Posts

Showing posts from April, 2015

Steve Howe Bristol Colston Hall

Smile its Steve Howe on Guitar Whenever I sit waiting for Steve to come on I do wonder how one man and his guitar can make for a special night. He began with the Martin M38 which gives a bright sound and in that first phase played a couple of Trio pieces including the Holly's cover. The Trio album is apparently now finished. "Diary of A Man Who Disappeared" and then he brought this section to a conclusion with "To Be Over" I thought a good deal about Malcolm during this piece. The music making was fantastic and being able to sit and listen to this timeless piece of music in its naked form works perfectly. He switches to the Kohno for my favourite part of the concert. The sound is so warm and musical and pieces from the Steve Howe Album and Grand Scheme of Things and the re imagined piece Corkscrew sounded superb. Intersection Blues with that constant return to the rotating central motife was proceeded by Little Gilliard. I do love all of his music in conce

Malcolm Birkett 19th December 1950 - 21st March 2015

There is a light halestone shower as we drive up out of Todmordon, birth place of Keith Emerson and move in to Lancashire 20 miles North is Accrington birth place of Jon Anderson and 20 miles south is St John The Divine Church Sale. No sign of spring on this grey overcast day as we all converge to say our good byes and come to understand a little more of the remarkable life of Malcolm Birkett. Sale is an attractive leafy superb of Manchester and the church a wonderful piece of architecture built in the hey day of the first economic miracle to sweep the dales and valleys of the North of England. Isn't life strange, I have a life long interest in an unorthodox rock band from the sixties and seventies and I am sat in a church listening to the bands music surrounded by some of the nicest people you could wish to meet with one of the great success stories of the current lineup immediately behind with his lovely wife come to pay tribute to a fellow traveller, surreal really.   Al