Reggae on the Rocks - Live in Nottingham 2 August 2015

Not so long ago I got the chance to see a live show by Nottinghams` Reggae on the Rocks, a band I`ve wanted to see for some time.

Along with a number of other bands, they were appearing at an event to publicise/raise funds for Maggie`s, a cancer-related cause based at Nottingham City Hospital ( https://www.maggiescentres.org ).

ROTR played a short set made up of covers of classic reggae tunes, starting with the Abyssinians` Satta Massagana and ending with the Psalms` Joy in the Morning, two personal favourites of mine. You`ll readily see that they`re not afraid of a challenge as only a band who were very sure of themselves would attempt these two.

Other artists` whose tunes were covered include John Holt, Toots and the Maytals and, rather surprisingly, Jesse J (a reggae re-working of the chart hit `Price Tag` which worked well ). 

This was an early afternoon appearance and I gather the band had played live the previous night before making a lengthy journey home. Under the circumstances they could have been forgiven the odd slip but in fact they never faltered and the musicianship was impeccable throughout.

To their credit, the band was well-received by an audience that (I suspect) was largely unfamiliar with their material. Much of the credit for this is down to the communication skills of singer Luke, the ideal front man for this type of show.

The band give the impression they see themselves as ambassadors - for reggae, for Nottingham and, on this occasion, for the Maggies charity. In that respect they were entirely successful.

ROTR can be found here ;

www.reggaeontherocks.co.uk

www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMQZqFbPh5U







   
     

Jamie Joseph - Nottingham Riverside Festival 3 August 2014

Each year around this time I`ve been in the habit of reviewing the bands that appear at the Beeston Summer in the Square (Music in the Square) season, an series of events that has attracted a varied assortment of artists, ranging from covers bands ( Joe Strange, JT4, 60s R Us), blues man Raphael Achache, jazz songstress Jeannie Barton, the African vibes of Bana Congo and Les Elus, eclectic folk people Carmina and many, many more.

Sadly, Broxtowe Borough Council is not putting those events on this year but fortunately my life is not a total cultural wasteland as I recently caught a live set by Derby-based soul dude Jamie Joseph.

                                                                       Jamie Joseph


It`s a funny thing about me and soul music - I`ve seen and enjoyed a number of pretty impressive soul acts live, including Edwin Starr, Martha Reeves and David Ruffin but I rarely listen to it at home. 

You might think that having seen some seriously soulful live shows I wouldn`t be impressed by young Jamie and his band. You would be totally wrong.

I don`t usually review anything that`s not fresh in my mind but I`m making an exception as it`s pretty easy to recall the sheer range of his voice, which can find it`s way from growling low notes to  higher-pitched, more sensitive phrases without apparent difficulty. `Apparent` may be the key word, however, as at the end he was hampered in addressing a few words to the audience by the fact his speaking voice was playing up.

I`ll be honest and admit that most of the material he performed was unfamiliar to me and a lot of the time I had no idea which songs were covers and which were originals. Nevertheless if you`re looking for soulfulness coupled with commitment, Jamie`s your lad !

On the Web ; 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJk9hgQopeo


http://vimeo.com/62543125

Jazz Femme Jeanie

This blog has already mentioned jazz singer Jeanie Barton. This youthful chanteuse has already built up quite a following in the area, working with local hepcats such as keyboard player Bob Hudson.

Anyone wishing to see Jeanie live can catch her play a guitar-and-voice set  at Beeston Jazz Club on 6 December 2013 with six-stringed strummer and picker Matt Chandler.

Details here ;

www.beestonjazz.co.uk

http://jeaniebarton.com

www.mattchandlerguitar.com

 

Waingroves Show 2013

The village of Waingroves in Amber Valley will become a whirlwind of activity this weekend.

Among many other attractions and activities there will be live entertainment on the evening of Friday 13 September 2013  (unspecified, though I`ve heard there may be a rock `n` roll element).

 On Saturday 14 September 2013 there will be a Horticultural and Craft Show at the Community Centre, an Art Exhibition at the Methodist Church and much else.

Mancunian Steel (as you might imagine, a steel band from Manchester*) will be appearing on Sunday 15 September 2013 and the weekend`s activities will be brought to a close with a Spitfire and Hurricane Flypast.

I personally would like to go and play on the bouncy castle but perhaps I`m a bit too old for that !

Afteer all that, you might think they`d all want to have a little lie down for a bit, but in fact Waingroves Methodist Church will be hosting an evening of barber shop music** on Saturday 28 September 2013.

