sidetracks & detours present PASS IT ON # 76 weekly supplement Sunday 10 11 24
sidetracks & detours
present
PASS IT ON # 76
weekly supplement Sunday 10 11 24
Editor: Norman Warwick
Writers: Peter Pearson, Michael Higgins, Trevor Bannister, Steve Bewick
Contributors: Alfred Michael, Joseph Aloysius, The Poet In The Rain, Carusoe, Ralph Dent, Seamus Kelly
Listings: Jazz In Reading, Music That´s Going Places, Manchester Folk, I Love Manchester Sound Roots, Music in Portsmouth, The Camel House (Lanzarote); Mercedes Minguela
Hear The Call
COME FOLLOW YOUR ART
Editorial by NPW
Quincy Jones, who worked so well with both Frank Sinatra and Michael Jackson, producing the historic Thriller album has died. Maybe Quincy´s death got lost in the scenes of the American Election this week. He will, of course, be given his due by all arts lovers as a genius who saw his career span seven decades, Jones oversaw the all-star recording of the 1985 charity record We Are The World. He also composed the soundtrack to the hit 1969 British film The Italian Job, starring Michael Caine. His publicist, Arnold Robinson, confirmed Jones died at his Los Angeles home on Sunday surrounded by his family. In a statement, his family said: “Tonight, with full but broken hearts, we must share the news of our father and brother Quincy Jones’s passing. “And although this is an incredible loss for our family, we celebrate the great life that he lived and know there will never be another like him.”
This sad news juxtaposed a story of a more uplifting nature: Herb Alpert´s trumpet is now 50 albums old, and indeed Herb´s new album is entitled 50 to ensure the occasion doesn´t slip by unnoticed. The musician was once the A in A&M records. Also working at the label at that time was Larry Yaskiel, a name well known to these pages. Larry has lived here on Lanzarote for forty years and has become one of the island´s favourite sons and is honorary editor of the glossy quarterly magazine, Lancelot.
CONTENTS
1) A PLACE FOR POETRY facilitated by Seamus Kelly review by The Poet in The Rain
2) FOLLOWING FESTIVALS Live Classical Music 41st Annual Festival CANARY ISLANDS CLASSICAL MUSIC preview by Alfred Michael
3) Island Insight FIFTY YEARS OF TIMANFAYA by Carusoe. HALLOWEEN POSTPONED by Carusoe, TURTLE ISLAND FURNITURE by Tommy
4) Live & Recorded Folk Music UK FOLK NEWS previews, news, reviews by newsletter
5 ) LE VENT DU NORD 12 November @ 19:30 – 21:30 preview by I Love Manchester newsletter
6) Live Jazz At Progress Theatre : Friday 13th December SOULTIME ! Play The Music of Bobby Simmons! preview by Jazz In Reading
Live Jazz In Reading.
Jazz ON Air HOT BISCUITS presented by Steve Bewick
7) Live Theatre NEW THEATRE ROYAL PORTSMOUTH forthcoming events previews by newsletter
8) Reader´s Perspective. All Points Forward THE MUSCLE SHOALS SOUND The story by Peter Pearson
1 ) a place for poetry
THE POETRY CAFÉ, Littleborough
review by The Poet in The Rain
Bonfire Night saw the 3rd edition of our Poetry Café session at Coffee on the Corner in Littleborough. It was a fun evening in a great little café with warm drinks and delicious cakes. We made our own fireworks (metaphorically of course).
2 ) FOLLOWING FESTIVALS
Live Classical Music 41st Annual Festival
CANARY ISLANDS CLASSICAL MUSIC
preview by Alfred Michael
The entanglement of logistics that has to be woven tightly together to bring these magnificent festivals delivered seamlessly around eight islands, featuring scores of players and more instruments will bring six much anticipated concerts to some of our most prestigious venues in January and February next year.
Lanzarote Concert 1
10 January Jameos del Agua 8 pm
Tickets 25 €
TENERIFE SYMPHONY
The extraordinary concert programme of the 41st FIMC kicks off with an ensemble from the Tenerife Symphony Orchestra , which will perform in Lanzarote and Fuerteventura under the direction of Swedish clarinetist Martin Froest, with a programme dedicated to Mozart – in which Froest will be the soloist of the Clarinet Concerto – and with the premiere of a work by the Canarian composer Manuel Bonino.
