Sidetracks And Detours present PASS IT ON 28 weekly walkabout Sunday Supplement
Sidetracks And Detours
present
PASS IT ON 28
weekly walkabout Sunday Supplement
November 26th 2023
Hello, it might be something to do with the time of year and all that, but we make no apologies for today´s edition of PASS IT ON being another bumper bundle of arts-related news. Somebody in Vancouver passed it on to a reader, Jenny Roach, of an arts exhibition being held there by David Spriggs, a UK born artist who has influenced and worked with Peter Gabriel. We include news of live music events, and of jazz on air, and we travel back to a time bofre Americana before winging and dining with the siodetracks and detours staff.
CONTENTS
Visual Arts Solo Exhibition:
DAVID SPRIGGS
Dimensionalism
Live Events
Check Out and Check In with Chetham´s
Theatre
News And Previews
Music In Portsmouth Newsletter
Live Music
I love Manchester
Christmas Under the Arches
Live Jazz
Jazz In Redading
Jazz On Air
Hot Biscuits
Music
Gratitude And Hope
The North Sea String Quartet
A Reader´s Perspective: All Points Forward
In A Time Before Americana
Island Insights
Saborea Tasting Lanzarote
v
Visual Art
Solo Exhibition:
DAVID SPRIGGS
DIMENSIONALISM
Paul Kyle Gallery, Vancouver, Canada.
November 18th – January 20th, 2024
Sidetracks And Detours thank Jenny Roche, a Rochdale based writer and colleague, for sharing this news about a Canadian exhibition by a visual artist friend of hers.
Public Opening Saturday November 18th
David Spriggs presents “Dimensionalism,” an awe-inspiring exhibition that transcends the boundaries of painting and sculpture. Originally from the United Kingdom and currently based on Vancouver Island, Canada, Spriggs is known for his groundbreaking art that blurs the lines between dimensions, inviting viewers to explore the interstitial art of Dimensionalism.
A Journey into Dimensionalism
Spriggs’ artistic journey began in 1999 when he created a pioneering technique, involving layering transparencies in space and painting on them, creating a visual language that bridges the gap between the tangible and the ethereal. Dimensionalism describes an art that revels in the interstitial space between dimensions. Dimensionalism springs forth from the notion that reality is a complex composition of layers that weave and intersect, rather than being confined to a single plane.
The Intersection of Material and Immaterial
Spriggs’ artwork is an exploration of space, colour symbolism, power, movement, and perception. As visitors navigate the exhibition, they will encounter a symphony of layered, transparent imagery that unite into vibrant, abstract, and almost otherworldly forms. These immaterial forms overcome the limitations of a single plane, forming a complex tapestry of interconnected images perceived by the mind as a unified cohesive whole. Navigating this intricately layered space, dimensions blur and converge, and each artwork appears distinct from every viewpoint.
Transparency
A fundamental element of “Dimensionalism” and all of David Spriggs’ art is transparency, which transcends mere translucency to become the very language of the immaterial. Throughout the exhibition, transparency serves as a bridge between the tangible and the ethereal, enriching the viewer’s experience with a profound connection to the intangible.
Navigating Power Dynamics and Symbolic Duality
Within the “Dimensionalism” exhibition, smaller artworks delve into the symbolic interplay of black and white, illuminating the nuanced themes of duality and power dynamics.
Meanwhile, the center-piece of this captivating exhibition, “Paradox of Power,” offers a profound exploration of the age-old symbol of power—the bull. In this intriguing piece, the bull is visually bisected, one side ablaze in vibrant red, the other adorned in striking blue. This juxtaposition of powerful, contrasting colours within this iconic symbol stands as a vivid representation of the duality inherent in the concept of power.
Coinciding with his current exhibition ’Dimensionalism’, Spriggs’ work will be featured in the Musée des Arts décoratifs in Paris in a major exhibition dedicated to Iris van Herpen.
In telling us that David is a Canadian-British installation artist known for his large-scale 3D ephemeral installations that layer transparent images, a technique he first began to use in 1999, to create the illusion of a three-dimensional landscape.
The web site also carries a reference to a short film made about his work by a UK musician who has had two great careers, firstly as a partner in Genesis and latterly as Peter Gabriel, solo artist.
The photograph xxx, taken from a web site at davidspriggs.art of Gabriel on stage, in concert i/o playing song Panopticom with artwork ‘Red Gravity’ by David Spriggs. Photo credit Tyler York.
The artwork of David Spriggs lies in a space between the 2 and 3 dimensions. In his work he explores phenomena, space-time and movement, colour, visual systems and surveillance, the strategies and symbols of power, and the thresholds of form and perception. Spriggs is known internationally for his unique large-scale 3D ephemeral-like installations that use a technique he pioneered in 1999 layering transparent images.
David Spriggs is currently based on Vancouver Island, BC, Canada. He was born in 1978 in Manchester, England, and immigrated to Canada in 1992. He received his Master of Fine Arts from Concordia University, Montreal, and his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Emily Carr University in Vancouver. He undertook student residencies at Central St. Martin’s College of Art in London, England (1999) and the Bauhaus University in Weimar, Germany (2006).
Spriggs has exhibited his work internationally at various galleries, museums, and biennales, including: Oku-Noto Triennale Japan, Sharjah Biennale UAE, Noor Riyadh Saudi Arabia, Chroniques Biennale Marseille France, Musée de La Poste Paris France, Powerlong Museum Shanghai China, Times Art Museum Beijing and Chengdu China, 5th International Digital Art Biennial Montreal Canada, the Prague Biennial 5 Czech Republic, the Louis Vuitton Gallery Macau, amongst others.
His work can be found in many private and prestigious public collections such as the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and the National Museum of Fine Arts of Quebec, and on permanent display in the lobbies of high-profile hotels and public buildings such as the Las Vegas Conrad and Hilton in Resorts World, Shanghai C-Future City, Hyatt Centric Hong Kong, and the Queens Marque Halifax. Spriggs’ artwork ‘Red Gravity’ was used for the cover art of Peter Gabriel’s song ‘Panopticom’.
