JAZZ
Jazz Directions
Oiieeii's Hail, Edinburgh, Fri 178 Fri 24
Faced with several call-offs, Assembly Direct has opted for a packaging compromise for the bulk of its autumn Jazz Directions series. All of the November events focus on instrument-specific combinations, starting with singers and working through saxophonists to the two featured concerts in this issue, Jazz Guitars and Jazz Pianos.
The Jazz Guitars concert will feature Antonio Forcione, who is best known here for his annual triumphs on the Fringe where he has featured solo, as the leader of his own trio, and in duos, initially with Eduardo Niebla and later in Acoustic Mania with Neil Stacey.
In the process, he has moved from playing to a handful of punters to full house, status. Forcione has enough technical wizardry to satisfy even the most demanding virtuosity junkie, but his across-the- board appeal is reflected in a broad-ranging (and often hilarious) musical mix which takes in jazz,
folk, Flamenco, ethnic music, pop, rock, classical, and just about anything else that comes to mind.
This will not be his debut at the Queen’s Hall. Assembly Direct featured Acoustic Mania with Martin Taylor in a night of extreme guitar shenanigans early last year, but he will play a solo set on this occasion, and doubtless plug his latest solo CD, simply entitled
Live.
He will share the bill with two home-based bands. The Hot Club are a Reinhardt-Grappelli inspired quartet featuring violinist and leader Alex Yellowlees and guitarist Nigel Clark (they also have a recent CD on offer). The Guitar Quartet features Clark once again, this time alongside Ged Brockie, Malcolm McFarlane
and Kevin MacKenzie.
The Jazz Piano concert also sees a quick return for a musician featured in August, but this time in the Jazz Festival rather than Fringe. In the case of pianist John
ELECTRONIC/ROCK Lo-Fidelity Allstars Liquid Room, Edinburgh, 17 Nov.
Funny plate, Amerita This is a nation where any j_)i'esidentia| candidate needs to put at least a touple of exetutions as stops on his elet tron trail and where Bush somehow sell retords Surprisingly enough, the Lo- Fidelity Allstars have managed the same feat Debut album How To Operate With A B/owri Mind sold 400,000 (opies in the States last year, in marked contrast to the fortunes of any other British band of merit
Virtuoso reality with Antonio Forcione
Bunch, however, there is never too much of a good thing. Now a sprightly veteran of 79 (although he looks and acts at least two decades younger), his deft, inventive melodies and irresistible swing remain one of the gems of mainstream jazz.
Bunch will be accompanied in a quartet by another great elder statesman, guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli, in
what should be a real treat. Pianist Brian Kellock and
the sixteen-year-old James Cairney are also featured. While on the subject of jazz pianists, the revamped programme at Henry’s Jazz Cellar will also feature a couple of intriguing American visitors at the opposite end of their careers, playing in more contemporary styles. George Colligan, who made a powerful
impression in several contexts during the Jazz Festival,
3“?“
Positive states for the Lo-Fidelity Allstars
Keyboardist, turntabler and spokesman Phil «aka the Albino Pi'iestt laughs 'lhat took everyone by surprise, intluding the r‘etord (ompany,' he says "Battle Flag' did really well on the radio, and we ended up playing all these weird pla<es in South Carolina It was like Britain a detade ago There were all these kids of fourteen and fifteen running around with glo-sti(ks and (hasing us down alleys?
It hasn't all been as (heering At the end of 1998, frontman Dave tthe Wrekked Traim left the band, followed by synthman Matt tSheriff John Stone;
will feature on 25 & 26 Nov, while another emerging name on the US scene, David Berkman, visits the venue on 10 & 11 Dec. (Kenny Mathieson)
But Phil denies there was (".(f'l any (.hante of the band splitting ’!t ieaih hurt,’ he explains, '(ause '.'.e!e good friends. But we always knee. were gonna carry on And the people who left never wrote the rniisit so, except for the lyrics, the proress o‘ writing was going to stay the sariie '
If forthcoming release The Griostriirrtt EP (named after the (omt ‘oook iii The Simpsorisl is anything to go by there hasn't been any drop Il‘. guaiity ‘The All, The All’ is propelled by the year’s filthiest groove, while 'Voodoo liouse' does what is says on the tiri ‘.‘.lil‘. no little style,
The band await touring ‘.‘.'!ili lY‘iXi‘tl emotions ’We're shitting it, but looking forward to it,’ says Phil haven't played in the UK for ter: or fifteen months. Normally ‘.'.'e'."e the slatkest band on the planet, out this time we've tried to get it sorted (ause we've got all the new songs to pray A (Ouple of them are our attempt at R&B, although being us it's a bit twrsted. One of the tracks sounds like a cross between Bla<kstreet arm The Stooges.’ The mind boggles (James Smart)
3': The Ghost/mitt EP IS out on Mon 20 Nov on Sony
preview MUSIC
FOLK Fiddle 2000
Asst: 1?. nOtV‘ts, ECnbtiicb, Fri
36
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e .1 ' it: e . e‘ebrated to'iipose' Hiram i‘.larsnall \sill sing out under tne fingers of Alasdair Fraser at the St Cetiras Hail launch of Fiddle 2000, ant: tire
weekend's ext esses are
l)?(>t.(;l‘l'. te a k lose by Pete L iarks (ion: i"‘»t‘i’tll"t' i‘eito'iiiirig the riiusit ot the ‘. “.3: Pe'thshire geiiitis Neii Citing art: the
t t;'ii(-i";it)'ai\ tiletes
it" 1:; leader s (NIH Lair, '.‘.t‘.t‘ 't<)\.‘. Wes less than a mile from (mix. s .iliage of |.'l\.t’l by Duiikeld, has a great fee: for the inusit of the 'egei‘ria'y bovrrnan, and has retoided .riir‘e of flour") best loved airs, reels in a beautzt'ul album ‘.'.lii‘. the l'nseiiible, using, as he deiigntedly retoants, (rows own fiddle 'lt's usualiy in a dispray (ase in Blair Castle, and I Had to get it strung A spetialist lo'idon ‘rri‘ tame up urth strings that .‘.ere l grit tor the period, then I had to sitt'f‘itl
some time (lia'iging riiy it'tli!‘.|fl..t‘ to attoinriiodate the softer stinig tens-on but not too llltl(li I'iii ort: t-ririugi: to have learned on gut stirrigs'
f'ie .i'rort‘riodox (row [riseiiible will, (Iaik (‘Aj)itllll8, be expanded for the i(ill‘:l)1:l(;llt“.'('lll ’We've got laiii fidSt’l ()'l fiddle and Marti Campbell on viola, arid fiddle as well, meaning we ran itayt- f'o-u fiddleis some of the tiriie' Arid for my Bii'riam Oak piete, I fired or! Me store ".'.'llil blanks for some instiaiiieriis, so the musitians (ould tieate their own parts whith we'd then .'.'oik on, its more in the manner of a (oriteriiporary folk band than the (iassiral model This isn't musit that srioiild sit in a glass (ase' lloi‘iiian (’ltalineisi
Pete Clark is highly strung
“,6 32 lot. 2000 THE LIST49