Lanzarote Concert 2
ENSEMBLE NASMÉ
16/1/2025 at 8.00pm Tickets 15 €
Victor Fernandez Gopar
Ensemble Nasmé is a new chamber ensemble that brings together five formidable musicians from different parts of Palestine, who will tour the islands with Michael Barenboim, violinist, son of the legendary Argentine pianist of Hebrew origin, Daniel Barenboim.
Chamber works by Rossini, Dvorak, Mozart and Palestinian Songs and Dances by Roustom will be performed on stage in Lanzarote by
Fadwa Qamhia (double bass)
Hisham Khoury (violin)
Katia Abdel Kader (viola)
Soheil Kanaan (cello)
Ibrahim Alshaikh (clarinet)
Michael Barenboim, violin
Lanzarote Concert 3
SARAH WILLIS
& LAS PALMAS SYMPHONY GC
Lanzarote Jameos del Agua
17/1/2025 8.OO Tickets 15 €
‘Mozart & Mambo’ is the programme that the Las Palmas Symphony Orchestra will offer #EnParalelo, together with Sarah Willis, principal horn of the Berlin Philharmonic.
Jose Mendez, Director
Sarah Willis, French Horn
Jorge Aragon, Piano
(Members of Sarahbanda )
Lanzarote Concert 4
GRAN CANARIA WIND ORCHESTRA 25 January 8.00 pm Tickets 15 €
Victor Fernandez Gopar Theatre Arrecife
Another well-established island group, Gran Canaria Wind Orchestra, is joining the #EnParalelo programme with ‘Siglo XX – Música de cámara para vientos’, which includes works by R. Kurka, K. Weill and A. Gorb. Under the direction of David Fiuza , they will play in El Hierro, Fuerteventura and Lanzarote.
R. Kurka: The Good Soldier Schweik Suite
K. Weill: Kleine Dreigroschenmusik
A. Gorb: Yiddish Dances
Lanzarote Concert 5
TROVERS OF ASIETA
& ALFREDO DE LA FÉ
Lanzarote 8/2/2025 20:00 Tickets 15 €
Victor Fernandez Gopar Theatre Arrecife
Alfredo de la Fe, a Cuban violinist based in New York, will accompany the Canarian group Trovers de Asieta in the concerts that culminate #EnParalelo. They will play in La Gomera, Fuerteventura and Lanzarote, with a programme where the protagonist will be the violin adapted to Latin rhythms, De la Fe’s speciality. Precisely with a work of his authorship, he will conclude the proposed programme, which includes thirteen pieces by Cuban and Canarian authors.
Francis Concepción: Voice and Guitar
Pedro Brito: Cuban Cuatro and Voice
Fran Martín “Ciani”: Voice and Minor Percussion
José Humberto Martín: Trumpet and choirs
Oscar Herrera: Trumpet
Carlos Perdomo: Baby Bass
Jhony Olivares: Percussion
David Platero: Percussion
Alberto Martin: Piano
Lanzarote Concert 6
VIENNA BOYS´CHOIR
Lanzarote 13/02/2025 8.00 pm Tickets 30 €
Victor Fernandez Gopar Theatre Arrecife
A true cultural institution in Central Europe, the Vienna Boys’ Choir is perhaps the most famous choir in the world. They will be in the Canary Islands nine years after their last performance on the islands. The current generation of young voices will be conducted under the direction of Oliver Stech, with a programme entitled ‘Homage to Johann Strauss and his contemporaries’.
We at PASS IT ON will do our very best to keep our readers, some of who live in Europe and even furher afield, who like to plan their holidays here so they can catch these invariably breath-taking events. You can also keep your eyes out in our daily Sidetracks & Detours blog.
3 Island Insight
FIFTY YEARS OF TIMANFAYA
by Carusoe
Timanfaya is the name of the volcano field that is pretty much the spine of Lanzarote. For more than two hundred years following the last eruption in the area desecrated our landscape, showering huge rocks and carving out deep gauges and craters opened by the lava flow at that time, people on Lanzarote struggled to maintain agriculture and farming at even subsistence level. Work was hard and long and income was pitiful,….. then came the building of the airport, then came the planes, and more and more planes and, more recently cruise ships too, Steep and slinky and narrow roads were laid, clinging to the very edge of hundreds of feet of sheer drops. Nowadays coaches of fifty or sixty people crawl one at a time round the breath-taking circuit.
