The Jazz Bar

Bands with occasional overlaps

bruceonthefringe 2023, Cinema, Edinburgh bands, Pubs, Uncategorized, Venues Tags: , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Today is the last day of June, it’s raining but still warm (for Edinburgh, that is); I’m often surprised how warm it is when I step outside, the moose cave is always fairly cool (in all ways, daddio). Was mid-June the best of this year’s Scottish summer? Don’t laugh, it might be! We could be in for a wet, miserable August – mind, at least Edinburgh doesn’t have midgy problems like plenty of Scotland (always look on the bright side, eh). It has been good being out late night without feeling chill. Oh, I did go along to The Jazz Bar to see Duke Duncan & the Hurricanes last Saturday, walking home going on three in the morning was rather lovely.

On my way there I glanced in the window of B Bar and noticed Nicole Smit with a couple of her Back-up Crew (Simon on drums and Ewan, this time on guitar), as I had plenty of time to hand I popped in. Not really my style (it’s quite a cocktaily place) but nice enough, the bartender was cheery, for a late Saturday night it seemed fairly quiet. Once in The Jazz Bar I noticed there were more hurricanes this time, a female backing singer and a saxophonist had blown in. Whilst I enjoyed the full band experience, I reckon I prefer the version at Binkies (harder and more intense?), yeah, sans sax for me; the backing vocals were very good (great voice), a different feel again, hmmm.

I was at the cinema last night til late, popped into Whistlebinkies on my way home as Willie Dug was playing, along with two musicians I haven’t seen before (at least I don’t reckon so) – as long as the name written up let’s you know what to expect, I guess. It was fine, but no Cosmic Gents outing. I left before the end of the first set because down the road at Stramash it was time for The Buccaneers to be taking to the stage (indeed, they just started their first number as I paid for my pint of Stewart’s, perfect). No keyboards tonight, again, you never can tell who’ll actually be up there, but hey, I love both versions equally with these dudes.

Stramash was heaving, plenty of students boisterously (or, drunkenly) dancing/colliding enjoying the music as much as The Buccaneers looked to be enjoying playing it. Oh, that iconic lick on I Heard It Through The Grapevine so, so fine, and the sparseness without the keyboards shows off the tight rhythms on the drums and bass (yes, that would be Simon and Ewan again, from Saturday night). I think I grinned from ear to ear through the whole set, such an irresistible joie de vivre when these guys are playing. Black Magic Woman finished the set in style, I finished my pint and popped back to Binkies, caught the rest of Willie Dug before home. No, I was too tired to stay up any later, hey, it was going up to two!

Oh, the film? I went to see The Flash, I knew very little about the film and even less about the character, apart from snippets in The Big Bang Theory. I actually quite enjoyed it, for a DC movie it had some humour to it! Okay, so the timelines thing was a bit, huh, but seeing all the various Batmans was fun. The Flash is a long film but as it keeps up quite a pace throughout, I didn’t really notice the time; if you go to the cinema to see it just be sure to go to the bathroom beforehand!

Must go and make something to eat, I’m Hank Marvin. After that, Fringey stuff – yes, I have tickets! More later……

Newsflash: Hurricanes in Edinburgh

bruceonthefringe 2023, Edinburgh bands, Edinburgh Fringe 2023 Tags: , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

I’m baaaack! Miss me? It’s lovely oot there, so a brief catchup then I’m getting me some sunshine. Yes, I could write this later but, well, that doesn’t always work out. I had peek at my last post and spotted a big error that has now been rectified, I put Duncan Duke instead of Duke Duncan & the Hurricanes . Oh, and the Amarillo was finished, in its place was Project 7 Juicy IPA and indeed it was, another hit from Stewart Brewing. Those hurricanes blowing along with the Duke, I wasn’t sure beforehand so didn’t mention it in case it had been only a one night stand (you know how musicians are), but yay, Mr Marah is now officially a force of nature (he’s gonna run out of fingers for all those pies soon!)

Duke Duncan is the drummer (and sings) with the Miracle Glass Company, here he sings centre stage, but he just can’t quite let go of those percussive instincts – he has a triangle and a tambourine close by! Some seriously psychedelic vibes going on here, music swirling from light funkiness to hard heavy blues grooves. I liked it, very much. I may well head to The Jazz Bar tonight, where DD&TH will be celebrating the release of their single High On Love. You can catch a clip of it from Binkies last week on my Instagram.

