Gregory Walker - COS & CMC Presents

OK – this is a bit of a cheat. I’m covering two gigs in one piece here. Yes, yes, I know, I have no professional scruples. Of course, that would only be of relevance if I were being paid and, even then, it may be viewed as highly efficient – who knows?!? Anyway – onwards! This week’s gig(s) is(are) – I’m confusing myself here. Cork Orchestral Society presents… Gregory Walker: The Jazzical Violin (Thursday 2nd August 1:10pm) and Cork Music Collective session with Gregory Walker (Thursday 2nd August 9:30pm) – so good she saw him twice, yeah? Firstly, the lunchtime gig.I’m delighted to note that this series of gigs is gathering popularity and this one was nearly a full house. The demographic is also shifting so there is no excuse for not checking them out. You might learn something. Even if it’s just more to add to the list of what you don’t like. (I’m all for the 'why not? what’s the worst that could happen?' school of thought.) Gregory Walker is a tall, gangly, Hasidic-looking gentleman (and I mean that sincerely). Incidentally, I just looked up Hasidic and it comes from a word originally meaning ‘lovingkindness’ – it suits him rather well. I think you can guess by now that I was rather taken with Mr Walker. This tall, smiley man followed his wife and accompanist (Lori Walker) out onto the stage and just started into one of his own compositions, Blues, an unaccompanied number which built from a simple beginning to a full bluesy end. The Jazzical Violin, he explained, is a project started to explore music, specifically for violin and piano, written by classically-trained composers who admired and emulated the world of Jazz. Composers like George Gershwin, Miles Davis (where Mrs Walker got to shine – lovely sound and light hand on the keys) and Maurice Ravel were included. I’m not going to say much about this particular gig for one simple reason – I loved it. He is a man totally at home with his instrument. (Stop giggling down the back.) Seriously – if you want to be free in what you’re doing, then you’ve got to know what you’re doing and how to do it. Three chords and the truth is all very well but what if you want to sing a different song? In anything – singing, recording, playing – the more au fait you are with your particular medium, the better and more versatile the product. Mr Walker is an excellent proponent of this. He played fearlessly. Just one other note on this gig – Igor Frolov. Not a name, or nationality (Russian), you would normally associate with jazz but Frolov’s Piece in Blues Style was my personal highlight. It just goes to show. Now the evening performance. I was not the only member of the lunchtime audience drawn across town for his second outing. There were a number of the COS crowd sitting among the regulars in the Roundy for the gig. Well, it was less of a gig and more of a trial by fire. Invited along for a jam session by a CMC member who is also a COS member (it’s a small city), this was not a scheduled gig for him but more something to do in the evening. Brave man. The set-up was that he opened the gig (on someone else’s 5-string electric violin, having left his elsewhere – does his courage know no bounds?) solo and then willing members of the Collective would join him on stage and see what happened. What can I say? Well, looking back over my notes, scribbled comments include ‘f***ing bizarre’, ‘sounds like a sub-marine conference of hippos’ and ‘more of that, please’. Depending on who or what combination of musicians were up there, the music was free-form experimental (Han – guitar) to more coherent, traditional-sounding results (Andrea Bonino – guitar, Dave – upright bass, Lucas – drum, Derek – electric bass). When there was a gel, the place rocked. When there wasn’t (which, in fairness, was rare), the audience were riveted to see what would happen next. The only downside for me were two ladies who arrived upstairs in the last 10-15 minutes of the session and, seemingly failing to notice that a) there was a gig on and b) everyone else in the room was listening closely to what was happening on stage, proceeded to have a rather vocal conversation which was, for me, audible no matter where I stood. Why? How did they not notice? It is not a big place. Also, everyone was looking in one direction and, this is important, not talking (!). Very annoying. The highlight, for me, was when, just before they took a break, the trumpet player from Poles Apart joined him with others and there was a superb one-up-man-ship between the fiddle and the horn. According to Mr Walker, he has never participated in anything like that before and found the concept rather nerve-wracking but was now intending on ‘inflicting’ it on his ‘victims’ back home. Tee hee! Gregory Walker is concertmaster of the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra, has collaborated with people such as Yo Yo Ma, Itshak Perlman and James Galway and is a pioneer of experimental styles, such as his rap symphony ‘Dream N. the Hood’. Lunchtime Programme Walker, G.T.S. Blues Gershwin, G. Prelude No. 2 & It ain’t necessarily so Ravel, M. Sonata, “Blues” Frolov, I. Piece in Blues Style Davis, M. So What? Bonfa, L. A day in the life of a fool Jobim, A.C. The Girl from Ipanema Walker, G. Fantasy on Óró sé do bheatha bhaile Evening Line-up Poles Apart – various members – drums, percussion, trumpet, electric bass Han – guitar Andrea Bonino (Hadasha) – guitar Niwel Tsumbu (Sumu, Clear Sky Ensemble) – guitar Dave – upright bass Chris Percival – guitar (For those contributing whose name I did not get fully, I apologise.)

