Catherine Bohart : Lemon, Pleasance Upstairs, Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Lemon is the colour of  the cardigan worn by an audience member at one of Bohart's gigs in last year's Fringe.  She remembered the cardie because the woman didn't just fail to enjoy the show, but actively hated it and made no secret of the fact.  Those things stick in a performer's mind.

In 2018's Immaculate the Irish comedian talked of being a bisexual in a strongly catholic family.  Although she discussed her sexuality she didn't go much into her actual sex life, yet got complaints from people, like Ms Lemon, as if she had.  So why not do it anyway...

Despite that intro the show isn't all that much about sex, but about relationships, bigotry and, bizarrely, Mutant Ninja Turtles.  Whether or not the inclusion of the latter, who pop up several times in the show, is a mistake or not was hard for me to judge.  I'd heard the name before, but had no idea what they were (a comic strip Wikipedia kindly informs me).  That didn't spoil the enjoyment for me, but I was left wondering what I missed out on.  Not a show aimed at those of us in our more senior years perhaps?

That's not a complaint though.  She's an engaging stage presence, interacts well with her audience and has plenty of well crafted jokes (although my biggest laugh was for a line of her mothers - perhaps showing my age again!).  There's also a serious point to be made at the end.

Well worth seeking out.

Catherine Bohart : Lemon is on in Pleasance Courtyard Upstairs until 25 August

Blues Afternoon, Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival, George Square Spiegeltent

A rocking three hours of Scottish blues in a (sweltering) Spiegeltent.  Opening proceedings was the SIMON KENNEDY BAND.  Drums, bass, an entertainingly enthusiastic keyboard player, and Kennedy leading the way on guitar and vocals.  Later joined by singers Rachel Lightbody and Ellyn Oliver.

Jacket Potato, the opening instrumental number, seemed interminable, and I wondered if we were in for a long 50 minutes.  But they turned out to be a solid R&B outfit, Oliver added some class to the lead vocals, and the Mirek Hodun on keyboards was hugely entertaining to watch, as well as providing most of the best solos.  A fun act to watch and a good start to the gig.

Second in line were hard rocking Chicago Blues band THE JENSEN INTERCEPTORS, who provided the expected step up in class and pace.  Led by the bullish Gary Martin on vocals, harmonica and slide guitar, with guitar, keyboards, bass and drums backing him up.  A solid rhythm section, strong guitar solos, another energetic keyboard player, and some respectable horn from the front man.  Songs from Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters are always a good sign of a well curated set.  It was a shame Martin suffered  few tech problems, but he battled on.  Loud, energetic, accomplished, they paved the way for...

The undoubted star act of the show, the MAGGIE BELL BAND.  The now familiar line up of drums, bass and keyboard, plus the excellent Sandy Tweeddale on guitar, and maybe the greatest blues singer ever to come out of this country.  Bell might be in her seventies now, but she can still rock it with the very best.

Opening with Free's Wishing Well, and following up with a Tom Waits song, this was top quality R&B.  Bell's gargled-with-gravel voice might not quite hit the notes it once did, but her phrasing and timing remain top notch, and her energy irrepressible.  Great interaction with the crowd too, Bell is a proper star, and deserving her legend status.

Not afraid to have a bit of fun too.  When you can switch from Etta James to a bit of Kylie Minogue there's clearly a wicked sense of humour at work.  The gig ended with Steve Marriott's All Or Nothing, the audience on their feet belting out the classic line and illuminated by the presence of a phenomenon.

Bell remains a must see.

Max & Veronica, Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival, George Square Piccolo

An Italian duo dedicated to recreating the sounds of American music of the twenties and thirties - blues, ragtime, hillbilly and more.  And occasional forays into succeeding decades, even as far as the sixties.  He plays guitar and mandolin, she plays washboard, ukulele and kazoo, and both sing.  He's serious and she's...not.  Her fluttering battiness is a strong part of their appeal, as is his knowledge of musical history.  But the music is always the central element of their performance.