For more on events in Amber Valley, click here ;  http://www.ambervalley.info/events.asp


* http://www.simillerphotography.com/wedding-reception-entertainment-steel-pan-band

** http://grandcentralchorus.com/where-to-see-us-2

        Member of Mancunian Steel. I`m grateful to photographer Si Miller for allowing me to use this picture of his. For more about the hugely talented Mr M, visit www.simillerphotography.com .















*

Jeanie Barton and the BoHop Trio - Music in the Square - 24 Aug 2013

Jazz singer Jeanie Barton closed this years` batch of Music in the Square events with an inspiring set of jazz standards, including Fly Me to the Moon, The Sunny Side of the Street and Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps.

 Jeanie is not someone intent on combining different influences or particularly putting forward her own interpretation of songs. She lets the songs speak for themselves and the strength of her set lay in her voice and phrasing, her choice of songs, and in the arrangements.

I tend to favour something a bit more eclectic myself, but I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the two sets she played and indeed self and family considered re-arranging our weekend to see her perform in Nottingham the following day.

Sadly, that was not to be, but I gather there will be a number of other opportunities to see her locally in the near future.

Credit for the excellence of the performance has, of course, to be shared with her backing group for the occasion, The BoHop Trio (sometimes known as the BoHop Rhythm Section) who performed splendidly throughout.

If there was one moment that stood out for me, it was the soaring notes at the end of Fly Me to the Moon. It was a surprise to me that anyone can sing like that before 11.00 in the morning ! 

That will do for now I think, but here are a few links you might like ;

http://jeaniebarton.com

http://beestonjazz.co.uk

Rock Around the Clock - Music in the Square - 10 August 2013

Rock Around the Clock were something of a contrast with the days` other act, The World Groove Orchestra.

RATC, as we shall call them, play rock `n` roll. Often when musicians make this claim, what they actually deliver is pub rock, punk rock, heavy rock or some other variety of rock, but not often actual rock `n` roll. To their great credit, RATC do exactly what they claim to do, they play rock `n` roll.

Their set opened with a cover of Shake, Rattle and Roll, presumably inspired by the Bill Haley and the Comets version as it had different lyrics to the Big Joe Turner original. Still, it was a pretty creditable introduction to the band, though it faded into insignificance compared to their next tune, which I think was called Everybody Rock.

That pretty much set the tone for their set, which mostly comprised of covers of `50s r `n` r tunes. A purist might bemoan the inclusion of lightweight numbers like See You Later, Alligator or the fact that more obscure `50s tunes were noticeable by their absence. I myself was not concerned by those things at all (though I wouldn`t have minded a couple of Johnny Carroll tunes !).

At the end of the day, there`s not too much to say. They do not perform slavish copies of the tunes they cover, but they do perform them with an authentic feel and maybe that`s more important. They don`t mind taking on a challenge, as illustrated by their version of Mystery Train, a song which often defeats bands who give it a whirl. I`m not suggesting the RATC version was comparable with either Junior Parkers` original or Elvis` cover, but it was pretty solid.

There came a point where the bassist swapped his stand-up bass for an electric one and they did four sixties tunes. For me personally, I wasn`t wild about their choices, but there again I am probably the only person in the whole world who dislikes Please, Mr Postman, so my opinion in these matters may not be all that important.  I did like their version of Twist and Shout, but not as much as I liked their version of a `60s surf guitar tune (Wipe Out if I remember correctly) which came later in the set.

Most of the members of this band are young (one has only just left school), but to my mind they could appear on a bill with more seasoned local rock `n` rollers like The Memphis Riders without any problem at all.

On the web ;

http://www.broxtowe.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=9073

www.letsgotobeeston.co.uk

World Groove Orchestra - Music in the Square - Saturday 10 August 2013

Most bands in Beestons` annual `Music in the Square` season go on stage at 10.30, so I was surprised on arriving late to find WGO were still doing their soundcheck.

The band are a studious-looking bunch, probably more familiar with Penguin paperbacks than with the lifestyle of the late Johnny Thunders, but as they plinked, plonked, plugged and unplugged, I wondered if any of them had within them an inner rock star, seething with impatience and filled with an unquenchable desire to strike an impressive power chord and shout "Kick out the jams, brothers and sisters !" *

Apparently this was not the case, but eventually our grooving internationalists began their set and I have to say it was well worth the wait.

Starting with an impressive version of  `Summertime`, they moved on to an equally fine `Feeling Good` before changing tack altogether and performing an instrumental combining an anthemic keyboard part with fast, light drumming and percussion of a style that I believe is popular with the young folk at present.

