News Archive
Ray Charles in Ingolstadt
2001
Friday,
23. November 2001 - 14:08
Ray Charles
Concert Reviews
Only around 1000 people in the audience at the
Theatre Ingolstadt, a pretty
small venue. But the show was not sold out. This was probably due
to the extremely high ticket prices ($ 50 - $ 75 to give you a clue).
Anyway
the show started at 7:30 PM with the Ray Charles Orchestra (about 20
members) who warmed up the audience with four boring jazzy instrumentals.
Lord
have mercy, after the fourth one, the legendary "Genius Of Soul",
Mr. Ray Charles entered the stage. Although he's blind and has to walk very slow,
his condition seemed not that great, also not for a 71 years old. He looked
more
like 80. However, we were there for the music, but this wasn't much better.
For the first song, Charles and his orchestra seemed to play seperately.
It became better with the second tune, a pretty fast number. Then he played
his monster hit "Georgia On My Mind" but his voice was a big
dissapointment.
And why the hell, did he stick to this silly keyboard thing instead of using
the great black upright piano? After this little highlight, he interpreted
some slow jazz songs before singing the great melancholy "A Song For You",
which certainly was the best song this evening. This was followed by some
songs he did together with The Raelettes, his female background choir.
Two wellknown songs followed, "Rockin' Chair Blues", "I Can't Stop Loving You"
and then Mr.
Charles closed the show with a fine version of "What'd I Say".
This was also
the only point in the show where the whole audience got enthusiastic.
Although
90 minutes long, this show was a big dissapointment and the worst
show I've ever seen after Little Richard in Munich 1996.
Set List
Due to lack of knowledge of Mr.
Charles repertoire, we are not able to give
you a complete set list this time. The highlights are listed above, all other
songs sounded about the same.
---
Dem Erfinder des Soul wird die Luft knapp
Ray Charles: Das alte Feuer brennt auf kleiner Flamme
Ingolstadt (DK) Ray Charles
trägt sein Glück im Gesicht. Die Freude darüber, auf der Eine andere "Last" trug Ray Charles
vergangenen Sonntag wesentlich leichter: Die Bürde Aber auch Ray Charles braucht zum Singen Luft.
Und die wird ihm schnell knapp. Etwas über Ganz so schnell war er zu Beginn seines
Auftritts nicht. Lange kramte das Begleitorchester von Kurz bevor es dann endgültig ins Beliebige
abkippt, räumt der Bandpianist endlich seinen Stuhl. Der bekommt ihn wiederum wohl von seinem Alter
diktiert. Denn so richtig schmissig legt er So betritt die pralle Lebensfreude des Soul
erst den Saal, als die fünf "Raelettes" die Bühne erklimmen,
Bühne zu stehen, wirft ihm den Kopf in den Nacken und öffnet ihm den Mund zu
einem
breiten, kantigen Lachen. Die Arme dagegen bleiben wie angewachsen auf dem
Klavier,
als ströme die Seligkeit direkt aus den Tasten in die Seele des alten Soulsängers.
Ray Charles steht gern auf der Bühne des Festsaals des Theaters Ingolstadt
zum
Abschluss der 18. Ingolstädter Jazztage. Die Gesten des Glücks offenbaren,
dass
drin im 71-Jährigen immer noch das rotgoldene Herz des Showstars pulsiert -
auch
wenn der Rest des Musikerkörpers sichtlich an jedem der Jahre schwer zu
schleppen hat.
der Legende, die den Soul miterfunden hat, die mit 13 Grammys ausgezeichnet
wurde,
die sowohl im Jazz als auch in der Country-Musik zu Hause ist. Zu keiner Sekunde
manieriert
oder blasiert, genießt er den Jubel des Publikums und freut sich fast kindlich,
wenn er für
seine Fans in die Tasten greifen darf. Vergessen sind dann die mühevollen
Schritte, die ihn -
an der Hand eines dienstbaren Tourbegleiters - an sein Instrument geführt
haben. Vergessen
sind die gleißend weißen gestärkten Hemden des Begleitorchesters, die etwas
eng geschnürte,
gravitätische Eleganz verbreiten. Ray Charles ist dann wieder der Soulman, der
in dem himmlischen
Klang badet, den er zum irdischen Publikum weiterschickt.
