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College Tribune | November 12th 2008
MUSIC
5
A sideways look at...
Armistice Day
d e k r o
Resident jazz junkie Bryan Dunleavy trekked down to the people’s republic in order to sample some of the morsels at this year’s International Jazz Festival.
most colourful jazz trios, namely Martial Solal on piano and the twins Francois and Louis Moutin on double-bass and drums. This concert was subdued in comparison with the aforementioned, but Konitz’s astute knowledge of harmony, as well as the Moutin brothers who were constantly challenging if not sparring with each other, perfectly matched Solal and his full chordal approach and intelligent use of space ala Kenny Werner. Solal was awarded ‘Best Jazz in Europe Award’ and, fit-
tingly, the ‘Jazz Legend Award’ went to Lee Konitz. Dave Liebman, sideman to the greats and powerhouse in his own right, took the stage at the Half Moon theatre late Sunday night. It was a long two years since he appeared at the ‘Dublin Dave Liebman Festival’ arranged by Newpark Director of Jazz Ronan Guilfoyle. After years of playing together, Dave Liebman Group is a closely-attuned band that plays challenging, colourful music that seems capable of draw-
ing the most blasé of audiences into its orbit. It wasn’t easy to pinpoint what was actually going on but it worked in the grander scale of things. The skill of writing this complex music must be accompanied by the skill of presenting an obvious - if complicated - musical pulse. The energy of the set was most encapsulating. In layman’s terms, you could hear them sweating. The majority of punters spent the weekend at ‘The Gresham Festival Club’ which hosted a weekend of all day music for a relatively low price. The roster contained Dixieland groups from the southern states, a favorite among the older crowd, punk-jazz groups including Jazz Kamikaze, a favorite among our college’s Jazz and Erasmus societies, and plenty of swing from the likes of Dave Lytle and Dubliner Michael Buckley. Also getting down were the Commodores. This funk soul band unleashed groovy floor fillers by the likes of James Brown and Kool and the Gang. To the delight of everyone in Sheila’s hostel, they came back to perform a more intimate set involving cutlery, plates and other household objects. An finally, a weekend of chin scratching, confusing, enlightening, nostalgic, funky, aggressive and mellow music, would not have been complete with the band of An Garda Siochana. The crowd delightfully indulged in the opportunity to party in a Garda presence, one of whom was a dab hand at impersonating Frank ‘old blue eyes’ Sinatra.
» The Jazz weekend has passed and we all must be patient. But Dublin boasts some of the best jazz in Europe. Check out www. improvisedmusic.ie for more.
As yesterday is the 90th anniversary of the end to one of the most bloody and pointless conflicts in history, it seems appropriate to pick out a few noteworthy songs that are inspired by the events of the Great War. Note that these don’t include the contemporary songs - if those pique your interest more then look up Oh, What A Lovely War. A musical about the First World War? You better believe it. All Together Now – The Farm To the tune of Pachelbel’s Canon in D, this song celebrates the bond and brotherhood of those French, British and German soldiers who spontaneously came together in No Man’s Land, sparking the unofficial Christmas Truce: “A spirit stronger than war was working that night / December 1914, cold, clear and bright / Countries’ borders were right out of sight / They joined together and decided not to fight”.
» http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=Wv4C7Xi-6wY
The Soldiering Life – The Decemberists This song, weaving a sensitive tale of comradeship, brotherhood and same-sex love in the trenches, seems to sensitively recall the latent homoeroticism of Jennifer Johnston’s How Many Miles To Babylon? As with most Decemberists’ records, the lyrics are unique: “But you / My bombazine doll / The bullets may singe your skin and the mortars may fall”. » http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=O3-G_shHMxo No Man’s Land – Eric Bogle A haunting lament for a fallen soldier,
Wednesday 12th November: Bell X1, Vicar Street, €31, doors at 8pm Clinic, The Village, €15, doors at 7.30pm Thursday 13th November Death Cab For Cutie, Ambassador, €33, doors at 7.30pm White Lies, Whelan’s, €12.50, doors at 8pm Saturday 15th November The Fratellis, Ambassador, €33, doors at 7.30pm TV On The Radio, Tripod, €27.50, doors at 7.30pm Sunday 16th November Jay Reatard, Upstairs in Whelan’s, €14, doors at 8pm Monday 17th November Primal Scream, Olympia, €40, doors at 8pm Tuesday 18th November Opeth, Vicar Street, €32, doors at 8pm Genghis Tron, Whelan’s, €14, doors at 8pm
reflecting on the unanswerable questions for the departed: “And I can’t help but wonder now, Willie McBride / Do all those who lie here know why they died? / Did you really believe them when they told you the ‘cause’? / Did you really believe that this war would end wars?” » http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=h1VD84SLW8I Christmas In The Trenches – John McCutcheon A ballad narrated by a fictional British soldier called Francis Tolliver. This, like All Together Now, is based around the ceasefire on certain parts of the Western Front in December 1914, and examines the effect it had on the participants: “The walls they’d kept between us to exact the work of war / Had been crumbled and were gone forevermore”. » http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=s9coPzDx6tA And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda – Eric Bogle Covered most brilliantly by the Pogues, this story of an Australian sent to Gallipoli is about as maudlin as you can get, tugging at the heartstrings relentlessly – we follow the subject as he is sent to war, crippled, and by the end of the song is an old man wondering why his comrades are so proud: “And the young people ask, ‘What are they marching for?’ / And I ask myself the same question”. One of the most poignant anti-war anthems ever penned.
» http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=WG48Ftsr3OI
» SEBASTIAN CLARE
Wednesday 19th November Volcano!, Upstairs in Whelan’s, €10, doors at 8.30pm Thursday 20th November Feeder, Ambassador, €33, doors at 7.30pm Saturday 22nd November The Saw Doctors, Olympia, €34, doors at 7.15pm Chairlift, Crawdaddy, €14, doors at 8pm Sunday 23rd November Tindersticks, Vicar Street, €35, doors at 8.30pm Mighty Atomics, Eamonn Dorans, €10, doors at 8pm Monday 24th November Duffy, Olympia, €40, doors at 8pm Sarah Bareilles, Academy, €22, doors at 8pm Lykke Li, Button Factory, €17, doors at 8pm
Seb’s Pick: Death Cab for Cutie plays the Ambassador on the 13th