This evening: Robin Trower at The Brook in Southampton.
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Richard Thompson at the York Barbican last night. Playing with a full band (2 guitars, bass, drums and backing vocals) he played up a storm, great guitar work from both him and his grandson Zac Hobbs and rock solid bass and percussion. A couple of solo acoustic numbers, Beeswing and Dimming of the Day, were intensely moving. I am now seriously thinking of the Albert Hall gig in early June as well.
Stage picture, I was too engrossed to take pics of the band during the set.
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2024-05-25T23:00:00Z
Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio at the Ropetackle in Shoreham-by-Sea. Funky jazz impro!
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Manfred Honeck/CSO: Bruckner Symphony No.7
I am biased. I am not fond of Honeck no matter what he does live or on his recording.
As I expected his Bruckner had no tension. There were no defined starts and stops of notes in that 2nd movement sounded a bit dull. Beautiful, smooth and fluid you could say but too highly polished for my taste or for my ideal Bruckner. Also I did not think the band was tight enough and brass section was too loud. We were sitting in the balcony rather than my usual seating on the ground floor but the massed strings in high register were much too much thin and opaque. I realise that the Orchestra Hall is alway problematic for massed strings but I expected a better. Not at all like the one we have heard at the Concertgeouw with Myung-whun Chung on the podium or even Jukka-Pekka Saraste+Rotterdam Symphony at De Doelen. Honeck’s Scherzo lacked bite and momentum, too. My friend loved it but she said that she’s got lost in a slow movement, too.
I mean it was okay after all they are all competent musicians but it could have been a lot more compelling.
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Moin nach Hamburg 
Blues jam at Nothin’ But The Blues in Kingly St, just off Carnaby St with @TheKevster and other friends…all I gotta say is WOW. What a bunch of players and great music…all free. Stuff your mega-arenas and huge ticket prices when you can have this…
Excellence
Charlie Watts dr
Damo Suzuki - zen
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Jose James at Ronnie Scott’s
My lovely wife snatched this photo at the very end of the performance. Photography is not allowed as they want us to enjoy the performance completely in the analogue domain.
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Guadagnini String Qurtet
Program
Wolf: Italian Serenade
Beethoven: String Qurtett No.2 in G Major, Op.18, No.2
Grieg: String Qurtet No.1 in G Minor, Op.27
A nice free concert on a warm sunny Sunday.
Nothing heavy and I enjoyed Grieg and Wolf pieces which I was not familiar at all. Nice discovery.
Beethoven SQ was lovely as usual.
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How was it? I’ve seen them a few times in England and twice here in New Zealand. They always put on a great show.
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I thoroughly enjoyed it and having jumped onboard the Yes-ship in the 1970’s I’m not averse to being critical. It’s obviously not the classic line up and I find the keyboards a bit adequate compared to Rick Wakeman who could really elevate a studio song live. But that aside, it was a very good gig. The Topographic section was especially good once you got over editing a double album’s worth of music into a 20 minute piece.
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Love his old school drumstick grip.
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Saw yesterday Frank Peter Zimmermann with the Bamberger Symphoniker under the baton of of Andrew Manze this time. Resphigi Violin Concerto and Bruckners 1st symphony - a fine concerto.
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Richard Thompson’s 75th birthday gig at the Albert Hall.
Special guests included:
Danny Thompson on double bass on several numbers, including a stunning From Clare to Here with Ralph McTell, Richard T and Dave Mattacks.
Neil Finns’s promised appearance turned out to be the current line up of Crowded House, with Mitchell Froom on keys. Weather With You was great.
Kami Walbourne (RT’s daughter) did a stunning duet with him of A Heart Needs A Home. That followed a wonderful Bright Lights with Kami on lead vocal and the lead male vocal shared between RT and James Walbourne (Kami’s husband), three family members on backing vocals including Linda.
Tear stained letter was even more of a workout than usual with John Etheridge, Glenn Tilbrook, James Walbourne, Zak Hobbs and Thompson all playing searing solos.
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I was there also
Thought it was a great concert to be honest even if the sound often left something to be desired.
Most enjoyable evening.
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