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Elsie's Blog
NIGEL AND I IN SEPTEMBER
While Nigel is enjoying his well-earned holiday
I thought I’d take a holiday too and instead of writing a blog simply take the opportunity to share with you some of the odds and sods that have been accumulating in my documents folder.............before they all reach their sell-by date. So here goes:
We start with a cool lady who calls herself Crackity-Jane and who has very definite ideas on what makes a guy sexy ! Here she is:
Sexy:
Pronunciation: \'sek-se\
Function: adjective
1 : sexually suggestive or stimulating
2 : generally attractive or interesting
Pronunciation: \'sek-se\
Function: adjective
1 : sexually suggestive or stimulating
2 : generally attractive or interesting
'I've decided that People's 'Sexiest Men Alive' list will simply not do. Nor will any of the other numerous 'World's Sexiest' lists that circulate via the internet, magazines, etc. So, here I am, doing away with convention and compiling a list of who I view as sexy. Those men who have sexiness positively oozing from their ears. Agree with me or not; it doesn't really matter. The point is that I'm getting it out there as my tiny, insignificant 'No thank you' to People's and others' declaration of what is sexy.
Nigel Kennedy
Nige looks and acts as though he jumped straight out of 70's Punk era Britain. With both sides of his head clean shaven and the remaining hair whipped upwards to the sky, the heavy duty boots, his generally quirky taste in fashion, Nigel certainly doesn't strike you as someone who belongs on stage before a tuxedo’d orchestra. Not to mention the Mockney accent - Yes, he speaks in a Mockney accent. Initially, it all seems so wrong and out of place, but once there's a violin carefully poised beneath his jaw and he's tapping his foot along to the Bach he's banging out, you realise that Kennedy belongs nowhere else........ His persona is a sort of 'Fuck you' to the snooty puritans – those Classical critics who chastise him for his 'grotesque, self-invented accent' and 'ludicrous clothes'.[ED: Will the spirit of Sir John Drummond never stop haunting us ??] Gimme a break - If you really care about the music, then listen to the freakin' music and stop pooh-poohing over the fact that someone may be lowering the tone of the Classical world. Nige organises events and performs in a way that makes classical accessible to all. The mood is informal as he smiles and moves to the rhythm of the music. He interacts with the crowd in between sets; Basically, you can see that he's clearly enjoying himself, which is an approach that's been very successful in the popularising of classical music over the years. Exceptional talent, great hair, a justified 'Fuck you' attitude to ponces ? Yes, Pigeon Feet most definitely recognises Nigel Kennedy as a sexy gent.'
Sexy gent..........mmm !
(Courtesy uk.images.search)
Candice Elizabeth Ashby already kindly assented to my request to publish her blog on Nigel’s Bach/Ellington concert during the Polish Weekend on the South bank (why not head over to KENNEDY EXPERIENCES and read it again ?) and here she is writing about Lizzie Ball, whom Nigel chose to be the concert master in his newly-formed Orchestra of Life:
‘One of Ball’s greatest mentors is Nigel Kennedy, who recently chose her to head his Orchestra of Life. When Ball was ten, her mother took her to see the well known Kennedy in her local town of Sheffield. Ball was rooted to her seat.
"I remember gripping the rail in front of me from the balcony and looking at this crazy guy, with his hair and facial expressions and just thinking, He’s amazing!"
About 15 years later, she met Kennedy at Ronnie Scott’s and decided to tell him how much he meant to her as a role model. Kennedy and his wife eventually developed a friendship with Ball and asked her to fulfil the role of leader of the Orchestra of Life, a musical ensemble which Kennedy put together earlier this year.
"It was an amazing moment, because I think it felt like karmically it was the right point for us to work together. So I was really delighted when he approached me. It’s been just great. Every minute you work with him, you learn something new."
So on to Nigel at Gatwick Airport with Esther Davis. ! Her daughter writes:
'My mum, Esther Davis, met violinist Nigel Kennedy at Krakow airport at the end of her 50th birthday trip to Poland. Drunkenly asking him to play ‘Happy Birthday’ to her, he kindly obliged, saying he would at the other end, at Gatwick. Thinking this as a way to get rid of some drunk fans, my mother and her friends thought they would never see him at Gatwick. However, at the baggage collection point, Nigel Kennedy awaited them, and proceeded to serenade my mum with his rendition of ‘Happy Birthday !’ Listen for yourselves !'