Timanfaya now has its own visitors centre, incorporating measuring machines, science laboratories and an education centre, receiving thousands of visitors each year.
This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the start of all this change to the landscape and the economy of Lanzarote.
A series of events have been announced to mark the occasion, including a talk from a man who has worked on the lava field throughout his lifetime.
This should be an informative talk to complement literature on this subject, such as the beautifully presented book on Lanzarote´s volcanoes by Roger Trend, which we reported on in our sidetracks and detours pages at the start of the year, and in PASS IT ON, dated 3rd March
Island Insights
HALLOWEEN POSTPONED
by Carusoe
Death itself will guide attendees on a journey full of emotions that will be divided into two sessions (7:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.)
So read a rather dark opening to the announcement about the re-setting of the traditional Noche De Finaos.
The Department of Culture of the Arrecife City Council, headed by Abigail González, rescheduled the traditional Noche de Finaos, following the mourning decreed for the devastating passage of the Dana storm through the Autonomous Community of Valencia.
While many millions of people celebrate Halloween around the world, we continue celebrating our “El Calbote” festival just as some of the Canary Islands celebrate “Los Finaos”.
“El Calbote” is a festival that is celebrated in some parts of Spain on November 1, it consists of going to the countryside with family or friends to eat together the fruits of this time of year: walnuts, roasted chestnuts, pomegranates, apples, dried figs and typical sweets. We also eat traditional foods such as potato omelette, meat strew, breaded chicken, fried peppers.
Just as it is done in the Canary Islands during the “Los Finaos” festival, on this day we also commemorate, and remember with joy, the people in our family who have died.
We do not celebrate Halloween but we are very respectful of the traditions of all people and countries in the world.
The Lanzarote event, which was originally scheduled for Friday, November 1, was postponed instead to be held on Sunday, November 3, with two showings at 7:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.
The public were able to tour through the streets near the church of San Ginés, where the figure of Death guided an immersive and emotional journey into the past, evoking legends and wandering souls that are part of the history of the Canary Islands.
With each session lasting approximately one hour, attendees were immersed in a world of island traditions, where a cast of professional actors, actresses and musicians will bring this unique cultural experience to life.
Abigail González pointed out that this tradition has changed over time and has been lost in many corners of the archipelago. Thus, the councillor stated that “our objective is to rescue this cultural legacy, since it is essential to continue promoting everything that distinguishes us and makes us unique.”
The dramatized route began on Liebre Street, passing through Brasil and San Juan streets, the ‘Rincón del Aguaresío’, and surrounded the church of San Ginés, transforming the streets of Arrecife into a stage full of history, legends and mystery.
Among the artists who brought this special night to life were:
Joche Rubio: actor, director and producer with more than 20 years of experience in theatre and film.
Luis Padilla: actor and director with more than 30 years of experience in theatre, film and television productions.
Rita Negrín: actress, teacher and creator of family shows.
Island Insights
Turtle Island Furniture
NEW BESPOKE CARPENTRY
preview by Tommy
We have news from South Korea that our son Andrew, who lives with his wife Sue and daughter Olivia, in Seoul has just launched his hand crafted furniture company on line. He went live only a few days ago and has already received an encouraging numbers of enquiries. As he becomes more established over the next twelve months and is better able to respond to potential customers in the UK and more able to ship to the UK we will keep you informed of his items in stock and the kind of bespoke work he will undertake.
meanwhile check out the link
http://www.turtleislandfurniture.com/
Island Insight
NIGHTS OF BOHEMIA IN ARRECIFE
Preview by Carusoe
It is difficult to imagine a more splendid venue for a night of bohemia. We will be there early to wander the marinas that will be mesmerising with its consellationsa of beautiful lighting sending light years of messages back to the stars above. Whether or not you were born here on Lanzarote, or are ´new´residents, having only been here for ten years, or whether you are a tourist in one of our resorts, or might have even disembarked from a cruise line in dock for the night, you will be enthralled by the kind of occasions Lanzarote so regularly puts on.
There will be free seating in front of the stage, and we will certainly be in two of those.
Others around might prefer to enjoy fine dining in one of the open air restaurants that surround the marina sqaure, from where they will be able to enjoy the music from the stage too.
By the way, I know I´m writing in the future tense about an event that actually took place last night.
However, we knew we wouldn´t be home early and that as we publish our Sunday blog at 7.00 am I made an editorial decision this is a preview of next week´s review.
