live in london

the title of a new leonard cohen dvd
recorded mid 2008 before his recent tour
but presumably the same band and material
this live concert at the humongous o2 arena
most famously used last year by zed leppelin
now i must confess i am not a hard core fan
only lately getting into him with dear heather
a very good album released a few years back
his recent concerts receiving universal praise
tonight it was decided to watch a music dvd
current hosts well set up home theatrically
so an easy decision to indulge in this concert
the action opening with the man coming on stage
a huge ovation from a huge crowd at this huge venue
leading to some concern about how this is going to work
his material as far away from stadium rock as you can get
but cleverly the director has a means to nullify that
keep it close - very close - the close-ups reign
so we get to see every line on his craggy face
which also means we can monitor the sincerity
and there's plenty of that coming from him
every note of every tune sung emotionally
and clearly too - the lyrics easy to decipher
the sheer poetry of his songs there for the taking
so for me as a late convert this is working very well
and then there is the band - perfect for the material
the hammond organ the standout instrument aurally
the chap on guitars and laud also of the highest quality
but the master-stroke is cohen's choice of backing singers
sharon robinson particularly held in high esteem by the man
similarly the gorgeous webb sisters just right on the night
lots of eye contact from the man as he looks on lovingly
graciously acknowledging all of those on stage with him
and in turn giving thanks to the large and excited crowd
the tunes - 25 of them in all including all the big ones
so long marianne, suzanne, hallelujah, tower of song
the banter between songs both humorous and telling
it’s been a long time since i’ve stood on a stage in london
it was about 14 or 15 years ago - i was 60 years old
....just a kid with a crazy dream
even at 2 hours the dvd is shorter than the show itself
but it is entirely captivating - total class throughout
and well suited to a large screen and speakers
a very pleasant saturday night in the country

1 giant leap

desert island dvd
assuming the desert island i get marooned on has a dvd player and screen
but apart from that if i ever had to pick just 1 dvd to keep this is the one
released in 2002 and watched multiple times since then
usually as tonight as the result of a rave to an acquaintance
and the opportunity then to fire up the projector and get taken away again
always best viewed with total focus and volume at the upper levels
there's 11 short films that make up the full picture
but there's a lot in common with each story that leads to that cliched saying
about the sum being greater than the individual parts
music is what the film is built around
a great fusion of traditional instruments and musicians of the world
mixed in with electronica and dance beats that create a unique sound
there's the occasional gentle bamboo flute or solo voice or other acoustic sound
but inevitably the beat kicks in that builds and drives forward each segment
speaking from total inexperience but it strikes me any of the tunes
could be used at a dance/rave party where beat, noise, mix-up is essential
but back in the comfort of the home theatre environment
commentary is the major feature of the film
brian eno talks about the need to embrace future generations
anita roddick (rip) succinctly describes the success of the consumerism strategy
michael franti also bears down on the pay them and slay them mentality
dennis hopper very humbly muses on the miracle of life
kurt vonnegut (rip) describes his reliance on music as a saviour of life
tom robbins tells a brilliant story complete with puppetry about enlightenment
and many others add their thoughts, stories, anecdotes on their meaning of life
the visuals are stunning
it's not about the beauty of the planet upon which we live
but the diversity and commonality of the peoples that it supports
the musicians and singers are featured in each segment
before ineveitably giving way to a mighty collage of images appropriate to the theme
time, god, money, death, masks, are some of the titles and subjects of each segment
it is quite a dense visual production which means repeat viewing is mandatory
it would be impossible to take it all in with one viewing
which is probably why i keep going back to it repeatedly and keep seeing new things
it does have a great worldliness as it is devoid of nationalism and patriotism
though some separate words of wisdom from an aborigine and a maori
provide a local interest to an otherwise world-view feel
cleverly the producers have avoided politics and politicians
which also adds to the timelessness of the production
unity through diversity is the chosen catch-cry
the good news is that part 2 is currently in production
every home, school and desert island should have 1 giant leap
totally engaging