You might think that this would be inaccessible to the average passer-by, but idle curiosity impelled me to watch peoples` reactions, and in fact it was this third tune that stopped the shoppers in their tracks and by my reckoning held the admiring attention of an audience ranging in age from under 5 to over 70.

Following on from this was a version of `Take Five`  which made effective use of Indian-style drumming, more instrumentals and, ending the first set, a cover of `Valerie`.

The second set was broadly similar except that the band displayed a penchant for covering familar songs (`I Got You, I Feel Good`  and `Johnnny B Goode`) in an unfamiliar fashion. This can be a high-risk strategy - a friend of mine once attempted something of the sort with a particular song only to have at least one member of his audience assume he didn`t know how to play it right ! However, it seemed to work OK for the WGO.

It`s not always wise to go in for too many comparisons, but I would say the singer reminded me at times of Hugh Laurie, particularly on the first two numbers. Many of the instrumentals reminded me of bands associated with Barbara Thompson and Jon Hiseman - whether they are in fact they are an influence on the WGO or it just happened that way is unknown to me.

In my personal opinion,  when bands attempt to combine disparate influences it`s usually a  waste of time and only rarely does it work particularly well. WGO, I`m happy to say, are the exception rather than the rule - they engage the head and the heart, set the toes tapping and what they might do to other parts of your anatomy one hardly likes to imagine !

Seriously, they are great, and if I wasn`t already married I would consider having a wedding just so that I could book them to play at the party. If you`re at all musically adventurous in your tastes, go and see them, you won`t regret it.

On the web ; 
http://www.broxtowe.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=9073

www.letsgotobeeston.co.uk


*A phrase once used by a member of  `60s band the MC5 if memory serves me right.

Raphael Achache - Music in the Square 2013 - Sat 3 August 2013

Earlier today I had the great good fortune to catch an appearance by Raphael `Raph` Achache, the first of this years` Music in the Square events.

A talented guitarist with a strong voice and an engaging manner, Raph began his set with jazz standard Ain`t Misbehaving, an excellent song performed excellently, then proceeded to work his way through a set comprised mainly of blues and rock `n` roll tunes. Johnny B Goode, Be Bop A Lula, I Got a Woman, Why Don`t You Do Right, Kansas City (renamed `Beeston City` for the occasion !), Hey Hey, Hit the Road, Jack  and many others were all performed convincingly, as were one or two less well-known to me such as a Lynyrd Skynyrd number which seemed to be called They Call Me the Priest and another by `I don`t know who`  which might be called I`m Gonna Get Arrested.

In case all this bluesiness prove off-putting to those less familiar with the genre, we were also treated to an assortment of  other covers, including Ob La Di Ob La Da, No Woman No Cry, I`m a Believer and Stuck in the Middle With You. Some of these were performed more convincingly than others, I have to say.

There were no displays of virtuosity, but clearly he is a more than capable guitarist and his singing is top notch. I have a suspicion that he may be less engaged with some of the non-blues material he covers, and he might want to watch that audiences don`t pick up on that.

As a purveyor of classic blues, jazz and r `n` r he is on very solid ground and I think he is sensible to reach out to a wider audience as well.

The Music in the Square format does present certain hazards to an unaccompanied acoustic performer. Not far from the stage a stall holder was selling plants and flowers. Part way through Raph`s first set, another man arrived, set up stall nearby and started selling jacket potatoes, and shortly after that, the men came to empty the bins. None of this phased our young bluesologist who swung and strummed in an admirably unconcerned fashion.

I don`t know his musical past or likely future plans. It might be that he would be wise to consider either penning original numbers or collaborating with others. In the meantime, if he only helps to keep this music alive and/or introduce it to a wider audience, that would be a fine thing.

On the web ;

http://www.broxtowe.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=9073

http://www.letsgotobeeston.co.uk

Local and Live

I don`t know if you find this, but whenever I`m really looking forward to an event, something always seems to come up to make it problematic to attend. I`m pretty sure this didn`t happen so much in my younger days, so maybe it`s to do with being old.

Anyhow, despite the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, I did make it to part of the Emerge Festival. I can`t comment on the event as a whole except to say it had been troubled by strong winds and heavy rain. We shall put those aspects behind us and concentrate on a few positives.

My own personal stars of the show were Siyaya (http://siyaya-arts.com) from Zimbabwe. I believe Siyaye as a whole are quite a large ensemble, but only a small group appeared at this event. Siyaye are ony the second Zimbabwean act I`ve seen and I`m by no means an expert on their music. I would say that they provided an infectious  mixture of melody and energy which was well received by an audience who in many cases had probably never heard any African music before.