Thanks for your understanding.
4) Live & Recorded Folk Music
UK FOLK NEWS
previews, news, reviews by newsletter
Autumn is here and winter will soon be drawing near—so why not explore Manchester Folk’s upcoming festive shows and cozy concerts taking place across Greater Manchester in early 2025?
From The Young’uns’ special set of seasonal songs to the much-anticipated return of The John Martyn Project, mark your calendars and treat the folk fan in your life this Christmas!
Mike McGoldrick, John Doyle & John McCusker
Feb 2025
After their stunning sold-out show this spring, folk music’s celebrated masters of flute, fiddle, song and guitar Mike McGoldrick, John Doyle and John McCusker return to The Stoller Hall. Individual tickets are available for all the Manchester Folk Festival shows taking place between Thursday 20 – Sat 22 March 2025 listed below, alongside many more on our website.
They are also included with our festival wristbands (subject to capacity). Secure your limited Tier 3 wristband before the price increase on Tuesday 31 December, to enjoy exclusive concerts, an opening reception and a singing workshop with Jon Boden.
Miranda Sykes & Jim Causley
Thu 20 Mar 2025
Hallé St Peter’s
Two of the UK’s most iconic voices have finally combined as a duo and will be touring their new album, The Last Of The Singers, a collection of traditional and self-penned songs together next year.
JON BODEN & THE REMNANT KINGS
Thu 20 Mar 2025
Band on the Wall
Bellowhead frontman Jon Boden will be rallying The Remnant Kings, featuring Sam Sweeney, Leveret’s Rob Harbron, Ben Nicholls, Sally Hawkins and M. G. Boulter, for what’s guaranteed to be a standout headline set in support of their new album Parlour Ballads.
THE JOHN MARTYN PROJECT
Fri 21 Mar 2025
Band on the Wall
Join Blythe Pepino, Kit Hawes, Pete Josef, Sam Brookes, John Blakeley and Jon Short as they explore progressive folk legend, John Martyn’s back catalogue, reworking everything from obscure live recordings to classic favourites.
ACROSS THE EVENING SKY:
Josienne Clarke Sings Sandy Denny
Fri 21 Mar 2025 The Stoller Hall
Acclaimed singer-songwriter Josienne Clarke presents her new show, dedicated to the immortal songs and genius of Sandy Denny. Backed by a full folk-rock band, secure your tickets now for this incredibly special project
THE LONGEST JOHNS
Fri 21 Mar 2025
To celebrate over ten years of pitching and rolling in brotherly harmony, worldwide viral sensations Jonathan ‘JD’ Darley, Andy Yates and Robbie Sattin are bringing the “rock ‘n’ roll of 1752” back to Manchester.
NICH KART AND TOM MOORE
Fri 21 Mar 2025
Hallé at St Michael’s
Master players Nick Hart and Tom Moore bring their absorbing textural blend of viola and tenor viol to Manchester, presenting innovative interpretations of tunes and songs from their remarkable record The Colour of Amber.
Jon Boden is Matthew Bannister’s guest on this month’s Official Folk Albums Chart Show from Folk on Foot. Jon gives an exclusive performance at the piano of one of the Parlour Ballads from his new album. There’s also music from Talisk, Mairearad Green and Rachel Newton, Henry Parker and David Ian Roberts, Shovel Dance Collective, The Rheingans Sisters, Naima Bock and Nina Nesbitt.
From exceeding a billion streams to being championed by Taylor Swift, Scottish singer-songwriter Nina Nesbitt’s career has taken her from highlight to highlight. Yet her new album Mountain Music, which arrives at No. 1, could well be the most significant release to date. Not only is it a record that leans into an accomplished and engaging new sound, but it’s also the first release via her new independent label. New at No. 6 is A Thousand Pokes from the East London outfit Stick In The Wheel. A record of wry urban folk, Nicola Kearney’s narrative casts a beady eye over those committing wrongs in plain sight. Kearney explains, “We sing these songs because we are the same people that would have sung them 200 years ago. It’s not a fantasy, or a cosplay, it’s a reality for us.”
5 ) LE VENT DU NORD
12 November @ 19:30 – 21:30
preview by I Love Manchester newsletter
The award winning and highly acclaimed group is a leading force in Québec’s progressive francophone folk movement.
The group’s vast repertoire draws from both traditional sources and original compositions, while enhancing its hard-driving soulful music with a broad range of global influences.
