Reviewing last night's gig

Photograph by Lavonne Bosman, 06/03/10

Last night's gig was once again a unique experience, despite the constants, which are basically the venue, its staff and our duo. The variables are what make each and every Saturday stand alone in my mind, the most significant being the diners.

Last night we had vocalist Vincent Nel as our guest artist, and he brought his own accompanist, guitarist Nigel Gabriel. Nice duo, nice music, Vince was in good voice and the repertoire choice was good. What they added to the evening, besides their lovely laid-back, jazzy music, was a whole crowd of diners, friends who'd come to watch them perform. Interestingly enough, there was an overlap of people I knew, as well: my sister, Wendy, and her husband, Theo, were part of this big group, as well as their good friends, Joy and Mervyn. So nice to have my sis at the gig - special kind of feeling. Also in the group were some seasoned musicians who perform regularly, and there's a certain kind of energy around under those circumstances - not quite sure how to categorise it, but let's just call it an "awareness".

As the band, we experience the night quite differently, I'd imagine, to what the diners do. There's so much behind-the-scenes work that gets done, the preparation for every gig, that by the time we're all set up and ready to play that first note, that's the fun, easy part. Performing new items in our repertoire excites me, as does performing my original songs. Working with Wayne has taught me so much, and after 14 months of regular gigging with him, I appreciate him even more. I've learnt to break out of that unfortunate mould of singing a cover version like some recording I've heard, and to do it any way I like, to play with it every time I sing it. Many singers are still stuck in that style, where each and every time they sing a song, they do it the same way. Yawn! In this case, my accompanist happens to be my guitar teacher, so there's that teacher-student element to our work, but also what you learn on the bandstand you can only learn on the bandstand. You can only become gig-fit by gigging. In the five weeks that we were not at Food Lover's Market (restaurant attendance affected by the Soccer World Cup), I felt so frustrated, because I carried on going for guitar lessons, but wasn't getting the benefit of the live performance in which to flex and explore what I'd learnt.

One of the most interesting parts of my music journey, in the past two years, is how the theory I've learnt in guitar lessons has influenced my singing. Long story, but what an interesting journey.

Last night we did two songs for the first time: Gershwin's "I Got Rhythm" and Bob Dylan's "Make You Feel My Love". What can I say? Looking forward to the second time we do them! Haha! Ended the night with Corinne Bailey Rae's "Put your Records On", the song we fluffed at the workshop last week, and lo and behold, we did so again last night! While restaurant audiences generally seem as though they're not listening, last night's crowd applauded after every one of Wayne's solos, so I guess the mistakes were duly noted!

But you know what? Despite the fact that I got soaking wet offloading the equipment before the gig and was freezing for the first two sets, despite the high chairs that swivel so much, we may as well call our band "The Rushin-Bosch Swing Duo", and despite the many, MANY "interesting" dynamics on the night, I had fun. And as long as it's fun, what the hell, I'll continue to do it! ;-)

Lovely lazy Saturday morning

Nobody would believe this, but it's 11a.m. and I'm still in bed. Decided to treat myself to something that money can't buy - a lovely, lazy, warm-under-the-covers Saturday morning. And this is where I intend to be for the next two hours! What the hell, I work hard all week, I have other responsibilities that make me feel like a hamster on a wheel, sometimes, and it's such an absolute pleasure to just switch off and do this when I can.

So here I am. After adding two pics of the splendid view from my kitchen window, I'm going to watch a movie in bed! Haha - so "unlike" me, but I could get used to this!And later, when I'm all rested and peaceful, I'll do a couple of chores, then start getting ready for tonight's gig. Practised last night, so equipment still set up in the lounge. Need to pack up everything then load into car.

And life goes on....

Make You Feel My Love

One of the peak days in my week, Wednesday, the day I have my guitar lesson. Today, carried on working on a song we started on last week, a faster-paced swing standard. I really like playing the bass lines of songs, especially because I'm a vocalist, and not many singers are playing guitar like I'm being taught to. It's also a complete rush for me to have stepped so far out of my comfort zone and to be playing more challenging things, so many years after picking up the instrument for the first time.

We also went through another playing technique which includes something percussive, and this fascinates me. It means that, once I can play these things properly, when I do have to accompany myself, my playing will be fuller and more interesting.

Just before I left, we wrote out the chart of a song that recently invaded my head and refused to leave, "Make You Feel My Love". I first heard it at the end of an episode of "Lipstick Jungle" and even though it was just a few bars, it captured me -as songs sometimes do - and haunted me. A few days later, I happened to watch the rerun of the episode, and when I heard the song, I wrote down the lyrics and worked out the chords. About two weeks ago, I realised I could look for it on YouTube. Found the version from Lipstick Jungle, sung by Adele, as well as a whole lot of other versions. But what a lovely surprise to discover that it was written by Bob Dylan! Big difference between the chords I worked out and the chart Wayne did for me!