 Let`s digress for a moment. Listening to Siyaya I couldn`t help noticing a resemblance between their music and early-to-mid-period Toots and the Maytals, something I seem to remember noticing with the other Zimbabwean band I`ve seen. I wonder why this would be ? I have always wondered why the Maytals sounded so different to any other reggae act and wonder if they absorbed an African influence along the way. I shall reign in my digressions,  but it`s interesting.

                                                  Matt Henshaw (photo by Ilsonowl*)

An unexpected pleasure was an improptu appearance by local lad Matt Henshaw (www.matthenshaw.com) , formerly of the band Censored, who filled in with a few songs when another act were not quite ready to go on stage. Ordinarily I am not always keen when earnest-looking young men appear in a tent accompanying themselves on an acoustic guitar, even when they`re wearing rather fetching red boots as young Matt was on this occasion. I always worry that they`re going to perform songs with titles like `The Day I Had a Migraine` or something. It`s not that I don`t like acoustic music - I do - it`s just that if you`re going down that road it needs to have a bit of heart and soul. Fortunately Matt has those qualities and, while it`s not really wise to recommend an artist on the basis of a handful of songs, I would urge interested parties to check out this red-booted troubador.

A few weeks before Emerge I attended an event to mark 100 years of Trent Barton busses where entertainment was provided by, amongst others, singing bus driver James MacDonald. I`ll admit that singers performing a set made up entirely of cover versions to pre-recorded backing tracks is not really my thing, but I`ll have to say our melodious transportation operative does have some points in his favour. Opening with a faultless version of Stand by Me, he performed a set that included what I would think are rather challenging songs for a singer, notably Sir Duke and Walking Through Memphis. If he had a weakness, I`d suggest that the sheer variety of styles he attempted (Fly Me to the Moon and All My Loving were among the other tunes in his set) may tend to make him rather faceless. Having said that, a singer who likes a challenge and can perform competently - sometimes brilliantly -  in a variety of styles may well find a career as a session singer. Ultimately, anyone who can sing Stand by Me as well as that is OK by me !

Other bands that appeared at the Trent Barton event were iSurrender, Mark Upton and The Spitfires.

I`d also like to mention folk act The Feathers who I saw in Derby recently, and who played an upbeat, energetic and tuneful set to lunchtime punters in the Square. Well worth looking out for.

That`s enough from me. Here are a few other events going on in the area ;

Ripley Music Festival (various dates, ending 18 August) (http://www.ambervalley.info/articleviewevents.asp?id=6272)

Larks in the Park (Belper River Gardens, various dates ending 25 August)
(http://www.ambervalley.info/eventdetail.asp?eventid=2659)

Rock & Blues `Old School` Weekend (Pentrich, 25 - 27 July)
(http://www.ambervalley.info/eventdetail.asp?eventid=2456)

Live and Local (ongoing)
(http://www.liveandlocal.org.uk)

Music in the Square (Beeston, various dates in August)
(http://www.broxtowe.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=9073)


* The photo is one I found on Wikipedia and as I understand it, can be re-used freely. Normally, I like to contact the photographer concerned even when I know that its` OK to use it, just as a courtesy. On this occasion I`ve not been able to contact Ilsonowl, but would like to give credit where it`s due for the picture anyway.

Emerge Festival 2013

Good news for music lovers is that Derbyshire`s Emerge Festival,  will be taking place this year, on Sun 23 June 2013.

Emerge is a daytime event that prides itself on it`s musical diversity and takes place at Shipley Country Park. It`s future has been in some doubt for a while, and for quite a time now it has only taken place once every two years.

For this year at least, Emerge has been moved forward to co-incide with Shipley Park`s annual Open Day.

Past festivals have provided lucky punters with the chance to hear a range of music, with one year being especially memorable  for a headlining performance by jazz singer Helen McDonald, an artist I have seen live many times and who turned in an excellent set despite the disadvantage of having to appear late afternoon as the event was coming to a close.

Further details ; www.ambervalley.info/eventdetail.asp?eventid=2727 

                                                              Helen McDonald

Summer Sounds- Ilkeston, 28 July 2013

Yorkshire Bill Has Another Charitable Impulse

As I`ve mentioned before, Yorkshire-based musician Bill Nelson has found an interesting way to support the Sara`s Hope Foundation, a charity which works to support children who have cancer and their families.

Some time ago, the charity approached Bill, who achieved fame and fortune in the `70s/`80s with the bands BeBop Deluxe and Red Noise and as a solo performer, to ask if they could use some of his music for promotional purposes.

Bill came up with his own counter-proposal, which was that each year he would compose and record a song specifically to be sold online as a fundraiser for the charity.

