feel to them, and contemporary material such as James’s Panic Attack Blues. The latter was written after a drinking session with Shane MacGowan. Yeah, I can imagine. Seriously, I’m keeping my eye on this duo, it was a pretty good set.

I have to confess that over the past decades I have never been caught up in Thompsonmania, and so I guess I’m the right person to send along to review a Richard Thompson gig with a degree of objectivity. I have been aware of him, of course, aware of his expertise on the guitar, and aware of some achingly beautiful songs (Beeswing, for example, and Turning of the Tide). But back in the day you were either a partisan of traditional folk or contemporary folk; as you might guess from my comments above about The Rails’ material, my vote went to traditional. Thus, a little after the seminal folk-rock album Morris On I lost touch with Richard’s career as it moved more and more into rock. I only caught up again later, grew to appreciate his work, but somehow never developed the patience to devour, say, a full album at one sitting. I always found too many tracks that didn’t speak to me. So how did I find a full concert?

The L.A. Times compares Richard’s songwriting, qualitatively, to that of Bob Dylan, and his guitar-playing to that of Jimi Hendrix. The Philadelphia Enquirer invokes Neil Young and Prince. It has to be said that Richard is not quite the household name that some of these cited artists are, probably because of his occupation of a particular musical niche. To those who do not go to that niche for their musical sustenance he is a relative unknown. You might have to go back to the 1960s to find one of his songs getting mainstream pop radio airing – that would be Fairport Convention’s Meet On The Ledge – which cannot be said of any of the others named. Does he deserve these accolades, and moreover did he deserve them on the night? Well, his set proper started with All Buttoned Up from his latest album, Still, and that’s a good place to start because it’s a number that showcases Richard’s straight-ahead rock guitar; in places I could hear the validity of the comparison with Prince. As the evening went on and I got more absorbed in his playing, I began to hear some very basic sounds that took me to Link Wray or Dick Dale, and some melodic lines that made me think that Mark Knopfler maybe had similar sounds running around in his head. But then Richard would take off and shred like a demon, entirely without histrionics – in no way did he look superannuated, or as if he were trying too hard, all he ever looked like was a man totally at ease with a Stratocaster in his hands – and I realised that he could hold a master class for any rock guitarists you would care to name.

His song Guitar Heroes, again from Still, is a piece of engaging silliness, in which he emulates – and invites us to spot – five guitarists that inspired him in his youth. To be fair, they are flagged up in the lyrics – Django Reinhardt, Les Paul, Chuck Berry, James Burton, and Hank Marvin – but as the number has the basic rhythm of an Elvis Presley 45 I could also cite Bill Black. And the ending had a touch of Pete Townsend!

In the middle of the set Richard picked up an acoustic and soloed. He played one of those ‘achingly brilliant’ songs I mentioned earlier, 1952 Vincent Black Lightning. This is the one Richard Thompson track I would take with me onto a desert island. Albeit a contemporary song about a girl on the street corner and the kind of rocker who would turn up at the Ace café just to sneer at the Triumphs and Nortons and Beezers, it is a song that shows Richard to be anchored in folk music. Okay James Adie is not a sailor and Red Molly is not a milkmaid, James Adie is not a soldier boy and Red Molly is not a serving girl, but when you listen to the song you could be forgiven for thinking that there is, somewhere, a lost Child Ballad where a bold highwayman wills his faithful steed to an innkeeper’s daughter! It is an amazing song, and one that travels, one that can be picked up by performers in other genres – if you don’t believe me, just look for Del McCoury’s straight Bluegrass version.

Richard’s ‘Electric Trio’, by the way, includes bassist Taras Prodaniuk and drummer Michael Jerome. I’m going to mention Michael Jerome’s drumming. It was like rifle-fire. Seldom have I known a drummer get such a range of sounds out of a relatively small drum kit. The trio meshed perfectly, and won two double-encores. Was I converted? Put it this way: by the time we all joined in (yes, even me) with the chorus of Tear-Stained Letter I had had enough. But that’s just me. I didn’t come to the gig to be converted, and it’s not going to stop me awarding five stars, because it was a five-star gig and that’s that. Do not let an opportunity to see Richard Thompson play live slip by. He’s only in Scotland for a short time, playing Aberdeen Music Hall on the 3^rd and Queen’s Hall in Edinburgh on the 5^th. After that you’ll have to follow the tour bus through the north of England… but it’d be worth the effort.