Since its inception in August 2002, Le Vent du Nord has enjoyed meteoric success, performing well over 2,500 concerts over 4 continents and racking up several prestigious awards, including a SONGLINES MUSIC AWARD – Americas (UK, 2023) Grand Prix du Disque Charles Cros (France), two Junos (Canada’s Grammys), three FÉLIX at ADISQ (Québec), a Canadian Folk Music Award, and been awarded Artist of the Year at the Folk Alliance annual gala.
The group exhibits great finesse and flexibility, appearing regularly on Canadian, American, French, and UK television and radio, and participating in a wide variety of special musical projects. They’ve collaborated and performed with a diverse range of artists including: Väsen, Sharon Shannon, Harry Manx, singer Julie Fowlis, Dervish, The Chieftains, Yann-Fañch Kemener, Québécois roots legend and master storyteller Michel Faubert, Apiary fiddle band, Breabach and many more.
Not content with standard approaches to tradition, Le Vent du Nord has also created since 2007 a symphonic concert that, according to Voir Montreal, “puts all traditional folk naysayers to shame.”
As an amazing live performance quintet Le Vent du Nord continues to explore new sounds with stunning vocal arrangements. On stage these 5 friends create intense, joyful and dynamic live performances that expand the bounds of tradition in striking directions.
Live Theatre Musical
Hope Theatre: A CHRISTMAS CAROL
6 December 2024 – 4 January 2025
preview by I Love Manchester newsletter
Hope Mill Theatre is to stage a new production of the magical musical version of A Christmas Carol at The Lowry, Salford for the 2024/25 festive season.
The classic Dickens story comes to life with true broadway spectacle in this Musical version, breathing fantastic new life into the classic tale of A Christmas Carol.
Claire Moore, whose previous credits include The Phantom Of The Opera, Miss Saigon, Les Misérables, Oliver!, The King And I, The Great British Bake Off Musical and Calendar Girls, will take on the lead role of Scrooge in the production.
Scrooge believes that personal wealth is far more valuable than the happiness and comfort of others. With an infuriated “Bah! Humbug!”, Scrooge is visited by three ghosts on Christmas Eve which lead’s Scrooge on a journey through the Past, Present and Future.
6 ) Live Jazz
SOULTIME !
Friday 13th Dec. Progress Theatre, Reading
preview by Jazz In Reading newsletter
Catch Soultime! on Friday 13 December at Progress Theatre, Reading from 7:30pm. A few tickets are still available at £19.00 (£17.00 concessions, £10 under 16) plus maximum 5% booking fee. There is a Bar at all gigs from 7:00pm. Drinks may be taken into the auditorium.
SOULTIME ! Is a new and exciting jazz quartet co-led by renowned pianist Leon Greening and exceptional trumpeter Steve Fishwick. Rounding out the top-flight rhythm section is Matt Home on drums and Matyas Hofecker on double bass.
“Leon Greening epitomises the assured confidence of a new generation” – Jazz Journal
“Steve has his own style. He plays from the bottom to the top of the horn whilst maintaining the integrity of the chords. I can’t think of another trumpeter who can do what he does!” – Wynton Marsalis
Our thanks to Hickies Music, Music retailers since 1864, for the hire of the Yamaha piano that Leon will be playing.
Check out Jazz In Reading web site for further information.
Live Jazz In Reading: 27th November
ACANTHA LANG
Bishop’s Court Farm Dorchester on Thames OX10 7HP
“Acantha Lang is brilliant….an independent artist destined for world domination.” Craig Charles – BBC 6 Music “I absolutely love Acantha’s sweet, soulful voice.” Jools Holland Born in New Orleans, Southern soul songstress Acantha Lang was raised on a heady diet of Aretha Franklin, Mavis Staples, Al Green and Bill Withers. Having established herself in New York, she relocated to London and became one of the most talked about artists to emerge in years. After making her U.S television debut singing live on the prestigious CBS Sunday Morning show, she performed at the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas, as well as a string of major venues throughout Europe. She quickly built up a fiercely loyal fanbase on both sides of the pond after the recent release of her critically acclaimed debut album, Beautiful Dreams, which reached the top of The Official Jazz & Blues Albums Chart and has amassed over 2.5 million streams on Spotify. For this special Snug Sessions show, Acantha and her drum-tight band will be playing songs from her debut LP alongside some of her favourite soul and funk classics. Drinks will be available to purchase on the evening.
