Back from a splendid weekend in Scarborough feeling refreshed and refurbished by some excellent hospitality (thank you Carrie and Rob) and some outstanding musical performances (thank you Scarborough Jazz Festival). Like all Festivals, there was a mixture of the outstandingly good and the sessions which left you more puzzled than enthralled, but the good more than made up for the indifferent. In the outstandingly good side of the scale has to be listed the brilliant National Youth Jazz Orchestra, the innovative Mina Agossi Trio and the breathtaking 13 year old jazz guitarist, Andreas Varady. Compare and Scarborough Jazz Festival stalwart, Alan Barnes always turns in a memorable performance, and 2011 was no exception. On the downward facing side there was a degree of self-indulgence in some of the gigs that left you questioning whether it is ever a good idea to provide composers with blank cheques. In my book - and I am no jazz critic - jazz needs to be either entertaining or exciting. When it ticks both boxes (which it did during several occasions over the weekend) it is a memorable experience, when it ticks neither ..... well it is simply time to go to the bar for another pint of the quite excellent Wold Top bitter. Good music and good beer - is there a better way to spend a late summer weekend?
It sounds amazing. Years ago, I used to go to Film Festivals and spend the day or two just watching films of all sorts. There's nothing like immersing yourself in an art form.
ReplyDeleteAnd here I was, resisting all Simon and Garfunkel wisecracks after reading your last post...
ReplyDeleteLooks like you had a great time. Excellent photos!
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed seeing your pictures, Alan. Andreas Varady can sure play the guitar.
ReplyDeleteSounds as though you enjoyed the trip.
ReplyDeleteI cleaned the tub this weekend, filed some papers, and scrubbed some grout. Hard to say who had more fun, you or me.
ReplyDeletelol at Christine H. ...she and I live the same sort of lives. :)
ReplyDeleteSo glad you had a good time...looks like a lot of fun!
Glad you had a good weekend. When music ceases to be entertaining or exciting it is just noise.
ReplyDeleteNo jazz on the way home, had to make do with the Muker Silver Band.
Excellent report. Thanks Alan. You are a true journalist!
ReplyDeleteTime well spent, Alan. Great photos.
ReplyDeleteSounds great. As Kate says, it's fun sometimes to really soak in something (and I don't mean beer!) Good photos too - not always easy to get in low-light conditions.
ReplyDeleteI am not much into Jazz..we have very little of that kind of music up north here in Minnesota. Aren't you supposed to have Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Wine instead of beer? You took some very good photos while you were there:)
ReplyDeleteMany years ago I attended a Jazz Festival at Bridlington, just down the coast from Scarborough. You can work out how many years ago if I tell you that Anita O'Day topped the bill just after her success at the Newport Jazz Festival - as featured in the classic film "Jazz on a Summer's Day".
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoyed it and thanks for the photos.
ReplyDeleteNeed more photos of the singers!
ReplyDeleteSounds Like A Fine Weekend Alan. When the seaside;good people;good music:[+Ale! ],All Collide, It's Bound To Be Good!
ReplyDeleteSorry I Have Been AWOL Recently.I hope to get my Blogging Mojo up again soon!
Im in Italy for a week....trying to sort out a few legal Wrangles with the house.I met the village mayor yesterday.His English is as good as my Italian!
And it rained! Meanwhile,I hear Summer has finally arrived in Blighty.[nothing worse than being abroad & hearing of good weather in England!]Save some for my return tommorrow!!!
Ciao,Tony.
Thanks to you both for coming to our gig last night in Halifax! A shame Tony Z was off in Italy or we could have had a real "bloggers convention".
ReplyDeleteGood photos. Bruce Adams and Alan Barnes have got our music stand.
Oh, and I've added a sidebar link to News from Nowhere to our Trio Gitan Radio blog
http://triogitan.blogspot.com/