Christine Tobin (voice); Phil Robson (guitar); Dave
Whitford (double bass);
Huw Warren (accordion, piano); Andriano Adewole
(percussion)
(Review
by Ann Alex)
Tonight I got to
sing with Christine Tobin! - well myself and the rest of the audience, as we la
la la’d along to Ms Tobin’s scat. I was
so excited that I’ve forgotten which song was being sung at the time. The concert was a tribute to Leonard Cohen
who is celebrating his 80th birthday. Some would say that no-one can sing Cohen’s
songs like Cohen, but Ms Tobin made a very good job of interpreting the songs
with the help of her excellent musicians, in a line-up which is unusual for
jazz. Brief details of the genesis of each song were given by Ms Tobin in her
gentle Irish voice, very relaxing to listen to.
Dance
Me To The End Of Love; Famous Blue Raincoat; Hey That’s No Way To Say Goodbye;
Suzanne; A Thousand Kisses Deep were all performed with feeling
and some unusual arrangements, sometimes a Latin beat, giving the excellent
percussionist a chance to shine, with hand drum beats, bass beats and chirpy
rhythms produced by something that looked like a spatula from where I was
sitting. Adewole shone further in a long
percussion solo during the second half of the concert. The accordion did a grand job with a suitable
klezmer-influenced sound for songs with elements of the Jewish faith and Cajun
cuts to add excitement to other songs.
There were also (to me) less well known songs, such as Take This Waltz, with its rich images
and smooth guitar solo; a song about the Biblical story when a prophet takes
his young son to be sacrificed; Everybody
Knows, a recent song showing Cohen’s dark, self-mocking humour; and also a
couple of songs by Tobin herself, one about the many kinds of goodbyes; and No Love No Thrill, about a young girl
who loves an older man.
Yes, a great
evening of music once again from Christine Tobin and the band. She said she’d have to learn more Leonard
Cohen’s songs, so roll on the next such gig.
Ann
Alex
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