A very sad situation in my life right now makes this song eerily powerful. How do you prove to your child that you love him? And why should it even be necessary?

I've experienced irony before, believe me, but nothing.... NOTHING as ironic as this.

Food Lover's gig extended to Sat 28 August

Just a quickie - our Food Lover's Market gig will be ON for the next TWO weeks, Saturday the 21st and Saturday the 28th of August, 7 - 10pm. This coming week, Vincent Nel will be our guest artist, doing four songs in our second set, and I haven't decided on the following week's guest yet. Watch this space!

Picture: Wayne and I at Food Lover's Market, 18 July 2009. Feels like a lifetime ago!

Guitar Workshop, Sat 14/08/10

Feeling a lightness of spirit, providing a welcome respite from the gnawing stress of a deeply worrying family matter.

Music, the great soother of the spirit. Went to a guitar workshop presented by Wayne (Bosch) yesterday afternoon. It was well organised, and I felt privileged to be part of the programme. In the first half, Wayne performed, first with Arthur Petersen, an accomplished guitarist, and then with me as a vocalist. We did three songs, in which he demonstrated three aspects of accompaniment. What a different feeling to performing at a gig! The people were sitting close by, in rows, concentrating on the performance, and I think we were both affected by the intensity of it all, because we goofed up the second song! Oops! There was a short interval, at the end of which Wayne picked up his guitar and played a beautiful rendition of "Take 5", showing his prowess as a soloist.

The second half was more of a focussed tutorial. He summarised, with demonstrations (by him and Arthur) throughout, three approaches to improvisation in a jazz context. Even though I'd been exposed to the content in my two years of lessons with him, it was still interesting to have the whole concept set out the way he did in the workshop. I liked the smooth, uncomplicated way the two guitarists communicated, with Arthur having to repeatedly stop and start the accompaniment to Wayne's improvisation. I must admit, I started losing concentration one and a half hours into the programme, a fact I included in my feedback to him. In most situations in life, timing is very important. I fully subscribe to the tenet, "less is more".

I liked the overall feel of the workshop, obviously influenced by the venue. It was unpretentious, yet well-structured. Wayne came across well, clearly knowledgeable and passionate. As a teacher, I couldn't help viewing the proceedings with a critical eye on his didactic approach in the workshop context, and I have to say I was impressed. The session came across as well thought out, and the Virgo in me appreciated the symmetry of it all.

Everyone seemed to be lapping up the information, and I have a feeling most of us will make a point of going to all his future workshops. If you're reading this and you're a guitarist and you weren't at the workshop, I'd strongly recommend that you go to the next one. Even if you play another instrument or are a vocalist, I'd highly recommend it. There's so much to learn, and this is a wonderful opportunity to do so from a truly great musician.

Last night, our Food Lover's Market gig went exceptionally well, and I ended my day with a warm, satisfied glow.

Pictures: Arthur Petersen (above) and Wayne Bosch at yesterday's guitar workshop.

Food Lover's Market gig ON for 14 & 21 Aug.

Pictures:
Wayne Bosch playing his guitar, Dec 2009.
Vincent Nel and I, January 2010.
MJ singing at the Cathedral, April 2010.

I'm happy to announce that Wayne and I will be doing our duo gig at Food Lover's Market(FLM), in central Claremont, Cape Town, for the next two Saturdays, from 7 - 10pm. This Saturday, the 14th of August, we'll have MJ as our guest artist. This lovely young man sings and plays guitar, bringing a distinct folk-rock flavour to the evening. If you've never heard him, try to get to FLM this Saturday to experience his unique style and hopefully at least one of his original compositions. MJ has been our guest on a few occasions, and also appeared at the Haiti fundraiser at St George's Cathedral in April.

The following Saturday, the 21st, will see us featuring Vincent Nel as our guest artist. Vincent and I sang together in the band Deadline in the early 1990's. He sang as our guest at FLM in January and it's a pleasure to have him back again, crooning those beautiful songs in his repertoire.

At this stage, it seems as though the 21st of August could be our last night at Food Lover's Market. Our duo started there on the 4th of July 2009, when the owner decided to try live music on the quietest night of their week, to attract diners. The experiment was a resounding success. In the first few weeks of the gig, the turnout was sparse, and I take my hat off to him for hanging in there and believing that it would work out. At this stage, 14 months later, the place is packed every Saturday night. However, the restaurant is best loved for its delicious half-price sushi, a special currently being run from Mondays to Thursdays, which the owner wants to extend to the rest of the week. Needless to say, our kind of music wouldn't work on those nights.

The jury's not out, though, but right now we have the gig for two more weeks. What can I say? It's been an amazing stint, a period in which I've experienced a lot, learnt even more, and met some fascinating people.

When it's really over (the fat lady still has to sing!), I'll blog a retrospective.