“Spriggs’ work invites us to see what is not actually there and to movewith the constellation of what we’re beginning to see. Moving-with perception composing itself, we experience the dynamics of an object becoming spacetime. We no longer simply observe – we are moved by the experience of watching, and we move with it. We note the contours but feel the colors. We see the lines but feel the rhythm. We see-with the becoming-work. This is the activity of plastic dynamism expressing itself through the emergence of a body-image constellation.”
https://www.paulkylegallery.com/david-spriggs-dimensionalism
#exhibition #art #gallery #museum #vancouver #davidspriggs
Live Events
Check Out and Check In with Chetham´s
previewed by NEWSLETTER
We look forward to welcoming you as a visitor or reader to the Library! Book a tour using our online system here. You can also visit our blog, and follow us on social media (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram)! Please use the email addresses under Contact Us to get in touch.
Come and join us in the Baronial Hall, to take part in our Winter craft workshops! We will be demonstrating how to make easy, cost-efficient and eco-friendly Christmas decorations and gifts for your loved ones.
You are also welcome to bring your own craft projects along (subject to suitability with the building), and simply enjoy our medieval building in its Christmas greenery.
Our workshops will be running 13:00-16:00,
(last entry is 15:15).
Creaking floorboards, clanking chains and whispering voices… Chetham’s Library invite you to Morbid Curiosities!
In the spirit of the traditional Victorian pastime, of telling ghost stories at Christmas, Chetham’s Library invite you to a special tour of the medieval building.
We will be sharing morbid tales from its long history, and spooky sightings from those who have worked in this fascinating building over the years.
Suitable for over the age of 16.
A Bluestocking Influencer:Lady Mary Wartley Montague:
| One of the most influential English women of the 18th century, Lady Mary Wortley Montagu (1689-1762), lives on at Chetham’s library in the form of three collectors’ items: a volume of her early letters, a panegyric written by an admirer after her death, and a pamphlet touching on her turbulent relationship with the waspish poet Alexander Pope. To find out more about this fascinating woman why not read our latest blog post by volunteer Kath Rigby |
101 Treasures Hogarth Prints:
Friday 10th November marks the birthday of William Hogarth (1697-1764). Earlier this year we lent some of our prints to the Derby Museum’s exhibition; Hogarth’s Britons: Succession, Patriotism, and the Jacobite Rebellion.
The exhibition was a success and our prints have been returned to the Library. With his birthday coinciding with the return of the prints we thought we would make the famous engraver the subject of our 101 Treasures series.
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Theatre
News And Previews
We thank our secret investigators CSI CannotbBeNamed and his DCI DareInotBeNamed for rounding upo all the news from Portsmouth and
from CHICHESTER FESTIVAL THEATRE
We’re super excited to share the rehearsal trailer and photos for this year’s Chichester Festival Youth Theatre show, The Jungle Book. Creep behind the scenes to see how our talented cast and creatives are creating a jungle jam-packed with original songs, energetic dancing and animals with serious attitude!
The Jungle Book comes to the Festival Theatre from 16 – 31 December. It’s a captivating Christmas treat for all ages.
Life Of Pi
Our Winter season is in full swing, with Life of Pidazzlingin the Festival Theatre. If you haven’t experienced this ‘breath-taking’ (The Times) spectacle, you’ve got until 2 Dec to embark on this epic journey.
Lucy Kirkwood’s wildly ambitious play comes to the Minerva from 28 Nov – 2 Dec. Alice studies particle physics in Geneva, but her relationship with her sister also looks set to collide.
Want to know more what’s happening in the Minerva Theatre this Christmas? You can see The Three Billy Goats Gruff, a mega musical for families and its directorJustin Audibert, , tells us all about this perfect treat for 3-7 year olds and their grown-ups at cft.org.uk where you can also find price, availability of booking procedures for all events, including
January Japes
Direct from the West End, Michael Frayn‘s celebrated comedy Noises Off heads to CFT in the new year from 9 – 13 January. The cast includes Liza Goddard (Life of Riley), Simon Shepherd (Peak Practice), and Matthew Kelly, who told us all about being a part of this ‘joyful, intelligent and thrilling piece of theatre’.
Crazy For You
Looking for a musical lover’s dream? Crazy for You is at the Gillian Lynn Theatre until Sunday 31 December. It’s a true celebration of musical theatre, complete with dazzling tap numbers and a 16-piece orchestra!
Special offer for CFT audiences: follow the link to book the best available seats for £45.
Music In Portsmouth Newsletter
Live Music
Tchaikovsky Christmas Nutcracker
The Petersfield Orchestra,
Petersfield Festival Hall November 2023
review by IAN SCHOFIELD
A major work in the Petersfield Orchestra’s November concert was Sibelius’s 1st Symphony, something of a challenge to rise to the demands of this major work from the orchestral repertoire – and the players acquitted themselves very well indeed. All the important melodies were stylishly pointed and brought out, especially that of the last movement. The second movement’s tempestuous central section featured exciting interjections from brass and percussion, whilst in the more relaxed moments there was ebb and flow which gave the music space to breathe. There was great rhythmic drive to the start of movement three and its motivic character well emphasised. The big melody of the last movement was sonorous, and the final climax and subsequent pizzicato chord ending was well judged.
This concert opened with the Symphonic Suite from Lieutenant Kijé by Prokofiev. It took a little while for the orchestra to settle into this piece, with the ensemble at the start of a couple of movements slightly unsteady. However, there was much to enjoy, especially in some very fine solo playing. The off-stage opening cornet solo, and later on-stage, in the 3rd movement was especially memorable. There’s was idiomatic saxophone playing too, particularly in the Romance, some nifty trombone moments in the Troika and a brief tuba solo in the final movement didn’t go unnoticed.
