James Brown is Annie, Piccolo, George Square, Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival

Funk for our Festival finale.  Local band JBiA played to a packed out Piccolo and raised the roof.  Nowadays a seven piece outfit, with drums, bass, guitar, keyboard, two sax players (tenor and alto) and a lead vocalist.  Or one lead of the lead vocalists, for that role flits about through the pianist, guitarist and tenor saxophonist, with all bar the other sax player contributing backing vocals as well.  Plenty of variety in styles and sounds, although none of the others can match the vocal talents of Debs out front.  

There's not much subtelty to the magic.  Get a groove going and keep it going.  Get the audience on their feet.  Throw in a few solos.  The sax solos, from both players, all received warm applause and cheers, but my personal favourite came from the bass - she played a big part in the band's overall sound throughout.

They're a tight act, with humour and joy important components of their set.  Great fun and a great end to JazzFest '24.

Blues Afternoon (Jerron Paxton, Doug MacLeod, Mark Harrison Band), Spiegeltent, George Square, Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival

Mr Paxton opened proceedings.  At previous festivals he's gone by the name 'Blind Boy Paxton'.  The name may have altered, but he remains as entrancing as ever.  Musically adept, vocally smart, and with thowaway humour to spare.  Guitar, 2 banjos (one of 1848 vintage!), harmonica and piano.  Plus those relaxed vocals .  Paxton is a comfortable performer with his very own laid back style who can manage an audience and plays gorgeous old fashioned blues.  It felt like this performance should have been in monochrome, so strong was the feeling of an old back porch in the 1920s or 30s.  Wonderful, and should really have been the headline act.

I've seen Doug MacLeod a couple of times before, the last occcasion six years ago.  So it was a bit of a shock to see how those years have aged him, and that smooth voice has lost some of it's ability to charm.  But the guitar playing and storytelling faculties are undimmed.  He has a long history as a bluesman, one of the traditional kind, even though he sings only self-penned material.  That brings with it a welath of tales and personalities he's encountered, many of them transformed into lyrics.  MacLeod may not quite be the force he once was, but still a marvellous entertainer.

Mark Harrison is an odd bird, especially for a headline act of a Blues Afternoon.  From Coventry, abd backed by upraight bass and drums, Harrison sings, playes guitar, and tells stories, voices opinions.  He's certainly not the quality of musician that we'd seen with paxton and MacLeod.  Nor is is singing voice that great really.  Some of his opinions seem more like moans.  The song lyrics often lack imagination and so many of the basic riffs seem similar.

And yet... The deadpan humour works well, and can make him easy to identify with.  Both drums and bass offered up excellent solos.  The songs were decent enough to get the toes tapping and there were plenty of laughs.  So maybe this was a performance that was better than the sum of it's parts.  Low key enjoyable.

Mr Sipp, Spiegeltent, George Square, Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival

 Castro Coleman, aka Mr Sipp, back in the Spiegeltent for another powerful session of Mississippi Blues.  With backing from bass, keyboard and drums, Sipp launched into some classic blues songs.  Low on lyrics (and, sometimes, morality!), but high on muiscality and panache.  He doesn't talk a lot, but his comments are usually funny, occaisonally informative.  I usually feel a bit short changed by performers who don't give something of themselves in between numbers, explaing why this song or that tune made the set, becasuse that's the key to understanding their personality.  But Sipp is an exception - his performance IS his personality!  Part of which includes his walkabout through the audience (and in whoich he used me as a cushion at one point!) on an extended extemproised solo (he uses a wireless guitar pickup) to spread the love.

If there was a criticism it was the sense that the gig was back to front, and it would have been better to have the second half first and vice versa.  The later set included gospel ballads, gentler numbers, and audience participation.  While the first felt a lot roickier, and included that walkabout.  It also had an excellent solo from the drummer, which hinted at further solos to come from keys and bass - but nothing emerged.  

But if the only real fault I can find lies in the structure of the gig, well, I think it can still be amrked down as one of the best of the festival.  The singing is good, the playing excellent, and the vibes top notch.  Go see this guy.

Rose Room, Spiegeltent, George Square, Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival

 

Scotland's leading Gypsy Jazz band features Seonaid Aitken on fiddle and vocals, Conor Smith on lead guitar, rhythm guitarist (and occasional singer) Tam Gallagher, and Jimmy Moon on upright bass. Not a tribute act, but a loving evocation of the era and music made famous by Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grapelli. They played numbers from the canon, their own versions of other jazz standards, and the odd modern composition.

Aitken has a sweet voice, perfectly suited to the crooning style, and if she doesn't quite match Grapelli (but who does?) she does a mighty fine job of trying. Plenty of imagination in her phrasing, and technical excellence. the arrangements are clever too. Smith is more than her match, with a lovely touch and inventive style. Their duet sections were a delight.

