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In article <3642@purr.demon.co.uk>, jack@purr.demon.co.uk (Jack Campin) wrote:

> As a result of somebody enthusing about this duo on uk.music.folk, 
> I went to hear them tonight.  I was not as impressed as I expected to
> be.  

As the promotions coordinator of Northumbrian Music Nights, having
organised the gig on short notice with their agent,  and elicited the
enthused notes from an Australian correspondent, I feel just that wee bit
responsible, but I can't make any apologies, Jack . . . the show at The
King's Head, Allendale was everything we'd advertised and more.  Just off
the plane from the ends of the earth (perhaps the jet lag had hit them
harder by Sunday?), their two-set gig was really rapturously received by
the 60 or so  souls comfortably ensconced in the intimate function room. 
The cello was brilliant, a very intriguing and hugely emotive
accompaniment, with as you say, good bass boost, played many times like a
bowed bass fiddle, and with some soaring harmonies (ok, not much
plucking).   We sold 13 CDs for them, which you'd appreciate for that size
of audience is saying something.    

> By the end of the show I realized one thing that bothered me.  It had
> been a VERY long time since I last heard a "folk" singer do an entire
> concert with not one item making a political point of any kind;

Errhmm,  since the sixties, politics have changed, Jack, and sexual
politics are at least *a* new currency among folk . . . don't mean to
lecture, but surely it ill behoves men to moan about absence of political
message when most of the material is about them, and their relationships
with women . . . suggests they might just have missed the point?  If the
take is up-front and personal, that doesn't make it any less sincere, or
indeed, less political, does it?   Only I shared a bit of the
behind-the-bar space with two women bar staff, and I think my colleagues
would say they appreciated the political messages of the evening. 

Besides being entertained in one of the best gigs we've ever promoted.  
We folk out in Northumberland don't have too much trouble on the accent
front, maybe that's a Scottish problem?  But what do I know, I'm a
Canadian mesel'  . . . can't understand hardly anybody.  BTW, did your
audience sing along with any of the songs?  We did, even though they were
new to us.

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ANTI-SPAM DEVICE:
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Well Jack,
As Kristina and Peters agent you might think my opinion carries less
weight than some but I did take them on the agency because I was knocked
out by what they did. Now as it happens I am probably the only
contributor to this news group who was at both the gig Larry Winger is
enthusing about and the one you were underwhelmed by and I have to say
that in my opinion you did see two quite different gigs. Yours more
serious and studied whereas Larrys was a raunchy go for it sort of mood.
That said I take issue with you about "torch songs that didnt work at
all" and also your comments about the cello. Lets face it this womans
songs are recieving rave reviews across the globe and he is one of the
most respected Cellists in Australia.  I also have to make the point
that having spoken to a number of folk on Sunday night your opinions did
not seem to be shared by the rest of the audience.....I may be wrong but
I felt there was a enthusiastic feel to the audience which resulted in a
genuine encore that everyone stayed for and also I think CD sales seemed
to be quite brisk again.
Obviously all of this is subjective and we all enjoy different
things,thank God, but at the risk of being accused of employing a real
tacky sales ploy I would suggest that the readers decide by reporting
back from the gigs yet to come......seriously WE WOULD LOVE FEED BACK OF
ANY DISCRIPTION. So here are the dates...... You can see Kristina and
Peter tonight Tuesday 14th July at Talking Heads, Southampton, Wednesday
15th July at The Albert Hole, Bristol, Thursday 16th July at The Empress
of Russia, Islington and also on Travelling Folk on BBC Radio Scotland,
Friday 17th July at The Barbican, London (5pm to 7pm), Saturday 18th
July Brampton Live Festival (in Cumbria), and Sunday 19th July Stainsby
Folk Festival nr Chesterfield.
Lets hear what everyone else thinks !!!!!!!

Best Wishes,

Ken Bradburn

   In article <3642@purr.demon.co.uk>, Jack Campin
<jack@purr.demon.co.uk> writes
>  Olsen is superb at some kinds of material, particularly raunchy
>up-tempo bluesy numbers.  If she'd stuck to that it would have been a
>great show.  But there were also a hell of a lot of sentimental generic
>singer-songwriter ballady/torchsongy things that simply didn't work at
>all.

-- 
Ken Bradburn

Jack
You have every right to your
opinion but for what its worth I beg
to differ with ya. I saw Olsen and
Grayling in Southampton on
Tuesday night, hearing her for the
first time.

Olsen had it all for me, rivetting
bottleneck, real bottleneck playing,
soul, style and emotion rather than
flash. Whether she sang a ballad or
did a ballsy blues she did so with a
depth of feeling that charged the
room.

Grayling's cello playing fitted it all
like a glove. I don't understand this
technical crap about pizzi fucking
catos or whatever because
everything he played fitted the
songs rather than said 'Hey Look
what I can do with this.'

That is a measure of a true
musician, it's what they leave out,
the space, the room to breathe they
leave in a song and think I
Grayling's support of both Olsen's
vocal and guitar work was spot on.

