It's been a musical day for me today. Not only have I played with the Morley College Jazz Orchestra (I know, THE Morley College), which was in itself an insane workout, but I visited Ray's Jazz Cafe on Charing Cross Road to watch a Norwegian band led by Froy Aagre (that's her name, I swear).
You would think, from Charing Cross Station, that it would be a fairly simple matter of finding the road of the same name. How wrong you'd be! I managed to arrive in the middle of Trafalgar Square, head down the Strand, "cut" through Covent Garden, and manage to eventually wind my way back up towards the road I was looking for. Only to discover that Charing Cross Road begins BEHIND the Royal Gallery.
A few words were said at this point.
Nevertheless I managed to make it to Ray's at the time I said I would meet my dad, only to discover that he was about half an hour late. More words were said, but I didn't repeat them to him. In any case, when the rather short show began it was worth the aggravation.
It was interesting, a cross between modalism, folk and modern, atonal classical music. It sounds rather crap on paper I know but once the band really started to get going all these wonderful cross-rhythms and melodies started to come out, and it was very entertaining. Indeed, no one musician seemed to be following a score of any kind; they would keep playing until another idea was reached, at which point they would all start playing to this idea. And they all played around each other, in that in more instances the saxophonist (Froy Aagre) seemed to be following the drums than the other way round. Very good stuff.
I know I usually knock that sort of music but seeing it live is always different, and it turned out to be a good waste of half an hour. The coffee wasn't bad either (I remember the last time I visited it I couldn't finish whatever the hell they served me). It was all part of the London Jazz Festival (yes, there is a jazz festival in London! Don't believe me? Check the internet) so if you're looking for something a little different, and more intimate than the raging battle that is the rock gig, then look something up.
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3 comments:
Glad to hear you enjoyed your day. That Froy Aagre put a funny image in my head (and another something in me which I WON'T mention ;) ), because it sounds like a Grandma's kind of name like Doris or Agatha, and I can just imagine a greay-haired frame-walker puffing into a saxophone. Lolage.
I might try jazz some time, but for now it's rock and pop for me, even(/especially?) the cheesy kind.
too much jazz will make your tummy hurt george! lol its always a festival with jazz;)
chuck berry was there the other day!
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