Here’s Barnaby Davies. He’s a classically trained trombonist and does actually perform at gigs when he’s in the UK, although for a living he drives trucks for rock and roll bands. When he was driving for U2, he fetched up in Krakow and he and his mates visited a jazz club there one evening. Let him tell his own story:
'While we’re scanning the cocktail list, contemplating whether to risk the Jazz Cream, a celebrity wanders in. Nigel Kennedy, the virtuoso violinist, lives here now and seems up for a chat.
After cordial greetings, and a meeting of knuckles instead of a handshake, I tentatively approach the subject of my Antarctica campaign (for which I need online votes) and hand him a flyer. "Come on Nige, you must have loads of friends," I add unnecessarily. As it turns out he hasn’t even got a computer any more. This is devastating, and leads to accusations that he is now former A-list and perhaps he now watches snooker in black and white?
We’re all becoming a bit raucous at this point, talking of going back to the Radisson Hotel for a pee in the trouser press. Paul ends up swapping numbers with Mr. Kennedy, while Alan is less fazed by status: "I don’t care a fuck who he is as long as he supports Villa." Oh, Heaven help us. Have I mentioned before that I’d ban football if I was in charge? Wrecker adds: "Wahey, right up the Four Seasons, eh, Nige? Vivaldi who?" On reflection, that might have been me saying that – I’m over my allotted limit of two pints.'
Later, Barnaby tells us that
'Paul opens another tin of beer and suggests texting Nigel Kennedy to see if he’s up for a kick-a-bout in the park tomorrow morning. Espresso machines are all very well but tea, as you very well know – stop tutting, blast you – is the thing in the early hours. What time is it anyway?"Quarter to two," suggests Alan, slurring admirably. I wonder if he means quarter to three. He burps. "Yeah, three." Well, we don’t know what time it is, but it’s late. ‘Do you really want milk?’ Paul asks me. He dials concierge and, in a sober request, states: "My mate doesn’t take cream." I make throat-slitting gestures at him before collapsing.
The milk never arrived. We never saw Nigel the next day and, as far as I’m aware, none of us urinated in the trouser press…'
Nigel and Wrecker........or maybe one of the others ?
(Courtesy barnabywrites.com)
Kevin Hunter Day, brief and to the point on Twitter, notes that
'Nigel Kennedy called me a 'cool cat' today. It really made me feel like a cool cat. And my actual cat seems to have a new respect for me.'
Savvy cat, right ?
And to end it all off, here are some comments on the latest CD, Shhh !
G. Brookes writes:
'As a fan of Nigel Kennedy right from the early classical days through to the early jazz and more recent classical and jazz rock era's I alway find myself pleasantly surprised and mildly gobsmacked (in a nice way) by Kennedy's versatility and musicality both as a soloist and when playing jazz in a group.
It is particlarly refreshing to hear how Kennedy relates to and integrates with the remainder of the Quintet. This goes a long way to helping to make Shhh! the superb album that it is.
The stand out track is undoubtedly “River Man,” featuring Boy George, delivering sublime vocals, although hotly pursued by all the remaining tracks. The saxophone and clarinet riffs from Tomasz Grzegorski and the keyboards of Piotr Wylezol, with Kennedy providing additional keyboards also feature throughout.
All in all an excellent album.'
I.McDonagh says:
'An interesting combination of instruments and sounds. I particularly enjoyed the sax playing of Tomasz Grzegorski and of course Kennedy on violin is fantastic............ A singer from another era/genre, Boy George is an absolute revelation on the haunting, Nick Drake song, River Man.
The recording may not appeal to the older generation of jazz fans, of whom I am one, but I really liked it and would recommend.
Mrs. M.A.Gladstone comments
'I bought this album after seeing Nigel on breakfast TV and after hearing River Man sung by Boy George, which is beautiful. Loved the jazzy, Polish influences which make for an excellent listening experience. Enjoyed Shhh ! so much I bought East meets East too!!'
So if you don’t have it yet, what are you waiting for ?