Gallagher got up for one song, a joyously rendered version of Everybody Wants to be a Cat, from Disney's Aristocats. That got the audience involved! And while Seonaid did pretty much all the talking, introductions and jokes, Tam had his sort, relating the tale of how the band came about, but without the modesty that Aitken had been using to cover up the real story. Tam had wanted her as a violinist, and the discovery of how good her vocals were was a huge bonus _so that the money could be split four ways rather than five!

A wonderful ninety minutes that got a deserved standing ovation.  

Blues Afternoon (Al Brown and the Bluelighters, Grainne Duffy, King Size Slim), Spiegeltent, George Square, Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival

 An afternoon featuring two rocking blues bands and... something else.  I'm not entirely sure what the latter could be called, but it was certainly memorable and entertaining!

Al Brown and rthe Bluelighters are a 4 piece Scottish band featuring Brown himself on lead vocals and electric guitar, backed by acoustic guitar, upright bass and drums.  A good start to the session, being a more than competent blues band, mostly playing standards, who could also put on a bit of a show.  Brown has his amusing moments, while the bassman was a joy to watch at times.  Decent solos from all four.  Brown took the bulk of the lead guitar parts.  Which was a shame, as my preference was for the purer sound of the acoustic instrument, rather than the dirtier tones of the electric.  But no matter, it was an enjoyable set to get things going.

Next up an Irish blues guitarist and singer, with an excellent voice and strong rocking style.  Backed by a drummer, a very cool looking bass player, and another guitarist who pplayed his solos in a more grungy style to the leader, Duffy sang a selection of her own material and the odd classic.  Her rendition of Etta James' I'd Rather Go Blind was one of the best I've heard, both vocally and in the empathetic nature of her guitar solo.  A step up in quality from the first act, for sure, but a trifle over amplified.

King Size Slim are another four piece band, from Hastings on the south coast, comprising drums, upright bass, sax and guitar.  On the latter was leader and singer Toby Barelli who, it seems fair to say, is a hard man to classify.  Which applies to the band as a whole.  Musically they were less striking than either of the preceding acts.  But for sheer entertainment they were in a class of their own.  Funny, unpredictable, drawing in their audience and making them a part of the show.  The songs are decent enough, but it's all about the poerformance.  Hilarious and memorable.

Blue Milk with Craig Ralston, Piccolo, George Square, Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival

Blue Milk are a Glasgow based blues outfit comprising Johnny McGiffen (lead vocals and guitar), Taylor Whyte (drums), Ike Malinki (bass) and Leo Glaister (harmonica). However the evening opened with Johnny accompanying an old friend, Craig Ralston.

Ralston has a quiet speaking voice, which makes the gruff power of his singing all the more surprising. It's a fine blues sound, rough and characterful, and he gave us four enjoyable numbers with McGiffen fleshing out the sound on his guitar.

Then came the band. And a considerable increase in volume and tempo. This is proper rockin' blues, steeped in sixties and seventies traditions, and full of power and passion. (Too much passion for some it seemed, for the crowd thinned out a bit after the interval - it certainly was loud!)

Ralston joined the band for that second half, this time playing lead guitar, and providing a grungey alternative to the clarity of McGiffen's playing. Overall a great sound, with Glaister's harp providing the character that marks out the Blue Milk sound. Solid back from the contrasting rhythm section, Malinki an isolated pool of calm and stillness, Whyte a manic grinning presence at the back (and full of funny quips during the gaps).

Visceral blues rock that provides such a beat that the audience can still feel it in their bodies as they leave. Great stuff.

Blues Afternoon (Sandy Tweedale Band and Gus Munro, Big Boy Bloater, Martin Harley Trio), Spiegeltent, George Square, Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival

 Opening act was the trio fronted by one of Scotland's best known, and best, blues guitarists, Sandy Tweedale. Backing from drums and electric bass. But Sandy largely stood aside and let his guest, Gus Munro, take the spotlight. No bad thing, as Munro has a good blues voice, his own style of guitar playing, and an engagingly laid back stage persona, complete with dry humour. Tweedale's guitar solos still took the plaudits though, and gave us the ideal start to our three hours.

Next up came English act Big Boy Bloater. Another singer and guitarist backed by bass and drums. He certainly is a big boy, and has an enjoyably sub-Waits edge to his vocals. The backing is tight, the guitar playing decent enough, and he engages with the audience. But this is one set that never quite made the connection with the audience, and it all felt a big flat after BBB's time on stage.

