THE LIST-
MAYFEST
may“ * THOMPSON
No one ever accused virtuoso bassist Danny Thompson ot being unadventurous. 'Whatever Next‘ is an appropriate title lor his new LP. mixing as it does jazz. traditional and whatever else came to hand; but Songhai (Pavilion Theatre. Thursday 18). however much Thompson may hate the term ‘World Music‘. is a clash oi cultures which adds up to something new and virtually unique.
Songhai came together around the Spanish ilamenco group Ketama who. while playing a handiui ot London dates. heard Malian kora master Toumani Diabate (the youngest in many generations oi kora-playing Diabates betore him) play ata party. With a little encouragement irom musicologist Lucy Duran they got togetherto play. Ketama heard a whole new dimension added to their music. and Diabateiound that he had met thetirst musicians outside the sphere oitraditional kora-playing with whom he could successlully play.
The addition oi Danny Thompson. whose long and impressive CV reads like a history ot modern British folk music. and who has always been ‘on the iringes oi the jazz world', as well as working with talents as diverse as Kate Bush. Elvis Costello and Dagmar Krause. came about because Hannibal Records boss Joe Boyd thought him ‘the ideal geezer‘ tojoin them. The bassist iound
9pm. £5 (£2.50). Best oi the contemporary Irish folk bands. An equivalent of Capercaillie. with a tremendous lead female singer/fiddler and a hand full ofsensitive and driving intrumentalists. Strong Donegal connections. I The Whisky Priests Third Eye Centre. 10.30pm. £5 (£2.50). Wild boys from the North East of England. Frenetic folk. Are the Pogues sedate? I Yolocamba l-Ta Renfrew Ferry. 6pm. £5 (£2.50). Music from a respected. and much travelled Latin-American band ofexiles based in Mexico City and fusing the struggle for justice with the music of many cultures. I Ceilidh The Shed. 8pm. £3.50. Tickets: 553 2475 or 227 5511 (Ticket Centre). With the Gallivanters. song and dance band. I Tonight at Noon Halt Bar. Evening. Free. Furstenberg Folk Festival. Iilectronic music
their sound ‘astonishing'. recorded a lightning last session with them. and the resulting album. called simply ‘Songhai'. became
the second most popular
album of 1988 in 'Folk
Roots‘ magazine.
‘Besides all this “New World" hype that's going on
j — i mean. liind thatabit overthe top thatpeople
have always got totind reasons to play with each other— really. it's as basic as where i am now.’ he says. speaking trom the Shetland Festival. ‘There's
1 hundreds oi people here. all playing with each other.
; and you can‘t call itWorld
Music because it's all
Celtic. but it's just as much people getting together and playing just because they
; like each other. without all
this Alrican-Spanish lusion. The thing about Songhai is that you can't say it's
; Atrican-Spanish-Battersea lusion. It‘s really just like musicoltheheart.‘
As betits a busy working musician Thompson will
for Scots. I Eye Scream Gairdner‘s
Arms. 235 Paisley Road. nr Kingston Bridge. Evening. Free. Furstcnberg Folk
Festival. Folk flavoured.
. with raspberry.
IBlues'n'Trouble
'| Renfrew Ferry. Midnight.
£5 (£2.50).
SPECIAL EVENTS
I The Paper BoatCompany
Finnieston Crane.