I never got to Heptonstall on my trip south but I did have a wander round Hebden Bridge, discovered a very nice new café called The Excited Goat on Crown Street. I just had to try their eponymously named The Excited Goat Hot Sandwich (their version of my favourite, bacon, brie and cranberry) with goats cheese, streaky bacon, apricot jam and spinach. By’eck, it was very tasty, I’ll have that again! I also discovered Hotcakes a fab little vintage and retro shop, which, to my shame, I’ve never noticed before – it’s only been going fourteen years apparently! On this visit roadworks made me head up a side street (Hilton Street) and there it was. Definitely worth popping in for a look!

I managed a few glances at the Fringe programme, marked up quite a number so far. The ticket prices are definitely up this year, previews are generally between £8 to £10, Mon to Thurs tickets expect to pay £10 to £15, and weekend tickets a tad more. The Pay What You Can ticket option is at some venues again, and of course, there’s plenty of Free (to enter) shows. Hey, I’ve been very busy, there’ll be much Fringeyness coming up soon, promise.

Anyhoo, I’ll be heading out now. Toodle oo!

Duke Duncan & The Hurricanes blowin’ up a storm in Whistlebinkies

Roll on Thursday….

bruceonthefringe 2023, Edinburgh Festivals, Edinburgh Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe 2023, Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival, Music in Edinburgh Tags: , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Oo, it’s less than 48 hours until this year’s Fringe programme is out! This time on Thursday I’ll be perusing a copy, maybe in the Jolly Judge with a nice cider, yeah, good idea that. And as if the day couldn’t get any better, The Scat Rats are playing in Stramash at 7pm! That in itself is sweet enough, but the fun continues as Nicole & the Back-up Crew are onstage next. Mmm, a twixt sets mash-up?!

I’ve had a ganders at the online programme for this year’s Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival in case there’s anything I fancy. It’s on from Friday 14th to Sunday 23rd July with the Mardi Gras in the Grassmarket on the first Saturday afternoon. Most late evenings there’s a Jam Session in the Jazz Bar, I guess it would be potluck who’d be there any evening, do I feel lucky?

The Spiegeltent will be back up in George Square Gardens, with bands every evening and Blues Afternoons at the weekends (at three hours long, thank heavens there’s a bar!) It’s a tent that travels around, so it fits that Nicole Smit: The Travelling Tent Show is back – promising to be bigger and better! I’m tempted, but then again there’s Sister Cookie to consider, hmmm.

Naturally, Jed Potts & the Hillman Hunters will be out to play; they’re at St Bride’s Centre, a great venue hosting a lot of acts throughout the Jazz Festival. I’ve been to a number of events at St Bride’s over the years, I like it, it has a lovely ambience; it’s tucked away on a little street in Dalry, a short bus ride or taxi from the centre of town.

Completing the circle back to the Fringe programme; I have had a few sneek peeks at it online and noticed Aaaah Look Who It Is: Nicole Smit and Jed Potts! at the Jazz Bar. Just four dates and the first is 241 Tuesday! A chance for all those not fortunate enough to live in Edinburgh all year round, to see these two great talents together.

Toodles!

Some fleas are very talented

bruceonthefringe 2022, Edinburgh, Edinburgh Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe 2022, Flyerers, Last night of the Fringe, Music in Edinburgh, Music shows, Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Late Sunday afternoon, the penultimate day of the Fringe, for many acts it is the final day. Earlier on the Out Of The Blue and the Improv Musical flyerers were all out in force again on the Royal Mile, come on, guys, I thought, there’s still time for something to go down. Very entertaining on the Royal Mile was a Flea Circus act that was just starting as I passed by, well, I had to go back and take a look. Not too closely mind, one look at my luxuriant fur and …. well! Doroflea, Hercuflea and Evel Knieflea are actually very skilled circus performers, an acrobat, strongman and daredevil respectively; the ringmaster was very fun with his many flea puns and he seems to treat his fleas well (I do hope it’s the same away from the showtimes).

that’s Doroflea on the highwire

It’s been a glorious day here, after my late morning saunter up the Mile I wandered round to Olly Bongo’s on Teviot Place for a spot of lunch. I am a creature of habit so, bacon, brie and cranberry panini with a white coffee, thank you. I was happily surprised that there were tables available when I peeked in, Olly Bongo’s is very popular and quite often full around lunchtime during the Fringe (always worth a look though, very tasty food). Pleasantly full I headed to join the queue outside The Jazz Bar for Blueswater Presents: Queens of the Blues; yes, another date with Nicole!

Queen of the Blues and a couple of knaves

Actually it was the third time I’ve seen her this week. No, it’s not stalking! For one thing, until I saw Blues! on Tuesday evening I wasn’t even particularly aware that she was part of that Blueswater show, and no, I didn’t go to the final ever Blues! show yesterday just for Nicole, it was a brilliant show with the most awesome rendition of The Wizard (and I got a HPH ticket). The Jazz Bar was full today, luckily I had a good view, apart from not being able to see Simon on drums, shame. Another cracking show from m’lady, in her words, an hour of sass, waffle and song. As the show title hints, she talks about the Queens of the Blues as she sings their songs; in forty, fifty years time will another young singer be putting on a Fringe show about her hero, the great Nicole Smit, who started out singing at the Fringe all those years before? I like to think so (oh, Nicole will still be going strong, and maybe one night she’ll turn up and they’ll do a duet!).