Reviewer : Paul Thompson

Queen’s Hall

27th August

Joseph Haydn (att.) – String Quartet in F Major Op 3 No 5

Paul Hindemith – String Quartet No 5 in E Flat Major Op 32

Joseph Haydn – String Quartet in C Major Op 76 No 3

What a joy is to walk through Edinburgh on a warm sunny morning in August, the bustling with festivity & cappuccino in hand. My destination was the Queen’s Hall to witness one of the most brilliant String foursomes in Europe, Zehetmair Quartet. Founded in 1994 by Austrian violinist & conductor Thomas Zehetmair,  he led his group onto the Queen’s Hall stage in a uniform of black. For our pleasure they had drawn three interesting pieces from a diverse repertory which had been played all over Europe, a mix of classical & contemporary, being two Haydns & a Hindemith. The latter choice was an in-group nod of appreciation to their recent winning of 10,000 euros from the city of Hanau for the ‘Hindemith Prize.’

The first piece, String Quartet in F Major Op 3 No 5, is nominally attributed to Hadyn, Zehetmair’s fellow Austrian (1732-1809), whose prominent and prolific compositons helped to usher in the Romantic Era. Predominantly the court musician for the wealthy Esterházy family , his remoteness forced him to become original, & at the time of his death, aged 77, he was one of the most celebrated composers in Europe. Until 1964 his Op 3 No 5 was said to be his, but in that year the name of the Benedictine Monk & Haydn fan ‘Signor Hofstetter name hidden under 2 quartets of the series of 6. Since then, the dispute has raged as to just who composed the series – my instinct is that it was a joint affair, Op 3 No 5, you can just sense Hadyn’s hand in certain parts. The rendition afforded us by the Zehetmair Quartet was full of lively bow-sawing & a certain sincerity that comes with a musician playing a native air. A moving & exciting way to start the program.

The second piece, String Quartet No 5 in E Flat Major Op 32 by German composer & violinist,   Paul Hindemith (1895-1963) is a riotous celebration of the modernism that swept across Europe in the early 20th century. Premiered in 1923 & dedicated to Beatrice Sutter-Kottlar, a leading soprano & teacher at the Goch university in Frankfurt, Guy Rickards writes that Hindemith keeps, ‘the irreverence & iconoclasm of his early tears & his reward for the traditions of the medium in perfect balance.’ Despite their unusual configuration, the Zehetmair gang pulled off wonderfully the dramatic gargoyle screeches, wild strings & dystopian visions of Hindemith’s surreal epic,  & the brilliant frenetic ending was a joy to hear.

The final act of this wonderful trilogy was String Quartet in C Major Op 76 No 3 – also known as the Emperor – which contains the music from which the German national anthem was born. There is a jollity of life to the Emperor which invokes the world of 1797 which was tettering on the brink of the Napoleonic slaughters. Again , the Zehetmair played this to perfection, even gusto, & moved about their seats like dancers at a sunny rave. An excellent performance all round

As I watched & listened to the Zehetmair, my poetical fibres began to tingle, & I found myself etching the following sonnet throughout.

***********

Before Zehetmair

There is a way to make a poor man rich

Bedazzle him with beauties, to distill

Life’s quintessential essence, without which

Drouth drains the inkwell, uncouth cracks the quill!

Yes, set him free, some large & open hall

Where from the soft & guileless rise of strings

Both passing urchins & the wealth-set stall

Rais’d on adagionic angels’ wings

Then let him listen synasthesean

Turning to worderie these mimesi

Which bubble from the orb’d empyrean

Wall’d-workshop of a makar’s primal eye.

Where listening to some lush-string’d Quartet,

The Mousai bless him with ae fond bousette!

The Playhouse

August 24^th

*****

I ❤ Max Richter – have done since first hearing The Blue Notebooks about ten years ago. His music is like a soundtrack for everyday life, making commonplace actions, such as walking in the street, or driving, seem as if they are taking place in a film. Many labels have been applied to Richter’s music – postclassical, neoclassical, indie classical, postminimal – but none of these do the composer justice. He is a genuine renaissance man, the master of fusing almost all of the history of music, from classical via the avant-garde to electronica, into something completely new and contemporary. This concert, performed by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and conducted by André de Ridder, was a double bill of two Richter solo albums: Recomposed: Vivaldi – The Four Seasons and Memoryhouse, his debut.

It began with Richter’s brave take on Vivaldi, where he seemingly discarded 75% of the original music, but kept the main themes and leitmotifs. The retained music was then remixed with loops, clever repetitions and phasing, to mix the best of Vivaldi with minimalism and Richter’s signature lushness and depth of texture. Daniel Hope was outstanding as solo violinist, his fingers faster than any guitarist and the energy and passion he brought to the piece was immense.  The bass created by the cellists was another highlight, deep and rhythmical, and could easily have featured on a dance track from Richter’s early work with the likes of Future Sound of London. Enough Vivaldi was present for purists and the performance ended with the first of two standing ovations and pain inducing applause.

