Juan Martin – review of St Davids Hall Concert May 2010
SEEN AND HEARD UK CONCERT REVIEW
Juan Martín Flamenco Ensemble: Juan Martín (guitar), Carlos Brias (vocal), Raquel de Luna, Miguel Infante (dancers), Paul Fawcus (reeds), St. David’s Hall, Cardiff, 18.5.2010 (GPu)
Juan Martín is well established as a major figure amongst flamenco guitarists. He is a particularly interesting musician because of the way in which, steeped as he is in the tradition of flamenco, even a kind of scholar of the music, he has never been content to let that great tradition restrict his musical imagination. His musical CV incorporates sessions with such jazz greats as Herbie Hancock and Miles Davis; he has recorded as a soloist with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; one of his most intriguing recordings, Musica Alhambra (Flamenco Vision FV 04), finds him exploring the Moorish roots of flamenco, taking in Indian gipsy idioms and Sephardic song along the way, and including a duet improvisation with the oud player Abdul Salam Kheir. So, grounded as he is in the tradition he knows so well and which he obviously loves and respects, he is also a constant innovator, ever ready to stretch the boundaries of contemporary flamenco.
For this concert in Cardiff (for which the audience was sadly not large – though everyone there seemed more than satisfied by what they saw and heard) he was joined by cantaor Carlos Brias, bailaoro Raquel de Luna and bailor Miguel Infante, with Paul Fawcus providing orchestral colouration on clarinet and soprano saxophone in some numbers. Martín has a prodigious technical ability on his instrument, but one never feels that this is an end in itself or that it becomes mere display. It always seems to be in the service of music-making of real intensity, in which passionate expression is combined with structural complexity. Martín began the evening with two solo pieces, including a version of the tarantas, Linares, which can be heard on one of his solo CDs (The Andalucian Suites, Flamenco vision FV 01), full of keening melancholy.
The dancers Raquel de Luna and Miguel Infante were imperious and commanding presences in all that they did, from the Sevillana which was their first contribution to the evening to the hectic climax of the concert. Raquel de Luna has worked with Martín for some time and it is not hard to see why he would admire the grace and delicacy of her work, as well as its sinuosity and sensuality. Infante is, I think, a newer addition to Martín’s touring company. Initially there seemed a slight stiffness in his work, full though it was of proper arrogance and command. As the evening went on, however, any hint of stiffness disappeared and his work grew more and more striking, remarkable for the muscular control of foot and leg movements and for his rhythmic precision, his finest moments being comprehensively commanding in their virtuosically percussive strutting. The two dancers worked superbly together, characteristic of the way that this, like all good flamenco ensembles, was mutually energising, mutually encouraging. Raquel de Luna’s movement, subtle and yet exact, was a constant joy, her ‘Indian’ hand-movements an eloquent (and elegant) reminder of one of flamenco’s putative sources, her variation of tempo endlessly fascinating.
For me the singer Carlos Brias was an impressive discovery. This tour marked his UK debut and I haven’t so far been able to discover that he has made any recordings – he surely will. The best of his work (and I, at least, would have appreciated his being featured even more extensively) was soaked in a ‘moorish’ sound-world and some of his long unaccompanied lines and melismatic runs were utterly spine-chilling. His dialogue with Martín’s guitar accompaniment was remarkable, an emotional and musical conversation in which each seemed to take the lead by turns.
Martín, accompanied by the assured musicianship of Fawcus, played some of his arrangements of Sephardic songs, music outside the idioms of contemporary flamenco, but flavoured, as it were, with that later form as played by Martín; the results were beautiful and expressive, melodies shaded and decorated by Fawcus’ breathy clarinet, Martín’s work on the guitar combining respect for tradition with a personal freedom of interpretation in a manner wholly characteristic of this fine artist.
