JSPAC, September 19 5.5/10 Perhaps it was historical. Perhaps the Great Depression falling slap-bang in the midst of Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Cole Porter and others fashioning the golden age of popular song inclined the creators of Puttin’ on the Ritz to have deep troughs as well as highs. Otherwise…
John Shand Posts
ACOUSTIC CLASSICS II (Beeswing/Planet) 8.5/10 This is Richard Thompson in the raw. No distractions, interaction or grooves. Three years after the first Acoustic Classics comes this second volume of songs stripped back to the stings and caresses of his acoustic guitar and a voice that can variously sound as if…
The Basement, September 12 8/10 This concert was rather like Ravi Coltrane’s career: slow to start; of growing interest; utterly enthralling. The opening pieces revealed little more than a well-knit band and the accepted virtuosity. But amid overly busy playing and emotionally opaque music the promise of more was already…