Carmina 15/12/2018

Carmina are quite fluid in their line up so the first time I saw them they were a duo, the second time a trio and this time a four-piece. The addition this time was an excellent electric piano player, Geoff Castle, who added an up-tempo jazzy keyboards to the guitars of Rob King and Paul Bradley. Front and central as before were the vocals and wind instruments (saxes, recorders etc) of Pippa Marland. There was a Christmassy bent to the gig with one French Carol ans some other nods towards this being a Christmas Concert but essentially this was a similar set to the previous gig with a number of their own compositions interspersed with a few covers. The covers this time included 'Killing the Blues' (popularised recently by Alson Krauss and Robert Plant but written by Roly Salley), 'Graceland', 'Into the Mystic' (Van Morrison) and as a final track before the encore 'Heroes'. Memorable songs were also 'Bird of Paradise', 'Landmarks'and 'Twenty Three (in the Morning)' but the whole gig was of a level and excellent. A word about the brilliant venue - Part Y Seal, a cointry house near Grosmont. A fantastic drive along deserted lanes, a beautiful secluded house, an amazing buffet, an intimate auditorium and being part of an audience of thirty or so. Just wow!