The whole evening was a marvellous display of the richness of one of the great musical traditions, and of its origins and its later offshoots, a tradition which while there are musicians as good as Martín and his colleagues to interpret it, is in no danger of becoming merely nostalgic or ossified at the level of tourist-fodder. Long may such creativity, such technical skill and such disciplined musical passion flourish!
Glyn Pursglove
The ribbon is gonna get ya!
Sontronics Microphones
When I heard about an British manufacturer making ribbon microphones I got that geeky excited all over feeling that has got me into trouble so many times!
Part time BBC big band director & full time baritone saxophonist, Jay Craig, came back from a session at BBC Maida Vale saying that I should check out these microphones.
Manufactured in Poole, Dorset Sontronics first emerged at the 2005 NAMM show. Now with a much larger product range MD, Trevor Coley, is really forging a path for his products in all genres of music.Their stable now hosts a full range of condenser, valve and ribbon microphones as well as a a range of portuguese mad mic pre-amps.
Trevor is delight fully enthusiastic about his own products many of which he has designed himself and I can now see why.
I was presented with a goodly bunch of the mics to try and two have really stood out as stars.
As it says on their website “Ribbon mics are renowned for their smooth, uncoloured audio characteristics” and this is very true of the Delta & Sigma microphones. They are built to a very high standard and come in VERY robust cases finished in smart polished auluminium.
The microphone that had been recommended was the Delta ribbon and that was the first one out of the box for me! The purpose built shock mounts work very well and I’ve
Sontronics Sigma
not had any problem with noise at all. The Delta gives a fantastic clean sound and truly captures what ever instrument I have put in front of. It worked very well as a solo mic for both the ‘almost acoustic’ Gordon Campbell big band as well as the BBC Big Band.
In the studio I have recorded strings, guitar, percussion, woodwind as well as brass with it and all with great success.
The sigma fairs as well will similar results with a warm un-biased sound.
Both microphones work very well both live and in the studio and I look forward to trying the stereo ribbon later this year.
Sontronics can be contacted here :-
Digidesign C24 – two months on
Had a chance now to evaluate the new board and now two months on I can give some feed back.
My first impressions have been upheld and I have to say I’m finding the C24 very intuitive. Unlike the HUI it is now the centre of my work space. The jog/shuttle wheel acts as a great zoom and movement ball and other than naming tracks or playlists I have almost discarded the keyboard.
The ‘smart’ tool in Pro Tools is now my standard for editing et cetera and like the D-control, Venue and Icon the ‘EQ’ and ‘Dynamics’ buttons are useful assets to accessing plugins.
I used instrument plugins in ‘anger’ this week and was very impressed with the way the C24 acts like a KORE 2 controller giving you access to all the parameters. Once again very intuitive!
I’ve been working with Will Todd (composer of Mass in Blue) last week on his new work Te Deum and we have had to do a lot of mixing (1090 bars plus !). You can very quickly set different automation states, latch/write/latch & write, really quickly and even during passes. The ‘write automation to’ section is close to hand and the whole process is fast and excellent fun and more over just what mixing should be … CREATIVE!
No more wrestling with technology. Some of the bigger plugin windows, Sonnox dynamics & Waves SSL channel now appear on an easy to use single strip and it’s just like using the original analogue versions knob twiddling to your hearts content.
In conclusion I’m enjoying the C24 far more than I’d anticipated and can’t wait to start again next week!
Review: Juan Martin and his Flamenco Ensemble, National Centre For Early Music, York – By Steve Crowther
“Juan Martin opened his set with a whimsical explorative piece, which had the most lyrical episodes punctuated by the characteristic strumming chords (rasgueado).
This was followed by taconeos, notable for the sheer variety of colour and timbre displayed by this remarkable performer.
The show really came into its own with the entrance of dancers Raquel de Luna and Miguel Infante. They danced a series of short set pieces (Sevillanas) full of pride, posture and intent. It was a whirling, twirling delight.
The duet between Juan Martin and singer Carlos Brias was emotionally raw and gripping.