Cork Orchestral Society Presents...Pavlos Kanellakis

Cork Orchestral Society presents Pavlos Kanellakis (Greece) Guitarist Lunchtime recital, 19th July, 2007 Crawford Municipal Art Gallery, Cork. Sitting in the middle of the stage with nothing but an instrument cloth, a foot rest and a guitar, Kanellakis makes passes through the air, stretching muscles, centring himself, centring us, before starting the concert with music by one of his countrymen, the lovely Love Theme & Variation IV from Excursion by Mamangakis. There is more than a nod to traditional Greek music in this piece, which was an inspired choice as an opener for this lunchtime concert. Following on to the Bach, Kanellakis changes moods to the more formal, and older, music. This is a demanding piece for both performer and audience. Bach can be hypnotic, and not necessarily for the right reasons, and requires skilled interpretation. We were in safe hands. Kanellakis stretched and pulled the music, wrapping it around himself like a cloak, resulting in applause breaking through even before he arrived at the very zippy allegro. Possibly a little too zippy, but that is something for the performer to judge at the moment of performance and reflect on afterwards. Moving on to Grigoreas' On the wind, it appeared to this reviewer that, although a skilled performer of the early works, he is far more in tune and at home with the modern composer. He seems physically more relaxed and lends the pieces a bravado and panache which was not evident in the Early music. Invocation et danse was another wonderful choice, really showing off his lyrical and technical ability. The piece itself is beautifully poised between a prayer and a spell (occasionally bringing to mind scenes from Macbeth). The final piece reviewed (the Fuoko is not reviewed here as the concert ran over and the reviewer ran off), Elegy, a piece dedicated to Kanellakis by the composer, is a sea change in mood from the concert up to this point, being altogether darker in mood, almost black. However, again, Kanellakis brings a lyricism to even the most dissonant of chords, beauty to the musical aggression. Considering the standard and quality of the overall performance, it is a pity that the time-keeping wasn't up to scratch as I would have loved to hear the whole rather than the part. That being said, the C.O.S. is to be congratulated on what promises to be a wonderful series of summer concerts. And for future reference: Pavlos Kanellakis - remember the name. Programme: Love Theme & Variation IV from Excursion - N. Mamangakis Prelude, Fugue & Allegro (Prelude pour la luth o cembal) - J.S. Bach On the wind - C. Grigoreas Invocation et Danse - J. Rodrigo Elegy (dedicated to Pavlos Kanellakis) - G. Kontogiorgos Fuoko from Libra sonatine - R. Dyens

