Venue:
Melbourne Recital Centre
Date: 10/06/2016
I wasn’t going to review this but the Van love-in prompted by the ITLTSN additional recordings has gotten me into action.
There have been a few of these Van tribute shows down here. Veteran Joe Camilleri who can sound uncannily like soul/ R’n’B Van does big concerts with plenty of guests. Bassist Joe Creighton, who was brought up in Belfast has been touring a review for the last few years. He tells anecdotes of seeing Them at local halls, plays rarities and really belts them out usually ending with a finale of Turn On Your Lovelight.
And now there is Vince Jones. I reviewed a recent show of his for those who are interested. He is a veteran jazz singer /trumpeter in the Chet Baker style and he did this concert as part of the Melbourne Jazz Festival. Strings, brass, gun jazz guitarist Steve Magnusson and his regular partner Matt McMahon on keyboards and musical director.
The show featured Astral Weeks up there with my favourites and possibly my least favourite -Moondance.Re the latter , dunno why- everyone loves it, overexposure perhaps.
Anyway, it was really interesting to hear such a great jazz singer wrapping his vocals around Astral weeks. Really highlighted just how jazzy the album is. Jones’ diction was perfect doing justice to the splendour of the lyrics. He commented a few times about the uniqueness of Van’s expressive singing and phrasing and at the conclusion said it was the toughest gig he had ever done. He seemed relieved to have gotten over the line. Sweet Thing and Ballerina were highlights of Astral Weeks and Come running and Glad Tidings from Moondance. Bigger fans of Moondance might have other views. Jones commented that over the years he had received requests for Moondance many times and always refused. He sang it like that -it was somewhat perfunctory.
The songs were sung pretty much verbatim including vocal mannerisms and Jones certainly did them justice, however, I often had to shut my eyes to not get distracted by the fact that it wasn’t Van up there. Also, Jones clearly has a shot memory as he has to look at a small tablet affixed to the mike stand for every line- and this included his own material he encored with. So he is anchored to the spot in front of the mike for the whole show. The orchestra was stationary – the combined effect was that resulted in any swing in the music was fighting with the visual image. Jones seemed much more relaxed with trumpet in hand for the encores but, I guess,by then he was also in safer territory and more relaxed as a result.
So – a bit disappointed. Maybe seeing the show after a few more performances might have been better. Jones’s voice : range and phrasing were great and a shout out to Steve Magnusson on guitar.
The audience:
Of a similar vintage to the records
It made me think..
Yep, Van is a unique singer.
Sounds horrendous. He may also soon expect Sir Van’s legal team to be in touch …
I’d love to see the ‘other’ Vinnie Jones’s take on Van.
He’s pretty much already done one!
About 10/12 years ago, a CD full of soul covers…..black suit, dark glasses, surly attitude.
I rather think he was trying to appeal to the Commitments/Blues Brothers (rather than the Atlantic/Stax/Volt) part of the market.
Re: “I’d love to see the ‘other’ Vinnie Jones’s take on Van.”
Take me back! Take me way way back! To 1988. Carryin’ my hod to Plough Lane. The Lane all ploughed, and the Garden, wet with rain. Way down in South London, squeezing Paul Gascoigne’s genitals. I can hear Lightnin’ Hopkins and the Crazy Gang comin’ through the ether: Dave Beasant saved a penalty (saved a penalty); Lawrie Sanchez scored the winner (scored the winner). Rave on Bobby Gould! Rave on thy holy fool. Rave on Sam Hammam! Rave on Sam ‘the Man’ Hammam. And Van the Man. And Sam the Man. Rave on (etc, etc.)
Does it?
Wasn’t meant to give that impression..
I think he had great affection and empathy for the music and conquered the difficult phrasing and vocal mannerisms of Van really well – especially Astral Weeks – which is a massive challenge.
It was some of the other things that put me off. Bt perhaps I was being unrealistic. First performance, difficult stuff. I remember seeing some of Zappa’s old band playing his stuff , all concentrating like crazy and ,I forget who it was, said you know this stuff is really had. Afterall he wasn’t playing Gloria and Brown Eyed girl.
really hard
EDIT FUNCTION !
I read this thinking it was Vince Clarke.
Now that I would like to hear.
You’ve got it bad haven’t you Junior?
I so wish I could like either Van or Vince, but I struggle with both, and I’ve actually recorded with the latter chap. I find them both mannered, although skilful. I just can’t LIKE them. Weird, that’s me.
I can understand what you mean bout Vince. And no one could actually like Van, as a person, but I don’t get how you can describe Van, as an artist, as mannered.
It seldom works when jazz guys try and move into the world of popular music. There have been a few in Australia like Vince Jones and James Morrison Then we had Kenny G (spits on the ground) in America, plus others I can’t recall.
Jones was always fairly crossover – had that TV soundtrack hit and those Van albums are pretty jazzy.
To be fair to VJ this was a one off for the jazz festival.
Candy Dulfer is another one. She actually played in Van’s band, but had a bit of solo succuss.
V-jazzle ?
Just gave it a listen on YT…sorry but truly awful…..
?
Reawakening old and profoundly irrelevant threads? I’ll sue you before you can say B*nz* D*g B*nd!