Later, the guitarist was joined by clarinettist, Paul Fawcus, in three Sephardic songs. The first two were particularly touching: a simple setting with the clarinet darkening, shading the lovely guitar melody, followed by a melancholic, sumptuous clarinet song with gentle guitar commentary.
The Rondena from Picasso Portraits was first performed for Picasso’s 90th birthday bash, and it was obvious that the composer had pushed the boundaries of Flamenco with jazz, experimental and improvised playing, in honour of the great man.
But it was the dancers who stole the show. In the Alegrias (joyful dances), dancer Raquel again performed a series of movements, each ending in the most frighteningly blurred staccato footwork, explosive gestures, a performance as intimidating as it was beautiful.
The response from dancer Miguel was scary. Again a virtuoso display of percussive foot-tapping, indeed the sheer physicality of the performance was spectacular: rhythmic, strutting, a performance emanating as much testosterone as sweat, on a Sunday, too. ”
A review by Steve Crowther from the Yorkshire Times of one our recent concerts with Juan and the group. This small, intimate venue venue really responded on this hot and steamy May evening.
Being a converted church the stone floor was too hard for the dancers so two sheets of marine ply were skillfully taped to the stone floor.
A new DVD filmed in glorious HD is available now from Flamencovision
UK SINGER MIM GREY BREAKS INTO THE LIMELIGHT WITH HER DEBUT ALBUM – ‘GREY MATTERS’
Mim Grey, the sultry new voice to come out of the UK, will release her long-awaited and highly accomplished debut album, ‘Grey Matters,’ on July 1st 2010.
The album evokes the sounds of James Taylor and Joni Mitchell, but she conjures up a life lived through high-heeled boots, blue jeans, curling tongs, late nights and love lost and found.
Already an accomplished singer/songwriter, Mim has performed with music luminaries such as Paul McCartney, Dave Stewart, Michael Ball and ABC. She has recorded with the likes of Kylie Minogue and Morcheeba and performed at venues as diverse as Wembley Arena and The London Palladium.
Mim had a top ten single with Mantronix and a club hit with Lee Cabrera. She also co-wrote a Kylie Minogue track, and her cover version of ‘What a Difference A Day Makes’ spearheaded Thomas Cook‘s Christmas ad campaign.
Mim’s songwriting partner, lyricist Cori Josias, adds to the maturity and emotional depth of the twelve beautifully recorded songs on Grey Matters, and it’s clear there is a unique chemistry between the two, producing truly timeless melodies and lyrics.
However, Mim’s journey as a solo artist hasn’t been an easy one. As the saying goes, Mim has truly ‘paid her dues’.
At 13, the Barnet-born teenager was suspended from school for her “dubious haircut” and left school for good aged barely 15. Shortly afterwards, her parent’s marriage crumbled, and she left home to move in with musician brothers, Paul and John Williams.
The house became a “24/7 party” with jam sessions into the small hours. Paul stumbled on an old song Mim had secretly recorded in her bedroom and when he played the tape everyone was up on their feet, dancing and clapping. Paul looked her straight in the eye and said, “Mim, y ou’ve GOT to sing.”
Mim & Paul went on to be an item for the next 6 years both on and off stage. Tragically, just when Mim’s career started to take off, Paul was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Six months later he was dead. Mim describes this as, without question, “the worst moment of my life.”
After Paul’s death, Mim’s career took a dive. Although she worked on endless projects, jetting off to America to work with top writers and producers, she couldn’t find the magic formula. Nothing felt quite right.
When she’d all but given up, Mim met someone on a London-bound flight who was to play a big part in her future. As she began chatting with Cori Josias, she felt a deep connection, setting the stage for a formidable songwriting partnership.
Meanwhile Mim fell into a Hampstead lifestyle and a volatile relationship. “I lost the plot for a while,” she admits, “I got involved with drink and drugs and my career suffered.” Fighting her way back to normality, Mim started singing at weddings to pay the bills. At one of these gigs she met the love of her life, drummer Steve Vintner. “Without Steve I wouldn’t be here today,” she says.