Lieutenant Kijé was followed by Suite No 1 from Tchaikowsky’s ‘The Nutcracker’. Here, neat playing in the overture was followed by characterful performances of the subsequent contrasting dance movements. The celeste solo in Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy was rhythmically played and delicately accompanied. The excitement of the Trepak contrasted well with lilting and expressive string playing in the Arabian Dance.
This very enjoyable concert was conducted with clarity and firm control by Robin Browning. It is not surprising that their concerts are always sold out. The orchestra’s next concert will be on March 21st 2024.
Anthony Gritten, (left)
Portsmouth Cathedral
review by DAVID GREEN
Anthony Gritten’s fluent, authoritative Prelude and Fugue, BWV 552, entirely justified our gamble on the inclement weather as it sashayed its way over its groaning ground bass until reaching a middle section that was O, God Our Help in Ages Past until taking off in another direction and then ending in majestic splendour.
It’s not easy beginning with one’s best shot. I was very interested in Anthony’s programme note about his six and a half hour anniversary recital of Buxtehude, presumably in 2007, and I’d have been glad of a fragment of that. While Schumann’s 4 Skizzen für den Pedalflügel, Op.58, explored the stops – woodwind, something akin to harmonium- they were ‘sketches’ until a danceable Allegretto which aspired to something more comprehensive.
Max Reger’s Choralphantasie über ‘Wie schön leuchtet uns der Morgenstern’, which we got close enough to translating into How lovely shines the morning star to impress ourselves if nobody else, crashed in, promising all kinds of fireworks but then took the scenic route through its melodious theme until bringing this Autumn’s Portsmouth lunchtime series to a blazing finale that might still be ringing round the clerestory when it all comes together again in January.
Elisabeth Turmo and Elena Toponogova,
Chichester Cathedral, November
review by DAVID GREEN
There are a lot of notes, words and chess moves but only so many. Eventually, one might think, then, all the possible music and poetry will one day have been written and all possible chess games been played but we need not worry just yet. It’s still quite often there’s music by composers I’ve not heard of before on programmes to take me outside of the Bach, Mozart, Beethoven comfort zone.
Elisabeth Turmo is Norwegian and plays Norwegian music. Ole Bull was described by Robert Schumann as the ‘Norwegian Paganini’ and his A mountain vision, beginning so gently on the piano, was soon soaring songlines ideal to advertise Elisabeth’s vituoso technique which remained in evidence throughout.
Johan Halvorsen’s Norwegian Dance was where the jig met a taste of Russia but the challenge of its fast fingered requirements was not a difficulty here and was delivered with all fluency. The Chanson Arabe from Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade was exactly that and both vivacious and lyrical before Elisabeth took a rest and Elena had a solo spot because, thus far, she had been for the most part an accompanist.
Lyadov’s Prelude in B minor was all iridescent regret and beautifully done, contrasting in style with the major work, Grieg’s Sonata for Violin and Piano no. 2.
Elisabeth returned, bursting forth with gleeful grand gestures in the first movement but the difference between the tranquillo of the second and the animato of the third wasn’t as obvious as those markings would lead one to expect. The brisk, high-spirited finale was certainly a man in a good mood o n his honeymoon, as Elena had explained although one couldn’t help wondering about someone who spent so much of their honeymoon arranging black dots on staves. I do hope Mrs. Grieg wasn’t too much put out.
Some musicians impress more than others without me knowing why, not having the least shred of technical acumen to understand how they do it, but, having known about Elena already, Elisabeth looked pure class, too. But I’m happy not to be able to explain it because there’s a danger that understanding it would take away the magic and it is to be hoped there’s plenty more where all that comes from. I’m confident we’re nowhere near depleting those valuable resources any time soon.
Chichester Chamber Concert Series:
Charlotte Salouste-Bridoux, violin
Joseph Havlat, piano
review by MUSIC IN PORSTMOUTH newsletter
Born in France, violinist Charlotte Saluste-Bridoux is the 2021 grand prize winner of Young Classical Artists Trust and Concert Guild International Competition. Recent highlights include appearances at Wigmore Hall, a BBC Prom with the 12 Ensemble and a performance of the Franck Piano Quintet at the Gstaadt Festival with Alina Ibragimova, Lawrence Power, Sol Gabetta and Bertrand Chamayou.
Joseph Havlat is a pianist and composer from Hobart, Australia, based in London. Joseph is a leading interpreter of new music, having collaborated with such composers as Hans Abrahamsen, Thomas Adès, Brett Dean and Sir Harrison Birtwistle. As a chamber musician he has performed with Steven Isserlis, Katalin Károlyi and Jack Liebeck, alongside regular duo partners Lotte Betts-Dean, Charlotte Saluste-Bridoux and Tim Posner.
PROGRAMME:
Enescu Impromptu Concertant in G flat
Schubert Fantasy in C D934 and Rondo Brillant D895
Clara Schumann Three Romances Op 22
Ravel Violin Sonata No 2 in G
Live Music
Christmas Under the Arches
with Manchester Vocal Ensemble
7 December @ 19:30 – 21:30 from £8
preview by I LOVE MANCHESTER newsletter
After the success of last years’ 2x sold out shows we are thrilled to be hosting another set of Christmas gigs at the incredible venue that is 53two – in the heart of Manchester!
Manchester Vocal Ensemble is a contemporary vocal group with a focus on providing a fresh approach to a cappella singing.
Formed in 2019, the group is a collective of accomplished singers with a shared vision to entertain our audiences through original vocal arrangements of modern songs.
The voices within the group represent a wealth of experience and diverse musical backgrounds. From pop and folk, to the extraordinary world of film and theatre, Manchester Vocal Ensemble’s original arrangements seek to deliver uplifting and memorable experiences.