2.30pm. Free. I file it Laldy by Fair Play Babbity Bowster. 11am. Free Street games and music. I The Manual Lopez Memorial Conierence Glasgow University Main Builing. 9.15am--5.30pm. £3.50. (£1.50). ‘1)eve1opment of the Environment in Latin America‘. I Latin-American Folk Night and Disco Iletherington House. University Gardens. 7.30pm. £3 (£1 .50). With Carlos Arredondo and
1 Kefafan Pallu who
also be playing irom Thursdayii to Sunday 14 with his own group. Whatever. with Tony Roberts. Bernie Holland and Paul Dunmall. ‘playing English music in 1989. but with great respectto cultural traditions. and all that bullshitl'. Saxophone and pipes player Roberts has been a collaborator oi Thompson‘s. on and oil. tor a quarter oi a century. and the two played together in a tondiy-remembered trio in the Sixties. with none other than John McLaughlin on guitar. A visit irom another old partner. John Martyn, is not out at the question. and Thompson jokes. with an unintelligible impersonation oi the guitarist in broad guttural Scots. that he‘s employed bouncers to keep him out. With John Martyn's help or without. the dates by both Songhai and Whatever are certain to be highlights ot Maytest‘s music programme. See one. or both. (Alastair Mahbott)
specialise in Andean folk music.
THEATRE
I 1000 Airplanes On The Root Theatre Royal. 7.30pm. £3.50—£12.5() (£2—£1()).See Wed 10. I American Bagpipes TramwayTheatre. 2.30pm & 7.30pm. £5 (£2.50). See Wed 10.
I The Beautltul Gemme RSAMD (‘handler Studio. 1pm.£4(£2). An away tie for Gallus Productions. who have been consolidating their position at Edinburgh's Netherbow Arts Centre with a football crazy play by Evening News critic Raymond Ross. lt'sa game of two halves. but
they'relmikingforan
early result by fielding Pélé and Shankley even before the players take to the pitch. er. stage.
IThe Guld Sisters Tron Theatre. 7.30pm. £5 (£2). See Fri 5.
I Don Juan RSAMD New Athenaeum Theatre. 2.3()pm& 7.30pm. £5
(£2.50). See Tue 9.
I The Pied Piper King‘s Theatre. 2pm & 7pm. £3—£8 (£2-£5.5()). See Tue 9.
I Potestad RSAMD Chandler Studio. 6pm. £5 (£2.50). See Thurs 11.
I Theatresports Renfrew Ferry. 1pm. £5 (£2.50). If your appetite for improvisation has still not been satisfied by the Comedy Store Players here is more of the same unpredictable kind of thing from Theatresports. I A Tale 0t Two Cities Citizen’s Theatre. 7.30pm. £5 (£1/Free). See Fri 5.
I The Secret Voice Crawfurd Theatre. 11am & 2pm. £1. See Mon 8.
I The Sweet Shop Owner Third Eye Centre 7.30pm. £5 (£2.50). See Thurs l I. I The Real World? Tron Theatre. 2.30pm. A Scots translation of Tremblay‘s play by Bill Findlay in a reading by the Tron Theatre company as part oftheir Mayfest Québécois season.
SUNDAY 14
CABARET/ COMEDY
I So You Think You’re Funny? Chandler Studio. RSAMD. 9pm. £5 (£2.50). lfyou think you are funny you should get in touch with Mayfest who will point you towards a series of comedy workshops from which the best newcomers will be selected and invited to perform tonight. lfyou know you know you are not funny. then just come along and see tomorrow‘s stars in the making.
I Danny Thompson's WhateverTron Theatre. 11.15pm. £1 .5t)/£2.5() (no cones). See Thurs 11.
CLASSICAL MUSIC
I The Wallace Collection City Hall. 7.30pm. £6 (£3). TrumpeterJohn Wallace and friends — who just happen to be top brass players— in music ofthe French Revolution.
DANCE
I Stephen Petronio Company Mitchell Theatre. 7pm. £5 (£2.50). Surely a Mayfest coup — one of New York's most exciting young choreographers unda World Premiere of his latest work. Fast and physical. this is a company which positively glow s with energy. Don't miss it! I New Programme and Community Dance Pertormance The Robin Anderson Theatre 7.30pm. £5 (£2.50).
FILM
I Commisserlasguw
Film Theatre. 8pm. Special preview of Soviet director Alexander Askoldov‘s recently unshelved masterpiece. now released after 22 years of suppression due to its uncomfortable depiction (for the authorities at any rate) of Jewish suffering and bravery during the Civil War ofthe 19205.