Fortunately Woking's Martin Harley was in anchor position and saw out the afternoon in style. Less rocky, more bluesy, and so laid back. Drums and bass once again provided the backing, but Harley is a very different guitarist from what came before, as well as being a much better singer and songwriter. And a good raconteur too. Acoustic blues guitar, and dobro on his lap, provided a purer sound, and he's a master of the slide. This set took us to different worlds and soundscapes, and raised the tone considerably. If Harley is back next year then I want to see him.

Nirek Mokar and his Boogie Messengers, Spiegeltent, George Square, Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival

 

A French, four piece, multigenerational line up. Drums, guitar, sax and the titular star on piano. Mokar is in his early twenties, and stated that wind man Claude Brand was 74. The latter's high energy performance belied that fact.

Boogie Woogie features in their name, and in their repertoire, but there is so much more to their overall performance. Jazz, swing. blues, even some rock influences, make for an eclectic sound. Mostly original compositions, but the odd classic thrown in.

I mentioned energy before, and that, and virtuosity, are the hallmarks of their stage presence. Tremendous solos from all four members, but with Mokar always the pick of the bunch for his power, sensitivity and imagination. He's a decent enough vocalist too, and can be pretty funny in his slightly stilted English.

The standing ovation at the end was well earned and wholly deserved. Great music, great show, great theatre. If Mokar returns in future then so will we.

Recital de Guitarra Portuguesa, Tourist Office, Faro

 

If you've been to Portugal you've probably come across Fado, the (mostly) mournful singing that is a national institutuion.  But the vocals are only one elelment of Fado, with the 12 string Portuguese guitar the complementary companion.  Hearing the instrument without the voice sounded interesting, and it was only for 40 minutes, so we went along to see what it might be like.

And emerged delighted with our decision.  Joao Cuna is a Fado virtuoso, and a custodian of the form's history.  His set went well beyond mere entertainment, with the music intersperesed with an audio-visual presentation that explained the history of Fado (which dates back around 200 years) and the instrument associated with it.  The different types of Fado and guitar, the working class roots of one form and elitist origins of the other.  The music provided examples of thse differences, along with more recent melodies which help keep the tradition alive.  Both the story and the music were fascinating.  The music itself seemed alien at first, but the ears adapted, and more modern pieces were more accessible.  But Cuna's virtuosity was never in doubt.

As an added bonus the man had a more familiar 6 string guitar available for anyone in the audience who played.  A young Frenchman voluteered and together they jammed a couple of numbers at the end, a fun way to close an interesting set.  Well worth seeking out if you are ever in Faro.

André and Dorine, Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh Festival Fringe (2023)

 The eponymous couple have been together for many years, and their tolerance of each other's behaviour has eroded over time. He gets irritated when she plays her cello while he tries to write, and she hates the sound of his typewriter as she tries to play. When their son comes to visit he gets caught up in the middle of the storm, literally pulled both ways.

But when Dorine is diagnosed with dementia their world changes. In a series of flashbacks we see André recall how their younger selves first met, got married, were deeply in love, his ongoing irritations now tempered by his memories.

That outline only hints at the deeply emotional story that unfolds on stage. Wordless and faceless, 3 actors (Jose Dault, Garbine Insausti and Edu Carcamo) portray 11 characters using exaggerated masks and wigs, minor costume changes, and the power of body language. There is never any doubt about who's who, or what their reactions to events are. This physical theatre provides many moments of brilliant comedy, through to genuine pathos. There is a dance sequence towards the end that moved me to tears of emotion and will stay with me for some time to come. André and Dorine is a celebration of real-world love.

Madrid's KULUNKA Teatro have produced a truly beautiful theatrical performance that shouldn't be missed, and seems destined to become my outstanding memory of the 2023 Fringe.

André and Dorine is on in the Assembly Rooms until 20th August.

Maggie & Me, Traverse

 Already a successful memoir in print, this is not a straight stage adaptation of the original, but a look at how Damian Barr faced up to his childhood traumas in writing the book.  

Barr (Gary Lamont) is trying to write his memoir, but having problems facing up to the truth of the traumatic abuse he suffered as a child.  His partner Mike (Douglas Rankine) is sympathetic, but uncertain.  So Barr starts to revisit his past in fantasy enactments, guided by the ghost of the Wicked Witch of Grantham, whose brutal actions dominagted the policital landscape of his formative years.  Notably the vile Section 28.

With Thatcher as his guide to separating fantasy from reality, the adult Barr watches his teenage self interact with friends, family, school, all the while shying away from the events he most needs to revisit if he's to make his memoir honest.  he gets there in the end, of course, but it's an effective illustration of how difficult the process must have been for hom.  Along the way there are plenty of laughs, a bit of song and dance, and moments of pathos and tragedy.  An entertainment show with a dark underside.  

In general this structure works well, if a little forced at times, and the writer writing about his writing is a better idea that a straight retelling of the memoir.  Enjoyable, but not as memorable as the book.