Chris Janka
guitar, Mark Holub drums, Pamelia Kurstin theremin
(Review by
Steve H.)
What a week that was for jazz in Newcastle
The final gig of an entertaining and dare I say it
exhaustive week provided the most original offering of all – Bluebut. This is a trio comprising of
guitarist Chris Janka, drummer Mark Holub of Led Bib fame and Pamelia Kurstin
on theremin. I have seen countless configurations of jazz ensembles over the
years from soloists to big bands but none of them has ever featured a theremin.
This omission was put quite magnificently to rights on Sunday night at The
Bridge. This gig had been described as thrash jazz, improv rock meeting
rampaging robots with Captain Beefheart and Jimi Hendrix additions. In fact I
didn’t find it that crazy, the hard drumming and throbbing guitar were ever
present but amongst all of it I could hear fragments of all the previous gigs
I’d attended during the week. Quite easily the highlight of the week was
the virtuoso playing of the ever so jolly Kurstin; she was literally playing
thin air ! Someone in the audience suggested that Pamelia appeared to be
playing air guitar but to me it seemed more like she was sewing an invisible
coat as she plucked delicately in the vortex between the theremin and her
fingers. The sounds elicited were not as one imagines emanating from a horror
or sci-fi movie but were fascinating genuine musical solos. I’ve heard somewhat
irreverently that Kurstin is the finest improvising theremin player in
the world. Well if there is a better one around I certainly want to hear them –
simply mesmerising.
Steve.
2 comments :
Unfortunately, I couldn't get to this in person (as I was visiting planet Earth at the time) but can I congratulate the BSH reviewer for magnificantly keeping up the pretence that the 'theremin' actually exists. I had read the various previews with interest and was intrigued by the mention of this mysterious instrument that was never explained or described. So I had my suspicions but only now do I realise that it is of course a McGuffin - brilliant!
It was clever to mix in a distracting description of his Halloween night in the Bigg Market ... 'thrash jazz, improv rock meeting rampaging robots' (personally I'd seen some rampaging robots, a couple of Captain Beefhearts and numerous zombies getting into taxis on Osborne Road to head down town)...with the actual gig.
The analogy to playing air guitar is a good one as naturally everyone can relate to that but the idea that Kurstin could have 'plucked delicately at a vortex' is a complete scientific impossibility. This defies the laws of Quantum Physics as if she had gone near a vortex she would have immediately been sucked in, pulled through a wormhole in the cosmos and dumped in a parallel universe probably with One Direction playing constantly on repeat. Also the idea that she could have worked as Harry Potter's tailor is frankly unbelievable, as everybody knows his invisibility cloak does not really exist.
However the clincher is the photo, which is a really nice touch. But just like the photo of the faked moon landing where the flag throwing a shadow is the giveaway, it's the same with this one. Although it appears to look quite convincing and the 'instrument' seems real enough with a black box and a metal loop, if you look at the reflection in the window at the back of the stage - there are No People! Now I know this is not a total impossibility at a Sunday night session but there are the heads of some audience members in the shot.
So a terrific jazz conspiracy, congratulations to all concerned. When is the band coming back? I want to be 'there'.
JC
This is getting worrying...I even had to prove I'm not a robot to send this comment.
What a honour JC to inspire such a creative response if there's been a better comment on this blog please point me too it. By the way the big headed beardy bloke in the front is me proving I woz there.
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