The Godesberger ‘Wein & Bierstube’ GoVinum is offering live Folk Music this month.
Regulars at Bonn Folk Club will recognize the names here so I don’t need to tell you a fine time will be had by all!
Photo courtesy of John Hurd
”LIVE ACOUSTIC MUSIC ON TUESDAYS”
Begin: 7:30pm
Entrance: Free
May is traditionally an important time in the Folk Calendar. In England Maypoles are danced around, in Germany they are hung high from the sides of houses. This makes it rather difficult for Folkdancers to do their thing. Maybe that’s why there were no Maypoles in the Gaststätte zum Schützenhaus on Friday. I must admit though I can’t quite imagine Barry and John hopping around with bells on their trousers. Best that they stick to what they do best – and that of course is, play music and entertain.
Her motto is ‘Fighting Cancer One String At A Time’ and Elisa Guida is doing just that.
Elisa’s jewellery website offers necklaces, pendants and bracelets with a difference: each is fashioned from a guitar string donated by a celebrity musician.
String Attack! - Oli Brown in Bonn
Jon Bon Jovi, Buddy Guy and Joe Bonamassa are just some of the many guitarists who have answered the request to pop their used strings in an envelope with a note of authenticity and send them to Pennsylvania. Money raised from the sales goes to providing help for Cancer patients with such things as medicine costs, and providing access to treatment information. Guida had the jewellery idea after having battled cancer twice herself.
Strings 'n' Things
“The strings are usually thrown away. With my foundation they can be recycled and the customer can recieve a piece of musical history, along with knowing that they are helping someone who has been diagnosed with breast cancer”
Closest I'll get to owning a Vanquish Guitar like Oli Brown's
I gave the site a try myself. The good news is that there are plenty of attractive items to look at. The bad news is that they sell so quickly that most things are gone even by the time they seem to appear online. Luckily I got a heads up from Graham Brown that his youngster had recently donated some strings – Oli Brown also being one of my musical heroes I clicked onto ‘Strings for a Cure’ immediately. Even then almost everything had been snapped up. I did find a 1.09mm string from Oli’s show at Spirit of 66 in Belgium last October though. Having seen a pic of his blistered fingers a while ago I suspect that Elisa’s first job would have been to remove the blood – if so, she did a fine job. The string fragment is bent into a Cancer ‘Awareness Ribbon’ shape, held in place by its original brass ferrule.
If you’re interested in some unique musical jewellery and helping a good cause at the same time check out the website:
A typical entry from the Facebook site of Arne Schmitt: 8.4.11 – The police would not allow me to play today. They claimed my permit wasn’t in order. So I will travel to Leipzig tomorrow to play instead!
On Saturday Schmitt was ‘tickling the ivories’ opposite Bonn Main Station – his white gloves reflecting off of the highly polished August Förster piano that he travels around Europe with. It all started with making music with friends after school. Then he found that not only did people like listening to him play – they would even give money! A CD of Schmitt playing the likes of Elton John’s ‘Song for Guy’ or Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ amongst others costs 10 Euros (suggested donation price).
It’s hard to believe anyone can make a living from travelling Germany, Poland, and the like by just playing in the streets; but the man from Hagen has been doing it now for some 14 years. He even has his own Facebook page and Website. Just don’t expect to see a tour itinerary on it!
Along with the Summer temperatures comes the arrival of this years Jazz Calendar in the Rheinpark Restaurant. Familiar names guaranteed to warm the heart even if the outside temperature drops by late August.
MAI:
13.05. – Oklahoma Washboard Stompers – Hot Jazz
20.05. – Schäl Sick Big Band – Big Band Swing
27.05. – Rod Mason & His Hot Five – Hot Jazz & New Orleans
Rod Mason - Popular as ever - 27 May
Ø JUNI:
03.06. – Rhein-Island-Bigband – Big Band Jazz (präsentiert von Jazzin’Bonn)
10.06. – DD Hot 5 – Trad. Jazz & Dixieland
17.06. – Semmel’s Hot Shots – Hot Jazz
24.06. – Jazz Konfekt – Swing, Blues, Dixie & Boogie
Ø JULI:
01.07. – (Keine Veranstaltung wg. Rheinkultur)
08.07. – Storyville Jassband – Trad. New Orleans
15.07. – Doktor Jazz Ambulanz – Hot Jazz
22.07. – (Keine Veranstaltung wg. Bierbörse)
29.07. – Peter Hermann’s Nawlins Lagniappe – Classical New Orleans
Schäl-Sick Bigband - 20 May
Ø AUGUST:
05.08. – The Bourbon Street Stompers – Music of The Twenties
12.08. – Maryland Jazzband of Cologne – New Orleans
19.08. – Cotton Field Blues Band – New Orleans, R&B, Boogie Woogie
Veranstalter: Restaurant RheinAue GmbH • Ludwig-Erhard-Allee 20 • 53175 Bonn
The Blues talents of Bradford born Chantel Macgregor are no secret in Britain, in mainland Europe she is likely to be making a name soon too with a new CD.
Until she announces some dates here this taster will have to suffice – until you buy the CD of course!
photo courtesy of RUF Records
ETOBICOKE’S WOODFORD PARK TO BE RENAMED AFTER MUSIC ICON JEFF HEALEY
The late and great Jeff Healey has been honoured in his native Canada recently as the info below shows.
Great that places aren’t just named after politicians!
When Hollywood producer Ian Gurvitz was looking for a theme tune for his 2006 film ‘LA Blues’ he didn’t find it in Chicago or the Mississippi Delta, he found it in Germany – in Osnabruck to be precise. It doesn’t take more than a couple of songs from the crowded Harmonie to understand why. Imagine someone with the calm simplicity of BB King, the feel for melodious solos of Peter Green and the voice and commercial savvy of Eric Clapton and I’ll give him a name for you – ‘Toscho’ Todorovic. On this particular evening Todorovic is introducing the new CD for his 1976 founded band Blues Company to a crowded and enthuastic crowd of varied ages but of common appreciation for the Blues.
Todorovic hails from Osnabruck but there is a fire in his belly when he talks of conflict that reveals his family roots. Both parents fled from Yugoslavia (Bosnia & Macedonia) at the close of World War 2, but he follows the news there still and feels the growing pains of the Region. Most notable for this is the song ‘Red Blood’. In one of his frequent monologues of the evening (I did say he reminded me of BB King) he spoke of 1991 as a year with a World seemingly without peace. Civil War in Yugoslavia that was portrayed in the media like Hollywood films. Seeing people die onscreen and the need to remember that somewhere there are parents, children and loved ones who will mourn them.