eine Stunde schenkt er dem Publikum in Ingolstadt. Dann ist er weg. Ohne Zugabe,
ohne große Abschiedsszene.
halb acht an nach gleich klingenden Tönen; als endlich alle Instrumente
gestimmt waren, näherten
sich die Musiker in schickem Orchesterswing langsam aneinander an. Geordnet,
aufgeräumt,
praktisch aufeinander geschlichtet spielen die Musiker einen wärmenden, aber zu
keiner Sekunde
hitzigen Swing. Immer wieder drückt sich der weißhaarige Trompeter mit dem
langen
Vadder- Abraham-Bart an seinen Mitmusikern vorbei und gibt am Bühnenrand ein
kurzes Solo
zum Besten. Auch die diversen Saxofonisten dürfen ihren Szenenapplaus ernten.
Unruhe an den Bühnenrändern, Kribbeln im Publikum, die Musiker atmen noch
einmal tief durch.
"Mistaahh Rayyhh Charles" wird am Piano platziert und lacht freudig
auf. Noch klingt es so, als
spielten Band und Star parallel, aber nicht miteinander. Dann aber schmiegen
sich die Klänge
der beiden Antipoden aneinander wie beim Engtanz. Das Orchester schluchzt, Ray
seufzt:
"Georgia, o Georgia." Der Festsaal schnauft auf. Endlich sind alle
beieinander. Band, Star und
Publikum swingen im Gleichklang, den Takt gibt Ray Charles vor.
sich nur ganz selten ins Zeug. Gediegen und geruhsam schlendern er und seine
Band durch
den souligen Abend. Ray Charles Genius funkelt durch die durchsichtigen Töne
hindurch.
Doch hätte der gute Ray ein wenig mehr Gas gegeben, hätte es etwas weniger
Genius auch getan.
kernige Stimmen, erzeugt von ebensolchen Körpern. Nun treiben sich Ray und
seine Mädels gegenseitig an;
das raunende Nuscheln Ray Charles erfährt im strahlenden Gesang der Damen sein
passendes Gegenstück,
Gospel, Swing und Blues feiern gemeinsam, und das Publikum klatscht mit. Par. .
. Zum ". . .ty" hat es
nicht mehr ganz gereicht. Denn good old Ray ist nicht nur gut, sondern auch alt.
Und das Alter fordert
auch bei Legenden seinen Tribut. Auch wenn man sich zum Abschluss der 18.
Ingolstädter Jazztage
vielleicht etwas mehr gewünscht hätte.
DONAUKURIER, Markus Schwarz, 20.11.2001, 07:11
Source: Wolfgang Guhl
Bo Diddley & Hiram Bullock
in Basel 2001
Thursday,
13. November 2001 - 13:52
Sound Check
Hiram Bullock
Bo Diddley
Concert Reviews
About 4000 people attented the Rock'n'Roots evening during the Avo Session Festival
in Basel, Switzerland. Probably 3/4 of the tickets were sold. The show was taped by a
Swiss TV Station named SF DRS and will be broadcasted on August 31th 2002. There
were two big video screens beside the stage where we could see the performers very closely.
Anyway, support act Hiram Bullock started at 8 PM, did a great show and played for 90 minutes.
Then he told us he has to go cause of Mr. Bo Diddley coming up.
After a 30 minute break, Bo Diddley and The Debby Hastings Band entered the stage and opened
with the famous Bo Diddley beat. His stage moves were very slow but he looked ultra cool.
And to be honest, I never saw him jump on stage or things like that on the old videos.