I enjoyed my holiday...........hope you did too !
Back with a real blog in October !
ELSIE
Back with a real blog in October !
ELSIE
NIGEL AND I IN AUGUST
You’re all expecting me to write about Llangollen, aren’t you ?
So indeed I will ! The concert at the International Eisteddfod was fabulous. The pavilion was packed and with one notable exception happy and enthusiastic. (If you want to know about that notable exception, you’ll have to read my review of the concert in KENNEDY EXPERIENCES !) I’d heard and read so much about the Bach/Ellington program beforehand that I should have been better prepared for what I was going to hear. And yet it all came as a wonderful..............well, ‘shock’ is the word that comes to mind, but probably ‘surprise’ is a better choice since what I heard was some of the most beautiful music I’ve ever come across. For instance, when Nigel and the Orchestra of Life finished playing Ellington’s ‘Come Sunday,’ I applauded with the rest of the audience and found that somehow applause was not enough, I needed to give something more if I was to express how I was feeling at that moment.
I suppose I could have jumped to my feet and shouted ‘Bravo !’ but for some reason even that didn’t seem to do it for me. I found the preposterous image of women throwing their knickers at the performer entering my mind...............should I perhaps take off my knickers and throw them at Nigel ? You just don’t know how tempted I was ! But then reality crept in. With my luck and poor aim, they would undoubtedly simply drape themselves over the head of that unsuspecting bald guy sitting in the front row and he had done nothing to deserve that, had he ? Or, worse yet, by some fluke they would actually drop on Nigel’s bowing arm and he would promptly step out of his pants and throw them at me ! (It’s NEVER a good idea to tempt Nigel ! Take my word for it !) Imagine the headlines if he did ! And my name would no doubt be mentioned and the CBC would pick it up and I’d be an item on the ten o’clock news and the whole of Canada would know about it ! Of course, by the time all this had gone through my head, Nigel had moved on to something else and the opportunity was lost. Just as well. I wouldn’t want to get banned from all future concerts, would I ?
That afternoon, my daughter Anne and I had come to the pavilion in hopes of ambushing Nigel on his way to the rehearsal. We asked various official-looking people where he was likely to arrive at the grounds with the idea of hanging about there and grabbing him (well, not literally !) as he stepped out of the car. One somewhat severe lady told us that Nigel had requested that the grounds be cleared while he was rehearsing (!) and a slightly more relaxed gentleman informed us that Nigel would be arriving in a closed car that wouldn’t even stop in the parking area. This all sounded highly implausible, but nevertheless, Anne and I went back to the pavilion to find out where we would be going in when we came back in the evening.
Jaguar, Nigel, Steve..........if only we could have waited !
We were on the point of leaving, when Anne exclaimed ‘OY !’ and a Jaguar with a dent in the front wing drew up beside us. Nigel driving himself to the rehearsal ! He rolled down the window and said, ‘Yo, Annie !’................he’s only met her once before, but still he remembers and recognizes her !.............and then turned his head and saw that his worst fears had materialized.........I was there too ! No, seriously, it had been too long since we had last seen each other live, as it were, and it was quite a moment. He had to go, of course, but he said he would send someone out to get us and take us in. We did wait. We waited for twenty-five minutes, but I really needed a nap if I was to survive the concert and the after party, we both needed to shower and change into our concert clothes, we both had to eat...................Steve Cox told us later that he HAD come out for us, but by that time we had gone.
While I’m going on about anecdotes concerning unexpected sightings of Nigel, I might as well bring Henley into the picture. We weren’t there, but the Henley Standard reports as follows:
‘NIGEL KENNEDY was caught in traffic coming down Remenham Hill (in Henley-on-Thames) on Friday for rehearsal, so he got out of the car and ran the length of the towpath from the bridge to the floating stage. You may have seen him in long, baggy yellow T-shirt, shorts and high-top trainers with his hair sticking straight up — oh, and a violin worth hundreds of thousands of pounds slung over his shoulder !’
If you did by chance see this and if you did by chance take a picture...........we’d all love to see it !
