The votes have been counted and the winning three bands from this years Jazz Tube, who will be appearing at Bonn Pantheon’s Grand Finale on 12th October, are as follows:
I have to admit I’m especially pleased to see the latter winning through as they were my pick of the bands this year!
For the full results see CONTINUE READING below
Pep Bonet
Two things made a visit to the imaging fair Photokina a must this year. The announcement of a concert photography ‘game changing’ Camera and the presence of two World class music photographers.
Here is my report on Z7, Pep Bonet and Guido Karp. Fear not, all will be revealed…
No, it’s nothing to do with Star Trek. Next Generation in Bonn though could also be a long-running series. Three concerts have been planned this year by Wolf ‘Lupus’ Fabian, with the first taking place at Bonn Harmonie on Tuesday. Rapture and Steal a Taxi were the first bands to appear in this series which is aimed at bringing the best new local groups to a bigger stage.
Thank goodness for zoom lenses. I could get a shot of Bonn’s Lord Mayor Ashok Sridharan opening the Kessenich Autumn Market (Kessenicher Herbstmarkt) without leaving the dry safety of the nearby beer stand. The Mayor himself though had to make a short journey through the raindrops to kick off this years event and introduce opening band DELUXE the RadioBand.
All credit to the band themselves for making frequent forays from the stage down into the audience and managing sunny smiles despite the weather as my PICTURE GALLERY shows.
Every journey, large or small, has to end. Friday saw the final JazzTube concerts for 2018 at Hauptbahnhof, Uni/Markt and Museumsmeile/Heussallee.
There was, as with all the concerts this year, a marvellously mixed bag of Jazz to be heard. How can anyone really vote for a winner from such a diverse bunch of dedicated musicians? We’ll come to that problem later. First off though let’s take a quick journey around and hear what’s going down…
“At rehearsals I thought ‘Well, I’m getting the hang of this, it’s hard work’. But when we went onstage, the energy level just went up and up. The pressure, you know, it was amazing!” – Ted McKenna remembers playing with Rory Gallagher.
On 4th October Band of Friends will be at the Harmonie, once again reminding us how great the music of Rory Gallagher was, and indeed still is. Rory himself died in 1995 so this is as close as you will get now to his sound in a live setting. Bassist Gerry McAvoy was with Rory throughout most of his solo career, and drummer Ted McKenna joined the band from working with the legendary Alex Harvey.
In 2013 I spoke to McAvoy and McKenna, together with guitarist Marcel Scherpenzeel before the show in Bonn. It was meant to be just with Gerry, but Ted and Marcel joined in for what became a fascinating insight into working with Rory and his legacy. For those who missed it – the Interview is HERE
Tickets are available at all the usual outlets – including Mr Music of course!
Don’t underestimate Bonn regarding places to go. I know from personal experience that there’s often a choice (sometimes a coin flip even!) between events here. For this reason 3songsbonn.com has two places to look on its site if you want to hear some live music in the Bonn area.
For a general overview there is a link on the screen under ‘Recommended Sites to Visit’ to an excellent events calendar put together by Stefanie Kellner called (surprise, surprise) Konzertkalender Bonn
Still undecided? Two events to choose from?
Then check out the Gig Guide tab in 3songsbonn.com’s menu where gigs recommended by 3songs can be found. If you need more info about the shows, you can either then consult the Konzertkalender Bonn link or google the band and the venue stated.
However you find out about it – Enjoy the show!
“Music is known to make you feel a little bit better” sings Marion Lenfant-Preus on ‘Till a quarter to three’. That is certainly true of the Marion & Sobo Band with their new release ‘Esprit Manouche, recorded right here in Bonn. This is very definitely a Band affair, featuring timeless songs impeccably sung, played by talented musicians and painstakingly produced. Don’t worry about dipping your toes in the perhaps uncharted musical waters of Gypsy Jazz – you will certainly be glad you got your feet wet after hearing Esprit Manouche (Gypsy Spirit)!