In the first set you will hear our original vocal arrangements of audience favourites from artists including; Hozier, Laura Mvula, Florence+The Machine and Elton John. In the second set you will be treated to a host of sumptuous, seasonal favourites with Manchester Vocal Ensemble’s signature rich vocal harmonies. Whether you’re a seasoned concert-goer, or if it’s your first time, we promise a dynamic and exhilarating performance for all
Join us ‘This Christmas’ for an unforgettable night featuring original vocal arrangements of your favourite pop songs and Christmas classics!
7th & 8th December 2023 – BOOK NOW
Live Music
RNCM Chamber Orchestra:
Haydn and Saint-Saëns
7 December @ 18:00 – 19:00
preview by I LOVE MANCHESTER newsletter
This event is a perfectly curated bite-sized performance to satisfy your symphonic taste buds and still get you home in time for dinner
Condensed and captivating, indulge in the power of a concentrated musical experience.
A noble opening in Farrenc’s Overture No 1 paves the way for a gripping climax filled with tension and drama before concerto competition winner and violinist Dylan Latham unleashes Saint-Saëns’ highly virtuosic concert piece.
Concluding on a high note, our students give a magnificent performance of Haydn’s most celebrated London symphony.
Louise Farrenc Overture No 1 in E minor Op 23 ^
Camille Saint-Saëns Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso Op 28 *
Joseph Haydn Symphony 104 in D major ‘London’
Douglas Boyd, Jakub Przybycien ^ conductors
Dylan Latham violin *
RNCM Chamber Orchestra
Live Music
Monday 4th December 2023, 7.30 pm
The Stoller Hall, Manchester
standard ticket 27.00
U18 / Unwaged 7 Students 5.00
HAFFNER ENSEMBLE & NICHOLAS DANIEL
Part of the Manchester Chamber Concerts Society 23/24 season.
The Haffner Wind Ensemble is one of Britain’s leading chamber ensembles and one of the most established wind quintets in Britain. Each member of the ensemble is a chamber musician and a soloist as well as a principal of the Britten Sinfonia; in addition, all are experienced teachers in the UK and abroad. The breadth of their musical experience as individuals and their extensive work together in the Britten Sinfonia combine to create a secure and fluent ensemble, one which plays with freshness and vivacity and which excels not only in the classics of the wind repertoire but also in contemporary music.
In addition to playing wind quintets, the ensemble brings together colleagues and guests to play larger scale chamber music, including quintet with piano, octet and nonet as well as works such as Mozart’s Gran Partita for thirteen winds and the new arrangement by Maurice Hodge of Mozart’s Piano Duet Sonata K497 for the same forces with flute. Pianists with whom they have worked include Imogen Cooper, Paul Lewis, Angela Hewitt and Julius Drake.
The Haffner Wind Ensemble’s repertoire includes many standard classics as well as contemporary works, old and new arrangements and music for education programmes and workshops. The ensemble can boast an impressive list of new commissions from such leading composers as Michael Berkeley, Martin Butler, Gary Carpenter, Phillip Cashian, Colin Matthews, Anthony Powers and John Woolrich. The ensemble enjoys an enviable reputation for imaginative programming, juxtaposing the classic and the contemporary, for championing contemporary music, for outstanding musicianship and, above all, for its warm and engaging performances.
Nicholas Daniel OBE has long been acknowledged as one of the world’s great oboists and is one of Britain’s best known musicians. He has significantly enlarged the repertoire for his instrument with the commissioning of hundreds of new works.
Nicholas dedicates his life to music in many varied ways. He records and broadcasts widely, including regular recordings on the Harmonia Mundi Label, and he boasts a huge following internationally on social media. He is proud to support and patronise many important initiatives, charities and trusts, and has directed several music festivals and concert series, most notably in Germany and Dartington, and has been Music Director of the Leicester International Music Festival and lunchtime series for many years. He is highly sought after as a teacher, being Professor at the Trossingen Musikhochschule in Germany.
He has been a concerto soloist with many of the world’s leading orchestras and conductors, performing a huge range of repertoire from Bach to Xenakis and beyond, premiering works written for him by composers including Harrison Birtwistle, Henri Dutilleux, James MacMillan, Thea Musgrave, John Tavener and Michael Tippett, as well as encouraging many younger composers to write for the oboe. His recording of concertos by Vaughan Williams and MacMillan was awarded the BBC Music Magazine Premiere Award in 2016.
Image credit: Eric Richmond
Live Jazz
The Bateman Brothers Jazz Band –
Music of Louis Armstrong
logo jir Crowmarsh Jazz Saturday 9 December
Doors 6.45pm | Show 7.30pm.
Tickets – £15 (£5 concessions, details below)
preview by JAZZ IN READING
The Bateman Brothers Jazz Band (right) has gained a worldwide reputation for their faithful recreation of the music of Louis Armstrong and his All-Stars. The critics struggle to tell the two bands apart and Alan Bateman’s trumpet playing is as close to the sound of Louis Armstrong in the golden years of the 1940’s – 1960’s as you will ever hear nowadays. If that is not enough, his brother Ian Bateman possess the ability to recreate the sound of Louis’ most famous trombonists – Trummy Young and Jack Teagarden.
The older members of their audiences often remark on how the band takes them back to their youth and congratulate them for putting the vitality back into this form of jazz music. That is because they play the tunes the way Louis and the All-Stars played them – full of energy, the same carefully planned arrangements and an all too obvious genuine love of the music. These are the current stars of the British jazz scene (all ex-members of the bands of Chris Barber, Kenny Ball, Acker Bilk and Terry Lightfoot), all in one band and if you go to see them in one of their three different shows, they’ll have you on the edge of your seat shouting for more.
That’s how it was with Louis Armstrong (left) and his All-Stars and that is how it is with The Bateman Brothers Jazz Band.
