More of the same totally different stuff

To facilitate the skim-reader I have headlined the paragraphs this week as it may be a touch blathery

My week
Well I had a great week of it... Thursday started inauspiciously with helping out at the Smith Quartet (only stayed for the first half, never really took off though the sax-player's arrangements of Chick Corea were nice), followed by doing the door at Stetlab in a windswept Bodega followed up with a nice set from Alan O'Rouke who gave some tasty with polished performances solid enough for Colm and a drum-player to jam along and have fun with.

Triskel came up trumps twice, with a brilliant and daring gig by the two Polish sirens - fantastic music, colourful contemporary stuff - Niwel got well into it and I think Neal too but have to catch up with him still. Then last night I was back at Triskel to join Canadians the Brad Shepik trio in the stratosphere.

In between on Monday night I got a lovely dose of my college tastes in a concert of what is usually loosely referred to as minimalist music, the really well put together Dots and Loops gig - turned out to be Seaver's Masters recital, not a CD launch. And some nice reggae music out of a new combo in the Crane last night....

Fast approaching
A collaboration of Feile Africa and Mai World Music are bringing you a festival of African Music around Africa Day 19th-25th of May - programme starting off well keep an eye on http://www.feileafrica.com/listings.htm as more is added.

This doesn't count as early warning because booking closes at the end of the month for the Quiet Music Festival's annual Deep Listening Retreat as July opens. Get inspired by your own ideas and discoveries and those of a nice random bunch with the guidance of Pauline Oliveros, Ione and Heloise Gold. See www.quietmusicensemble.com for details. Lots of concerts happening over the week in Triskel to keep the juices flowing.


So what's in store for us this week?


Thursday 17th

9pm at The Roundy Sign me up for Ian Whitty's first gig here in a while after the hard work of putting his new album together. There's so few people that can continue to be original and their own voice while getting really on top of their peformance and putting a band together. The Lobby will live again tonight.... http://www.myspace.com/ianwhitty

10pm Ziggy's Italinano Alex O'Reilly's Inner City Blues Band with Eoin Regan and Tomas Gall plays this cosy boozer opposite the Oval.


Friday 18th

9pm Half Moon North Cregg plays their first gig in a while I think in their home city - all musicians who are brilliant whatever they turn their hands to... Great pretty trad tunes from the celtic diaspora... (but they use a piano... can never really appreciate one in trad meself...) http://www.myspace.com/northcregg

9pm Cyprus Avenue The often unforgivingly loud but occasionally hairraising Giveamanakick will be something very very different... http://www.myspace.com/giveamanakick

9.30pm Nancy Spains The debut of the new Krazy Katz is hotly tipped - Jerome Rimson on bass, Alex O'Re(i?)lly on guitar and Andrea Bonino on slide and/or harmonica probably... defo one to check out.... I haven't been up to Nancy's in donkey's years but keep hearing what a great little venue it is now in the bar, this will be the night to find out.

6pm-Late Triskel Bar Not strictly live music but looks like a nice place to hang out for the night, post-work drinks..... probably some of their great grub ...you'll be rolling out in a haze I'd say with everything from Joni Mitchell to Pharoah Sanders in breeze (giving the night the title "Mitchell to Sanders") to help us along.

Saturday 21st

9.30pm Nancy Spains Krazy Katz' second outing, see Friday above...


Sunday 20th

9pm The Whisky, Union Quay Currently touring Europe, guitar guru Peter Walker is something of a musical multilinguist, as well as a talker and a thinker - a real veteran, worth the trip I reckon. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpN_HnVJ3hk&feature=related

Divil a bit of classical music (that's come on my radar anyway) for some reason though my appetite should at least be partly satisfied by the Matthew Shipp Trio at Triskel on Wednesday 23rd who are jazzers at heart but apparently the Shipp guy has a bit of contemporary classical in him or something... that's maybe twaddle on my part there's an audio sample on the Triskel website ( www.triskelart.com where you can see all their upcoming stuff - careful you get your Eric Friedlander tickets soon he's selling out....) whoah damn nice bass solo just came on....

see ye round?....