Doors: 6pm, show 7 – 9pm.
Bishop’s Court Farm, 91 High St, Dorchester on Thames OX10 7HP
Jazz On Air
HOT BISCUITS
presented by Steve Bewick
The vibrant jazz scene is alive and well, with a plethora of exciting events and new releases to look forward to! And we´ll reflect all that on this Hot Biscuits jazz programme.
The Steve Oakes Quartet is set to deliver some live magic from the Creative Space, featuring the talented ensemble of Steve Oakes on guitar, Edward Toots Kainyek on sax, Tim Franks adding the rhythm on percussion, and Elliot Roffe holding down the bass lines.
Meanwhile, the Dundee Jazz Festival is gearing up to be a spectacular event, showcasing the unique sounds of Gunter ‘Baby’ Sommer & Raymond MacDonald. Adding to the festival’s allure is the much-anticipated debut of Bee Asha, marking the occasion with the launch of her new album ‘Goodbye Gracious’.
Our airwaves will also resonate with the timeless tune of the Ken Colyer with ‘Lonesome Road’, while Simone Manunza’s ‘Motive Familiari’ promises to enchant listeners with its familial themes.
Glasshouse is set to contribute to the auditory feast with ‘Deep Dive’, and John-Paul Muir is poised to captivate audiences with his latest offering, ‘Home Now’.
This line up is a testament to the rich tapestry of jazz and its enduring ability to evolve and inspire.
For those eager to immerse themselves in these sonic delights, remember it’s available 24/07 and tune in for an experience that promises to be nothing short of extraordinary. Spread the word and let the rhythms guide you to a world of jazz that continues to push boundaries and touch souls..
www.mixcloud.com
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7 ) Live Theatre
NEW THEATRE ROYAL PORTSMOUTH
forthcoming events previews by newsletter
Join William Sutton, author of the Campbell Lawless Victorian Mysteries, for a series of writing workshops held in our beautiful Dress Circle saloon space. All events are individually bookable.
Fri 8, 15, 22 Nov – Write Your Historical Novel
A short course in Historical Novel writing. We can’t promise a polished novel and a publishing deal but we will get you to explore the thrill and adventure of historical writing, along with:
hints for drafting;
tips for avoiding pitfalls of research and anachronisms;
melding your experience with concerns and events of the time;
creating a Bygonese language appropriate for your era, but readable.
Come and explore, whether it’s Ancient Greece or wartime Portsmouth, Elizabethan England or mediaeval Mesopotamia.
Fri 13 Dec – Edit Your Writing
1st rule of Edit Club: don’t trust spellcheck.
Tackle this crucial part of the writing process. Pick up specific tips on how to improve dialogue, layout, structure, character and more. Bring a section of your writing and discover how seriously writers take editing.
Since Portsmouth Bookfest 2021’s sold-out Take Your Novel Further and Write Your Novel courses, a group of writers local and far-flung have met regularly online to edit their work, reshaping, pruning, prodding, developing early drafts towards publishable standard, in preparation for submitting to agents or publishers. Novelist William Sutton shares tips, pitfalls and secrets of the dark arts of editing.
Appropriate for committed writers, all ages, writing fiction, drama, short story or non-fiction.
Music: Kerry Ellis;
QUEEN OF THE WEST END.
preview by newsletter
From My Fair Lady to We Will Rock You, from Les Miserables to Wicked, in both the West End and on Broadway, she has starred in musical theatre’s biggest roles, making shows her own and earning her numerous awards. Her list of credits is remarkable and also include Oliver!, Cats, Miss Saigon, Chess, The War Of The Worlds, and Anything Goes, among many others.
She has recorded 4 studio albums, and toured the world both as a solo artist and with her good friend Sir Brian May. And now the star who grew up admiring musical theatre icons Liza Minnelli and Barbra Streisand is looking back on her illustrious career.
Singing songs from the biggest musicals and telling stories about how she came to play roles, this is a unique opportunity to see and hear the West End’s biggest hits in a very intimate setting on a tour of the UK. Don’t miss it.
Live Music
NASHVILLE AT HEART
18th November 2024
As the Modern Country Music craze continues to spread across the globe, ‘Nashville At Heart’ is a show that celebrates the music of some of modern country music’s giants including Luke Combs, Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts, Taylor Swift, Keith Urban, Darius Rucker, Chris Stapleton, Carrie Underwood, Shania Twain & many others.
