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1 He’s an axe hero OK, he's not in the same mould as Slash, but the veteran English guitarist and songwriter delivers an exemplary. dextrous mix of blues, folk. classical and jazz to wow his audience.
2 He’s a Pontanglo Renbourn was one of the original line-up of the famous folk-rock outfit from the 608 and 70s. Alongside Bert Jansch.
MISS THE CCUPIER + BABYBO ES+
DEAD BOY ROBOTICS MONSTER
3 He's about to retire OK. probably not. but he is reaching retirement age and could probably do with the ticket sales to keep him in pipe and slippers.
4 He’s a wandering mlnstrol OK, he’s a touring musician. same difference. but he does have a penchant for ye olde madrigals. Indeed his most influential record is 1968's Sir John A lot. his take on medieval tunes.
5 It’ll be an education In guitar Craftsmanship, that's for sure. and if the gig isn't enough, Renbourn is running his own summer guitar course for paying punters.
(Doug Johnstone)
Acoustic Music Centre @ St Bride’s, 346 7405, 79 Aug, 7. 75 and 9pm, £75.
Jazz Cafe (London)‘s legendary jazz. funk & latin Club ni ht. featuring
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Metropolitan Cathedral Organ Concerts
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48 THE LIST FESTIVAL MAGAZINE 14—21 Aug 2008
they formed a blueprint for the genre.
FRANK SATAN IN PERSON Beguiling and bawdy drinking songs oooo
If you dig Tom Waits. Dean Martin and Hank Williams. then Frank Satan (pronounced ‘Say—tan') is your man. The long-time alter ego of the Cameo Cinema's general manager lan Hoey is back after a lengthy break to regale audiences with a bawdy combo of drinking songs. bad taste jokes and oddball personal anecdotes, the latter very amusingly merging Frank's spiritual home, Las Vegas, with Hoey's birthplace, Greenock.
The set is a mix of classics such as Williams' ‘Bamblin' Man' and self- penned new material — the wonhy-of- Waits ‘Grandad's Going Down the Warehouse', the avant garde ‘Who's Gonna Bury the Undertaker?’ — all belted out with lung-bleeding aplomb.
It's an enjoyably shambolic show — Frank himself describes his outfit as ‘the wedding band from hell' — performed with only two members of his band His Husbands (just drums and guitar, though up to five are to appear on other nights) in the glorious surroundings of the Cameo's main auditorium. You'll be beguiled.
(Miles Fielder) I Cameo Cinema, 0781 704 2052, 15, 78, 22 Aug, 77pm, E6.
METROPOLITAN CATHEDRAL ORGAN CONCERTS
New organ put through its paces Fringe statistics tend to be fairly staggering. but if all the organ pipes on the Fringe were added together. their total would beat the lot. The new organ at St Mary's Metropolitan Cathedral alone has almost 4000. Built in French style by Matthew Copley of Kingston- upon-Thames and finished only last year, it is unusual in having two consoles. one of them being moveable. This means that instead of audiences only being able to view the organist from the back, the player will become much more visible to his or her listeners.
The pair who put the instrument through its paces for the cathedral's free Festival recitals are Edinburgh City organist, John Kitchen. and St Mary's
own organist, Simon Nieminski, who also appears with the Swingle Singers on a rare vrsit to Edinburgh for The Battle of the Fugues. Through the year, future organ recitals will generally take place on the third Tuesday of the month. (Carol Main)
I St Mary '3 Metropolitan Cathedra/, 226 0000, 76 8 23 Aug, 5pm, free; 79 Aug, 7.30pm, £75 (£73).
OPERA SHORTS
Intimate new work in bite-sized chunks 000 In its inaugural run of performances. this new opera company provides a showcase of some of Edinburgh's freshest talent with a set of four 15- minute long operas. The intimacy of such a small theatre helps captivate the audience. and the paucity of props is no hindrance in communicating the storylines.
Each opera comprises distinct and innovative musical and dramatic ideas. the most poignant being Louise Rooney‘s Fragments. a tale of two estranged lovers who are later reconnected. They are all based on newly written libretti, apart from Stephen Flanagan's The Ca// of Cthu/hu which stems from a story by HP Lovecraft. This is the most complex work, although perhaps a little too elaborate to squeeze into such a short space of time.
The four-person cast provide excellent singing, however soprano Rebecca Johnstone is a cut above the rest. with superb vocal control and immaculate poise. (Miranda Heggie)
I C Central, 084 260 1234. unti/ 76 Aug, 8850-87 0.50 ($660-$960)
MISTERIOSO
Exploring Monk’s elusive mindscape
The often chaotic. always creative and ultimately silent life and times of one of the greatest of all modern jazz giants. pianist Thelonious Monk, is celebrated in this amalgam of music. theatre and video projection from the London- based Theatralia company. The show sold out in its inaugural run at the Riverside Theatre in London last year and boasts several highly regarded British jazz musicians in its cast. including trumpeter Byron Wallen and singers Cleveland Watkiss and Filomena Campus. the founder of Theatralia.
The show is subtitled ‘A Journey into the Silence of Thelonious Monk' and is taken from the enigmatic pianist's final seven years as a recluse. With text by Italian writer Stefano Benni as well as music and images, it explores Monk's inner mindscape and reflects upon his experiences. notably in the repressive McCarthy era. (Kenny Mathieson)
I Queen's Hall, 668 2079. 74 Aug. 70pm, $720310); 75—77Aug, 70pm. $5 ($312).