Mike Woodward tells us in his blog that he was at Henley manning one of the opera punt trips on the river. He describes his Kennedy experience as follows:
‘Nigel is a great bloke !....... and very brave! Despite headlining on the main stage at Henley, he found time to come on one of our opera punt trips, whilst Vanessa was punting. Not only that but he tipped 'the girls' £50 !! I was dead jealous as this was the day when I had to split off and manage another Opera Anywhere team to do an RAF officers dinner, our singing waiters thing......... Vanessa was more than pleased as she knew I would be all over him had I the opportunity.’
He goes on to mention other famous people whom he met, such as Paul Daniel and Ronan Keating, but adds:
‘But Nigel was the main man, taking the time to do the punting thing and show some interest and just being himself, really down to earth and chatting up the ladies! You can understand Vanessa being over the moon !’
Yes, Mike.............I for one know exactly where Vanessa was coming from !
Showing an interest.........
(Courtesy mikewoodwardsblog.blog)
On to other matters !
If you had the good sense to attend Piotr Wylezol`s concert with his quintet in the Purcell Room at the Festival Hall during the recent Polish Weekend, you`ll be pleased to know that this ensemble has now released a CD, their first. (Piotr’s other CDs feature his trio, details on the NK QUINTET page.) This latest CD was recorded at a live concert in Poland. I haven`t heard it yet, but I have ordered it. When I’ve had a chance to listen to it, I’ll report back to you. Meanwhile, if you want to go ahead and order it anyway, go to Piotr’s website at www.piotrwylezol.com and follow the instructions there.
The NK Quintet,of course, has a relatively new CD out.......... SHHH !, to be specific. I heard that Nigel originally wanted to title it SHIT ! but EMI said no, whereupon he changed the -IT to –HH and in this way arrived at the present title ! (But look at the credits on the back of the case and see what Nigel is credited with having contributed to the CD !)
I know you’ve got this CD and that you already know all about it, but just the same, here are some comments about it that I read recently. For instance, in PolishMarketonly.ne, some unnamed contributer wrote the following:
‘Nigel Kennedy Quintet – „Shhh!” - EMI
A release by Nigel Kennedy, the British violinist and ambassador of Polish music in the British Isles hot on the heels of the “Very Nice Album”. The new release recorded with Polish jazz musicians (Tomasz Grzegorski – saxophone; Piotr Wylezol - piano, Hammond organs; Adam Kowalewski – bass; Krzysztof Dziedzic – drums). The music pulsates with subtle lyricism. This album conveys the joy of music making. “Shhh!” is bound to please both jazz and rock music fans.’
‘The joy of music making.’ How totally that translates into ‘the joy of listening to music !’ Nigel’s trademark ! Everything he touches becomes music you have got to listen to.
Maciej Nowotny wrote about this album at greater length in his blog.
‘With this record,’ he says,’ Nigel Kennedy surprised me very positively. Not only he was able to transform his language from classical (though in slightly pop version) to jazz but he did it so handsomely that this record is both easy-to-listen but also truly inspirational.’
Maciej mentions what he calls the ‘ splendid Transfiguration,’ and says that ‘the mood of 70ties hangs in the air and the spirit of John McLaughlin’s Mahavishnu Orchestra is obvious but never obtrusive. With Silver Lining and even more Shhh! we move into the field of cool jazz with its elegant and refined but bluesy and thoughtful climate. In this part of the record the piano of Piotr Wylezol takes over showing that his talent at least matches that of the leader of the band. [ED: I keep telling you guys that !] In The Empty Bottle and 4th Glass we find ourselves in [a] more relaxed atmosphere close to smooth jazz evoking reminiscences of Herbie Hancock's Return To Forever and other projects of the 70ties. The finish is strong as in Oy! where there is plenty of groove and funk elements.’
He pays his respects to what he describes as ‘the fantastic musicians of this quintet as without their 100% jazz souls this music would never sound as classy as it does.’ And he has a word to say about Boy George and River Man:
‘Boy George, somewhat forgotton controversial star of 80ties, shines brightly in this little cameo proving that he had much more to say after he quit [trying] to shock with his drag acts.’
Kind of makes you want to get it out and listen to it all again right now, doesn't it ?
So............let's do it..........let's sit down and relax and LISTEN !
Back in September !
ELSIE
Back in September !
ELSIE