He has done this for some years now, and the latest track, called Starland, can be purchased by clicking on this link ;

http://www.musiczeit.com/album.php?album=2631&Bill+Nelson+Starland

The Nelson/Sara`s Hope tracks from previous years can still be found at the same site, their titles being  Six Strings for Sara, A Million Whistling Milkmen, Rocket to the Moon and Holey Moley It`s a Parallel World.

Any queries  ;

www.billnelson.com

http://sarashopefoundation.co.uk

Squeeze - Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham - 5 December 2012

Formed in `70s, Squeeze were regarded in their day as purveyors of articulate, well-crafted rock/pop. While other members penned original material for the band (Keith Wilkinson and Jools Holland spring to mind), the ensemble was essentially a vehicle for the songwriting partnership of Chris Difford and Glen Tillbrook.

The pair`s battles with drink, drugs and each other are well-documented elsewhere. Given that something like 40 other musicians were members of the band at one time or another, you may feel that the talented twosome were probably not the easiest people to get along with. In fairness though, a number of the musicians concerned were hired hands who never viewed themselves as fully-fledged members.

How does the reformed Squeeze measure up to expectations ? Firstly I`ll own up and say I never saw any of the earlier incarnations live, though I have seen various ex-members (Holland/Lavis/Difford/Tillbrook) on numerous occasions.

The band opened with an earlier song, Bang Bang. A weak number to my mind and one probably best consigned to history. While they did suffer at times from a poor sound, in the early part of the set I was not at all sure about their choice of songs or entirely convinced by their playing.

All that changed with a triumphant performance of No Place Like Home, a particular favourite of Glenn Tilbrook`s and one on which he gave probably the most powerful live vocal performance I`ve heard from him. This was followed by a song called Still (a new one ?) which was equally strong. 

From that point on the band seemed to have hit their stride. Even when they performed songs I myself wasn`t too keen on (some of the earlier songs and one or two of the new ones), it was still a pretty impressive live performance. 

The show was saved from too much nostalgia by interesting, largely acoustic, new arrangements of some tunes which by chance included two particular favourites of mine, Take Me I`m Yours and Slaughtered, Gutted and Heartbroken.

John Bentley plays  bass guitar and occasional ukelele. This is his third period as a member of the band and clearly he is more than capable of fulifilling his role. On drums is Simon Hansen who I think I`ve seen drumming for Tilbrook in the past.  For me though, one of the stars of the show was Stephen Large on keyboard, accordian and melodica. To me, Large was the man who did the most to give the band something new to say musically.  Chris Difford was relatively low key, strumming rhythm guitar and singing only two or three songs.

In a smaller venues Tilbrook`s infectious enthusiasm for playing live and his easy rapport with an audience tends to make him a pretty unbeatable live act. In a larger venue this is inevitably diluted, but still he is a natural communicator and an accomplished guitarist.

The inclusion of new songs probably implies that the reformed Squeeze is ongoing and that solo careers have been put on hold. One hopes that the dynamic duo have put their problems in the past and clearly there`s still a devoted following out there for them. I doubt they will make many new converts at this stage of the game but who can tell ?

The future, they say, is unwritten.

On the web ;

www.squeezeofficial.com

www.packetofthree.com

www.stephenlarge.com

www.johnbentley.tv

MuHa - Beeston Square, 25 August 2012

MuHa were the last band to appear in Beeston as part of the Summer in the Square/Beeston Summer Music series of events.

They had the distinction of having been recommended to me by an old friend of this blog, Rocking Rob Chandler, a man whose chords cause quivering wherever they are heard.

I had some reservations, but I have to say that the old saying "Rocking Rob won`t steer you wrong" was proved to be true yet again. MuHa, performing as a four-piece on this occasion, proved be one of the musical high points of a year in which I`ve heard quite a bit of live music.

Purveyors of `new roots from Eastern Europe` , they bring together musicians of differing musical leanings and backgrounds and attempt to blend their diverse styles into a cohesive musical package.

Nine times out of ten when musicians do that, you wish they hadn`t bothered, but MuHa are the one out of ten when it really does work. The only problem is, it`s very difficult to describe how they sound !

They are fronted by Iryna Muha who sang, played acoustic rhythm guitar and also briefly played an instrument which I now know to be a berimbau which I personally thought sounded awesome.

On lead acoustic guitar was a man with the dubious distinction of having once been a Latvian rock legend, Dmitry Fedotov. A superb player, he reminded me of Mr Whatshisname who played on Al Stewart`s `Modern Times` album.   