I think it is dangerous to either go
with a fixed idea to a gig or come
away criticising an artist for doing
what they wanted to do. So I don't
buy all this stuff about statements
and the rape song.

If I wanted singers that fit the
mould I would have tuned into
MTV.  What I wanted was to be
entertained and have my head and
heart good and blown.

One particular highlight was a
stonking Robert Johnson song
followed a Bach prelude (don't
know what technique Grayling
used but it was enough for me)

Olsen and Grayling were the real
McCoy and listening to their Duet
CD only emphasises the range of
great songwriting and real music  I
saw on Tuesday night.

I just hope that you are in a
minority with your view. Best way
to judge who is right is for anyone
with a passion for real music to
head to one of Olsen and Graylings
gigs and judge for themselves or
take a listen to the Duet CD which
flys damn close to the pair in
performance.

Olsen and Grayling you can hit me
with torch songs, folk songs, blues,
ballads and anything else you might
think will fit. I don't want paint by
number musicians. I came to be
fulfilled. I was.

Mike Plumbley

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iowrock@iowrock.demon.co.uk writes
>Olsen had it all for me, rivetting
>bottleneck, real bottleneck playing,
>soul, style and emotion rather than
>flash. Whether she sang a ballad or
>did a ballsy blues she did so with a
>depth of feeling that charged the
>room.

I've heard them now, at Islington last night, and I'd agree with that.
>
>Grayling's cello playing fitted it all
>like a glove. I don't understand this
>technical crap about pizzi fucking
>catos or whatever because
>everything he played fitted the
>songs rather than said 'Hey Look
>what I can do with this.'

Actually there was lots of pizzicato (Jack, do you know what these
terms mean?) a bit of 'sul ponticello', but no 'col legno'.  Yes, I'm a
cellist, I can even demonstrate if you really want to know!

I found myself watching Peter Grayling's playing with fascination and it
distracted me sometimes, but that was my problem.  Listening this
morning to a stealth minidisc recording of the previous night I was
better able to appreciate the musical whole.  Even the Bach G major
prelude sounded better on the second hearing, and as for blues solos -
well, he's proved it can be done.  I think I'll have to buy the CD
now....

As for the content of Kristina's songs, I just don't understand the
problem.  People write what they want to write, and if they do it well,
that's what they should be doing.  As it happens, some of her songs
struck some quite thought-provoking resonances in my own life, and all
the more effectively though not apparently trying to persuade me in any
particular direction.

Anahata

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Anahata <Anahata@freereed.demon.co.uk> writes:
[ I was talking about Peter Grayling not using the contemporary cello
  techniques he obviously knows when playing with Kristina Olsen - i.e.
  being excessively retiring]
> Actually there was lots of pizzicato (Jack, do you know what these
> terms mean?)

I said *snap* pizzicato: the technique you get in Bartok,borrowed from
Hungarian folk string playing, where the string is pulled back so hard
it whacks into the fingerboard when you let go.  It's a dramatic effect
when you use it right, and would work well in blues material.  There's
another word for this stunt, which may be what you know it by, but I
can't look it up since most of my stuff is still in boxes after a move.

> a bit of 'sul ponticello',

Not at the gig I saw.  (I think this is a bit of a cheap trick, anyway,
which is why I didn't mention it).

> but no 'col legno'.  Yes, I'm a cellist, I can even demonstrate if
> you really want to know!

It bothers me a bit to see someone who is presumably capable of playing
at the technical level of B.A. Zimmermann's or Iannis Xenakis's solo
cello pieces taking a back seat to the singer almost all the time.  But
I imagine Grayling is relatively new to this genre and will get more
confident as he does more of it.

The sort of genre-crossing-with-more-confidence playing I missed here
is what the Kronos Quartet or the Scottish group "Mr McFall's Chamber"
do; both play, inter alia, heavy-rock arrangements on conventional bowed
string instruments using contemporary classical technique, and really
make use of all their potentialities.

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Jack Campin <jack@purr.demon.co.uk> writes
>
>I said *snap* pizzicato: the technique you get in Bartok,borrowed from
>Hungarian folk string playing, where the string is pulled back so hard
>it whacks into the fingerboard when you let go.  It's a dramatic effect
>when you use it right, and would work well in blues material.

I misremembered your original post.  I know what you mean, and the term
'slap bass' refers to something similar (but not exactly the same) which
is certainly part of the jazz bass player's repertoire.

>The sort of genre-crossing-with-more-confidence playing I missed here
>is what the Kronos Quartet or the Scottish group "Mr McFall's Chamber"
>do; both play, inter alia, heavy-rock arrangements on conventional bowed
>string instruments using contemporary classical technique

Well, there's probably a lot of similar avant-garde classical technique
that could be applied to guitar playing too, but I don't think it would
be appropriate for the fairly traditional blues/folk style that Kristina
sings, and I don't see why Grayling should either, just because he can.

Having said that, I agree he could have been more adventurous.  Perhaps
he'd get some ideas by watching Kathryn Locke and Tanera Dawkins in
action, either individually or together as the Chain Saw Sisters.

Anahata

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