Their first recording won the best CD category in the 2011 British Jazz Awards and prompted this response from reviewer Ralph Laing: “In my experience no band in the world has ever attempted to emulate the unique sound of Louis Armstrong and his All-Stars before. In this they succeed, and deserve our admiration and envy for so doing…”.
If you are a jazz enthusiast or just love Louis Armstrong, this concert is for you and we can’t wait to welcome The Bateman Brothers Jazz Band to our stage.
Venue: Crowmarsh Village Hall, Benson Lane, Crowmarsh Gifford, OX10 8ED
Live Jazz
Mark Nightingale
(trombone)
with the Pangbourne Jazz Club rhythm section:
Terry Hutchins (guitar) |
Andy Crowdy (double bass)
Jim Pollard (piano) | Brian Greene (drums)
Sunday 3 December | 7:30pm start
Only £12.50 entry | Cheap bar | Raffle | Public Car Park
Pay on the door or book online
Pangbourne Jazz Club are delighted to welcome back Mark Nightingale, who is one of the club’s firm favourites and without question one of the best musicians in the UK.
photo Mark began on trombone at age nine, and played in the Midland Youth Jazz Orchestra and the National Youth Jazz Orchestra in his teens. He attended Trinity College of Music from 1985 to 1988. His first band as leader was a trombone quintet called Bonestructure and he has gone on to front various sized groups from quartets and quintets to a Big Band featuring his own compositions and arrangements.
Mark toured and recorded with James Morrison in Europe from 1994 to 1997. He has had longstanding musical relationships with John Dankworth, Stan Tracey, Alan Barnes and Andy Panayi. Nightingale has composed for trombone and other brass instruments. His published works include 20 Jazz Etudes (1995), Multiplicity (1996) Easy Jazzy Tudes (1998), Turning Back the Clock (2004), and Urbieplicity (2010).He played trombone on the album Ten Summoner’s Tales by Sting.
He has worked with or recorded with Louie Bellson, Ray Brown, Carl Fontana, Urbie Green, Scott Hamilton, Slide Hampton, Bill Holman, Lee Konitz, Cleo Laine, Claire Martin, Clark Terry, and Kenny Wheeler; Steely Dan, Kylie Minogue, Tom Jones, Madonna, Robbie Williams, Henry Mancini, McFly, Frank Sinatra, John Wilson, and Michel Legrand. He occasionally directs the BBC Big Band
Live Jazz
Three Musical Christmas Events
Bishop’s Court Farm
Dorchester on Thames OX10 7HP
3, 16 and 17 December
preview by JAZZ IN READING
Sunday 3 December 2023
Doors 6:30pm Concert 7:30 – 9pm
‘Jo Harrop is a very fine jazz singer. When she sings, she moves me.’ Iggy Pop – BBC 6 Music
‘A rare mix of delicacy and boldness. Sheer perfection.’
The Guardian
A unique farm-to-table gastronomic experience that includes a mouth-watering three-course meal and a selection of delicious wines topped off by a magnificent musical menu featuring the irrepressible Soul Immigrants.
Bishop’s Court Farm in partnership with Hampstead Jazz Club proudly present A Jazzy Christmas Evening at Dorchester Abbey.
This very special show will feature a feast of festive favourites and jazzy Christmas classics performed by singer Jo Harrop and virtuoso pianist Paul Edis, who recently won Album Of The Year at the 2023 Parliamentary Jazz Awards for their critically acclaimed long-player, When Winter Turns To Spring. They will be joined by a world-class eight-piece band featuring some of the finest jazz musicians in the UK as they perform a set of fresh new arrangements especially written for the occasion by Edis.
Taking the audience on a magical musical journey that goes from festive classics such as Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas and Winter Wonderland to new takes on traditional hymns and carols including O Holy Night and In The Bleak Midwinter, A Jazzy Christmas Evening will undoubtedly be one of the musical highlights of the year.
Raised on a musical diet of Nina Simone, Ella Fitzgerald and Aretha Franklin, Jo Harrop has established herself as one of the most unmistakable voices in British jazz. Having signed to London-based jazz label, Lateralize Records, she released Weathering The Storm, her debut with guitarist, Jamie McCredie, and The Heart Wants, which has received rave reviews everywhere from The Times to The Guardian, been played extensively on BBC 6 Music, BBC Radio 2 and Jazz FM and is currently riding high in the US Jazz Album Charts. With her beautifully understated smoky voice delicately poised between beguiling sensuality and exquisite fragility, she is one of the brightest stars in the jazz world right now.
Featuring:
Jo Harrop (vocals)
Paul Edis (piano/arrangements)
Alan Barnes (alto sax/clarinet)
Paul Booth (tenor/soprano sax)
Ryan Quigley (trumpet)
Rory Ingham (trombone)
Gareth Lockrane (flute/piccolo)
Dominic Ingham (violin)
Mátyás Hofecker (bass)
Matt Home (drums)
Sunday 3 December 2023
Doors 6:30pm Concert 7:30 – 9pm
Dorchester Abbey, Dorchester-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, OX10 7HH
Bish Bash Christmas Party and Silent Disco
A gastronomic musical extravaganza
Saturday 16 December 2023 7:30pm – 2am
A unique farm-to-table gastronomic experience that includes a mouth-watering three-course meal and a selection of delicious wines topped off by a magnificent musical menu featuring the irrepressible Soul Immigrants.
Positively fizzing with an infectious energy that’s been honed over the course of numerous live performances everywhere from Glastonbury to Ronnie Scott’s, the Soul Immigrants stir up a potent gumbo stew of soul and funk that’s guaranteed to get you dancing the night away.
Tickets: £42.00 (Booking Required)
Dinner, Drink, Entertainment & Silent Disco all included.
Late Night Silent Disco After Party
11.30pm – 2am
Tickets: £5.00 (Booking Required)
Zoe Gilby’s Festive Family Jazz Show
An unmissable Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious afternoon of music and fun for everyone from toddlers to grandparents.
