May 22nd, 2019 by Steve

Concert review 20th May 2019 Mathew Bason

Mathew’s concert immediately followed our 2019 AGM and that alone was probably enough to subdue us all. The second half of the evening with Mathew on the stage with his Weiltmeister in hand brought the evening to life. His piano accordion (Weiltmeister) playing added to his already established high level of performance on his Roland 350C Dual Keyboard (and pedals plus separate Yamaha P-105). Mathew also gave us a moving sung rendition of “Bring Him home” accompanied by his Ipad!!

Mathew is not a stranger to us and his name is synonymous with that of an accomplished entertainer, in that he did not disappoint.

Amongst Mathew’s music we heard:- Make ‘em’ laugh, in love for the first time, Perfect – Ed Sheeran,  A medley to the world of dance and Bigband, A feline collection, (as Mathew called) including the aristocats, A well sung by Mathew, rendition of; ‘Bring him home’. A selection of Viennese music, blue bell polka (On the Weiltmeister), Samba de Orfeu from Black Orpheus, Grieg – Norwegian Dance no. 2. March militaire, All of me – John Legend, A country and Weston medley, Rhinestone Cowboy, Ring of fire.

Called for an encore Mathew Played the Radetzky March – an all time favourite at the proms!

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January 28th, 2019 by Steve

Concert 25th January 2019 –   Elizabeth Harrison

It was a cold winter’s night not at all like the last time we were visited by Elizabeth on a warm summer’s night in 2017.  Our January night concert was attended by an audience of 54. Elizabeth began by introducing herself as a farmer, a driver of big machines and goods vehicles. We learned about Cows, how they order themselves singularly for milking and we learned that Elizabeth and her boyfriend, also a farmer, whom previously we heard about in 2017, were no longer 26 miles apart…? This brought an amused chuckle from the audience.  The evening was to be punctuated by her delightful and light sense of humour delivered with an accent that somehow seemed so right for a farmer.  And so the music started for an audience already amused. Unusually, Elizabeth performed facing us; throughout the evening she punctuated her performance with facial expressions that were themselves quite entertaining.

As before her music was silky smooth. Elizabeth is an accomplished entertainer with a performance repertoire that included something for everyone. Amongst the evenings music were the following;  A selection of waltzes, Housewives choice, Blaze away, Pack up your troubles, when you’re smiling, Run rabbit Run, My old man said follow the van, Hello Dolly, A selection of Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals, Non Stop – original ITN news theme,

Contemplating & Remember Chiho Sunamoto, Elizabeth dedicated and played – If I loved you

Elizabeth continued with, When Irish eyes are smiling, A selection of Scottish themes, Runaway, Prelude in a classic style, From Nicholas & Alexandra ‘to beautiful to last, Here in my heart, I could have danced all night, we’ll meet again. Elizabeth was re-called for an encore, The theme from the Battle of Britain Film concluding the evening to rapturous applause.

 

Elizabeth’s instrument was a Roland AT350C Dual Keyboard and pedals, plus the new Theatre Organ in a box V3

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November 13th, 2018 by Steve

Tragic news….

Tuesday 13th November

Chiho Sunamoto

Sadly we learn of the untimely passing of Chiho Sunamoto after an inspirational personal fight with a long term illness. Many amongst her audiences will have been oblivious to her poor health as despite those health issues she continued to provide first class keyboard performances along with her husband John.

Chiho would have been our artist for 26th Nov 2018 and as a club we will hold her in thought at that evening’s concert.

Our condolences and expression of sympathy go out to her husband John and all her family facing this tragedy together.

 

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August 22nd, 2018 by Steve

Concert Review 20th August 2018 – Mike Hall

 

It was the last concert of the summer for the year and we welcomed Mike Hall who opened the evening with a Jungle Book medley. We had to agree it was some years since he had played for us, a fact that he didn’t fail to point out. Mike is an advocate of the Orla range of Instruments and with him he brought two, the GT8000 and a smaller portable keyboard the KX10. During the evening he made a point of talking about these instruments and their abilities. No doubt instruments enthusiasts appreciated the detail. His music, as we would expect included variety of style and form, this of course means you cannot please all the people all of the time. Overall it was a good evening’s entertainment. We listened to the music he produced and when Mike offered to play whichever instrument, we the audience preferred, it was obvious most of us were quite surprised by what we were hearing from the smaller portable KX10, an impressive instrument, It was called for time and again. At least two members of the audience have since gone looking for one themselves.

Some of Mike’s music included.  A jungle book medley, Take a chance on love, A big Band Gershwin Medley, a ‘Pipe’ organ medley, Tie a yellow ribbon round the old oak tree’ ‘Eye level’ from Van der  Valk, ‘Thinking about the things we used to do’, Smokey and the bandit – eastbound and down, The Candy man, The Kyle of lochalsh, Psalm 23, Dream – Johnny Mercer,  Mack & Mabel – I won’t send roses, 76 Trombones in the hit parade, A rock and role medley, The Odd couple.

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July 26th, 2018 by Steve

Concert review 23rd July 2018 Brett Wales

The long hot dry summer of 2018 continued, Brett Wales our musician for the evening was greeted on stage by an audience of 36 Members and 15 guests. Brett who travelled down from Nottingham introduced himself and with a laugh and a joke set about producing an evening of music worthy of a much larger audience. The performance was full, lively and encompassed many styles. Performers like to turn themselves out attired to impress. Brett played the first half of the concert wearing a dark shirt light jacket and with his hair swept and tied back, he immerged after the interval to whistles cheers and other applause. There was Brett in a flamboyant move suit and a crimson tie, quite a surprise.  After the performance ended Brett was of course recalled for an encore itself a medley all received to great applause. Brett’s instrument – a Wersi sonic. Some of the evening’s music -Gladiator, On a street where I live, when your smiling, How can you mend a broken heart (BG’s), Blanket on the ground, Intermezzo (Cavalier Rusticana), Day by Day, A Helios organ tribute, ABBA medley, I left my heart in San Francisco, Pirates of the Caribbean (Zimmer), the lady and the tramp. Interval This old house, River dance Ballet, ToTo Africa, Bohemian rhapsody (Queen), In a Persian Market (Albert Ketelbly), William Tell (Rossini), Fulsome Prison Blues (Johnny Cash), Sound of silence (Simon and Garfunkel), I can’t help falling in love with you, One moment in time (Whitney Houston), Equinox (Jean-Michel-Jarre) He’ll be coming round the mountain,  Encore – A medley!

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June 26th, 2018 by Steve

Concert Review 25th June 2018 Ian Griffin

It was the 25th of June, perhaps the first month of hot weather of; ‘the long hot summer of 2018’. Our artist for the evening Ian Griffin had travelled from Wales to entertain us and was, he said, returning to Wales at the end of the performance.
We listened to an evening of good and varied music and of course a helping of welsh humour. Ian took the trouble to explain details about the instrument he was playing, its history development and other nuances, The speakers he explained were ‘Bose’ a prestigious US manufacturer but, like so much today, now made in.. China.
Some of the music we heard included:- To begin, I will go where the music takes me, I love how you love me, (Bobby Vincent) This time tomorrow. Hits from Dusty Springfield, Steve Wonder, Neil Sedaker – miracle song. There were big band, musical and orchestral sounds including, I got you under my skin, it had to be you, born free, softly as I leave you, if I were a rich man, as long as he needs me.
As before for us, Ian opened the second half up to ‘The audience choice’ for an hour he played our choice of music without a written note of music or script, just our request notes passed in the interval.
For an encore he played us out to Ski Sunday.
A thoroughly good evening that surely included something for all and played on Ian’s Ketron.

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