A night with Jools!

24 Nov '10: To the Royal Concert Hall for a wonderful evening with the big band of Jools Holland.... mostly we associate him with the small screen introducing other bands, but really, his own band is one of the most exciting you will ever hear - a genuine big band sound with great singers, pulsating excitement, and every member of the band an outstanding individual too.
  I never saw or heard Alison Moyet live before, but she now has another lifelong fan in me!

There were many songs in which the whole audience were standing up and dancing, it was very participatory. I bought a CD at the interval (right).
He is the most amazing pianist I have ever seen, his ability to allow any sound to pour out onto the keyboard, the ability to play very complex variations while looking around or aside, or singing.... there was a large screen above, so one had regular closeups of every thing that mattered.

The whole performance has to be repeated at Leicester the next day, and somewhere else the next, as the tour proceeds.... and yet somehow for Nottingham, Jools and the band brought a combination of freshness and smooth professionalism, and faultless display which made us feel that this is the first, final and bestest performance ever!

As a Postscript, I am highly complimented to discover that the official Jools Holland website master discovered the review and posted a link to this site! Thankyou very much, and good luck with the rest of the tour.

Merry Widow, by Opera North

16 Nov '10: We went to the Theatre Royal for the Opera North production of the Merry Widow, by Franz Lehar.

Unfortunately we bought these tickets a long time ago, and when Tuesday came round, we had Henry AND Sophie staying, the first time for a long time. And DNC had an invitation to be a panellist at a WB Ecohouses meeting on Renewable Technologies.
Never mind.... the Opera was great fun, and left us both humming all the way home.

More about it at:
http://www.operanorth.co.uk/events/merry-widow/

Henry and Sophie.... and?

16 Nov '10: We had our first meeting with Barney, Sophie's dog. He is a black retriever - what a wonderfully friendly young hound, he just loves human company. Unfortunately he is too excitable when he thinks Becks is around, so we have to be a bit careful to ensure that Becks has an escape route, through an opening too small for Barney - i.e. his catflap.
We were lucky to have both Sophie and Henry here at the same time.
    Henry has been thinking of changing job, so it has been a good chance to discuss it. We don't want him to move south (i.e. not visit us so often), but he has to do what is right for him.
 Sophie has been making good progress with her art classes on Saturdays (and homework between) and she brought some of her sketchbooks over.

Nottingham Contemporary

31 Oct '10: Here is the famous Zebra at Nottingham Contemporary. We went there to see an exhibition, but as I am completing this a year later, I can't remember the exhibition - Soviet Art, I think....

Frida, a most moving film

7 Nov '10: We went (with Adrian and Maureen Harms) to the Broadway cinema for a one-night-only showing of the film FRIDA, a wonderful representation of the life of the Mexican artist, Frida Kahlo.
What an extraordinary life, and so sad that she should achieve so much while suffering so much pain.

The Habit of Art

6 Nov '10: We went to the Theatre Royal for a performance of 'The Habit of Art' by Alan Bennett.
As a Play within a Play it was amusing and thought provoking, and I am glad I was able to google (at half time) some info on Auden and Brittain.
Here's the National Theatre page about it.

I remember Malcolm Sinclair (right) taking the lead part in Peer Gynt in the heat wave of 1976, at the Nottingham Playhouse. Actually, his acting is so good, you forget he is acting, he just seems to be the character. Desmond Borritt was playing the part of a sort of 'Ralph Richardson' character who is rather weary of it all, and declaims to the auditorium.