On bass guitar - an electric bass - was Louise Clements, an artist-type who apparently has the misfortune to work in Derby`s supremely ugly Quad building.  She didn`t plonk along like some rock player, she didn`t push herself forward excessively or do anything wildly innovative but in my view she was just the right player for this band.

Completing the band on this occasion was drummer Colm O`Hanlon. Again, not an obtrusive player, but as far as I could see he didn`t falter once in two hours.

As you might have noticed, I`m still not much nearer describing their sound. All I can really say is that the first set seemed to include quite a few Russian folk songs, sung in Russian. No way would I have known them as folk music of any sort without being told. To me, they did need the lead guitar to add a bit of colour, but as they had that, they sounded fine. The second set had a touch of jazz/swing here and there and even a smidgen of blues.

I was probably more at home with the second set, but truthfully in two hours there was really nothing I disliked and I would happily have heard them play for longer.

Would I listen to them at home ? I`m not sure. Would I see them again live ? Definitely.

They`re different, but if you`re at all open-minded about live music give them a chance - they deserve it.


  
  

60s R Us - Beeston Summer in the square 18 August 2012

It`s Saturday, it`s August and it`s time to head for Beeston for another bout of free live music.

As the name suggests, 60s R Us promote themselves as a `60s covers band. If you want to get pedantic about it, actually they`re a mid `50s - early `70s covers band and therein lies there great strength.

They perform no original material. They are capable musicians adept at vocal harmonies but they are not likely to attempt unusual arrangements or cover anything too obscure - there are no northern soul `b` sides or tunes by almost-forgotten rockabilly acts of the past among their material.

What sets them apart from others is their willingness to tackle songs that other bands, with some justification, would find too daunting. Thus we find covers of Reflections of my Life (Marmalade) ,  Stuck in the Middle With You (Stealer`s Wheel), Meet Me On The Corner (Lindisfarne) and Bad Moon Rising (Creedence Clearwater Revival) among the more predictable Beatles, Monkees, Small Faces and Elvis covers. Other surprises, though possibly less challenging, included a version of Marc Bolan`s Jitterbug Boogie ! 

Another band might have stumbled along the way attempting what is, in it`s own way, quite an adventurous set, but 60s R Us were convincing throughout. They never came across like a variety act and pretty much the only song that I thought didn`t suit them too well was a cover of the Rolling Stones` Honky Tonk Women. That`s really very impressive given the range of material they attempt and the fact that they played for around two hours in total.

At the end of the day, they cover guitar-based pop/rock/rock `n` roll of the past. They obviously love it, it`s what they do and they do it well. If you`re going to see a covers band, this is the one to see. 

Footnote - I have a particular ability to mis-hear lyrics, which causes my friends much amusement. For years I belived Be Bop Deluxe sang about "Having a ball with the men in velour" on their song Beauty Secrets ( it`s actually "...  the men of the law"). I`m guessing therefore that when 60s R Us did a `50s medley including Return to Sender and It`s All or Nothing, one of the tunes wasn`t actually called Hey, Little Robot Girl which is what it sounded like to me. If anyone knows what it really was, I`d be interested to know. Maybe I should write a song with that title !


    

Carmina - Summer in the Square - 11 August 2012

CARMINA - SUMMER IN THE SQUARE, BEESTON - 11 AUGUST 2012

The ultra-enjoyable Carmina appeared as one of the Summer in the Square attractions in Beeston, Notts last Saturday.

It was their second Summer in the Square gig (is it still called a `gig` when it takes place in the afternoon ?) and the second time I`ve seen them live, the two things being not entirely unconnected.

They blend a mixture of jazz and folk influences, the end result tending to be jazzy folk rather than folky jazz, which is probably a good thing.

Their great achievement is to perform music that is actually quite innovative whilst still sounding accessible. I would venture to suggest they were just as well received by passing shoppers as by more music-minded bods like myself.

The other thing about them is that they are not only a `songs` band but also an `arrangements` band and indeed an `instrumentalists` band. In my personal experience the three things are not often to be found in combination in this way.

They seem to have one or two songs about death and related topics but oddly they still sound pretty uplifting even when dwelling on such morbid matters.

I did have one or two entirely subjective quibbles (I can`t abide scat singing for a start !)  but these need not detain us.

Overall, if I had to give them marks out of 10, I would probably go for around 9, with the proviso that at their very best they probably merit an 11.

The next Summer in the Square band will be `60s R Us, a 1960s tribute act as the name suggests, on Sat 18 Aug 2012.

Summer in the Square (Beeston)

Quite some time ago now, I used this blog to ask if anyone knew the name of a Central African band I`d seen performing at the annual Summer in the Square series of live shows in Beeston.

