Saturday did not begin well for me with a series of long bad dreams as I woke again early and seemed to be in a cycle of restlessness on return, the long dream and waking almost as soon as I had settled. In fact having gone to bed before 11pm it was a good sleep overall of eight hours but did not seem so at the time. It si the first occasion that I can recall a series of bad dreams whose subjects I have unintentionally suppressed which serves to underline that I should have made notes on waking as I cannot now work out the cause. There was also no indication on rising of the weather for the day although the forecast was of clouds, some sun and the possibility of heavy showers.
In the afternoon I put the smaller folding chair over my shoulder and made my way through North Marine to South Marine and new bandstand where the Vieux Carre Jazzmen were playing two sets between 2 and 4. The band named after a quarter of New Orleans was formed in the 1950’s and is based in Newcastle and North Tyneside playing regularly at the Corner House Hotel Newcastle and the Cullercoats Crescent club. I saw them last perform at the Mouth of the Tyne Festival last year Rock of Gibraltar area Jazz stage area. They play a British style of Traditional Jazz with an emphasis on individual solos within a number a la Christ Barber and Mick Mulligan rather than Ken Colyer and Cy Laurie. They are used to performing to people of all ages and situations although these days the audience tends to be my age than students. This was so as the 100 odd crowd spread out over the wide area of grass and concrete steps was of my generation. Some families did stop for a while but one granddad and day who topped were met with a constant when we going tot he park granddad, to which granddad saying we are in the park and will go to the beach in a while met with continued resistance.
The performance which comprised only four of the six listed players covered standards such as Alexander’s Rag Time Band, I can’t give you Anything but love, Baby and Georgia on my Mind. It was good solid professional music but lacked originality and passion. I stayed for the first set and decided to make my way back around 3. Earlier in the day there was the opening parade of the summer festival in which school children in costumes and marching bands went from eh Town Hall through the town centre along Ocean Road to the Bents park where an afternoon of activities was arranged for those who wished to participate. As Bents park is just across the road from the Bandstand, the loudspeaker announcements and music sometimes clashed and drowned out the Jazzman which was not good planning on the part of the local authority organisers.
During the day I watched chunks of two films. The Black Swan is a great piece of nonsense which I saw as a child, released in 1942 it was standard fare at either the mid week Odeon Wallington showings ire the Saturday morning club between 1945 and 1950 when I was a regular attender. It featured the pre and post war Heart throb Tyrone Power and the real man’s woman Maureen O’Hara. George Sanders and Anthony Quinn played miscreants of the upper and lower classes as usual. For some reason I remembered the film as the Black Pearl and got caught up with the information on the Pirates of Caribbean series until checking the Tyrone Power filmography. The film has its background the life of Henry Morgan the Welsh privateer who plundered Spanish ships in the Caribbean and who was knighted and made acting Governor of Jamaica and came under attack from the former Governor who had the support of the semi autonomous local Council. In the film power becomes the assistant to Morgan and sets out to prove that there is dirty work afoot to discredit his hero and who takes with him the she protests too much daughter of the rival governor.
On return from the Jazz in he Park I watched the main part of Cat Balou, a film I have not seen for several years although I have enjoyed more than once before. The film brought an academy award for Lee Marvin as an old drunk gunslinger hired by Jane Fonda to protect her father and his ranch from a development corporation who have hired another gun fighter to harass and eventually kill the obstinate owner. Jane who has been away to a convent school and trained as a teacher encounter two young petty criminals on the train home who she subsequently invites to help her thinking that they are gunfighters or at least will defend her is sadly mistaken although a romance develops with one of them.
When her father is killed Cat determines on revenge and robs a train carrying the payroll of the development company. . Lee Marvin then sobers up and kills the hitman murderer and Cat poses as a prostitute to gain the attention of the Development company boss who is killed in a struggle. Cat is caught and sentenced to by hung but escapes at the last moment. Among those also in the film are Nat King Cole as the Sunrise Kid and Stubby Kaye as Professor Sam the shade. There is also the appearance of Butch Cassidy!
In the evening I watched a remarkable passionate and moving performance of Carmen. The performance lasted three hours and excluded the intervals which meant it was the full original score and libretto and which I have known reduced to one and half hours. The German State Opera production was conducted by Daniel Barenboim and features to singers who for once looked and acted their parts with extraordinary levels of passion and sensitivity. Marina Domashenko was unknown to me but appears to have made her name through Carmen while Rolando Villazon was very convincing with a voice which is powerful and sensitive. The news that he has had to cancel some appearances this year earlier than anticipated prior to an operation is disturbing although both artists have recordings which provide posterity with the best of their work to-date. As with the Met Performance of Madam Butterfly I would pay real money if I had it attend performance of these two singers. I was in bed by 11pm once more.