LITERARY EVENTS
I Polygon New Fiction Third Eye Centre. 2.30pm. £2 (£1 ). Readings by poet Frank Kruppner (A Very QuierSrreer). first-novel novelist James Meek (McI-‘arlane Bails The Sea) and Stan IIayton (Dark Age G losses).
I Time and Place Stevenson Hall. 3pm. £2 (£1.50). Discussion on the way television uses time and place. veering offinto discussion on the Government‘s proposed changes to television and its potential effect on broadcasting.
I Thirty Years Over A Hot Typewriter Stevenson Hall. 7pm. £2 (£1 .50). Author Ted Willis. probably best known for Dixon of Dock Green . spills the beans on the tortuous life ofwriting.
DUITE NICE REALLY
Julian Clary (betterknown as The Joan Collins Fan Club) is not. perhaps. the most obvious choice to co-present a prime-time television show with Mike Smith. ‘lt was quite a
novelty. really.‘ he says. ‘I didn't see myselt asthat
kind oi act.‘
There are those inthe BBC's corridors oi power who apparently agree. Trick
DrTreatwill notbe
returning to ourscreens. despite the popular appeal oi watching Mike Smith
l
squirm with embarrassment
atJulian's not-always- desperater-subtle
innuendo and sarcasm. ‘We .
got on really ratherwell.‘ reports Julian. who seems to admire Mike‘s endurineg squeaky-clean image. ‘Ne never swore in iront oi me.‘ he says. ‘so I think itmust
be genuine.’
A more appropriate slot
has however been chosen
tor Julian‘s next ilirtation
withthe camera. on
Chann‘l 4 at 10.30pm. The new show. provocatively entitled Sticky Moments. will be screened trom 26 September.
Sans Fannythe Wonder Dog (who hates travelling and will be staying with Julian's motherthroughout the 6-weektour)Julian
MUSIC
I Altan Renfrew Ferry. 9pm. £5 (£2.50). See Sat 13.
I Hearts and Minds The Mayfair. 9pm. £3. Highly-rated local group. being keenly watched over by predicters of the next big thing from Glasgow.
I Mae Macitenna and Allan Taylor The Shed. 8pm. £3.50. Tickets 553 2475 or 227 5511 (Ticket Centre). Two superb voices. both veteran performers. in the contemporary songwriting vein.
I Gordeanna McCulloch. Joe Aitken. lain Mclnnes and Stuart Morison Babbity Bowster. 8pm. £2. Concert organised by the Traditional Music and Song Association of Scotland. Great singers. fine piping and fiddling. I The Fisher Family Glasgow Arts Centre. BBC Radio Scotland recording. Admission free. Audience to be seated by 2.45pm. Archie. Ray and Cilia with Artie Trzise and Gary Coupland. Scotland‘s folk singing family.
I Yolo Camba l-To Renfrew Ferry. Midnight. £2.
I Tonite at Noon Renfrew Ferry. Midnight. £2.
%
Li.”
brings his new show The Mincing Machine to Glasgow's Pavilion Theatre next week. It's his lirst live work since January. andthe last minute preparations are a little wearing.
The Mincing Machine contains a mix oi old and new material. butthose readers who gasped at Julian's seminal hit single Leader Di The Pack should not be disappointed. The only cover version is Aretha Franklin's I SayA Little Prayer. but new songs include Drop Me LikeA Brick (an autobiographical number. Julian coniides sadly) and the grand iinale which gives the show its name.
Julian's Dorothy Parker-esque wit will be much in evidence loo. no doubt. but the sarcasm is only skin deep. ‘l don'twant to analyse it.‘ he says. ‘but do you need to ottset that with being quite nice underneath‘. (Andrew Burnet)
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'1 he List 5 h is May 1989 25
DIARY ' ‘7