Backed by one of the finest session bands that the UK has seen for a generation, the show’s male and female vocalists’ prowess is second to none with every nuance of the Nashville sound reproduced in this stunning live spectacle. The show will be touring across the UK and Europe in 2024 but this is a unique opportunity to see it before the Country loving masses!
“This is exactly what a Country Music Show should be! Hit after hit from artists that any country fan loves” – Ollie Harding, The Shires (Drummer)
“This is as close to that modern Nashville sound that you’ll get without jumping on a plane and heading across the Atlantic” – Ben Marshall – Award Winning Music Producer
8 ) Reader´s Perspective. All Points Forward
THE MUSCLE SHOALS SOUND
The story by Peter Pearson
Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Sweet Home Alabama hit the Top 10 back in 1974. Since then, it’s become a kind of anthem for the state of Alabama. It was written by two guys from Florida and one from California, none of whom ever lived in Alabama.
It was written in part as a riposte to Neil Young’s song “Southern Man” –
Well I heard Mister Young sing about her
Well, I heard ol’ Neil put her down
Well, I hope Neil Young will remember
A Southern man don’t need him around, anyhow
It was also written as an ode to the state of Alabama and the following verse is in praise of the Muscle Shoals Sound –
Now Muscle Shoals has got the Swampers
And they’ve been known to pick a song or two (yes, they do)
Lord, they get me off so much
They pick me up when I’m feelin’ blue, now how ’bout you?
The Muscle Shoals Sound was essentially developed within two recording studios located in the Florence-Muscle Shoals area of Alabama. The architect and catalyst of the sound was a man named Rick Hall with his FAME (Florence Alabama Music Enterprises) studio.
The standard bearers of the sound were his second wave of studio session musicians first known as the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section—Jimmy Johnson, Roger Hawkins, David Hood, and Barry Beckett, later nick-named, “The Swampers”.When they split with Rick Hall’s FAME studio they opened their own competing studio named Muscle Shoals Sound Studio. It was not based in Muscle Shoals but in Sheffield, Alabama.
Rick Hall (shown here in later years) was a Mississippi native who was raised in rural Alabama. The family had a hard life yet as a teenager he began writing songs and playing guitar and mandolin. Whilst working as an apprentice toolmaker he began playing in local bar bands. It was not until 1957, when he was 25, that following the deaths of his new bride in an horrific motor accident and then his father within a two week period, that he began to pursue a life in music. He formed an R&B group called the Fairlines with another budding songwriter and producer, Billy Sherrill but the pair soon left to concentrate on songwriting and record production. As a songwriter he had hit records with George Jones, Brenda Lee and Roy Orbison.
In 1959, Hall and Sherrill accepted an offer from Tom Stafford, the owner of a recording studio, to help set up a new music publishing company in the town of Florence, to be known as Florence Alabama Music Enterprises, or FAME. However, in 1960, Sherrill and Stafford dissolved the partnership, leaving Hall with rights to the studio name.
Hall’s first success as a producer in a small studio was with one of his first recordings, Arthur Alexander’s “You Better Move On” in 1961. The commercial success of the record gave him the financial resources to establish a new, larger FAME recording studio on Avalon Avenue in Muscle Shoals. That song became the first gold record in the history of Muscle Shoals. The song was later recorded by the Rolling Stones in 1964.
The session musicians on that gold record included David Briggs, Norbert Putman and Jerry Carrigan. Together with Hall they laid the groundwork for the whole Muscle Shoals R&B movement. Further hits with “Steal Away” by Jimmy Hughes, hits for Tommy Roe and The Tams led to steady interest in the Muscle Shoals sound. Recording sessions were conducted in a similar way to Nashville with the Nashville A Team. Hall became a regular visitor to the Nashville studios where he was mentored by Owen Bradley. At the same time Nashville producers started to sample the Muscle Shoals sound for themselves.
Unfortunately for Hall this led to his Muscle Shoals studio musicians being enticed away in 1964 to Nashville on the promise of higher earnings and many more sessions. By that time Muscle Shoals was still in its recording infancy whilst Nashville was well developed.
After the loss of his session musicians to Nashville Hall recruited a new and soon to be legendary rhythm section.