oil on canvas

subtitled the very best of japan
not the country but the group of the same name
i approached viewing this dvd with some degree of trepidation
for these days i tend to avoid most things 80's in the musical sense
i like to think it is because there is so much great new music about
or maybe as popular opinion would have it the music then was um forgettable
but in fact for me the 80's were quite liberating times musically
most days were spent figuring out which gig to go to that night
distance presented no obstacle and enthusiasm was in abundance
there's a number of musicians i hooked into then
that i still listen out for and keep going back to
not for the sake of nostalgia as i do not subscribe to that
but just because the music now and then is very good
mr david sylvian would be one of a handful from that era
that still gets my undivided attention with every release
so when i stumbled upon this dvd featuring him in his first band
i just had to add it to the collection of 'to be viewed one day'
tonight i fired up the trusty projector, inserted the dvd and observed
the first 7 tracks are promotional videos for the band
number 1 is titled life in tokyo and we witness the band in full glam mode
there's a bunch of very tidily dressed lads with full makeup
a very cool attitude and equally impressive musicianship
in each of the subsequent videos the demeanour is consistent
and the point is made that this was a very eclectic outfit
having a firm handle on both sound and image
it's odd that the dvd extras appear before the main feature
made me think maybe the main show is not that good
we are in the hammersmith odeon in 1983 for a live concert
from memory this must have been one of their final shows
there seems to be a lot going on aurally and visually
and another dimension has been added to the dvd
with a constant stream of amazing photographs of the orient mixed in
the band is very percussive, bassy and as you would expect
has a not unhealthy component of synthesizers and keyboards
david sylvian himself is in out-front solo mode
dressed as sharply as ever and with a lot of close-ups
each tune has a completely different look and feel
and played so confidently and produced so well
it's almost impossible to pick this for a live concert
gentlemen take polaroids is as good as i remembered it
visions of china is full of them and played very strongly
canton is their take on jean michael jarre and more
ghosts is just the best song and done brilliantly here
there's 12 tunes in total making up the concert
me - very pleasantly surprised at the quality of this one
the concert is one that would stand up to repeat play
japan - beautiful country - great band

the battle of mexico city

rage against the machine in all their glory
i confess i am a metal fan from way back
my very first memory of the love of music being zed leppelin and peep durple
from a heavy-metal loving, long-haired, motor-cycle riding, rifle-toting (bunnies) youth from way back
thankfully things have moved on a bit from there though i haven't ruled out a return to m-cycles
and also there is something lurking in there that needs the h m fix on occassion
totally sated by cranking up this dvd from time to time
they are not only a seriously good metal band but they have a sound political outlook and stance
this dvd is a live concert in mexico city in 2000 prior to the breakup of the group (now reformed)
there's not too much that can be said about the courage of this outfit and their social awareness
get this typical mid-concert quote from lead singer zack de la rocha (thanks to wikipedia) -

A good friend of ours once said that if the same laws were applied to U.S. presidents as were applied to the Nazis after World War II every single one of them, every last rich white one of them from Harry Truman on, would have been hung to death and shot—and this current administration is no exception. They should be hung, and tried, and shot. As any war criminal should be. But the challenges that we face, they go way beyond administrations, way beyond elections, way beyond every four years of pulling levers, way beyond that. Because this whole rotten system has become so vicious and cruel that in order to sustain itself, it needs to destroy entire countries and profit from their reconstruction in order to survive—and that's not a system that changes every four years, it's a system that we have to break down, generation after generation after generation after generation after generation…Wake up.^{[RATM wikipedia]}