Steve totally fell for Mim’s voice, encouraging her to record her own album and to reconnect with her songwriting soul-partner Cori. Sitting round a kitchen table with a guitar and a laptop, the songs on Mim’s debut album,‘Grey Matters’, began to take shape.
Mim was soon “discovered” at London’s 606 Club and before long she was signed and whisked off to LA to work with world renowned producer Derek Bramble and some of LA’s finest session musicians. The album was engineered by Grammy-nominated Rob Chiarelli and mastered to perfection by Grammy- winning Gavin Lurssen, of Robert Plant & Alison Krauss fame.
With this heart-on- sleeve album ready to go on May 31st 2010, Mim Grey turns her story of tragedy into triumph.
Mim may have travelled a stony road to get here but, as ‘Grey Matters’ proves, it was definitely worth the wait.
For further information please contact Dave Clarke at:
Tel:+44 (0) 7966 557774 or E-Mail: dave@planetearthpublicity.com www.planetearthpublicity.com www.mimgrey.com
Simon Goulding – FAMILIA
Simon Goulding – FAMILIA.
The new studio album by UK Bassist Simon Goulding. A mixture of Jazz/Fusion/Latin-Jazz. Draws heavily on Cuban influences from Rumba to Songo and beyond. Featuring Adam Linsley-Trumpet & Flugelhorn. Mat Sibley-Tenor Sax. Alan Wormald-Guitar. Nik Harrison-Guitar. Andy Blakeley- Timbales on selected tracks.
Simon Goulding had performed/recorded with the Bee Gees, Englebert Humperdink, Joe Longthorne, Rick Astley, Ronan Keating, PP Arnold, Freddie Starr, Jovenes Clasicos del son, Tony Christie, David Essex to name but a few. On his new album Familia, Simon plays, 5 & 6 string basses, EUB (electric upright bass), Keyboards, Drum & synth programming, Percussion, clave & Berimbau.
“The album is about drawing on my memories of Family past & present here and in Cuba and the experiences we’ve been through. with the 1st track ‘Familia’ (Family) setting the scene and the final track ‘Mirando al futuro’ (Looking to the future) saying where we would like to be in the future. I would say the album is HEAVILY influenced by Cuban music (Emiliano Salvador, Los Van Van, Irakere) aswell as my love of Jazz/Rock (Miles Davis, Weather Report, Lifetime). I wanted to portray all of these throughout the album”.
For more information please visit www.myspace.com/simongouldingmusic & www.reverbnation.com/simongouldingmusic
New DVD from Juan Martin – released May 24th
Guitar legend Juan Martín traces the passionate art of flamenco music and dance in his new DVD “Live in London”.
We’ll Meet Again – A Musical Salute to the War Years Back By popular demand!
Raymond Gubbay presents
We’ll Meet Again – A Musical Salute to the War Years
Back By popular demand!
Following a sold-out tour in 2009, Raymond Gubbay is delighted to present a commemorative concert of timeless classics celebrating the fighting spirit of the war years.
National treasure and acclaimed actress June Whitfield is the perfect host for this special evening which takes audiences on a Sentimental Journey, recreating the fabulous forties through a nostalgic blend of swing hits and wartime chart toppers. Unforgettable numbers such as In The Mood, One O’clock Jump and The White Cliffs of Dover combine with a special Radio Days Medley in a programme that transports audiences back in time to the golden age of swing. Of course no forties concert would be complete without a good old-fashioned Singalong to favourites which include Underneath the Arches and Run Rabbit Run .