No-one actually came forward as a result of my question, but I believe the band in question to be Les Elus, a band who hail from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) but are currently resident in Derby.

Sadly I`ve missed their most recent appearance at  Summer in the Square (4 August 2012), but on the plus side I do still have the chance to catch the remainder of the season.

The bands who are yet to appear are Carmina (who I`ve seen before and who are excellent) , 60s R Us and  MuHa). For more details use this link ;

www.broxtowe.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=9073

www.broxtowe.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=9068

One thing I`ve noticed about Beeston, is that while the main shopping area (basically one street) appears to be bustling, explore further and even within the town centre there are quite a few empty shops. In an effort to address this issue, it is being promoted as a place to visit. Here`s a link ; 
www.letsgotobeeston.co.uk

Nottingham Riverside Festival 2012

Having spent last weekend at the Nottingham Riverside Festival, I think it`s time for a quick musical interlude.

Here`s an all-too-hasty guide to just a few of the musical delights on offer ;

NGOMA

Ngoma take you on a musical tour of southern Africa, with songs from South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe and elsewhere. Like most African/World Music bands  they incorporate a reggae influence on a number of tunes. They perform capably and have some strong material, but I did feel that overall there was maybe something lacking. They give me the impression that they could be a great band, but on present showing they may be content just to be a good band.

WHOLESOME FISH

The third or fourth time I`ve seen this band. They serve up a locally-brewed cocktail of folk and country influences, performed in a punchy, energetic style. For myself, they`re a band I prefer to consume in small doses, but I know plenty of people who would be only too happy to consume a sizeable kettle of Wholesome Fish in a single serving. 

FINEST KIND

Unexpectedly, one of my two favourite acts of the week-end.  Based in Canada, these purveyors of articulate folk impressed me so much I caught both of their sets. Theirs is a wide-ranging trawl through a variety of forms of folk, from medieval music to (you`ve guessed it !) Bob Dylan (a great version of The Times They Are A Changing), ending, perhaps surprisingly, with a folked-up rendition of Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow.

 Despite their obvious eclecticism, they connected well with an audience whose level of familiarity with folk ranged from `hard-core devotee` to `never heard anything like this before` . Seek them out, they`re worth it.

TOM WARDLE

I only caught the last few numbers of Tom Wardle`s set, but I thought I`d give him a mention. If melodic pop/rock incorporating covers of tunes by the Beatles and Chuck Berry is your bag, you may want to check him out. It is a shame he was let down by a rather tinny sound system, but I`m sure he won himself a few followers.

TRIO MANOUCHE

I had no intention of catching this band and we were only using the bandstand area as a short cut elsewhere when we caught this fine guitar-based trio playing swing-influenced  jazz and blues tunes. Adapting readily, we changed our plans and stayed to hear more. I wasn`t totally convinced by their rendition of the jazz standard Caravan, but other than that I loved them, as did many others. My other favourite act of the weekend.

GOLDEN TROUBADOURS

Also climbing my personal hit parade were local lads Golden Troubadours.  They were actually introduced as Velvet Troubadours, but I`ve checked and they are in fact unconnected with James Loney`s Minnesota masters of melody and are definitely called Golden Troubadours. They perform what I would call soft rock, reminiscent at times of the band America who had a hit in the `70s with Horse With No Name. If Finest Kind and Trio Manouche were my joint favourites, the GTs lag only a little behind.

AND ALSO

Inevitably, there were other acts I would have liked to have seen, but circumstances dictated otherwise. For jazz buffs I`d like to mention the Nottingham Jazz Orchestra and the Teddy Fullick Quintet, both of which I`ve seen before.

I had also hoped to catch Carlton Brass, but there appears to be an iron law of fate that sees to it that I only get to see one brass band a year. As I saw the Matlock Band only recently I suppose it was inevitable I should miss Carlton Brass, but hopefully I`ll get another chance some time in the future.

I had also been hoping to catch local reggae band The Naturalites, who I saw a number of times in my youth. Unfortunately, a thunderstorm broke out only around ten minutes before they were due on stage in the bandstand area. With no jacket and two small children in tow, it just wasn`t viable to hang around to see if they went on, which seemed unlikely.

By sheer chance, a friend of mine who`s working abroad caught a live set by founding Naturalite Ossie Gad (formerly Ossie Sams) in Paris recently and tells me he was favourably impressed.

There is quite a bit online about Naturalites past and present which you may wish to check out. It would be interesting to know if anyone else remembers two other Nottingham-based reggae bands, Positive Vibes and Far Image ?

Anyway, that`s enough from me, but I hope these few comments will encourage you to check some of these excellent musicians who can so easily be overlooked.












