This is the slide-show I put together for my mother's funeral, 4 years ago - mostly photos taken as and when. There are still a number of queries - we're pretty sure about most of the places, but who are some of these people?
To view full-screen 1) click on 'slideboom' at the left of the control panel 2) on the slideboom page, click on the rectangle at the right of the panel
A glorious performance, a full set of coplas and boleros, some older, some newer, giving the songs the full melodramatic treatment intrinsic to these genres. She sang with just piano and drums, and the line-up and the cabaret ambiance suited her music much better than the full-on band and big theatre setting we saw at Sadlers Wells in March. Here her voice could be highlighted without having to dominate an over-amplified band, as at SW, and she could give full rein to her wide range of expression and volume. And what a range! She is unique in bringing a genuine jazz sensitivity into Spanish song.
Returning from Eastbourne on Mon 10 Nov, early afternoon, there was a diversion along the sea-front at Seaford. I just had to get out of the car to experience this - winds over 50mph, waves crashing in from miles out with a huge, roaring noise, difficult to keep your balance. It was almost impossible to hold the iPhone still to take pics - see the Flickr set; there's a weird contrast in tint between the first two (warmer hues) and the third.
This is the slide-show I put together for my father's funeral, 4 years ago - mostly photos taken as and when. There are still a number of queries - we're pretty sure about most of the places, but who are some of these people?
To view full-screen 1) click on 'slideboom' at the left of the control panel 2) on the slideboom page, click on the rectangle at the right of the panel
A family reunion (Beatrice and Ken, Peter and John, Brian and me) - thanks to the Geni family tree site - and another chance to hear Leon singing some of his current set. I should have posted on his evening at the Komedia in Brighton in May - My Life as a Songwriter or How I Failed to Become Rich and Famous - a wonderful, heart-warming, and very funny show - but here goes, better late than never, as usual.
Leon demands full attention from the listener - he must have the highest syllables-per-bar quotient of any songwriter on earth, so if you're not concentrating, you'll miss half of it. And it's all acutely observed, tightly woven, and witty, and constantly challenging, so it's well worth not missing any of it.
Just as when I saw him in Brighton, and in Lewes last year, I was convinced he sang the last two songs just for me - the Song of the Old Communist and My Father's Jewish World; well, this time, just for us. And The World Turned Upside Down for everyone, of course.
Thanks due to Robb Johnson for asking Leon to do support for his CD launch - as Leon said, it was going to be an evening of contrasts.
* * Coming shortly - Leon and Robb celebrate the bi-centenary of the death of Tom Paine with The Liberty Tree. This show just has to come to Lewes! * *
Listen to Leon's songs on his myspace, and get his records direct from his website.