In an allstar festival like the EJ&BF the couple might not be the best musicians and singers on show, but they're far from disgraced.  Max has moments of real fluency in his guitar playing, Veronica has an excellent voice, and they switch easily between a genuine passion for the music to moments of offbeat humour.  Even the kazoo solos have charm.

Recommended.

Mike Whellans, Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival, Teviot Row

Probably the best one man band you'll ever see.  A long time stalwart of the Scottish folk and blues circuits.  Or, as today's introduction went, the singing pipe cleaner.  Any and all of them fit Mike Whellans, still a hugely entertaining performer at 75.  He's chatty, amusing, has a fund of stories to tell and is no mean musician and singer.  It's impressive to watch this stick of a man drive out the blues whilst playing bass drum with one foot, hi hat with the other, guitar in both hands and a moothie at his lips.  Having played with many great blues artists in his time he has excellent taste in his choice of material, both classic and obscure (and he loves a bit of obscurity does Mike).

Away from the 'band' set up he performs the most impressive part of the show, a harmonica solo that turns into a 'drum' solo, with the drum effects achieved purely with his mouth.  It's hard to believe unless you've seen it.

Whellans ended this blues show in typically perverse fashion, with a medley of Aberdeenshire folk ditties.  A refreshing way to end, full of humour and imagery, albeit probably impossible to understand for the non-Scots in the audience.

A national institution.

Bandakadara, Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival, Teviot Row

Nine solidly professional musicians from Italy playing brass band jazz.  Three on brass, three on wind, three playing rhythm (two drummers and a tuba player).  Solo vocalists and chorus.  Their material a mix of jazz classics and unexpected treatments.  So far so conventional, and for many that would be enough.  The solos are enjoyable, the singing decent enough, but nothing exceptional.

They do play fewer tunes than most would during their time on stage.  Not because they're playing twelve minute numbers, far from it, but due to the reason which marks Bandakadabra out from all other bands in the festival.  This is a band you enjoy not just for the music, but because they are such a great comedy act.  Everything is played for laughs, everyone is a clown, and their choreography and timing is excellent.  The Monty Python of jazz bands takes silliness, audience participation and physical comedy and wraps it all up in a musical format.  How many bands are suddenly in amongst the audience demanding close ups and posing for selfies?

Yes, that close - there's no zoom on this shot!

If you want soaring solos and cool syncopation, boundary breaking arrangements and self absorbed concentration, the tis isn't for you.  But if you like your festival to have variety, love to have a laugh and have no prissiness about the 'integrity' of the music then this a perfect addition to your list of shows to see.  I've been to plenty Fringe stand ups where I've laughed far less.  These guys are a great combination of jazz and comedy.

Shake 'Em Up Jazz Band, Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival, George Square Piccolo

Classic New Orleans Dixieland jazz from a true-to-the-tradition New Orleans band.  Clarinet, trumpet, trombone, guitar, double bass and washboard.  A vocal line up of varying voices and excellent harmonies.  Classic songs and tunes chosen from a rich jazz heritage.

Despite a touch of jet lag they're a fun bunch too, with jokes and stories interspersing the music.  Chloe Feoranzo (clarinet), Molly Reeves (guitar) and Marla Dixon (trumpet) take turns on lead vocal, all strong performers although Dixon edges it for me, her gutsiness of tone and subtle phrasing making the most of the bluesier numbers. Haruka Kikuchi (trombone) is a far weaker vocalist, but one contribution, Salty Dog, was perfect.  She also provided some unexpected entertainment when her baby, ear defenders on, clamoured to join her on stage.  Simultaneously playing slide trombone and keeping a small child on your lap is some feat!

Great instrumental solos form all the front four too, and again Dixon stood out for the magination in her playing.  A highlight was the occasional washboard solo from the excellent, and fascinating to watch, Defne Incirlioglu.  If Julie Schexnayder on bass didn't get much solo time she was still very much the beating heart of the band, solid of rhythm and fancy of improv.