It's just his style. Then he played, played and played... he just didn't stop. And here is the big
difference. While other performers stop after 40 some minutes which is fixed in their contract,
Bo just doesn't seem to care. He is still a musician and not a business man. He did fantastic
solos on both drums and keyboard additionally to his crazy guitar sounds. During the two hours,
he played Rock'n'Roll, Blues, Reggae and Rap and there was even an encore.
Set List
Introduction
Bo Diddley
I'm A Man
Can I Walk You Home
Crackin' Up
Bo Diddley's A Bad Seed
Roadrunner
That Mule
Who Do You Love
Unknown Song
Drums Solo
Keyboard Solo
Rap Improvisation
Hey Bo Diddley
Diddley Daddy
---
And 50 years were as nothing
AVO SESSION: BO DIDDLEY ROUSES THE AUDIENCE WITH HIS 2-HOUR APPEARANCE
Three
dotted eighths, a sixteenth, an eighth and then a quarter note: this is the
rhythm Bo Diddley
has stamped on rock'n'roll since the mid-1950s, one that famous bands like the
Rolling Stones
later copied. And it is still this rhythm that the now 73 year-old "primary
rocker" together with a
convincing Hiram Bullock roused his audience in the opening program of the AVO
Session.
For what seemed like minutes, the drummer beat it on the snare drum. Then bass
led in, followed
by the Hammond, the rhythm guitar and then Bo Diddley himself. Rolling ever on,
minute after minute,
the beat began to work its primeval hypnotic effect, taking the whole hall with
it. It was magic, timeless.
And it always moved on one harmony - real one-note blues.
Three dotted eighths, a sixteenth, an eighth and then a quarter note - and 50
years are as nothing. Then
Bo Diddley's square guitar begins to howl. It sounds strage, unrecognizable,
just like it did back in the
fifties, when the young man from Mississippi was one of the first ever to work
with effects and distortions
on the guitar. Suddenly his vocal starts, with a deep, full blues voice,
overriding everything its carrying power.
What an entrance.
Bo Diddley may be 73, but he didn't show the slightest sign of slowing down, and
continued with the same
intensity. "I'm A Man", one of his hits from the 50s, had a fresh and
new-sounding effect. Diddley made an
impressive appearance, without any gimmicks, and the band gave him very good
support. Then he played a
couple of mid-tempo numbers, during which he talked a lot with the people in the
front rows, from which
fortunately the seats had been removed. He stirred them up, urged them to dance
and to sing along. And they did.
Bo Diddley gave lots of solos, continually pressing the buttons of his specially
made guitar to achieve the unusual
effects. He even added a couple of rap pieces (!) and did a solo with felt socks
on the drummer's floor drum.
After taking it easier for a stretch in the middle part, Bo Diddley moved into
high gear for the finale. He invited
everybody to the party, played a classic rock'n'roll number, said, "I feel
good this evening, very good!" and gave an
super extra chorus of "Who Do You Love".
After more than two hours the very strong concert finally came to an end with
the classic "Hey Bo Diddley". Yeah,
with three dotted eighths, a sixteenth, an eighth and then a quarter note.
By Marko Lehtinen, translated by John O'Brien
Basler Zeitung of November 12, 2001
Source: Wolfgang Guhl
New pics in the Picture
Gallery
Thursday,
13. November 2001 - 13:52
Pictures of the following shows were added:
Source: Maarten van der Tol
Chuck Berry expected to
appear in Rolling Stone
Tuesday,
06. November 2001 - 16:23
Rolling Stone magazine reportedly dispatched
one of its top photographers to St. Louis
to document the excitement of the legendary Chuck Berry's 75th birthday
concert
at The Pageant. A portrait of Berry in all his celebratory glory is expected to
appear in an
upcoming issue of the esteemed rock'n'roll magazine.
Source: Johan Hasselberg
3 new Lyrics added
Tuesday,
06. November 2001 - 16:23
Source: Francis Goulet
Several Updates
Saturday,
03. November 2001 -
14:07
Source: Wolfgang Guhl