Sofia Vergara at the SAG Awards
Sofia Vergara arrives at the 17th Annual Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards held at The Shrine Auditorium on January 30, 2011 in Los Angeles, California.
Preview: Nette Robinson and Michael Garrick Feb 12th
Nette Robinson is a jazz singer. And an artist. MAP Cafe, that wonderfully friendly neighbourhood cafe in Grafton Street, Kentish Town, has an exhibition of her work on at the moment.There's a private view of the exhibition at 6-8pm on Saturday February 12th , from 6 to 8 pm. Followed by a gig from 8pm in which she performs with Michael Garrick and bassist Matt Ridley.
Nette does oil paintings in monochromatic pallette against a plain background- eg as above in the portrait of Michael Garrick - (literally - "shades of blue"). The images are normally taken from video footage from Youtube. The one above was taken from a photograph of Michael Garrick taken by Ron Cohen on the opening night of the Marquee Club in Oxford Street in April 1958, and which appeared on the front page of Melody Maker. The picture was commissioned from Nette Robinson by Gearbox Vinyl for the front cover of the re-issue of Silhouette, by the Michael Garrick Quartet from 1958, and available HERE .
Map Cafe website
Reviews of the CD Remembered Time
Review: Trio Libero (Sheppard/ Benita/ Rochford)
Trio Libero - Andy Sheppard, Michel Benita, Seb Rochford(Ronnie Scott's, first night of three, January 31st 2011)
French bassist and composer Michel Benita (above)- I've been reading - has always had a mind open to new possibilities, and relishes the joy of the unexpected. He was born in Algiers in 1954, his father having been stationed there by Air France. The family moved back to metropolitan France when he was five, and he went to school in Montpellier. In the heady aftermath of 1968 - which lingered on in the French education system for some years - his first destination after leaving school was to reject the strictures of organized society and to live simply and close to nature in a remote part of Corsica. But by 22 he had completely applied himself, was playing the bass professionally, still based in Montpellier but open to offers to travel. He had a period with the legendary Henri Texier as mentor. By his mid 20's, his subtle strong, meticulously worked bass-playing was attracting the ears of top musicians. . He moved to Paris in 1981, and in 1986 was hand-picked by Francois Jeanneau to form part of the very first Orchestre National de Jazz.
It is such a French trait to welcome paradoxes and opposites. Ever since the "dissertation", with its thesis-antithesis-synthesis structure was introduced into French education in the 1860's, that way of thinking has been something deep in the culture of the educated French. A good, strong bassist anywhere can be exposed to as wide a range of playing situations as he or she wants. But Benita has, in a very French way, thought about it deeply, and made a virtue of the breadth of opportunity which the role offers.
Thus, for example, the erstwhile hippy revolutionary has in recent times constructed the sound for shows by the Hermes fashion house. Recent press coverage of Benita has praised him for stretching beyond the confines of jazz. He has asserted how far he has gone beyond the bass, Commentators have cooed their appreciation of his genre-busting, his explorations of mixed media and his cross-cultural collaborations.
But now, in Trio Libero he is, as ever, doing something subversive, radical, and different. No, he is not genre-busting. Nor is he crossing cultures. Shock, horror, he is not mixing media either. He is simply following Andy Sheppard's genial, humour-infused lead and playing the bass melodically, finding beautiful corners in Sheppard's singable and catchy tunes - and a couple of his own - and simply making good music. Aux barricades, now THAT is revolutionary.
Trio Libero is very much work in progress. To judge by the infectious smiles of Sheppard and the third co-conspirator Seb Rochford, it looks like enjoyable work too. According to Benita's website, spending three days in a cold Dunkerque in January was somehow supposed to give the trio sufficient inspiration to lead them into a studio to make a record for ECM. Well, perhaps either Dunkerque was insufficiently inspiring. Or maybe the three just enjoy the process of collective creation too much. The recording hasn't happened yet.
The tunes are brand new, so the listener gets to eavesdrop on creation. The range of tunes and feels is pleasantly broad. Rubber Necking which opened the first half was a joyous but precisely articulated skittering bebop head; Secret Waltz for Sara was simply expressive; Let Me Tighten You Up brought to the fore Seb Rochford's controlled side, with sit-up-straight military snare drum rolls; Slip Duty, by contrast, set him completely free, non-metric drumming against pattern repetition from the melody instruments. And the encore -a standard- I Get Along Without You Very Well was gorgeously and dreamily reflective. The album on ECM, when it eventually comes.... will be very special.
A very different kind of dream, in fact the bassist's nightmare, happened in the support band set. Sam Burgess looked on stoically, resigned to the brutal fact that his feature Bye Bye Blackbird had just morphed into Bye Bye Bass-Bridge. The vital part had collapsed in the middle of the number, leaving him incapacitated. Until that point it had been a lively set, with both Burgess and James Pearson finding themselves - particularly in an Erroll Garnerish I Remember April buoyed and inspired by the youthful fire of Portuguese drummer Pedro Segundo.
Trio Libero are on tonight Feb 1st and tomorrow Feb 2nd at Ronnie Scotts
Review: Eduardo Niebla
Eduardo Niebla(Queen Elizabeth Hall, January 29th 2011, Review by Rod Fogg)
This concert marked the launch of the new CD "My Gypsy Waltz". Eduardo was joined on stage by six other musicians; Brother Salvador Niebla on drums/percussion, Jyotsna Srikanth on Indian violin, Carl Herring and Ricardo Garcia on guitars, Dharmesh Parmar on tabla and Ken Marley on double bass. At the back of the stage stood the choirs of two girls schools, around 60 children, who sang on three or four numbers.
The concert began with the track India - an 18 minute exploration made up of three sections that is the major composition on the CD. It is an ideal introduction to Eduardo's current passion for blending flamenco elements with Indian classical music. The violin and tabla supply Indian authenticity, while the guitars provide the flamenco flavoured harmony and percussive interludes. Salvador Niebla's drumming is a delicate and sensitive motive force, which interacts beautifully with the percussion of the tabla.
The concert featured many tracks from the new album, which begins with the title track - a lilting waltz with an evocative melody. In fact, many of the tracks are strongly melodic. Eduardo seems to be developing his lyrical side, in contrast to the complex and accented themes of many tracks from his previous album "Lights from the Inner Side". "Rosie" and "Mirror of Life" are standout tracks, but this is a varied and intriguing set of compositions, blending elements from all around the world.
This gig marked the first of many around the UK during the next few months all of which involve a small band or just a duo, so it if you wanted to hear the full band live I’m afraid it's too late. However, I reviewed a trio gig (two guitars and tabla) in March last year and found it utterly spellbinding. Some of the upcoming gigs are within easy reach of London; they are highly recommended.
Tour details: EduardoNiebla.com
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