In the afternoon I put the smaller folding chair over my shoulder and made my way through North Marine to South Marine and new bandstand where the Vieux Carre Jazzmen were playing two sets between 2 and 4. The band named after a quarter of New Orleans was formed in the 1950’s and is based in Newcastle and North Tyneside playing regularly at the Corner House Hotel Newcastle and the Cullercoats Crescent club. I saw them last perform at the Mouth of the Tyne Festival last year Rock of Gibraltar area Jazz stage area. They play a British style of Traditional Jazz with an emphasis on individual solos within a number a la Christ Barber and Mick Mulligan rather than Ken Colyer and Cy Laurie. They are used to performing to people of all ages and situations although these days the audience tends to be my age than students. This was so as the 100 odd crowd spread out over the wide area of grass and concrete steps was of my generation. Some families did stop for a while but one granddad and day who topped were met with a constant when we going tot he park granddad, to which granddad saying we are in the park and will go to the beach in a while met with continued resistance.
The performance which comprised only four of the six listed players covered standards such as Alexander’s Rag Time Band, I can’t give you Anything but love, Baby and Georgia on my Mind. It was good solid professional music but lacked originality and passion. I stayed for the first set and decided to make my way back around 3. Earlier in the day there was the opening parade of the summer festival in which school children in costumes and marching bands went from eh Town Hall through the town centre along Ocean Road to the Bents park where an afternoon of activities was arranged for those who wished to participate. As Bents park is just across the road from the Bandstand, the loudspeaker announcements and music sometimes clashed and drowned out the Jazzman which was not good planning on the part of the local authority organisers.
During the day I watched chunks of two films. The Black Swan is a great piece of nonsense which I saw as a child, released in 1942 it was standard fare at either the mid week Odeon Wallington showings ire the Saturday morning club between 1945 and 1950 when I was a regular attender. It featured the pre and post war Heart throb Tyrone Power and the real man’s woman Maureen O’Hara. George Sanders and Anthony Quinn played miscreants of the upper and lower classes as usual. For some reason I remembered the film as the Black Pearl and got caught up with the information on the Pirates of Caribbean series until checking the Tyrone Power filmography. The film has its background the life of Henry Morgan the Welsh privateer who plundered Spanish ships in the Caribbean and who was knighted and made acting Governor of Jamaica and came under attack from the former Governor who had the support of the semi autonomous local Council. In the film power becomes the assistant to Morgan and sets out to prove that there is dirty work afoot to discredit his hero and who takes with him the she protests too much daughter of the rival governor.
On return from the Jazz in he Park I watched the main part of Cat Balou, a film I have not seen for several years although I have enjoyed more than once before. The film brought an academy award for Lee Marvin as an old drunk gunslinger hired by Jane Fonda to protect her father and his ranch from a development corporation who have hired another gun fighter to harass and eventually kill the obstinate owner. Jane who has been away to a convent school and trained as a teacher encounter two young petty criminals on the train home who she subsequently invites to help her thinking that they are gunfighters or at least will defend her is sadly mistaken although a romance develops with one of them.
When her father is killed Cat determines on revenge and robs a train carrying the payroll of the development company. . Lee Marvin then sobers up and kills the hitman murderer and Cat poses as a prostitute to gain the attention of the Development company boss who is killed in a struggle. Cat is caught and sentenced to by hung but escapes at the last moment. Among those also in the film are Nat King Cole as the Sunrise Kid and Stubby Kaye as Professor Sam the shade. There is also the appearance of Butch Cassidy!
In the evening I watched a remarkable passionate and moving performance of Carmen. The performance lasted three hours and excluded the intervals which meant it was the full original score and libretto and which I have known reduced to one and half hours. The German State Opera production was conducted by Daniel Barenboim and features to singers who for once looked and acted their parts with extraordinary levels of passion and sensitivity. Marina Domashenko was unknown to me but appears to have made her name through Carmen while Rolando Villazon was very convincing with a voice which is powerful and sensitive. The news that he has had to cancel some appearances this year earlier than anticipated prior to an operation is disturbing although both artists have recordings which provide posterity with the best of their work to-date. As with the Met Performance of Madam Butterfly I would pay real money if I had it attend performance of these two singers. I was in bed by 11pm once more.
No comments:
Post a Comment