Wexler and Aretha Atlantic Records producer Jerry Wexler heard Percy Sledge’s recording of “When a Man Loves A Woman” recorded with Hall and brought Wilson Pickett to FAME. It was the start of a long term relationship with the Muscle Shoals studio musicians, though unfortunately an incident in 1967 involving Wexler’s client Aretha Franklin, her manager and husband and Hall curtailed his involvement with the FAME studio.
In the process of recording an album track with Franklin, Hall was interupted by her manager claiming one of the black studio musicians had said something to Franklin and asked Hall to remove him. Nonplussed, Hall reluctantly confirmed that Wexler wanted him to remove the musician. Hall then did so, only to find that not long after a similar request was made and Hall found himself very reluctantly removing another black musician. Wexler was anxious to keep Franklin as a client and Hall was anxious to keep Wexler and Franklin as a client but a line had now been crossed. Against Wexler’s advice Hall went to Franklin’s hotel after the session to try to smooth things over. The result was a fist fight with her manager and Wexler vowing to bury Hall. The next day Franklin’s manager had flown home without telling Franklin or Wexler. She divorced him not long after but the damage was done. Whilst Wexler continued to maintain cordial relations with Hall and did return with other artists, it was only in the short term.
In 1969 Hall established an exclusive recording deal with Capitol and made an offer to the Swampers which they deemed not acceptable. The musicians, having established a good relationship with Wexler, struck a deal with him helping them to finance their own new studio. To rub it in they named it Muscle Shoals Sound Studio even though it was based in Sheffield, not Muscle Shoals and trade marked the name the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section.
The new studio was not an immediate success. Sessions with Cher flopped and it was not until the Rolling Stones visted to record tracks some twelve months later that the word spread that it was the place to record.
Just as business picked up Wexler’s Atlantic label pulled the plug and relocated their sessions to Miami and at the same time, called in their loan. Fortunately the Stax label began outsourcing their sessions to the studio and gradually more and more business came their way. From then on the studio recorded hit after hit with names such as Paul Simon, Bob Seger, Rod Stewart, Glen Frey, John Prine, Jimmy Cliff, the Staple Singers and Lynyrd Skynyrd. The Swampers nick name was given by Denny Cordell during Leon Russell’s session there. It was a reference to their soulful southern swamp sound.
Meanwhile Rick Hall continued to have success with FAME, proving that there was room for two major studios in Alabama.
In 1971, only shortly after his losing The Swampers, Hall was named producer of the year by Billboard, a year after being nominated for a Grammy Award within the same category. Typically, Hall and The Swampers soon resumed their friendship and there was mutual respect and recognition of their joint contribution to the Muscle Shoals Sound.
As these two major studios in Alabama flourished, new studios started springing up and the area became a top international recording venue, though somewhat more low key than Nashville. At the tail end of his career Hall went back to his country roots and produced a number of country albums at his studio. The country music band Alabama had big hits with recordings produced by Hall at FAME.
One of the long lasting testaments to Hall, who died aged 85 in 2015, is that he was a white Southern producer who produced and engineered hits with black Southern soul singers. The long list of Southern soul classics recorded at FAME includes Wilson Pickett’s “Land of a Thousand Dances,” “Mustang Sally” and “Funky Broadway,” James and Bobby Purify’s “I’m Your Puppet,” Aretha Franklin’s “I Never Loved a Man (the Way I Love You) ” and “Do Right Woman (Do Right Man)” Clarence Carter’s “Slip Away” and “Patches,” Arthur Conley’s “Sweet Soul Music” and Otis Redding’s “You Left the Water Running.” Hall also produced Etta James’ signature tune, “Tell Mama,” for the Chicago-based Chess Records.
Our team of voluntary writers, contributors and our friendly listing agencies will be out on the sidetracks & detours gathering arts related new items of interest for us and that we are confident will be of interest to our readers. This week, commencing 11th Novembe in our daily Monday to Friday not-for-profit-blog, sidetracks & detours, will bring you news of a time-appropriate vampire weekend in America, as well as an update on the status of two of the biggest musical dynasties we have seen in the music world. One particular member of one of those dynasties is already calling her contribution Stories I Might Regret Telling You. And we will also bring you a story of a female agitator (before becoming a politician) who lobbied furiously for better living conditions in the North of England, and for women´s rights. We will take Saturday off for the International football break but rest assured our Sunday Supplement, PASS IT ON # 77 will be live from 7.00 am on 17th November. Should you need even more reading material why not browse our easy to negotiate archives of over 1,200 free-to-read arts related articles
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