No complex electronics, no fancy arrangements, nothing musically progressive about the Shake 'Em Up style.  Just solid trad jazz, beautifully played, delivered with passion and joy.  Not to be missed if you love 20s and 30s New Orleans music.

Yesterday

Jack Malik (Himesh Patel) works in a warehouse and lives with his parents.  He's also a struggling singer/songwriter, busking, playing the odd pub gig, driven on by the support of his manager/roadie/best friend Ellie (Lily James), but realising his 'career' is non existent.

When the entire planet suffers a 12 second blackout Jack is hit by a bus and blacks out.  When he wakes up in hospital he begins to realise that the world has changed, but he hasn't.  Nobody knows who The Beatles were.  They never existed, and Googling their name only turns up insects.  When he plays Yesterday to his friends they are stunned into silence at the beauty of this new song, so much better than the stuff he's been writing for years.

What happens when you're the only one in the world who can remember those songs, and you can sing and play too?  You become a major star, although it helps to find yourself being discovered by Ed Sheeran (playing himself) and thence suddenly propelled into becoming a major league recording artist.  And you, of course, question your values, your links to the people who were the mainstay of your old life, and realise you were in love with Ellie all along...

A Richard Curtis script and Danny Boyle direction raises expectations, which Yesterday crashingly fails to meet.  As a RomCom the rom bit's done fairly well, and Patel and james make a convincingly awkward couple.  But Curtis seems to have forgotten the com bit, and there's few laughs spread thinly through the unconvincing dialogue.  I counted far more missed opportunities.

It's saved in part by Patel's performance, making the most of what he's given.  Fortunately he's a decent singer and musician as well as actor, and his interpretations of these sixties classics stand up well.  The real stars of the movie are the songs, a reminder that The Beatles were perhaps the greatest songwriting band ever, and that shines through whoever plays them.  And Patel has a better voice than McCartney.They are songs made for cover versions.

James is good too, there's a nice touch having real life couple Sanjeev Bhaskar and Meera Syal as Jack's so-suburban parents, short but interesting cameos from Sarah Lancashire and the wonderful Robert Carlyle, and even Sheeran is better on camera than you might expect.

But the performances deserve better that the words they were given.  Without the songs this would be yet another totally predictable play-it-by-numbers fluffy romance, short on laughs or interest.  Something tells me there won't ever be a remake featuring the ginger one's material...

Gonzalo Bergara Quintet, Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival, George Square Spiegeltent

Bergara has taken the swinging gypsy jazz style of the great Django Reinhardt and injected it with the passionate tango music of his native Argentina, and emerged as one of the most prodigious guitar talents in the jazz world.  Starting out as a trio, backed by double bass and rhythm guitar, the concert opened with a Reinhardt composition, and an impressive display of  virtuosity.  With brother Maki joining in on the cajon the line up expanded to quartet and playing Bregara's own compositions.  Finally the quintet came into being with the arrival of an Italian violinist (whose name I sadly didn't catch) who lifted what was already an enjoyable experience into the something more sublime.  Her playing has classical influences, but a true jazz heart, full of imagination and the unexpected, both in her hugely impressive solos and the interplay with Bergara.

Backed by a tight rhythm section, who had their own individual moments to shine, the two leads spurred each other on.  Playing with passion and wit, they consistently surprised their listeners, the fiddle taking on the tones of brass and wind, reaching soaring high notes and clawing at emotion.  In between numbers Gonzalo was disarmingly charming, self deprecatingly funny, and informative.

A jazz delight.

Blues Afternoon, Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival, George Square Spiegeltent

The best value events of the festival offer up three different blues acts in three hours in the humid atmosphere of the Spiegeltent.  And a chance to stand up and have a welcome stretch and some air every hour!  This was the first of the four that take place on each Saturday and Sunday of the ten day festival period.  The idea is that the quality improves with each act, so the opener sets a standard for what's to follow, and up first today was...