but returning to the concert in mexico sees the band launch into a couple of full-on numbers
and then break to an explanation of the problems facing the zapatista's in mexico
a revolutionary outfit fighting to maintain basic living standards
in light of their government hooking up with nafta which guarantees the lands of the indigineous people
to the highest bidder and hence sees a huge displacement of people from their homes
this sets the scene for the rest of the concert
full-on rap-metal music played supremely confidently and with a very angry singer up front
the crowd loves then and you can't help but think this is the best kind of american foreign policy
a bunch of americans actually in sympathy with their need for basic rights
zack de la rocha prowls around the stage screaming into his microphone and whipping up the crowd
guitarist tom morello has his baseball cap lowered over his head and also leaps about
while concentrating on pulling the most incredible sounds from his guitar
bassist and drummer provide a totally solid rhythm that never misses a beat
one of those bands where you just look and wonder how 4 of them can create such an amazing racket
during another break between songs zack does another voiceover describing people power at work
during the wto meetings in seattle in 1999 despite police violence against the protesters
and the same at the 2000 meeting of the imf in washington dc
ok tempting to say this is all a bit dated now but the same regimes are still at it
and in this year of 2007 rage against the machine have reformed so we can expect some more enlightenment
the highlight of the set for me and it seems the crowd is the song that launched them
killing in the name of.....
complete with the huge singalong chorus of f..k you i won't do what you tell me (repeat, repeat, repeat)
which of course sees the crowd work themselves into a total band-adulating frenzy
mind you i'm not complaining much either as it is such a contagious song and lyric
i'll never forgive david letterman for his snide remarks when introducing them on his show
back in the days when they were in the grasp of corporate record companies
but maybe these days they have wised up and doing their own thing
rage against the machine
great name, great band, great dvd
repeat play mandatory

live in paris

the title of a live concert dvd of the one and only cesaria evora
recorded at the zenith in paris on saturday april 28th 2001
i've watched this one many times but after seeing her name up in lights
well at least in a previous blog listing in reference to a style of music called morna
i decided it was time to re-visit an old favourite
morna originates from her home country of cape verde
and is an intersection of african, brazilian and fado (portuguese) music
i was previously blissfully unaware of the naming of the style
but anything that represents a combination of the aforementioned styles can only be good
cesaria comes on stage to rapturous applause that just keeps going
she has a huge smile on her 60-year old face, is beautifully attired and in bare feet
hence her nickname the barefoot diva
the first tune sets the style for the night with a highly polished band in support
piano seems to be a feature with various other acoustic instruments
she sings in her native cape verde creole language which sounds very french
the band immediately comfortable having presumably performed the tunes many times
but no bored looks here - lots of smiles, body-swaying and foot-tapping going on
savane is the second tune and a personal favourite
it's a gorgeous, melodic song with a quite melancholic sound to it
it features a very handsome man on acoustic guitar up front who seems to love this song also
he seems to be the musical director for the group and probably not unintentionally
takes up residence at the front of the stage providing a focus of attention for the ladies in the house
cesaria herself is fairly static on stage but obviously enjoying the love from the audience
there's a constant slide show at work projecting images to the rear of the stage
it's hard to pin down the style of the music but the almost old-time piano dominates
and is augmented by a beautifully clear and strong voice from the lady herself
in the slower numbers it is very easy to pick up on the fado influence
and when the band cranks up again the brazilian influence comes through very clearly
for example on sangue de beirona which features a clarinet played at high speed
there's been some thought put into the visuals for this dvd
with occassional cuts to pre-recorded segments of cesaria in various locations
so along with the on-stage slides and the multitude of musicians there is always something going on
the voice of course is always there but you get the impression she just does not want constant attention
but in the end it is a great ensemble performance
and it is lapped up by the large crowd
a concert par excellence

