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Sligo, Co. Sligo
Description
The show is sold out.
The standby line is ready and waiting.
In the end, we all get inside, filling out every available space in The
Black Box Theatre. I haven't experienced
such pre-show public fervor in a long time.
But then again, I haven't been surrounded by such enthusiasts, such true
devotees to jazz music, as this audience is.
Pack a theatre with jazz aficionados, and this is the vibe you get.
The night's show features the Stewart-Gibellini Guitar
Quartet, with Rufus Reid and guest singer Norma Winstone. It is a night of twin guitars. Louis Stewart is a Waterford-born guitarist who
began performing on the Dublin jazz scene in the ‘60s. He's played around the world since, and he
still performs regularly in Dublin.
Sandro Gibellini is an Italian guitarist who's played exclusively jazz
for almost thirty years.
The first song, entitled Chimera,
is pure, shimmering guitars. Gorgeous
and soft and tender. Myles Drennan, the
young drummer, does a lot of brushwork.
Rufus Reid is luminous on bass.
He began his career in Chicago and continued in New York City - he is a
fabulous bassist.
They do As Time Goes
By, with a languid guitar intro. That conjures sandy beaches and Brazil and
all things paradise. And the sounds
takes me there. The ending is
accomplished by Rufus Reid's bow touching his bass, blending into guitars
sounds, disappearing into nothingness, leaving me breathless.
Then Norma Winstone, a London-born vocalist, gets on
stage. She has a knockout range and uses
her vocal virtuosity like an instrument.
Peacocks is a blue song about
love and despondency. After bringing the
room down, she picks us right back up, singing You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To.
I really enjoy hearing her feminine element added to the ensemble, one
that I can identify with.
They do Birk Walks in
G Minor by Dizzy Gillespie with a surprise for us -- Paul Wertico on
drums. Wetico is an incredible drummer
to watch; his face writhes with feeling as he plays, and the sounds coming out
are pure emotion, truly out of sight.
Earlier the same day I attended a seminar, by jazz historian
and Charlie Parker biographer Brian Priestley, entitled "Back to the
Future." Priestley took us on an audio
time warp -
a listening journey back through the decades of jazz styles;
we traced the evolution of sound. It was
a total nerd-out session and totally great.
After that, I sat in on a workshop about jazz Trios. Hosted by Rufus Reid on bass, Chris
Wiesendanger on piano, and Steve "Dakiz" Davis on drums, this workshop was a
serious education in playing. I learned
more about playing jazz by listening to Rufus Reid talk than I have in all my
years of school band and private lessons.
He spoke the real stuff. He is a
great player and teacher who spent his life playing with all the greats, and
he's picked up a lot along the way. He
spoke simply and profoundly about playing, reiterating the basic tenants of
jazz musicianship - feel the pulse, play the song, and make music that feels
good.
When the show is over, I cross the bridge over the Garavogue
River and go to the Harp Tavern. The Jam
session is just getting started, a bunch of young, enthusiastic musicians
warming up the bandstand. Boy, some of
those horn players can blow. I play
saxophone, so I notice these things.
These teenagers are soloing their hearts out.
I wonder about this, how kids with so few life experiences
can play with such soul and feeling - have they experienced falling in
love? Have they experienced loss and
loneliness? Then I realize that I must
be turning into an old lady to have these thoughts - look at young Jimi Hendrix, for
example. Whatever the story, they kids
are going for it. The preteen drummer is
great.
The room is packed with locals, summer school students
readying their chops for the bandstand, and world-class musicians who teach at
the festival. It's a good time, full of
conversations about jazz and cold pints - a place for the true enthusiasts,
whether you've brought your horn or not.
I highly recommend this festival and would love to go back
for the summer school myself. It is a
place to learn a thing or two from the living legends.
How to get there
By car:
From Galway, take the N17 up to Sligo.
From Dublin, take the N4 to Sligo.
By bus:
See www.buseireann.ie
website for all current travel details and restrictions.
Activities
This festival is based around a weeklong jazz summer school,
hosted by professional jazz musicians from all over the world. The summer school participants play in a SJP
Big Bash concert at week's end. The
festival features evening concerts, jam sessions, and seminars.
Ticket Prices
Check websites
Dates
Tuesday August 7th, 2007 - Sunday August 12th,
2007
Address
Web: www.sligojazz.ie
and www.sligojazzproject.com.
Written by Liz O'Malley - Summer of Travel 2007
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