Jazz Night at The Rising Sun Arts Centre, Reading, 10/2/08

I have always found tables with candles to be a sign of a sophisticated gig, apart from once in Coventry where the headline act decided to jump on the table. No such raucousness at the Rising Sun’s first Jazz Night. Assembled on stage are Veryan Weston on piano, Ingrid Laubrock on saxophone and Hannah Marshall on cello. The three seem to trail each other, the sound rising and falling. I have never heard improvised jazz before. The only moment of familiarity came when I thought Ingrid Laubrock was playing a Nick Cave song. She wasn’t. My ignorance annoyed me immensely, for about a minute. Because as strange as this sound was to my ears, it was hard not to be absorbed. The long piano and cello notes linger with streaks of saxophone, the effect is almost mesmerising: these guys have effortless cool.

What I'm Looking Forward to, 2008-wise

Front Row for the Eels in February:

Artist: Eels
Album: Electro-Shock Blues (1998)
Track: Last Stop: This Town

Tables and tealights for Homespun...sometime, somewhere, hopefully:

Artist: Homespun
Album: Effortless Cool (2005)
Track: A Minute
Hearing more from these individuals, who have been on oooh...4574 blogs before mine:

Artist: Golden Animals
Album: Golden Animals EP (2007)
Track: Take Me Home

Trying very hard to listen to more British people, like this bloke:

Artist: Lupen Crook
Album: Halloween (Single, 2005)
Track: Phantom, My Friend and You

And this one:

Artist: Eugene McGuinness
Album: The Early Learnings of Eugene McGuinness (2007)
Track: High Score

And these (even though the drummer's drumming makes me want to die):

Artist: Johnny Flynn and the Sussex Wit
Album: The Box (Single, 2007)
Track: The Box

There are no actual songs from 2008 in that list are there? Sorry. Lupen has an album out this year and I dare say Johnny Flynn do, seeing as they are doing a headline tour next month (featuring a pub in 'Trendy Jericho').