world drifts in

the title of a live concert dvd featuring calexico at the barbican in london
they are one of those bands that a lot of people have heard of but not many people know about
which was certainly the case for me up until earlier this year when i saw them live at the basement in sydney
it was an unforgettable show - at least 7 band members on a tiny stage playing to a full monday night house
i bought this dvd as a momento of the night and occassionally haul it out and reminisce - as tonight
except the more i watch this particular concert the more i realise how i only saw a glimpse of what this outfit is capable of
there may not be many groups with a more apt name
for calexico present music that seems west coast american influenced by their southern neighbours
no doubt mexifornia was also considered as a band name but i think they got it right
the band is centered around singer/guitarist/songwriter joey burns
though wikipedia informs me that drummer john convertino is his partner in the group and certainly seems central to all that goes on
the core group is augmented by steel guitar, double bass, brass and vibraphone
these boys obviously love their music and perform with all due seriousness and conviction
alt.country is the official tag slash genre but that is taking the easy way out
it's almost undefinable music which is what probably makes them unique
every song has a structure, depth and feel of it's own and usually features some standout instrument
steel guitar, piano-accordian, vibraphone, airline guitar, trumpet, voicebox all feature at various times
they seem very comfortable on the large stage at the barbican with a very receptive audience
there's a song called not even stevie nicks which leaves me wondering what they have against her
with a head like a vulture and a heart full of hornets
after 6 or 7 songs things are rolling along quite nicely then we enter a complete new phase
fellow tucson arizona residents mariachi luz de luna are brought on stage
this is a large ensemble of violin, acoustic guitar and trumpet players in mexican clothing and sombrero hats
that lift an already very impressive concert to a new level both aurally and visually
this is quite complex music played very confidently with each musician adding their special part
the title track world drifts in is performed particularly well with brass, strings, and vocals all meshing beautifully
and then we go up yet another level with the introduction of french chanteuse francioz breut
whose voice sits brilliantly in the mix with the band and laterly added string/brass/guitar section
this is a real meeting of music cultures with the most unlikely combination
hick like country-twang lyrics/voice with tijuana-brass style instrumental backing and a sensuous french female voice on vocal backup
it works together beautifully and even more so on a slower number titled si tu disais
this is a totally original band with total confidence in their material
not wanting to go overboard here but at times the 20 or so musicians on stage
could be a well drilled orchestra for they are so in control and tuned in to each other
there's no end to the combinations of instruments that feature in the various tunes
but there's nothing like massed acoustic guitars, brass and strings
ok rave stops here
world drifts in
calexico
superb

fela live

in the true spirit of cross-promotion one blog posting promotes another
a few weeks ago i started a little project documenting 50 unique world music styles
as presented by songlines magazine in an article of last year
one of the first styles covered is that of afro-beat out of nigeria
nowhere in african music can the cross-pollination with black american rhythms be heard more thrillingly than in the sound of fela kuti
after briefly moving to the u s in 1969, he returned to lagos in the early 70's to create afro-beat
a mighty simmering stew of african rhythms, call-and-response vocals, brooding horns, jazz flavours
and a funk outrageous enough to make james brown blush
quite a few years ago i laid my hands on this dvd featuring fela kuti titled fela live
recorded in concert at the glastonbury festival in eng-er-land
tonight i dug it out fired up the projector and sat back to take it all in
i don't know much about fela kuti beyond the musical and invention of a complete genre
but it seems he must have done that in his spare time
a quick check of wikipedia provides a daunting list of facts
calling him politically active would be like saying nelson mandala was a member of the anc
this chap ran for president of nigeria on several occassions
has been imprisoned on supposed false charges by the military dictatorship of nigeria
successfully created his own republic independent of nigeria
worked actively to create a united republic of africa
and along the way true to his polygamist views married 27 women
which may well explain his death in 1997 from an aids related illness
his funeral apparantly was attended by no less than 1 million people
a brief introduction at the start of the film sees a smiling and happy fela
explaining it is impossible for him to not have 'politic' in his music - you see
then he is on stage and introducing the first tune called cbb - confusion break bones
as for the music well even for a lo-fi 1981 recording of an outside concert
it's very infectious and though jazz/funk oriented the music is absolutely unique
something to do no doubt with the complex african rhythm
that i recall miles davis himself said he could not possibly begin to get
quote - i may be black but i'm not african - unquote
fela cuts an imposing figure on stage
starts out in a very in vogue 80's cat suit
but before long stripped to the waist with his sinewy body on display
and prowls the stage laying his hands on organ, clarinet and african drums at times
a lot of the time he is directing the large 20 piece band
giving the look of death at times presumably to some errant dancer or musician
mind you the same look seems to be constantly applied to the audience
whitey english folk late at night probably waiting for phil collins to come on stage
my suspicions are the crowd are not all big supporters of the main man
but the focus of attention is on the stage and the sight of a very raw band at work
loose but then again cutting in and out, soloing , or playing in unison at ease
it's a strange off-key kind of sound that takes a while to tune into but then is engrossing
the first tune has to be close to 30 minutes long and includes an audience singalong
intermission comes in the form of another interview with fela
talking in a happy animated manner about his upbringing and experiences
particularly education and his observation of the respect teachers are given in africa
that he did not see in his time living in england
this is working up to the introduction of the next and final tune called tdtmn
teacher don't teach me nonsense
the basis of the tune taken from the word demo-cracy and altered to be demo-crazy
a demonstration of craziness - now bearing in mind this is 1981 that is hugely prophetic
and we're off again with the band and singers all over the place
strange and dischordant organ keys and brass and out-of-tune singing
but the groove is there and once again infection sets in
at one point he introduces his first son femi who is on saxophone
i had the pleasure of seeing femi and his band at womadelaide this year
he has well and truely captured his father's spirit and carried it forward
but for now this performance of fela would be afro-beat at it's best
jazzy, funky, groovey, roller-coastery music
2 tunes over an hour or so and it's all over
thank goodness for the repeat button
fela live
is good