A massive changeover took place during the interval to set the stage for Memoryhouse, from a fairly intimate chamber orchestra to a full symphony orchestra, impressively done by technicians in half an hour. Richter’s debut solo-work tells a story of modern European wars and horrors and could soundtrack events happening now. It’s a beautifully melancholic and moving synthesis of ambient sonics, field recordings, poetry, strings, voice, piano and static. Cementing everything was Richter, centre-stage, hopping from laptop to piano to keyboard and back again – he clearly loved being surrounded by his own music. The sound of the entire concert was sublime, all elements audible among others, not one overpowering, leading your ear from layer to another. The female vocalist’s haunting melodies, in ‘Sarajevo’ in particular, captured the essence of the whole work: tragic and otherworldly, but grounded in brutal reality. Memoryhouse was only performed live for the first time last year and it works supremely well as a live performance, no doubt down to Richter’s mastery of arrangement. Judging by the longer standing ovation that followed, it looks set to become a staple of concert halls, and beyond, for the future.

*****

Reviewer : Nicky Melville

Spiegeltent
Aug 24-29, 31
23.00
£15.00 (£8.00)

The flamboyant singer and ( comedian) Jack Lukeman has very kindly brought his extravagant show to the Edinburgh Fringe.  Playing at the famous and beautiful Spiegeltent situated in St. Andrews Square, the party began when Jack appeared from the back of the audience singing the  blues and wearing a top hat with feather in toe. With a four piece band consisting of keyboards, double bass, drums and guitar  acutely complementing Jack’s charismatic voice, he announced himself as the king of blues. As he progressed, you could feel… note-by-note… his playful sense of humour seep through in the first few songs. By the time we got to the song The Port of Amsterdam, the audience were encouraged to get to their feet, which everyone did, quickly surrounding the outward jutting stage… Jack could easily take this show to Las Vegas and compete with the best.

As Jack sings these wonderfully quirky songs, his band delivers a cacophony of electrifying tunes, which all adds up to be a well-crafted show. Its always good to see something different and Luke’s show was designed to do exactly that… I mentioned comedy dwelt within Jack’s act, but the guy is also a classic musician, producer and songwriter in his own right, as was made richly evident by his song Rooftop Lullaby…

Delivering some solo songs he paraded around the audience serenading with the greatest of ease. Jack’s show was absolutely perfect for the Spiegeltent luxurious surroundings, where the Jack’s costume & the chill-inducing tingling blues music this made this a night to remember.  Jack is a true Irish gem and will no doubt be around for a long time to come. FOUR STARS

****

Reviewer : Spud

Just Festival @ Central hall Edinburgh

20.08.2015

 Assembly Studio 3.

When one doesnae live in a climate that is warm and sunny most of the time, the rare days when the Sun does make an appearance are relished with much more vigor. Ross came and called for me at mid day and we headed into town. I had left my drums in The Jazz Bar, earlier on that morning. So that was our next port of call. After I had retrieved my kit, I headed to the Assembly press office to arrange my review for The Tshwane Gospal Choir at 5.30pm. We then Headed to The Meadows for a bit of sunbathing, handstands, drumming and gong playing with a selection of friends of a healing persuasion. It was a delightful afternoon. Setting the tone perfectly for my 5,30pm Mumble review mission.

It was the night before at The Anti Poet Gig that this troupe of lovely, lovely artists walked into the Divine heart. So I already knew what a treat for the senses this was going to be.

I took my seat in the theater as the very handsome backing band wove beautiful ambient music before show time. This is a performance that is a joy from start to finish. The Choir serenaded us with beautiful South African Indigenous folk songs, that spoke of the troubled years of apartheid. The tears were welling up inside me, I was holding them back because my mascara wasnae waterproof. I call this my Soul Gage. Whenever I hear perfect examples of Gospel music that comes from a genuine place of Holy Divinity. The power of the muse always reaches into my soul. Everything about this performance is excellent, captivating and thoroughly entertaining.

The Tshwane Gospel Choir are Angels on a mission and have traveled a long long way to bring this Holy experience to our attention and delight. Everyone was wanting to dance too and by the last number, the whole of the Audience joined the troupe on stage to cut a rug.

This is another of the performances that I cannae rate more highly (Coz we The Mumble have a Maximum of Five Stars)

This is a deserved 5 Star performance.
This show will enrich your life!
Bravo 5 Stars!
Love Divinexx