The Classic Grand, Glasgow, 25 January 2008

Moishe’s Bagel

WE ALWAYS knew there would eventually be a great use for Glasgow’s older generation of cinemas, theatres and music halls, and you would have been forgiven for thinking you’d gone to sleep and woken up in Hell, the stage bathed in a red wash of light and the pianist playing Satan himself, in the revitalised Classic Grand at Celtic Connections.

Such was the immediate impact of Moishe’s Bagel, one of Scotland’s most successful world music groups to emerge in the new Millennium, formed in Edinburgh in 2003. Once every so often in the life of a Festival goer, there plays a gig which ‘refreshes the parts ‘ that some other gigs ‘just do not quite reach’ and this was one of those.

This was a new act for this writer and one that promises to be firmly on the ‘wanted’ list from now on. The five piece band present an intoxicating blend of jazz-influenced Klezmer music, Balkan melodies, and a heavy mix of Eastern dance music capitalising on Middle Eastern rhythmic variations.

Making no claims for authenticity, the band is largely driven by the virtuoso piano from Phil Alexander, who also plays with ‘Celtic’s’ favourite, Salsa Celtica and it is easy to see the brilliant influence a classical training and discipline has on music such as this. All five band members are masters of their instruments and push the limits for those instruments beyond the usual levels audiences are exposed to.

Pete Garnett’s rootsy box grooves are both subtly and not so subtly woven into the dialogue between all of the instrumentation and rarely is the total engagement of the players with their music so obvious. Mario Caribe from San Paulo on bass provides, with a beautiful lightness of touch, the solid foundation of the band while Guy Nicholson on many and various percussion instruements (including tabla and darbouka) displays great sensitivity, light and shade and touches of sheer brilliance.

The virtuoso violin playing of Greg Lawson, part Jewish German and part Durham mining stock, completely takes the breath away and it is easy to see why he is in demand from so many other well known Scottish musical operations including the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Mr McFall’s Chamber (and if this writer is not completely mistaken, he was also playing with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra in ‘Praise of Ben Dorain’ at the City Halls last weekend).

The tunes included sets from both of their albums Don’t Spare the Horses and Salt, with themes incorporating Gardens of Eden, bank robberies and machine guns. At other times, the sheer seductiveness and even raunchiness of the sets, were the complete embodiment what can only be described as a total ‘soul of improvisation’. The beautiful contrasts between the sets , switching from fiery Romany violin melodies and wickedly humorous arrangements to lyrical and sweet guitar and mandolin were breath-stopping – although at times it had to be ‘suggested’ to the audience that they be quiet and listen to the tunes, rightly so.

The Swedish ‘super group’ Den Fule did a great job of setting the scene for the audience with their unique blend of stage-rattling rock riffs and heavy jazz influences, woven around their traditional Swedish Folk pedigree. At times however, their influence of their traditional roots is barely evident so if that’s what you go for, you might be disappointed.

Having recently emerged from a considerable sabbatical, lasting ten years, they are set for a busy next few years on the festival scene if tonight’s audience reaction was anything to go by. Absolutely one of the best nights musical entertainment this writer has been to for a long time, across the genres, and the rest of the audience seemed pretty blown away too. An exciting and thought provoking privilege to have been there.

© Fiona MacKenzie, 2008

Links

• Celtic Connections