Recent Concerts You've Enjoyed

Thought this might be a fun thread and a way to find out about acts on tour.

My wife and I saw the Smoke Fairies at the Tractor Tavern last evening as the opening act for Rasputina. The Smoke Fairies are a 'folk blues' duo from Wales and have been described as "Bob Dylan's dream." I thought that their debut release "Through Low Light and Trees" was one of last year's best. It was just the two principles singing and playing guitar. Really terrific concert with excellent acoustics and thankfully not too loud.

If you are ever in Seattle, the Tractor Tavern is a great venue in the Ballard neighborhood. Very fun people watching...I think my wife and I were the only ones without tattoos! I got to chat with them after their set and had my LP signed. I love the lilting Welsh accents!

Here's a video of "Hotel Room" from their debut LP:

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some more from The Sphere

 

 

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Lady Blackbird at The Triple Door last night.

 

Lady blackbird was fantastic at the london palladium January

 

The Cookers last night:
Cecil McBee, Azar Lawrence, George Cables, Eddie Herderson, David Weiss, Donald Harrison, Billy Hart
Highlight was a 20 minute Donald Harrison solo, plus going with the wife and kids.

without their instruments





with

 

Friday and Saturday the 9th of Mahler is scheduled in Palermo at the Politeama theater, a symphony rarely performed because For the performance of Mahler's Ninth, about 80-90 instrumentalists are required, with an ensemble that includes strings, winds and horn. Saturday I will make a complete report and I hope to post some videos too

 

My wife and I went to Barcelona last month just to see Nadine in her most famous role as Violetta in La Traviata. I guess you might say I'm a Nadine groupie. I saw her in Rigoletto at the Met last October, and also at the Met in Lucia di Lammermoor a year prior. Her performance in Lucia convinced me of her greatness (the mad scene is unforgettable), but her performance as Violetta convinced me that I am witnessing a singer who might very well be considered another Callas or Sutherland some day. I was literally moved to tears at the end of Act 1. She's in her prime now at 36. I'm waiting for next season's Met schedule to be announced shortly and hope she's there doing something...anything really. I'd go just to watch her walk on to the stage.

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Been a bit slack on the old opera, but a couple coming up in the next month. Active in many other musical and dancing departments.

A very pretty Balanchine outing this weekend. Prodigal Son for Ballet Russes in 1929, last show for Diaghilev before he died, Serenade for the students of the American Ballet in 1934, his first full length US ballet, and Symphony in C for the Paris Opera Ballet in 1947.

Camera phones out for Marienella Nunez.

 

Saw Isaiah Collier at Black & Tan Hall last night. Amazing performance by a very tight band. Kept thinking that this must have been what it was like to hear a young Sonny Rollins or Coltrane. The pianist was terrific and looked young enough to be in high school.