rokia traore live

another star from mali in west africa
i did see her live back in 2001 at my first womadelaide
she performed on a side stage in the middle of the afternoon
i.e. not exactly headline status but even then there was something about her
skip forward to april 2004 and this dvd captures her in concert
in front of a large audience at la cigale in paris
she comes on stage in her bare feet
with her acoustic guitar and slightly nervously i think
performs a tune called kele mandi
a very gentle number with some sublime guitar playing
her beauty is striking - she radiates it in spades
i hope this is not an insult to her, him or anyone else
she reminds me of a female version of george gregan
but with a guitar in her hand and a song or 2 in her heart
she is drop dead gorgeous and seems equally loved and adored
by men and women alike judging by the audience reaction
and the mix of genders i have shown this dvd to
the second tune is called sara
and she is joined on stage by the full band
2 men on traditional n'goni (lute) instruments
swinging away at stage left creating a unique string sound
a 3 member percussion section also on various traditional instruments
mr white boy on bass looking very comfortable
and an equally beautiful backup singer
they all look at ease with the music and each other
hard to believe that such a lineup can produce music of such complexity
but that is always what has struck me about african music
they make it look so easy when in fact it is all but that
at least for those amongst us that lack the genes
so can only look and listen in wonder at how it is done
the third tune called dianguina features the talking drum
and rokia now free of her guitar
she now gives us all a lesson in traditional african dance
body-twirling, arm-swinging, leg-splaying, head-tossing, bare-footing
with mesmerising effect to the infectious music
she breaks into a dialogue french at the end of this tune
which i suspect is quite political as i hear the word mali spoken several times
and she does appear to be in serious mode while this goes on
back on the guitar for m'bifo
which is one of the standout tracks on her last album
featuring beautiful vocal harmonies
one of these days i'm going to watch this concert
with the subtitles turned on just to also get the lyrical dimension
but in a way i don't want to do that
just take it as it is - a visual and musical treasure

that striped sunlight sound

is the name of the dvd recently released
of the latest incarnation of the go-betweens
performing in their home town of brisbane in 2005
at the tivoli theatre which has to be one of the best music venues around
i saw and listened to the go-betweens a lot in the 80's
hadn't caught up with their more recent releases post re-forming
but as it happens the death of grant mclennan last year
sparked a revival of interest and this dvd seemed perfect
hear some old and new material and also see them live
they start gently with gwm solo on acoustic doing black mule
then mr forster wanders on and the 2 of them
harmonise beautifully on clouds
which is one of my all time favourite songs by anyone
off the 16 lovers lane album from the 80's
the other 2 members of the band are then on stage
and doing a couple of tunes from the latest albums
one of the things i like about live concert dvd's
especially projected to take up a whole wall
is the sense of being right there
and depending on the camera work
also feeling like you're actually right on stage with the band
this one does that particularly well
it's hard not to look at gwm up close looking happy and healthy
knowing that within a year of this concert
it's all over - part company, bye bye pride, gone, dead
finding you is a standout track featuring the man
so sad - he just looks so calm, happy, contented
doing what he obviously loved above all else
performing his own tunes with his peers
to an appreciative audience
the hits are rolled out and played superbly
spring rain, streets of your town, was there anything i could do
there's quite a few songs i had not heard before
but they are equally as impressive as the older material
in summary - a fine concert from an even finer band
a great momento of this man's
time on earth

