A reminiscence of Nigel Kennedy and John Etheridge’s Saturday-night gig at Scarborough Jazz Festival 2014
More views of - or before - Cambridge Film Festival 2014 (28 August to 7 September)
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21 October
This is a belated reminiscence of Nigel Kennedy and John Etheridge’s Saturday-night gig at Scarborough Jazz Festival 2014 (on 27 September)
Delayed because the towering headache that heralded the following morning, which cannot unjustly be imputed in part to the great volume of the previous night, has seemingly erased detail, whose return has been awaited in vain…
Some pairings must always seem to be a mixture of characteristics, such as Beauty and the Beast.
If one talks more about Kennedy than about Etheridge, it was not simply that the latter was, to audience right, side on, but that his exuberance was in his music, not in projecting a persona (or, even, in the likes of touching clenched fists to celebrate playing a number).
For John Etheridge seemed present in his playing from the start, whereas Nigel Kennedy, over two sets of around fifty minutes each, put on a show, but he did take a while – most of the first set – ‘to get going’…
The reasons were several-fold, but revolved around the fact that, however much he seemed to look for it, he was missing not so much a spark, for he was seeking to spark off John Etheridge in (respectfully) combative mode - which the more relaxed Etheridge graciously entered into :
So, Kennedy was tossing up a riff for Etheridge to respond or reply to : as can sometimes be the case with such duelling, this all seemed more for Kennedy’s benefit than anyone else’s, chuffed at being again with a musician whom he clearly admires, but doing little enough for the jazz with it.
Likewise, the aerobatic twists and turns in the air, on and around the violin, seemed like a classical virtuoso going through the paces, not a jazzer getting into his groove – it was impressive, not because it had a context, but because Kennedy wished it to impress, yet it lacked a meaning, a content :
It lacked what Kennedy was so far missing bringing to the set, although he had already prominently mentioned Stéphane Grappelli (albeit at a time when Kennedy was side-lining the importance of Yehudi Menuhin to, and in, how his musicianship and talent have developed) :
It was almost as if, for this gig, Kennedy had to regress to his precocious years, yet more - as if we needed it ? - so that we, too, could be reminded of who he is, where he came from, etc.
At least twice, a female voice called out Grappelli’s name from the balcony, and, although Kennedy first acknowledged it, and then said that the woman was repeating herself, he still needed to invoke what he had been taught, making a tune swing. Hate Grappelli’s tone for its sugariness as some may, no one can deny that he had swing, not to mention panache, grace, charm, and real cheerfulness.
Kennedy’s approach was fine in itself, but it meant that, in the non-electric set, one only had joy of a lovely little duo with Etheridge, and a closing ensemble piece, in which he was not just playing, but playing with swing.
Before the gig, someone had been saying that the first set was going to be acoustic, the second wild and noisy. As it turned out, this description was correct, but, as it is, only similar such generalities are now available here to give any account of it :
* Everyone, except the drummer (Mark Fletcher*), went electric, beyond the mere sense of having a pick-up for their acoustic instruments – so violin to electric violin (Kennedy), acoustic to electric guitar (Etheridge), and upright bass to electric bass-guitar (Yaron Stavi).
* It was certainly passionate, inspired, very loud, but debatably not any more jazz (certainly, at some times) than some of those whose tracks they covered, probably amongst them Pink Floyd and Jimi Hendrix**.
* Still, the same discussion has circled around the music of Frank Zappa – and to no more gain, or effect – so one should merely observe that the gig certainly swelled the attendance at Scarborough that night, and that everyone appeared to have a good time : the acclaim for Etheridge, Kennedy, Kennedy’s guest violinist (Omar Puente*) and the band was undeniably great.
As festival director Mike Gordon had prudently commented in the Festival booklet, We are over the moon to have such an outstanding international star appearing at our festival – I think it’s a real coup’…
End-notes
* Named here thanks to the review of this gig from Yorkshire Coast Gigs.
** The name King Crimson is lurking cranially in some connection, but that may easily have been a credit given by Dennis Rollins’ Velocity Trio (or even by Henry Lowther and Nathaniel Facey) – though this nice review of Velocity Trio, also from Yorkshire Coast Gigs, mentions Floyd having been in their set…
#Confused
#MaybeEveryonePlayedFloyd ?
Unless stated otherwise, all films reviewed were screened at Festival Central (Arts Picturehouse, Cambridge)