Sunday 17 December 2023 4 – 5pm
preview by JAZZ IN READING
Try typing that title into your search engine ! I settled instead for Zoe Gilby, a name I didn´t know and she sounded intriguing, so I also searched Zoe on Spotify. Wow, …she sounds wonderful, and she and her brilliant band will be taking you on a whistle-stop tour that jumps and jives from the timeless Disney songbook all the way through to a crackerjack jukebox of joyous Christmas classics including Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer and Let It Snow. Whether you’re four or 104, you’re never too young or too old to join the Jungle VIPs with these swingalong singalong songs.
Under-fives: Free
6 to 18-year-olds: £10.00
Adults: £7.50
All kids are instructed to bring a responsible adult…as long as they behave.
Jazz On Air
Hot Biscuits from STEVE BEWICK
Greetings, listeners. Next week my broadcast of Hot Biscuits features a set of live numbers from one of our best loved Jazz vocalists, Doreen Marie Milner Edwards at the Trio Saison club, Manchester.
Also on the show is Jeremy Yourpeltness Pelt advising us on love and Jo arrop Music telling us ´Things are changing´.
Photo 1 Jo is an accomplished singer and makes big waves in the UK jazz scene.
Jo Harrop has performed at the Royal Albert Hall, The 606 Club and Pizza Express Jazz Club, among other respected venues. Jo began her career as a singer songwriter. She has written for Acoustic Alchemy’s album and Radio Contact, which featured on Courtney Pines, Jazz Crusade radio show.
Editor´s note Sidetracks And Detours understand from the guys at Jazz in Reading (see their listings today) that you could find Jo performing in their area around Christmas. Although I´m not as familiar with UK Jazz as Ia m with other gneres of music I was so intrigued by their preview that I researched, and like what I read there too and then I plucked a track from my Spotify account. She´s the real deal,…he plays some good stuff this Bewick fella !
This plate of Hot Biscuits will also include Rob Luft with `Be Water, Be Friend.`
Tony Kofi Music give us a live promise that `Things Are Getting better,` although Bobby Quigley’s Organ Trio continue to play the sounds of `Lean Years`.
and finishing with Jonny Mansfield Quartet. If this looks iSo, we bring the programme to a close with the Jonny Mansfield Quartet.
If this sounds nteresting then please PASS IT ON and tell your friends that they, like you, can listen in anytime at www.mixcloud.com/stevebewick
Thanks Steve.
Music
Gratitude And Hope
by THE NORTH SEA STRING QUARTET (right)
What an incredible two weeks it has been! Thanks to your unwavering support, we’ve reached the halfway mark of our crowd-funding goal – it’s truly insane, and we couldn’t be more grateful.
We’re also honoured by the contribution of a whopping 1000 euros that we received from the Dutch Cultuurfonds Zuid-Holland; a huge thanks to them as well.
Your enthusiasm and dedication are driving us forward. If you haven’t had the chance to contribute yet, you can do so by clicking on the button below.
If you can’t contribute financially, you can still help us a lot by spreading our crowdfunding to your friends during the last two weeks to ensure we reach as many people as possible.
Once again, thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
Yanna, Pablo, George & Thomas,
The NSSQ
logo A Place For Poetry
Early Doors, Yet, But Could Be Here To Stay
says THE POET IN THE RAIN
An Evening of Spoken Word with Ian Leslie at The Coffee Stop.
Save the date! On December 1st, join us at The Coffee Stop At Railway Road for a captivating Spoken Word Night featuring the talented author, Ian Leslie, renowned for his work “The Prince of Hag Fold”
Mark your calendars, book your FREE seats, and let the power of words captivate your imagination!
logo A Reader´s Perspective: All Points Forward
In A Time Before Americana
remembered by PETER PEARSON
I take the opportunity this week to trace my musical ancestry. without dwelling too much on my time in the Church Choir which was my introduction to choral music. I think that this, plus the fact that my Dad loved all kinds of music and could play the violin, stimulated my interest in all kinds of music.
I was a child of the nineteen fifties and sixties. We used to watch 6-5 Special on TV hosted by Pete Murray and Jo Douglas with Don Lang and his Frantic Five (Pete Murray is still with us at 98). When my Dad bought a mono Philips reel to reel I used to dash home from school on my push bike during lunch hour to record Pop Inn on the BBC Light Programme, hosted by Keith Fordyce.
Ready Steady Go started on TV and there was Juke Box Jury and Thank Your Lucky Stars. Sundays always used to be The Billy Cotton Band Show, with Cotton´s Reveille of ¨Wakey Wakey´ !
I used to tune in to Radio Luxembourg. Then came Radio Caroline and the other pirates.
afp 3 Eden Kane Before the Beatles pop music was dominated by American artists. Whilst still at school in 1963 I managed to cobble together enough funds to go and see Roy Orbison and Del Shannon at the Manchester Ardwick Apollo. Then there was the package shows at The Palace in Manchester when a few popular British Artists such as Joe Brown, Billy J Kramer and Eden Kane would join with popular American artists such as Chubby Checker, Brenda Lee, Chris Montez and Little Eva, in a mammoth bill only allowing each one enough time to sing a few of their latest hits.
apf 4 The Searches With the Beatles came the groups. I was never a big fan of the Beatles and preferred the Searchers, who, unbeknownst to me at the time, were sourcing their material from American writers. Needles and Pins was composed by Jack Nitzche and Sonny Bono and When You Walk in the Room, by Jackie De Shannon.
I followed The Hollies and Wayne Fontana and The Mindbenders.
The Americans never went away. Roy Orbison and Del Shannon remained popular and were joined by the likes of Gene Pitney and Neil Diamond, who I first went to see in 1972 at the Odeon Cinema on Oxford Street. I recall buying the ticket and the box office assistant asking me who Is Neil Diamond. It was a virtually solo acoustic show.
