[ad_1]
Louise Dodds and Elchin Shirinov Duo – Two Hours After Midnight reside
(St Vincent’s Chapel, Edinburgh, 5 August 2023 – reside evaluate by Mark McKergow)
Louise Dodds and Elchin Shirinov introduced their Two Hours After Midnight album to a rapt Edinburgh Pageant Fringe viewers, combining lovely vocals and shimmering piano preparations to re-present traditional Scots folks songs.
Not but a subscriber of our Wednesday Breakfast Headlines?
Be part of the mailing checklist for a weekly roundup of Jazz Information.
Louise Dodds’ star continues to rise on the UK jazz scene – nominated for greatest vocalist within the Scottish Jazz Awards 2022, and a studio album The Story Wants An Ending the identical yr. Her voice is wealthy and textured with loads of energy in reserve. Dodds was chatting with Azeri pianist Elchin Shirinov in London when (we hear) she broke into Robert Burns’ tune Ae Fond Kiss. Shirinov was entranced by the tune and the texture, seeing parallels with conventional music from Azerbaijan. A undertaking was hatched there after which, leading to Two Hours After Midnight.
This assortment of eight songs sees well-known favourites (north of the border, a minimum of) with rediscovered works from the 18th century. The determine of Robert Burns looms giant, not least as 4 of the songs are his, and he would very possible have recognized the others from his social circles. Burns shouldn’t be solely Scotland’s poetry hero, he’s revered from Valparaiso to Vladivostok and is one in every of solely two poets to have a nationwide day of honour (the opposite being Hafez, Iranian/Persian poet of the 14th century).
This live performance noticed Dodds and Shirinov current all eight songs from the album. St Vincent’s Chapel gave an acceptable acoustic which made the many of the sound palette, with Shirinov’s centered backings giving a foil for Louise Dodds’ exact vocals. Coming Via The Rye gave a rhythmic begin to the set, bouncing together with refined rhythmic shifts from each events and a few very recognisable Scottish strains in Shirinov’s temporary solo.
Harold Bolton’s Loch Tay Boat Music introduced extra mild and rippling piano, as if Debussy had slipped right into a session at Sandy Bell’s folks bar. A bit extra space for piano right here, with a touch of jap promise. Two extra Burns classics adopted, Ae Fond Kiss (the tune that began all of it) and Ye Banks And Braes which featured one other efficient piano interlude. Louise Dodds’ vocals had been completely on level all through, with the 2 performers showing to mind-meld of their coherence.
Oh True Love Is A Bonnie Flower, whereas not being precisely an authentic sentiment, was a brand new tune for us. Dodds associated how that they had discovered it as a bit of sheet music and had failed to show up any present recording. On this context it fitted properly, extra of a ballad which (with the brand new piano association) might work properly in a standard jazz set. Lass O’Gowrie is notable for being written by Carolina Oliphant (recognized to Burns as Girl Nairn) who stored quiet about her musical innovations throughout her lifetime. The tune is a story about how the Lass goes out for a stroll and finally ends up as Girl Gowrie – a trope which remains to be with us right now in varied varieties, as Louise commented in one in every of her between-song bulletins. These undoubtedly added to the music and the event.
The opposite two tracks? Ye’ll have to search out the album or go alongside; Louise Dodds and Elchin Shinrinov will reprise this efficiency on Saturday 25 August at 7pm (reserving hyperlink under).
LINKS: Louise Dodds and Elchin Shirinov Duo carry out once more at Edinburgh Fringe, Saturday 26 August 2023 BOOKING
Two Hours After Midnight album on Bandcamp
LJN characteristic on Two Hours After Midnight album by Martin Chilton
[ad_2]