Jazz Tube Week 1

This Friday saw the first evening of bands hoping to make it to 11 October when the musicians most voted for will appear in the Jazz Tube Final at the Pantheon Theatre.

As ever, there was a feeling that choosing a favourite was a matter of choosing between chalk and cheese. Three very able concerts delivered with three styles that were poles apart but all great to hear.

Benedikt Hesse

At the Hauptbahnhof, Benedikt Hesse and Cubanola were celebrating 50 years since the release of the Miles Davis classic Witches Brew. The plan was to interpret the entire Davis Album. I caught ‘Sanctuary‘ and ‘Spanish Key‘. Excellent listening for fans of trumpet and of course of Mr Miles Davis.

Andreas Theobald Organ Trio

At Uni-Markt I caught the excellent Andreas Theobald on Hammond Organ with Paul Prassel on guitar and Finn Wiest on drums. Don’t let the drums confuse you, there really was a very thoughtful and gentle sound wafting up the stairs from the band whilst I was there. Theobald is really a top-notch player as he proved not so long ago at the Dottendorfer Jazznacht.

Valerie Simmonds

If I’d had to choose beforehand which of the bands to hear this evening I would have chosen the one at Museumsmeile. Partly because excellent drummer Claus Schulte (Layla Zoe Band amongst numerous others) was in charge, and Florian Esch was playing the trumpet. Two of my favourite local Jazzmen in fact. Add the ‘secret ingredient’ of Londoner Valerie Simmonds singing from ‘The Great American Songbook’ and it sounded like the sure-fire ear-warmer that it turned out to be. ‘Feel Like Making Love’ and ‘Dreams do come true’, ‘Will You Still Love Me Tommorrow’ and a super clap along version of Nina Simone’s ‘My Baby Just Cares For Me’ rounded off a superb set. I’m sure I missed a lot more musical Magic too, but so much great music and so little time… This is definitely a band for the Dottendorfer Jazznight. My favourite of a very good musical evening in fact.

Who was your favourite? Fans and audiences are invited to vote for their three favourites. Over the duration of the underground concerts (23.8.2019 to 22.09.2019) the artists can be rated positively via SMS. The three bands with the highest approval ratings will play at the Pantheon Theater Bonn on Friday, 11 October 2019.
The voting will be unlocked on Friday, August 23, 2019! Details on how to vote are HERE