Congleton Jazz and Blues Festival 2013
23rd-25th August 2013
This was the fourth, annual, Congleton Jazz and Blues Festival, my second. Let us get this straight, from the outset:
a) all of the artists I saw over the three days were outstanding
b) the venues were all packed out
c) the audiences were extremely enthusiastic and showed their appreciation
d) the variety of music on offer was more varied than, even, last year
e) the atmosphere in town was wonderful.
From the beginning of the first gig of the 2013 festival, the bar was set way too high. I realised, straight away, that this was going to be tough to review.
All of the musicians were going to be top flight and everything I saw was going to be played brilliantly. I would run out of superlatives very quickly. Better to accept that I was just going to see some astonishing musicians and just enjoy the hell out of it all!
Click on the links, below, for specific reviews and photos from Congleton Jazz and Blues Festival 2013.
Friday - The Weave, Remi Harris Trio.
Saturday - Johnny Hewitt and Tommy Allen, Steve Hayes and Les Hunt, The Slippery Hill Boys, Jim Kirkpatrick and Heavy Weather, Lucy Zirins, Phil Maddocks and Nick Bayes, The Jake Leg jug Band, The Robin Pierce Band, Adrian Ingram's Jazz Dawgs.
Sunday - Ron Sayer Jr, White Knuckle Blues Band, Rob Livesey Trio, Bearcats Blues Band, Sweet Winn Dixie, John Ainsworth, Cry Baby and The Hoochie Coochie Boys, The Freddie Garner Quartet, Junkhouse Dog Blues Band.
a) all of the artists I saw over the three days were outstanding
b) the venues were all packed out
c) the audiences were extremely enthusiastic and showed their appreciation
d) the variety of music on offer was more varied than, even, last year
e) the atmosphere in town was wonderful.
From the beginning of the first gig of the 2013 festival, the bar was set way too high. I realised, straight away, that this was going to be tough to review.
All of the musicians were going to be top flight and everything I saw was going to be played brilliantly. I would run out of superlatives very quickly. Better to accept that I was just going to see some astonishing musicians and just enjoy the hell out of it all!
Click on the links, below, for specific reviews and photos from Congleton Jazz and Blues Festival 2013.
Friday - The Weave, Remi Harris Trio.
Saturday - Johnny Hewitt and Tommy Allen, Steve Hayes and Les Hunt, The Slippery Hill Boys, Jim Kirkpatrick and Heavy Weather, Lucy Zirins, Phil Maddocks and Nick Bayes, The Jake Leg jug Band, The Robin Pierce Band, Adrian Ingram's Jazz Dawgs.
Sunday - Ron Sayer Jr, White Knuckle Blues Band, Rob Livesey Trio, Bearcats Blues Band, Sweet Winn Dixie, John Ainsworth, Cry Baby and The Hoochie Coochie Boys, The Freddie Garner Quartet, Junkhouse Dog Blues Band.
Click on one of the options under Gigs/2013/Congleton Jazz and Blues Festival 2013 to see them all.
Everyone I saw over the weekend, I enjoyed immensely. I didn't see anything that I would rate as less than outstanding. I had so much fun and heard some marvellous playing of original material, classics, and obscure cuts from long-forgotten recordings. I really couldn't fault any of them, in any way. There was nothing to criticise. It all came down to personal preferences and, even then, you couldn't really say this one was better that that one. It doesn't work like that. It was like being trapped in a big jar of jelly beans; they're all good but which ones are your favourite? I love 'em all!
The Congleton Jazz and Blues Festival was quite a remarkable achievement. Vince Cutcliffe, Louise Renn, and Joe Manning deserve a hearty dose of congratulations for organising such a fantastic event. Well done! Hussar!
This year's event was bigger, better, and more varied than last year. It was also much busier, too. The venues were all packed out for every performance I went to. Well done venues and fans. Give yourself a big slap on the back.
How do they improve on this for next year? That's a tough one. I have a few ideas and I shall be mentioning them to Vince over a beer or three. One thing that could be done would be to put some lights up in the darker venues, so that people can actually see the bands. I'm not expecting the full Pink Floyd lighting rig but, if you put bands in front of a large window, without any fill-in lighting, all anyone can see is a silhouette. So, venues, and you know who you are, let's take it to the next level and let the people see what they are listening to. If this event is to become comparable to Hebden Bridge, Maryport or, any of the other great Blues and Jazz events around this Isle of Avalon, it needs to look as good as it sounds. I think that this is part of the future of this town so, come on, let's pin Congleton on the musical map, once and for all.
Mark L Potts
The God of Thunder
1st September 2013
This year's event was bigger, better, and more varied than last year. It was also much busier, too. The venues were all packed out for every performance I went to. Well done venues and fans. Give yourself a big slap on the back.
How do they improve on this for next year? That's a tough one. I have a few ideas and I shall be mentioning them to Vince over a beer or three. One thing that could be done would be to put some lights up in the darker venues, so that people can actually see the bands. I'm not expecting the full Pink Floyd lighting rig but, if you put bands in front of a large window, without any fill-in lighting, all anyone can see is a silhouette. So, venues, and you know who you are, let's take it to the next level and let the people see what they are listening to. If this event is to become comparable to Hebden Bridge, Maryport or, any of the other great Blues and Jazz events around this Isle of Avalon, it needs to look as good as it sounds. I think that this is part of the future of this town so, come on, let's pin Congleton on the musical map, once and for all.
Mark L Potts
The God of Thunder
1st September 2013