What live music are you going to see tonight?

[Sandman]

Last night, saw Kenny Barron and Stefon Harris at the Jazz Standard for the second and third sets. A great pairing. Everything Barron plays is beautiful, and as he said, Harris, who played with intensity and drive during "And Then Again," will make the vibes into an Olympic sport.

[A Lark Ascending]

Andy Cutting perfect yesterday in a small venue. Gorgeous tunes from England and France. Lovely between tune stories from the life of a jobbing melodian player.

Yves Lambert Trio in the afternoon - taking a rest from making perfume to make knees-up Québécois music.

Now watching zillions of Morris teams on the seafront in the morning.sunshine.

Edited August 4, 2014 by A Lark Ascending

[relyles]

Renee Rosnes Quartet with Steve Nelson.

[BillF]

Renee Rosnes Quartet with Steve Nelson.

I would love to hear Renee Rosnes play, but she's probably never been to these shores :-(

[A Lark Ascending]

More fun at Sidmouth. In a era where most of the jazz festivals seem to play safe it's nice to come to something so well balanced between the established and the new, the professional and the eager amateur. Inevitably you hit things that don't appeal but among yesterday's best:

Calan - a young Welsh band (with bagpipes) I'd heart on record. Very exciting, incredibly accomplished for their age.

Gren Bartley Band - will snap his two records up when I get back to home. Excellent song writing, guitar and harmonies, owing more to American gravelly folk than anything British.

Breabach - marvellous Scottish band with two sets of bagpipes! A bit misty Celtic twilight in the songs (a common feature of Scottish/Irish music since the 80s) but utterly thrilling in the instrumentals (which fortunately dominate).

What can jazz and classical concerts learn from folk? The informality, banter, lack of over-seriousness.

What can folk concerts learn from jazz/classical? You don't have to keep seeking audience participation (though I'd love to attend a Rite of Spring where the maestro asks the audience to put their hands together).

[relyles]

Renee Rosnes Quartet with Steve Nelson.

I would love to hear Renee Rosnes play, but she's probably never been to these shores :-(

Very nice performance. In addition to Steve Nelson on vibes, the ensemble also featured John Patitucci on bass and drummer Carl Allen. Good mix of original compositions with titles by Duke Pearson, Ellington, Monk and a standard. Can't remember whether I ever heard Rosnes live before, but she was impressive. Nelson is a wizard! The only bad thing I have to say about the evening is that it was an outdoor performance and I once again happened to be in the vicinity of "those people" who wanted to be the only ones talking loudly throughout the entire performance.

[7/4]

Pat Martino at the Blue Note, two weeks ago.

[BillF]

Renee Rosnes Quartet with Steve Nelson.

I would love to hear Renee Rosnes play, but she's probably never been to these shores :-(

Very nice performance. In addition to Steve Nelson on vibes, the ensemble also featured John Patitucci on bass and drummer Carl Allen. Good mix of original compositions with titles by Duke Pearson, Ellington, Monk and a standard. Can't remember whether I ever heard Rosnes live before, but she was impressive. Nelson is a wizard! The only bad thing I have to say about the evening is that it was an outdoor performance and I once again happened to be in the vicinity of "those people" who wanted to be the only ones talking loudly throughout the entire performance.

Talking loudly throughout the performance seemed to be the thing in my youth, as you can hear from live recordings of the era - try the CD version of Monk at the Blackhawk for example - but I'm pleased to say that nowadays there's generally a much more respectful attitude among jazz audiences, at least in this part of the world. Of course, there are exceptions, particularly where the musicians have been engaged to provide a background to drinking. I recall battling to hear Britain's Simon Spillett over the sounds of carousing at a beer festival in Leyland, Lancs!

[sidewinder]

Calan - a young Welsh band (with bagpipes)

with Irish dancing?

[Head Man]

Calan - a young Welsh band (with bagpipes)

with Irish dancing?

.. and Morris Dancing?

[sidewinder]

.. and Morris Dancing?

Obligatory in Sidmouth !

[A Lark Ascending]

More Morris dancing than you can shake a stick at. With bells on.

The Welsh band had clog dancing, as did the Scottish band. This should be Evan Parker's next project. Free improv sax and clog dancing.

Yesterday, a rather frail but spirited Roy Bailey with John Kirkpatrick (sporting Morris injuries with a black eye...he knows how to suffer for his art). Saw Bailey with Leon Rossellson around 1983 in the darkest days of the Third Cold War - one of the most electrifying political performances I've seen. If he'd asked us to storm Downing Street I'd have gone. Bought an LP instead.

In the afternoon supergroup of Martin Simpson, Nancy Kerr and Andy Cutting (I'm stalking him). Half of The Full English project of last year. Great mix of English, Appalachian and Blues.

Lisa Knapp opened in the evening - got a cool response. Very oddball using lots of loops and electronics and a keening voice. I've really taken to her - would like to see her in a full concert.

Finally Martin and Eliza Carthy, as brilliant as ever. Martin must be the performer I've seen most over the last 40 years. A superb example of how to be a legend and then behave like an ordinary bloke.

Oh, and I was chatting to a couple there who are good friends with Art Themen. Small world.

