Tim Richards - 8/2/2014

This was another 'special' at King's Place for Tim following the anniversary gig in 2012. This time the first set was a solo piano set playing a range of songs from Thelonius Monk and Duke Ellington to a Latin piece, 'Summertime' and Tim's own compositions. It was great to hear the full-on sound of the grand piano and to immerse yourself into a varied mix of tunes. I always have the feeling that there is a hint of boogie-woogie bubbling under when Tim plays and that came through to me as he played the solo set. There was some sax on one track and trumpet on one other. Apart from that it was just Tim and the Steinway. The second set was played by a six piece band consisting of musicians Tim has played with over the years. Perhaps the most well-known were the brass musicians, Dick Pierce on trumpet and Ed Jones on sax but also taking the limelight at the gig was vibes player Ralph Wild. I particularly enjoyed the 'Shamanism Suite' and the encore 'Ticket to Tomorrow' which featured a sparkling solo from Ralph Wild. The audience loved the gig and so did I.

Transatlantic Sessions 6/2/2014

This year we made sure we were back from holiday in time for the annual Transatlantic Sessions gig at Symphony Hall. The core members of this huge band are reasonably settled now and as they include Aly Bain, Jerry Douglas, Danny Thompson, Mike McGoldrick, John McCusker, Bruce Molsky, John Doyle, Russ Barenburg and Tim O'Brien it is easy to see why this has become an annual pilgrimage for us. The 'house band' this year also included Donal Shaw, Phil Cunningham and James McIntosh and on top of that the 'guest vocalists' were Shawn Colvin, Sarah Jarosz, Daryll Scott, Julie Fowlis and Kris Drever. Such an array of talent and yet they never slip into the sludgy sound of some all-star benefit band. Each track is finely crafted and tightly played. They can achieve this because the are all superb musicians and because they all buy in to the central aim which is to deliver the music rooted in celtic tradition which has developed both sides of the Atlantic. Stand out moments included Phil Cunningham's slow air which was so new it didn't even have a name yet, the encore which had Aly Bain's fiddle front and central for the first time in the gig, Jerry Douglas' solo spot (always a highlight), the song written by and featuring Russ Barenberg and in terms of the guest vocalists I particularly liked Shawn Colvin and Sarah Janosz. Having said that there was not a weak moment in the entire gig. I'll be booking seats for the 2015 iteration of this long-running celtic music celebration.