Tonight will be Accordion Ryan‘s final show, quick check on Instagram, good, nothing to say he’s had to cancel, yay, I shall be there, my fourth time – yes my fourth, I did go see him on Friday night and bagged a photo with him! (no, I’m not stalking him, it’s a free show at a time of the evening when it’s too early to go home but really, should I be having yet another drink? Answer, stay out and give Ryan my pint money). He did say he’d put in a different Ryan’s Original song, so I have to go for that and to soak up a few more happy vibes! I wonder where he’ll be heading to next, and whether he’d fancy giving an accordion and ukulele double act a go? Hahaha.

Ryan & Bruce, has a ring to it, don’t you think?

It’s just occurred to me – I haven’t made any plans for tomorrow!! If you’ve read about any of my previous end of Fringes you’ll know that wrapping up the Fringe well has always been very important to me. Final night shows have to be good, usually a favourite to end on. Erm, ahh, my end is in danger of fizzling out like the Fringe does, oh dear. Quick flick through accumulated flyers and saved cut-outs for shows seen, it looks like only the Pleasance and Gilded Balloon still have shows on tomorrow, and even at lot of theirs have finished today. No final evening show for a good send-off?! I suppose there’s the Open Mic Night at Whistlebinkies for entertainment. Hmmm, if Ryan hasn’t already left Edinburgh will he show up? That’s where I first saw him just before the Fringe, it would make for a very good bookend!

Toodle pip!

Close call at The Jazz Bar

bruceonthefringe Bands, Cinema, Music, Places to go, Pubs, Uncategorized Tags: , , , Leave a comment

There’s a bar/music venue next door to Richer Sounds on Chambers Street, well, the door’s there, then lots of steps heading downwards. It’s been there as long as I can remember, though it’s probably gone through a few reincarnations since I last went in one time in the, ooo, late eighties, early nineties?! The Jazz Bar is it’s current moniker and it’s rather a fun place.

Last Saturday night had Logan’s Close in the midnight slot, so I thought I’d trot along. As I had time to kill I headed to the cinema to see Knives Out, I’d liked the look of the trailers and folk had said it was very good (I had some reservations as an all star cast does not by any means mean a good film!)  Daniel Craig got to have fun with an odd accent – not as odd as the one in Logan Lucky though. Knives Out is actually a fairly cracking film and doesn’t feel as long as it’s length, it’s keeps up a good pace through to the end.

Anyhoo, I meandered back and headed down into The Jazz Bar about quarter to twelve. A bit of red velvet round the place and I’d swear I’d walked on to some Lynchian-type movie set! Cool, hip, young things were bopping around, I was almost expecting to hear the word “Daddio” yep, there was some vibe going on. Then I noticed, near the entrance, a certain bass player tapping madly on his mobile, this went on a while, til almost midnight, hmmm, a whole set of bass solos,  nice!? Slowly over the next fifteen minutes or so, the rest of the band appeared (though it wasn’t til much later when I realised they were sans keyboards).

The Close made up for their tardiness with two long, cracking sets, including in the second Love me two times by the Doors, rather good, it was! Great to hear What d’I say as well, I’ve been playing the Bluefinger recording recently, that has a seriously lonnngg intro, lads, they probably have a good couple of minutes on you. You may have noticed in a previous post that I have a problem in gigs with tall guys getting in the way, but here there was a slight variation on this; whilst in rock/blues gigs the tall guys tend to be seriously broad too, these were all skinny, easier to peer round!

Indeed, the crowd were undulating, seemingly strange currents moving bodies around and about; I felt I was Sheldon Cooper playing at Spock, it was fascinating to watch, almost like….wow, was this the modern version of what we used to call a “cattle market”? I guess in this new “me too” environment it’s trickier for anyone to express any interest in another without risking any offence, so subtlety is to the fore. It makes a fun spectator sport, watching from the sidelines.

I have to mention the white t-shirt, I have no recollection of anything else the young lady had on, just her white t-shirt, which become pinker and pinker as the time went by. Even her back had two great splodges of red wine on it by late on, huh?

The Jazz Bar was fun, the people friendly; bar prices pricey but no more than you’d expect; entrance was £6 but that was anytime of the evening, I could have seen another two bands for the same amount had I gone in earlier. I like it, definitely a place to keep an eye on.

Toodle pip!