[BillF]

[A Lark Ascending]

I might just join a workshop and try that.

[sidewinder]

Arkwright.... didn't he do the 'spinning jenny'?

[A Lark Ascending]

Water frame.

Hargreaves was the spinning Jenny.

No wonder Gove despaired at the state of the nation's historical knowledge.

Edited August 6, 2014 by A Lark Ascending

[Head Man]

Water frame.

Hargreaves was the spinning Jenny.

No wonder Gove despaired at the state of the nation's historical knowledge.

How can you frame water?

... it wasn't me, guv.... honest.

Edited August 6, 2014 by Head Man

[A Lark Ascending]

Water is guilty - it doesn't need framing. If last night's torrential downpour is anything to go by.

Oh, the country life.

[Kevin Bresnahan]

Renee Rosnes Quartet with Steve Nelson.

I would love to hear Renee Rosnes play, but she's probably never been to these shores :-(

If it makes you feel any better, Renee doesn't come to Boston much anymore either and we're only a car drive away.

[sidewinder]

Renee Rosnes Quartet with Steve Nelson.

I would love to hear Renee Rosnes play, but she's probably never been to these shores :-(

If it makes you feel any better, Renee doesn't come to Boston much anymore either and we're only a car drive away.

Renee Rosnes is great. Didn't she originate in Saskatoon or thereabouts? Remember seeing her a couple of times with JJ Johnson - fine stuff.

I can't recall hearing of her touring the UK.

Edited August 6, 2014 by sidewinder

[Kevin Bresnahan]

Renee is one of my favorite living Jazz pianists. I caught her with JJ Johnson a couple of times and every time she came to town as a leader. I was really upset one time when Kenny Garrett came to town and I blew it off only to find out through a review in the Boston Globe that she was at the piano and put on a stellar performance.

Come back to Boston Renee!

[sidewinder]

On recollection, I think I also caught Renee Rosnes with her trio at one of the Canadian festivals years back as well. One of the appearances with JJ was at the Blue Note club in NYC and JJ's slide was right over my head and manoeuvred by him with absolute precision. I was a bit more nervous ! Jon Hendricks was also on the double bill so it was a great night.

[A Lark Ascending]

Only a couple of concerts yesterday, but pearlers both.

The Young Coppers - 3 grandchildren of Bob Copper singing the Copper family songbook. They go back into the 19thC and became a mainstay of the 50s/60s revival - and electric folk movement where I came in. Lovely moment at the end where one of the singer's two 6/7 year old daughters joined in, knowing all the words.

Followed by the Long Hill ramblers, also from the. Brighton area. American old timey stuff - Charlie Poole etc- superbly played, with a great singer who managed to sound idiomatic without lapsing into stage American.

Evening began with an astounding young banjo player from Stafford! Didn't care for his songs but the instrumentals were superb. Totally surreal moment sat in a hotel function room probably used to tea dances listening to a lengthy piece based on Indian music played on an American instrument by someone from the English Midlands.

Finally Scottish guitarist Tony McManus. I have a couple of his records, blunted a bit by a sprinkling of Celtic mist pixie dust. Here he was jaw droppingly wonderful. Mainly Scottish and Irish tunes. But a hilarious sequence where he played the opening to 'Stairway to Heaven' in half-a-dozen different styles, culminating in Steve Reich! Ended with a lengthy Bach piece that had the room spellbound.

[David]

Saw the Pat Metheny Unity Group for the second time last night at Wolf Trap,with Bruce Hornsby opening. The open air venue swallowed some of Carmassi's contributions and the intricacies of the stripped down Orchestrion's sound, but the group was fantastic. From the last time I had seen them (without Carmassi) they have grown tighter and evolved as a group. Ben Williams in particular appears to have gained confidence, and had several featured solos, where he demonstrated a surprising melodic vein. He took no solos the first time I saw the band.

Potter is even more a monster than I remember him, exhibiting mastery and confidence on the tenor, soprano, and baritone saxes. His "All the Things You Are" feature with Pat borders on miraculous. Antonio Sanchez continues to be the grounded center of the group and in my mind, the most perfect drummer for Pat's music he as ever had. I'm not sure I've heard a drummer with a more interesting palette for playing straight eighths, in particular.

It even got the wife's stamp of approval, who was interested throughout the entire three-hour set, which probably speaks to why Metheny is both popular and often denigrated by the jazz community at the same time. Regardless, another GREAT Metheny show. I'll continue to catch him whenever I can.

[A Lark Ascending]

Final bit of folk indulgence.

The Old Swan Band. One of a number of bands who revolutionised the folk dance scene in the 70s by digging around for English tunes as opposed to the Scottish/Irish that dominated at the time (check those Fairport/Steeleye albums and try and find an instrumental piece that is English - Fairport did do a Morris tune in the Full House line-up, to be fair). Great performance of what should really be danced to (though I'm like Phil Collins in that area).

The Furrow Collective - a sort of young folk supergroup, all members having separate careers and albums but coming together here for some superb arrangements of traditional song.

Then I had to go and see the Long Hill Ramblers again and buy their CD.