the way up live

lost count of the times i have watched this one
the dvd of the concert of the album of the same name
i've been a pat metheny fan for a long time
starting in the early 80's with his 80/81 album
over the years he seems to have developed 3 quite separate performing ensembles
solo, trios with assorted musicians, and the pat metheny group
which has at it's core himself, lyle mays (keyboards) and steve rodby (bass)
and joined by a floating lineup of various other musicians
i used to think his previous albums and dvds were excellent
and he could not get any better - but he has
he and lyle mays apparantly locked themselves away
and wrote the album from start to finish
with the intention of producing a single piece
a culmination of their 25 years plus work
something that could be recorded
and not necessarily ever played live
i bought the album soon after release
played it relentlessly and was totally satisfied
i took him for his word when he said it wouldn't be played live
so when i stumbled on the dvd in a shop a while back
a smile was immediately placed firmly on my dial
the purchase was made and since then on a good night
the dvd is dropped in the player
the projector fired up
the red wine opened
and all else is forgotten
while the group performs the piece faultlessly
it's not a light piece of music
not something to have playing in the background
it demands attention and even concentration
to my untrained ears and eyes there is a lot going on
like a symphony orchestra in full flight
all 7 musicians working as manically as you would ever see
but it also has melody and patches of serenity
where an acoustic guitar may be used to calm us all down
but before we know it things start cranking up again
and we're off again watching in awe as the group
plays so brilliantly they make it look, well, enjoyable
i don't want to go on about it (lies, damn lies)
but to me it seems such an accomplished work
i'm surprised about how little it is known or sells
not like in his home country of the u s of a
where the album set up sell-out tours
received grammy nominations
and led the group to be invited to play at festivals
in front of hundreds of thousands of people
still i shouldn't complain
if they ever make it to this part of the world
chances are they won't be playing in any entertainment centre
my feeling is however is that if i am ever going to see them live
i'm going to have to start a travel plan
that will cross paths somewhere, sometime with the group
which reminds me of a sad story for me
went to adelaide last year as always for womadelaide
flew down on the thursday morning
picked up the local paper over a cup of coffee
to find a review of the concert from the previous night
as part of the adelaide arts festival
yup - pat metheny did a one-off show
and i flew to the city the day after
luckily i had womad to get over it
the way up by the pat metheny group
an essential part of the esne snoner live concert collection

la revancha del tango live

i am fortunate enough to own a recent model projector
i have it rigged up to project on to my wall in a frame about 2 x 3 meters
it is fed by a dvd player
which is also connected to a reasonably good sound system
instant home theatre
without the cost that seems to go with
commercial home theatre
i seem to have developed a habit of searching out live concert dvd's
and enjoying playing them on this system
...often repeatedly as is the case with this one
la revancha del tango live by the gotan project
they are one of the most visible examples
of what is the defining musical genre of this decade
i don't know if it has officially been labelled yet
surely the nought-ies is not going to stick
but it could be called hybrid
which very well defines what the music is like
all sorts of sounds, instruments and styles
mixed up with an underlining electronic/dance beat
in this case dance in the traditional sense
for example tango (hence gotan)
the dvd is named after their first album
and is based on concerts in london, paris and buenos aires
it is brilliantly produced
at any point is is hard to determine
whether we are watching a concert
or a promotional video
as the projected images
are so dominant and integral to the live show
the above photo was taken at womadelaide this year
it seems to convey the multiplicity of the band onstage
it was an exemplary performance
they were loud
totally in control
and very absorbing
especially in the warmth
and ambience of adelaide's botannical gardens
this dvd is just the same
sorry neighbours
for the sound seeping through the walls
and the sight of me jigging around the room
but it's just so infectiously, irresistably groove-y
i love it