The evening’s entertainment is brought to life by a 27-piece live band and a superb line-up of artists under the command of acclaimed conductor Gavin Sutherland. Scotland’s honey-laced trio The Swingcats will perform a tribute to the much-loved Andrews Sisters whilst Ukulele player Mark Walsh evokes the inimitable George Formby with his rendition of When I’m Cleaning Windows. World Champion dancers Chris Marques and Jaclyn Spencer will dazzle with their breathtaking routines and sassy moves in numbers that include the thrilling Brazil. Finally, you can ‘get in the mood’ with special guest singer James Graeme as he performs such highlights as Sing, Sing, Sing and Goodnight Sweetheart.
We’ll Meet Again – A Musical Salute to the War Years plays:
LONDON – Royal Festival Hall – 27 March
MANCHESTER – The Bridgewater Hall – 18 April
PLYMOUTH – Pavillions – 22 April
BOURNEMOUTH – Pavilion Theatre – 23 April
GLASGOW – Royal Concert Hall – 25 April
CARDIFF – St. David’s Hall – 29 April
HARROGATE – International Centre – 6 May
BIRMINGHAM – Symphony Hall – 8 May
Jazzmouse acquires Digidesign C24 Mixing console
I don’t like change! There I’ve said it …. however sometimes one’s hand is forced by necessity. With most mixes now in the studio pushing fifty channels plus my poor old Mackie HUI (human user interface) was struggling to keep up and so it was time to move on.
The original Control 24, despite being the best seller in it’s price range, was dogged with PSU problems and I avoided it like the plague!
Having worked on both the ICON & VENUE boards I was very familiar with the ‘current’ Digidesign layout and workflow.
The new board is in and running as of today and I am very impressed. It works (almost) straight out of the box and other than some confusion over headphone cues (it’s much simpler than it looks…. just route to output 7&8) is now working with little disruption to my working month. I allowed five days but it has only taken three.
The C24 was supplied by Mediaspec and they ensured that all the usual compatibility issues were resolved even arranging for Digidelivery of software upgrades.
I’ll write an update in six months or so but for the time being … I like ….. I like very much!
Digidesign’s blurb and picture
Sleek and stylish, the new 24-channel C|24® control surface provides direct hands-on control of Pro Tools® mixing, recording, and editing, a complete array of high-quality analog inputs, and a 5.1 analog monitor section to use with your Pro Tools I/O. As the natural evolution of its predecessor — Control|24™, one of the best-selling consoles ever in its class — C|24 integrates the latest advancements in Pro Tools software with many new features and improvements to provide an incredibly powerful and richly featured console option that’s easy to use and aggressively priced for Pro Tools|HD® and Pro Tools LE® users.
Mediaspec can be contacted here :-
9 Brunel Building
Scottish Enterprise Technology Park
East Kilbride
Glasgow
Scotland G75 0QD
Tel: 01355 272 500
Fax: 01355 272 202
The Sounds of Burt Bacharach – UK Tour 2010
It’s difficult to think of anyone else who has delivered musical goods as impeccably and consistently as Burt Bacharach. This production, created by Chris Dean, offers up sunny classics that bring memories from four decades.
Bacharach’s exquisite arrangements show us why he is one of the truly great tunesmiths of the past century, with such a gold mine of music, each and every song is a timeless hit.
Walk on by, The look of love, Raindrops keep falling on my head, Alfie and many many more.
Set these songs along side the most accomplished musicians and singers add some sophisticated choreography and you have a stylish show that promises a heart-stopping and pulse-quickening evening.
Not to be missed !
N.B Please check all dates at theatres as they may have changed since this post was written
Tour dates :-
7th April The Hawth, Crawley
11th April Town Hall, Cheltenam
15th April, The Playhouse, Weston-Super – Mare
20th April Assembly Halls, Tunbridge Wells
1st May Gulbenkian Theatre, Canterbury
7th May Regent Centre, Christchurch
8th May Playhouse, Harlow
19th May Milfield, Edmonton
22nd May Queens Theatre, Hornchurch
23rd May Opera House, Buxton
25th May The Stables, Wavendon
13th September Lighthouse, Poole
1st October Palace Theare, Redditch
SocialVibe