Breakfast on the Morning Tram - Stacey Kent

From the very first note she sang it was clear that those of us lucky enough to be in the audience at the Plough Arts Centre, Torrington last night were about to experience two hours of the most sublime singing from Stacey Kent along with husband, composer, producer and saxophonist Jim Tomlinson and backed by an accomplished trio on piano, bass and drums.

Never knowing whether an artist performing live will match up to the expectations created by recordings, I have to say a shiver went down my spine in these opening seconds and on other occasions during this performance.

The set list was broad and varied from American show standards, such as ‘Easy to Remember’ and ‘If I were a Bell’, to the Latin ‘Samba Saravah’ and ‘Corocovado’.

The sign of a great performer is the appearance of effortless and Stacey made every song sound so easy with her perfect vocal control and diction a joy to hear. Another accomplishment is her ability to create her own version of songs, such as ‘Surrey with the Fringe on Top’ and ‘What a Wonderful World.’

Much of the material was from Stacey’s most recent album, ‘Breakfast on the Morning Tram’ including the title track as well as ‘I wish I Could go Travelling Again’ and, one of my favourite numbers of the night, ‘The Ice Hotel’. Jim got an opportunity to shine with an instrumental version of the theme from ‘Alfie’.

Songs were interspersed with Stacey’s often rambling, bubbly accounts of her life, experiences of recording, learning Portuguese, her new album currently being recorded and lots more. I’m certain the audience could have sat entranced for another two hours as the time passed so fast.

Did the night live up to its promise? With a mix of American, Latin, French and Portuguese songs all performed with enthusiasm, sensitivity and emotion, I’d say it did. I’ll definitely look out for future performances in North Devon.

Posted: October 11th, 2009 under music, performance.
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As the most influential British purveyors of combined musicianship and humour in the past 50 years, I was somewhat hesitant when I booked to see Three Bonzos and a Piano at the Landmark Theatre, Ilfracombe, North Devon on 25th June. Would they still have that magical spark of genius or would it be better to rely on listening to their recorded glory?

A thorough drenching on the way there – it’s your fault, Glastonbury! – wasn’t an ideal start, but the arrival of Bonzos Roger Ruskin Spear, Rodney Slater and Sam Spoons, plus pianist Dave Glasson and guitarist Andy Roberts, soon had the audience and my clothes steaming.

From the start, classic Bonzo numbers honked out of Rodney’s and Roger’s saxes – Cool Britannia, Jollity Farm, Hunting Tigers – and the compact but enthusiastic audience joined in without prompting.

Roger Ruskin Spear, directing the proceedings in a manic, forgetful but totally entertaining manner, introduced his infamous electrified implements and robots on many of the songs. Reaching out into the audience as far as the mike lead would allow, he asked us the original questions preceding Shirt.

Unbelievably, I got the chance to shout a right answer – I knew memorising those words would be more useful than my degree – and was awarded with a signed certificate, as were other studious participants. This was followed by a solo on the electric shirt collar, while Trouser Press featured the electric trouser press and the theremin leg appeared on Noises for the Leg.

Across the stage Rodney Slater blew a mean sax, played washboard on Mr Slater’s Parrot and performed a mixture of new and old numbers, including Senior Moments and Ginger Geezer, the latter in tribute to the late Vivian Stanshall.

Sam Spoons lived up to his name with several virtuoso performances on the spoons, including electric spoons on Monster Mash. A country and western performance of Purple Sprouting Broccoli also included the audience in a sing-a-long.

As well as the three advertised Bonzos, we also got a free one: Vernon Dudley Bohay-Nowell. Uncle Vernon bewitched us with a stunning cabaret magic trick, held us spellbound with a children’s story and charmed us with an enchanting rendition of Marlene Dietrich’s Falling in Love Again, complete with solo on the musical saw.

The audience got into the full spirit of the show and were in stitches most of the time, whether at Roger and Sam with their human ventriloquist act, when joining in the lyrics of Viv Stanshall’s Tent and Big Shot or from the hilarity of the Music for the Head Ballet.

Organised mayhem ensured the whole show remained refreshingly rough at the edges, so that the evening flashed past in continuous laughter.

Three Bonzos and a Piano (33% extra free) should have packed out the Landmark because they were well worth seeing: I have the certificate to prove it.

Go and see www.threebonzosandapiano.co.uk

Posted: June 26th, 2009 under music.
Comments: 4

Having first heard Nights in White Satin on the radio and then my brother’s LP of To Our Children’s Children’s Children, I discovered the Moody Blues for myself in 1976 when I bought their then 9-year-old Days Of Future Passed. I was hooked, bought the remaining six core albums and was delighted by the news that a new album was in the offing, six years after Seventh Sojourn.

By 1978, when Octave was released, the world had moved on and so had the Moody Blues. Founder member Mike Pinder and producer Tony Clarke left during the recording, so when I first heard a new album by the band there was a question mark over their future direction. The album seemed to lack the intensity of their earlier work and seemed to echo some of the solo albums recorded by each of the five members. And that’s how I viewed Octave for many years.

When I heard that the album had been remastered, I grudgingly added it to my wish list. The recently reissued seven core albums are fantastic, but I doubted whether Octave would be so good.

I was wrong.

The remastering, by Justin Hayward himself, has transformed the album and brought it to life for me. The Moodies have always written well and are fine musicians and singers, both recorded and live. Their performance on Octave doesn’t let them down and I now have some of the songs going round in my head.

Ray Thomas’s I’m Your Man used to be my least favourite track by the band, but now I listen with enjoyment. The extras include a live version of the track, which is even better.

John Lodge’s base work is also more apparent. My appreciation of him as a player grows year by year and I think he is grossly under-rated, as are all the Moodies.

Driftwood, Survival and One Step into the Light are other favourites from a time when each of the five members would contribute songs to create a true group effort, whereas now songwriting is left to Hayward and Lodge. The five extra live tracks are also a great demonstration of how the band deliver powerful performances in concert.

So, while I usually view reissues and repackaging with some suspicion, I am so glad I have Octave. It was certainly worth the 31-year wait to hear it as it ought to sound.

Posted: January 10th, 2009 under music.
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