BABY ISAAC

Longstanding stalwarts of the Scottish blues scene, the Fifers are a good cut above your average pub band standard and an ideal starter act for the show.  They're a five piece band with drums, double bass, guitar and harmonica, fronted by Angela Moore on vocals, and serve up conventional blues-rock with no gimmicks or frills.  A solid rhythm section, decent enough harmonica, and a guitarist who got better as the set went on.  Good rocking stuff, with the best bit being Moore's classic bluesy voice with a rough edge to the tone and good phrasing.  She's an excellent front woman too, keeping the intros short, with the odd joke thrown in, and concentrating on the music.  Forty five minutes of Baby I had the audience warmed up in more ways than one.

STACY MITCHHART

So we had a strong opening act, but the step up in quality was clearly a big one when the Nashvillian made his entrance.  Coming in from the back of the audience playing his 3 string cigar box guitar, engaging with the crowd, he quickly established himself as a special talent and a real entertainer.  Singing a mix of classics and his own songs, with acoustic and steel guitars on hand, his 50 minute set flew by.

Mitchhart's got a good voice, with some pleasing individuality to the phrasing,but it's his guitar work that marks him out as exceptional.  Full of unexpected transitions and arpeggios, imaginative and frequently fun too, he's a joy to listen to.  His final song, a cover of the Beatles' Come Together, showcased his ability to transform the familiar.  Add in a great sense of humour - imbued into many of his lyrics, such as the one suggesting he wanted to marry his mother in law - and Stacy is a man to leave an audience wanting more.  Definitely worth seeing.

IAN SIEGAL BAND

Whether or not the final act was a step up in quality from Mitchhart is debatable, but it certainly upped the volume and energy levels.  Backed by a young trio on drums, bass and guitar, Siegal initially comes across like an ageing wide-boy, but has the talent to more than back up the image.  his songs have decent lyrics and melodies, but it's his gruff voice and guitar work that mark the performance, especially playing slide at which he excels.  Sharing the lead guitar work Dutchman Dusty Ciggaar impressed with his solos, and some agonised facial expressions(!).

It was shame that Ciggaar and Siegal both suffered a few tech problems during the performance, but they did well to keep it all together and kept the music coming.  A strong rocking performance to end the show.

With each set only 45 to 50 mins the artists kept chat to a minimum, letting the music do the work, but both Mitchhart and Siegal each managed a piece of entertaining storytelling that suggested they could have done more given more time.  But Blues Afternoon is a showcase for variety in blues music, and delivers.

Zac Harmon Band, Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival, George Square Spiegeltent

Mississippi Blues.  Harmon was very specific about that.  Not Chicago Blues, but the real thing from his home state.  That and a lot of fun.

Harmon is singer, songwriter, storyteller, guitarist, philosopher and personality.  He knows how to make an entrance, and an exit, and talk to a crowd.  Maybe not the greatest vocalist, nor the most distinctive, but he makes good use of what he's got in a smooth and masterful style.  As a guitarist he's economical, making the notes do the work.  He can play the fast stuff when he wants to, but the sparser style predominates and allows for a more ensemble sound than some would do.

That's a plus, or he has an excellent backing band.  Ralph Forrest on drums, Chris Gipson on 5 string bass, Texas Slim providing rhythm guitar, and the coolest man on the stage, Corey Carmichael on keyboards and piano.  All provide backing vocals, all have their moments of solo glory, and all take their chances well, whilst providing a solid unit for Harmon to shine against.  Gipson stood out as a great bass player, solid and imaginative, an important part of the fun element and no mean dancer.

Harmon tells stories, the guys joke around.  There was a fun dance sequence between Carmichael and Gipson I managed to capture a bit of, and that's a good indication of the atmosphere they'd built up in a steamy Spiegeltent by half way through the set.  Following a great version of Dylan's Knocking On Heaven's Door they had the audience on their feet and singing along big time, with Harmon taking a mike around the floor.

Quality music, real entertainment and a jumping venue.  For me this was the perfect opener to this year' Jazz and Blues Fest.  And the Harmon CD will be getting a lot of play now.