Cork Orchestral Society Presents...Slovak Festival Ensemble

Cork Orchestral Society presents Slovak Festival Ensemble 1:10pm, 26th July, Crawford Gallery, Cork OK – let’s get the negative stuff out of the way first. Wrists, boys, wrists. Namely, your right wrists. Specifically, loosen them! There was a lot of elbow-work going on and, occasionally, the left hand appeared to be running ahead of the right. I suppose I should explain things at this point. This lunchtime, the COS presented the Slovak Festival Ensemble (also does weddings, we were told) with a programme of crowd-pleasers, such as Pachelbel’s Canon in D and Stauss’ Blue Danube Waltz. The ensemble consists of the conductor/founder/soloist, Vladimir Jablokov, on violin, his sister on piano, his brother on second violin (I didn’t catch their names, apologies), Steve on viola and Aron on double bass. We’ll get back to the wrists later. Aside from Vladimir’s chitchat, with which even this reviewer can put up in small doses, the music came hard and fast, not a phrase you normally associate with a lunchtime classical concert, I’ll bet. Moving from a slightly jazzed-up version of Pachelbel’s Canon (first time I’ve ever heard slap bass being used in this piece) to Mozart’s Divertimento no. 1 and onto de Sarasate’s Gypsy Airs, we heard the full range on offer from this quintet today. Let me say this – when they play gently and softly, when they let their instruments sing and the music sound, these are a great bunch to listen to. However, the leaning here, more and more, was faster & louder equals more impressive. Now, considering the smattering of a standing ovation received at the end, I may well be alone with my opinion but, seeing as I’m the one writing this, let’s push on. The musicians themselves were a little stiff to begin with, which could be put down to nerves. By the time we reached the Gypsy Airs (their speciality, according to Vladimir – I feel we’re on first name terms now after all the chat), they were loosened up – almost. The wrists, the wrists! My kingdom for a waggledly wrist! Their left hands (finger hands) are loose and versatile, easily commanding the most difficult of passages. Their right hands, however, lagged behind – literally so in some instances. This is down to a lack of flexibility in the wrists – it is very, very difficult to play semi-/demi-/hemi-quavers with speed and/or lightness when you are trying to use your whole arm. Even just using the arm from the elbow can be awkward and clunky. It can sound heavy and, to this reviewer, is stiff and laboured to look at. The Bach was a welcome rest from the (occasionally frenetic) intensity of the gypsy music. Around this time, I was hoping to hear more from Jablokov the younger, as he seemed to have promise and several times looked like he was about to break out. He did. With Czardas. Let me say that I love Czardas – it’s one of my favourites of all the popular violin pieces. I don’t think it deserved a jazz overhaul (for one section) or Hollywood treatment (for another). Nor did it require being taken at such a speed for it to be exciting. The concert ended with three Strauss numbers – two from the son and one from the father. The polka was played with verve and brio, just what was needed. The Radetsky got the crowd clapping along. But the Blue Danube was in full and roaring flood. This is a group of talented and promising musicians, budding performers, who are currently making a living as jobbing musicians (hence the weddings, get their contact details from the COS), playing crowd-pleasers to beat the band. It is my suspicion (and I could be wrong) that they are bored senseless with the music, hence the constant additions of variations, trills and ornamentation, and the harder, faster, louder style of playing. (Although having a double bass in place of a cello is interesting and surprisingly versatile.) They can do this music standing on their heads and it pays the bills. I think they can do more. The ability is there, the interest in music in there. The question is, will they expand into more challenging music? Will they attempt the really difficult stuff, like playing something simple so beautifully and simply that it brings tears to the eyes? Or will they keep churning out more of the same? Programme Pachelbel, J. Canon in D Mozart, W.A. Divertimento no.1 (Allegro, Andante, Presto) De Sarasate, P. Gypsy Airs Bach, J.S. Air Monti, V. Czardas Strauss, J. Tratch-Tratsch Polka Strauss, J. Blue Danube Strauss, J. Radetzky March

Cork Music Collective Presents...Green Monitor

Upstairs at The Roundy Cork Music Collective presents Green Monitor Thursday, 12th July, 9:30pm If Hogwarts had a music department, Green Monitor would be the result. Need I say any more? OK then ……… they are a tightly-meshed trio who are, to my eyes, one of the more pragmatic bands I have seen of late. Apparently unaware of the presence of an audience, they move through their set almost as if they are in their rehearsal room, unrushed, unfussed. Their first track had a definite hint of Air about it but don’t let this fool you. Their style is varied and their sound is tight, highly rehearsed and very professional, while at the same time managing to give the impression that they are experimenting on the hoof. The influences evident are diverse, both in style and geography, and samples include random sounds, vocals and instrumental riffs (and even, it is rumoured, an Elmo toy). It says a lot that, while they successfully headlined on Saturday night at the Electric Picnic last year, they were mesmeric in the relatively cloistered confines of Upstairs at the Roundy. Bringing in the vocalist, Annette Buckley, later in the evening, the sound changed to a more conventionally structured format and took more of a back seat, allowing Ms Buckley’s rich, strong vocals to be the focal point. Especially good was the second number, which was entirely ad-lib. If I have one criticism, it is that occasionally a track would not so much end as stop, leaving the audience wondering what was happening. However, this is a minor quibble. While their influences are, to say the least, eclectic (trance, dance, funk, reggae, far east), the end result is a sound which is at one and the same time both universal and unique. These are three musicians playing at the top of their game. Long may they continue. Green Monitor Aron Bennett – Guitars/Flute/Keyboards Loz Fitzgibbon – Bass/Harmonium/Vintage FX/Keyboards Clive Gash – Drums/World Percussion http://www.corkmusiccollective.com