Nottingham Jazz’s Blog

What a wonderful evening’s music! The trio sported by La Serenissima last night was marvellous - such a pure sound, such incredible clarity. Themed around violin concertos composed for Pisendel (pronounced pizz-endul) by such luminaries as Vivaldi and Albinoni, the baroque repertoire lent itself so well to the violin/cello/harpsichord combination. I can think of no better adjective than ‘pure’ - this concert was a real treat.

Adrian Chandler, violin
Gareth Deats, cello
Robert Howarth, harpsichord

VIVALDI Sonata per Monsieur Pisendel in C minor RV6
ALBINONI Sonata composta per il Signor Pisendel in B flat, So 32
PISENDEL Sonata in D for violin and continuo
ALBINONI Sonata in G minor for violin and continuo, So 33
PISENDEL Sonata in E minor for violin and continuo
VIVALDI Sonata per Monsieur Pisendel in C, RV2

Here are my thoughts on the Julian Arguelles Trio, which I saw last night in Nottingham. I’ll keep it brief.

First impressions: a few minutes before the gig’s scheduled start, the trio saunter through the auditorium to their warm up room, evidently returning from dinner or perhaps a trip to the pub. Most artists go round the back, so that the audience don’t actually see them until their act begins. Not this lot. A refreshing attitude, if perhaps a little underwhelming. ‘But it’s jazz, you see, so these things don’t matter.’

Second impressions: my word these guys are laid back: jeans, super scruffy shirts etc. But still, you say, it’s jazz, so that’s OK.

On the charisma score I’m afraid these guys score very poorly. Poor chat, a few half-hearted naff jokes, shoddy patter.

Music: I first saw Julian Arguelles a couple of years ago on Islay, at the jazz festival there. He’s a superb player, with a rock solid command of his tenor sax. Last night he played some marvellous jazz, and I thought he was great. But throughout the night he was always playing second fiddle to drummer Ton Rainey, who, by dint of the rather bright acoustic in Lakeside’s Recital Hall, consistently overpowered the other two musicians. This is a shame, but I’ve come to expect it in that venue. The only drummer I’ve ever witnessed turn the place to his advantage was Jarle Vespestad, but that’s another story.

They were playing a bunch of original stuff, some of which was interesting, but most of which was forgettable. The sax/drums/bass configuration worked pretty well, but on many occasions I was yearning for the harmonic depth of a pianist or guitarist. But that’s just me I suppose.

I went to see Flashdance (Flash Dance) The Musical at Nottingham’s Royal Centre. I can’t say I was as taken with it as the rest of the audience was - maybe it’s a women thing, because 80% of the (nearly full) audience were female. Most of them seemed to have a fantastic night though, so there’s no reason why you shouldn’t either. Luckily I only paid £5 for my ticket so I can’t complain too much!

The best place to gauge whether you think you’d like Flashdance The Musical is its website: check out the two minute video here www.flashdancethemusical.com.  It’s quite representative of the whole show (save for the dialogue, of course), and should give you a good idea of what’s involved.

I’m no expert on musical theatre, but I’ve seen enough to know that my tastes are geared more towards shows with great songs coupled with a healthy dose of showbiz factor. Flashdance seemed a little weak on both measures. Sure, there were some impressive dance routines, but the relatively small cast failed to blow me away. Indeed, I dosed off a few times during the first half.  Sets and special effects were uninspring. In fact, there was a noticeably offputting background whirr in the Royal Concert Hall (fans, lights, who knows?).

Victoria Hamilton-Barritt was an excellent Alex, singing and dancing with aplomb. She has a gorgeous voice which really shone through in the quieter numbers. But in the louder songs (and higher registers) her voice would lapse into the clichéd, slightly nasal ‘this-is-how-brits-think-americans-sing‘ style so often heard on Pop Idol and the like.

The best singer by far was Bernie Nolan, who played Hannah. She was superb.

I read one review that said it’s worth sitting through Flashdance just to see the famous hit “What a Feeling” near the end. So when that song began I was understandably excited. But instead of it being turned into a full cast knockout mega-tune, I was rather disappointed that the song featured only three female cast members singing the hit tune. It was a bit lacklustre, not the big climax I’d been hoping for.

Still, the rest of the audience went wild, and seemed to have a really great night. I was a little disappointed.

If you’re after classic Broadway / West End musical theatre then Flashdance The Musical isn’t for you. But if you’re after an enjoyable show with music and dancing then this could be right up your street. As I said earlier, most of the (female) audience seemed to love it!

Posted by Nottingham Jazz