Whilst this was going on there was a collection of songwriters gathered together in the Brill Building in New York City churning out songs for popular singers of the day. Amongst them were Carole King, Paul Simon, Neil Diamond, Neil Sedaka (left) and Chip Taylor. This was the precursor to the rise of the singer songwriter as some of these writers began to perform their own songs.
At this time I had limited my exposure to classical music. My Dad was prepared to indulge me in my habit of tuning into BBC Radio 1 even though he was much more inclined to classical music and big bands. In doing so he came to enjoy much of the popular music of the day. American music bands were starting to take over where the Beatles had left off. There was the folk rock of the Byrds, and groups like the Eagles. I tuned in to Noel Edmonds Sunday Show and heard the Eagles and singer songwriters such as John Stewart, Harry Chapin, Neil Young, Gordon Lightfoot, Cat Stevens and James Taylor.
Contemporary folk was represented by Ralph McTell, Harvey Andrews and Joan Baez. Soft rock was represented by Bread, the band America and Jackson Browne. I embraced them all and would go to see them in concert.
My favourite band was the Eagles and I explored the music of their acolytes. I started to buy music by Dan Fogelberg, Joe Walsh (right) , Jackson Browne, Poco, America, in addition to John Stewart, who in those days was appearing as support to the Eagles on the American circuit in addition to carving out a solo career and building his own audience.
I used to visit the big HMV shop in Market Street in Manchester during my lunch hour at work whilst with the Co-op on Balloon Street. One day in 1974 I walked in upstairs to the top floor and they were playing John Stewart’s Phoenix Concert album. I recognised the voice but was not aware of this new album. I had become a fan via Noel Edmonds but had not heard this album before and I felt it took him to new heights. I bought it, took it home and my Dad instantly became a John Stewart fan.
The term Americana music was a long way from being used and bands like the Eagles, Poco, Crosby Stills Nash and artists such as John Stewart and Emmylou Harris were being filed in record stores under the heading of Country Rock.
Peter O’Brien¨s John Stewart Omaha Rainbow fanzine introduced me to a host of artists who were not getting UK airplay, as punk rock started to get off the ground and the Eagles disbanded. In their place I found Dire Straits and continued to follow them through to Mark Knopfler’s solo career. At the same time, having joined the Music Library, and with encouragement from my Dad,
I explored the classical music catalogue culminating in my becoming an afficianado of Gustav Mahler and the great composers. I started to attend classical concerts. One week I would be at the Free Trade Hall to see Itzhak Perlman (right) and the next week in the same venue McGuinn,Clark, Hillman.
The term Outlaw Music was becoming used to describe the music of many of the artists featured in the pages of Peter O’Brien´s mag. He introduced me to the book The Improbable Rise of Redneck Rock and I explored the works of the featured artists. He also used to always have a page at the end of the mag called the Lomax Gold Record Collection which listed a top 50 of records and I used this as a basis to expand my record collection. Sadly it was a very long time before I became aware of who the heck Lendanear were
They used to feature towards the end of the list and until quite recently I assumed that was Peter’s little joke (until Norman enlightened me, several years later)) along with the John Stewart unreleased and unobtainable titles which used to appear at number 50. Issue number 40 ,in front of me now, has at number 37 Sing Me No Love Songs by Lendanear on cassette LTS 004 -endanear to Song. Snowin on Raton-Townes Van Zandt (left) is number 43 and Punch The Big Guy on the album Lost in the End Zone by John Stewart at number 50. John never did include the song Punch The Big Guy on his Punch the Big Guy album or any album but it can be found on bootleg studio outtakes and a very fine song it is.
It transpired that Lendanear was a contemporary folk duo comprised of two guys called Colin Lever and Norman Warwick, accompanied on this Songs For Sarah album by vocalist Cath Barlow and they were based only twenty miles away from where I lived.
Gradually the artists featured in Peter’s mag started to tour here and I would go to see them, frequently bumping into Norm and his pal Ian Johnson of Stampede Promotions These artists became the bedrock of what is now termed Americana.
Island Insights
Saborea Tasting Lanzarote:
biggest food and wine festival in the Canary Islands
reviewed by NORMAN WARWICK and staff !!!
This weekend of the 25th and 26th November, Sidetracks And Detours staff have volunteered to take part, for the sake of authentic journalism, at a tasting -market of the products of the sea and the volcanic earth that we so love on our island.
Inventive cuisine is the star of the biggest food and wine event in the Canary Islands. Follow these steps through the Festival Saborea Lanzarote and you’ll forever be part of this unique gastronomic culture in the world.
You should know that, in addition to all the other wonders of the island, this is also a first-class food and wine destination, selected by gourmets from all over the world. This is a place where the landscape is inseparable from the agricultural, livestock and fishing activities, creating a mineral, volcanic and biodiverse gastronomic culture. It is no secret that Lanzarote is proud of these values which are inseparable from its past, present and future as a mid-Atlantic region.
The Saborea Lanzarote manifesto promotes the defence of the territory’s biodiversity, a distinguishing feature of the island since aboriginal times. The environmental philosophy of the people of Lanzarote is also demonstrated in agricultural, livestock and fishing production. The products of the land and the sea are elements of genuine cultural heritage, employing heroic forms of cultivation and traditional farming methods. This festival is, above all, a tribute to the local primary sector, a showcase of pride in wine and food culture as an expression of identity and roots. We invite you to discover rich traditional recipes, stimulated by the creativity of a new generation of local chefs.
If when you travel you are unconsciously looking for a sensory souvenir, the festival’s Saborea Lanzarote space will provide you with an endless range of options. In the Gastro Market you’ll have access to all the exhibitors‘ products. This event, which is designed to boost and promote exceptional local produce, brings together the most important chefs and producers. Come to the tasting corners, ask questions, learn and exchange impressions with these masters of sustainable wine and food gastronomy. In each edition of the event, a hundred local professionals exhibit their delicacies to the public, such as tuna from La Graciosa caught using traditional methods, goat’s cheese, jams, wines or all kinds of traditional sweets, some of which are still made in traditional mills. The demand for these delicious morsels means that every year more than 100,000 tastings are prepared.