  

All the Way From Memphis ?

On Sat 21 Apr the Erewash Museum marked it`s 30th birthday with a rock `n` roll party featuring live music by the Memphis Riders.

The band were a last minute replacement for Glenn Darren and the Krew Katz, who were unable to appear. In the interests of scientific research I`ve had a quick look on the web and there is live footage of Mr D and his KKz which is well worth a look, though for me I preferred the line-up with the double bass player than the one with the electric bass.

The Riders played three sets. The first was made up of largely `50s cover versions, though the handful of songs that I didn`t recognise could have been band originals for all I know. Their opening number was Boogie Woogie Country Girl, followed by Bony Moronie, He`ll Have to Go, No Heart to Spare and many others. The general feel was quite authentic, and they were at their best on No Heart... and He`ll Have.. .

This brings me to something I touched on earlier. In my view, their bassist is wise to opt for a double bass rather than a bass guitar. Of course, there are many great rock `n` roll records featuring the bass guitar, but the use of a stand-up bass does just give it that extra `50s feel.

The second set I missed.

The third set began with a Stonesy version of Burning Love followed by a touch of diversification as they explored the music of the `60s, with House of the Rising Sun, These Boots are Made for Walking, Do You Wanna Dance, It`s Only Make Believe and others.

The band were warmly received with much dancing in the Derbyshire rain and seemed to gel with young and old alike.

I like this band. They are authentic enough to appeal to the serious rock `n` rollers, accessible enough to reach out to a wider audience. They play with great feel, but they aren`t afraid to to do familiar songs in a slightly different way. 

A lot of people assume that straight-ahead rock `n` rollers aren`t necessarily such great musicians. I can`t really agree with that. It`s true that some people seem to have a natural aptiutude for rock `n` roll playing and it does come pretty readily to them. On the other hand there are plenty of people who fail to convince playing this sort of material, even if technically they may well be the better players. 

I`m not usually a great lover of bands who rely heavily (exclusively ?) on covers, but I`m prepared to make exceptions for bands as good as this  - even if their native Warsop is not very much like Memphis !

FOOTNOTE - The Memphis Riders have a CD out, Someone Else`s Girl, and the title track can be found on You Tube, posted by MrBlack1966. There is also some live footage of them on YT - a slightly different line-up, though (in my view) it`s not quite up to the standard they set on Saturday. They do have a My Space page with some excellent studio tracks.

I gather the band have already conquered such rock `n` rolling hotspots as Strelley, Chesterfield and Skegness and are due to appear at a `50s weekend at Crich Transport Museum in the near future.

Jonathan Senator Gerber (Jon Gerber)

Time for another musical interlude.

A day or two ago, I mentioned Sylvain Sylvain`s eponymous first solo album.

One of the highlights of that album is the closing track, `Tonight`, a haunting saxophone-led instrumental which in many ways is in contrast with the general mood but in some mysterious way seems to round the collection off quite nicely.

I suppose I first heard that track circa 1979/1980 and I`ve loved it ever since. It does raise one or two questions though.

Firstly, and most obviously, the composer credit goes to Sylvain himself and not to saxophone player Jon Gerber (Jonathan Senator Gerber) - but Sylvain is a singer and player of guitar and keyboards, not a saxophonist. I would think it`s unlikely  he could pen a saxophone piece*. Against that, he doesn`t seem to be the kind of man to take the credit for another man`s work. 

It could be said that the appeal of the piece is as much in the performance of the composition, and certainly the whole piece seems designed to showcase Gerber`s skills. Yet who is that mystery saxophonist ? 

As we`ve established he appears on the first Sylvain solo album. A couple of years later he was saxophonist and horn arranger on the Syl and the Teardrops album, but I`ve never heard of anything he did before or since. It seems odd. Saxophonists and arrangers don`t grow on trees and I would have expected someone at his level of ability to have years of recording behind them, and indeed I always assumed I`d be hearing his name again in connection with music.

All these years later, even with the advent of the internet, our man remains elusive. The only new thing I`ve tracked down on the web is a favourable review of a Muddy Waters album penned by a Jon Gerber of Houston, Texas. Is it the same man ? I`ve no idea.

I can`t claim it keeps me awake at night, but it is intriguing. If anyone can cast any light on the career of this musical man of mystery, I`d be glad to hear from you.

Failing that, if I`ve said enough to interest others in discovering this excellent music, I`ll feel I`ve done a good thing !

*Though I did learn recently that Ian Gomm, a guitarist/singer/songwriter once composed a bagpipe piece for the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, so anything is possible !