Living on an Atlantic island, we can never forget the importance of ocean products to our table. In the Aula del Mar you will be able to try most of the species of fish found in our environment prepared by the island’s professionals. Learn how to cook each kind of fish to perfection, attend a signature tasting and – why not – take part in the charity auction that takes place during the ronqueo (butchering) of a Canary Island tuna. (see photo left)
If you want to treat yourself to a slap-up feast, take your time and choose your place carefully, sampling the offer of the thirty-four restaurants and nine gastronomic hotels exhibiting this year. Whether you prefer traditional recipes or culinary innovation, Lanzarote’s restaurants always exceed expectations. You will also find six vegan gastronomy points, four artisan cheese dairies, ten wineries and more than thirty points of sale of products, from Janubio salt to artisan beer, local seafood and jams.
Every year, some of the world’s best chefs showcase their talent in the festival’s Área del Gusto tasting area, sharing their innovative techniques with industry professionals, who usually fill the seats for their presentations. The good news is that many of them offer tastings in their sessions that elevate the creative energy of the festival.
photo 3 If you are a gourmet, you will be pleased to know that this year we are expecting international award-winning chefs such as Jordi Cruz (Abac restaurant), Mario Sandoval (Coque), Hilario Arbelaitz (Zuberoa), Begoña Rodrigo (La Salita), the Padrón brothers (El Rincón de Juan Carlos), Fran Martínez (Maralba) and Pepa Muñoz (El Qüenco de Pepa). The international sector is represented in this edition by Thrainn Freyr Vigfusson, from Ox (Iceland), the exclusive seventeen-seater restaurant in Reykjavik, and the Portuguese chefs Arnaldo Días (Vila Foz), Rafaela Barbosa (Gruta) and Vasco Coelho (Eskalduna Studio), who arrive with Oporto’s most cutting edge cuisine
Saborea Lanzarote is an open and family gathering space, where girls and boys (for us chinijas and chinijos) find a multitude of corners where they can explore their culinary skills. Don’t give up on your personal immersive experience for fear of boring the smallest members of your family. In Aula Chinijo Chef the little ones learn fun recipes from young professionals, sometimes familiar faces from the small screen. This is the case of Sofía and Víctor, contestants of the sixth edition of Master Chef, who offer a Lanzarote cooking workshop for participants aged between six and twelve. They will come out of the experience experts in Lanzarote pasties, chocolate hazelnut and gofio cookies, and cream puff pastries with local fruit. Another option is the Ludogastroteca, the perfect play space for children can play – and, of course, the service is supervised at all times by specialised staff. So now you know: travelling with the family is no excuse for missing out on Lanzarote’s fiesta of flavour.
Saborea Lanzarote is so much more than a great gastronomic festival in which the work of the local cuisine and catering sector is on show to the general public. The festival adds value in all its facets, starting with the place where it takes place, the historic artistic centre of the town of Teguise, one of the oldest towns in the Canary Islands. Take the opportunity to visit the Timple Museum, converted into the Casa del Producto Canario (House of Canary Island Products), where you can discover the gastronomic gems of the Canary Islands in the Wine Tunnel, the Cheese Tunnel, the Product Workshops and the Canteen for tastings and samplings.
Don’t miss the storytellers ¿Y yo qué? Cuéntame cómo nace un vino (for ages four and up) or the talk Brindo por las mujeres, both led by the Lanzarote actress Isabel Cabrera together with the heads of the island’s wineries.
Let’s face it, one of the biggest attractions of Saborea Lanzarote is its wine-growing dimension. It could be no other way on an island that boasts an unbelievably beautiful terroir, La Geria, its own Designation of Origin, Vinos de Lanzarote, and a native grape variety called malvasía volcánica. If we have aroused your curiosity, you are in luck because the festival has a specific programme of talks, tastings and demonstrations in its Aula del Vino space. Sign up for one of the talks on offer and deepen your knowledge of sparkling wines, recipes or pairings with gofio, chocolates, cheeses and other local gastronomic delicacies. (Our reporters have promised to try a bottle or two in the cause of objective reporting).
In each edition of Saborea Lanzarote, we are proud to receive the visit of gastronomic delegations from other latitudes. Bonds are strengthened and cultures embrace each other around the different flavours produced by our neighbours. For this reason, the festival reserves a place of honour for Atlantic cuisine, from the ocean that gives a common identity to the Canary Islands, Madeira, Azores, Mauritania, Cape Verde, Portugal and Galicia. This is the perfect opportunity to travel sensorially to these unique, exotic and flavoursome locations, through the ambassadors who come to the Lanzarote event. The invitation is extended in the Espacio Destinos, to the kitchens of Lisbon, A Coruña and Cambrils, which will be showcasing their proposals this year alongside representatives from Tenerife and Gran Canaria. Furthermore, the eight islands of the Canary archipelago play a leading role in the festival and each edition shows the evolution of their gastronomic essence. Likewise, restaurants from different Spanish regions will be attending the Lanzarote gastronomic event in the Saborea España space.
Note to readers; It´s e a pretty good weekend so far, and we´re only half way through.
We´re back out on the sidetracks and detours tomorrow, Monday 27th November to gather arts-related news for you for our daily Monday To Friday not for profitblog. We will be accompanied by One Hair One Owl as we seek out the new album from UK jazz artist, Jenny Bray. On the way we will listen to Mercedes Minguela, poet and journalist, undressing the words ! We´re scheduled to bump into Country / Americana / Rocker, Zach Bryan somewhere along the way and before a brilliant ballet brings us bliss before we bone up a bigger bookshelf for our new Tom Waits book. We´ll then be back next Sunday 3rd December with another supplement of PASS IT ON, and we hope you will.
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