MUSIC preview
ROCK Sebadoh Edinburgh: Jaffa Cake, Sun 15 Nov.
For those about to rock, we warn you that come the year 2020 you may be the subject of a slavering twenty page retrospective feature in Mojo magazine. So, are everyone’s favourite, American, lo-fidelity wallflowers Sebadoh going to be there at a future retro love-in?
’1 really want an audience to decide that,’ says frontman Lou Barlow. ’The thing that I like about Black Sabbath or Led Zeppelin is that they were hated in their time. People thought they were gross, but they totally connected with the American audience.’
'I love the way everything just . . . I don't know. I would like to, erm, at some point, it’s undeniable!’
Interview meltdown. For a man with a reputation for being economical with words when faced with an interview, Lou is churning out answers faster than he or The List's tape recorder can handle. Fortunately, he recovers the plot when your correspondent tentatively suggests that there might be something, well, a little Spinal Tap about the way the 'Doh have been shedding drummers of late.
’Absolutely not!‘ he spits. A little hurt. ’None of our drummers are drummers.’
No, the band have always prided themselves on being a collective, sharing the song-writing credits and
Sebadoh: not big on sunny beachwear
swapping instruments during gigs. But Russ Pollard has replaced Bob Fay who had himself been brought in as a substitute sticks man. Was it an amicable split?
’Not really. Bob was a great friend of ours but we didn't like his drumming. It's hard to tell anybody they’re not good enough when you don’t feel good enough yourself.’
A tough call. Let's change the subject. Lou, now you’re moved from your native Boston to the sunshine state, can we expect Sebadoh to be sporting beach wear and singing ’Californian Girls' on their forthcoming, as yet unnamed, new album?
'Absolutely not!’ he says, chuckling. ’No, being in LA reminds me of what time I live in. The things l’m inspired by are a little scary and it’s a kinda scary city. You need to find a little bit of solace in all the madness and LA's pretty mad.
’I think a lot of people might really hate the new record because they won’t know what to make of it. It's a lot heavier. We were listening to a lot of English psychedelia like The Creation. Playing the last album, we thought, oh god, this is so light, so wimpy.’
So, no more Mr Nice Guys and hello ass-kicking rock monsters? Probably not but they should watch out for that Mojo special anyway. (Rodger Evans) $ Sebadoh p/ay at the jaffaCa/ce, Edinburgh, Sun 15 Nov Their new LP wi/l be out on Domino Records early next year.
CLASSICAL
Scottish Chamber Orchestra: looking to the future
concert platform and to devote itself to givmg concert performances ’It did a Wide range of repertoire,‘ explains McEwan, establishing links ‘Nllll major conductors, artists and composers When the Queen's Hail opened in 1979 it became the regular Edinburgh venue, With the Theatre Royal, and more recently the City Hall, in Glasgow and the Concert Hall in Aberdeen making our iegulai' (ll( Uit.'
The SCO has always had a reputation
, E
Scottish Chamber Orchestra
Glasgow: City Hall, Fri 6 Nov; Edinburgh: Queen’s Hall, Thu 5 Nov.
Although it may seem that Scotland has never been Without its very own and much cherished Scottish Chamber Orchestra, the orchestra is a mere 25 years old and celebrates its special birthday throughout the 1998/99 season.
Highlights include charismatic conductor Joseph Swensen, whose sensational relationship with the orchestra has been renewed for a
48 THE LIST 5-19 Nov 1998
further three years, in the complete cycle of the Beethoven symphonies and piano concertos. Commissions, always a strong feature, are also to the fore, this time with an international angle as the orchestra collaborates with the Swedish Chamber Orchestra to share two composers-in-iesidence.
At the helm is Managing Director, Roy McEwan. ’As far as I understand,’ he says, 'the orchestra eXisted in some form before 1974, but as a pool of freelance players who would play for Scottish Opera, under the auspices of the Scottish Philharmonic Society'
It was, however, in 1974 that the orchestra first started to appear on the
for consistently high playing standards, both at home and abroad This season tours are planned for Innsbruck, Vienna and Bratislava followed by the first Visit in seven years to the US for three weeks in Atlanta, the mid-West, Philadelphia and New York ’The orchestra has always had a sense of adventure about it,‘ says McEwan 'ln the 805 many recordings were made, the educational programme \."Vlll(ll is integral to our work was expanded, The 90s have seen a period of maturing, but still With a Spirit of excuement. As to the future, all we can be Sure of is' that it is not going to he dull.’ (Carol Main)
JAZZ
The Jazz Crusaders Edinburgh: Cafe Graffiti, Fri 13 Nov. Joyce
Edinbur h: Cafe Graffiti, Sat 7 Nov. lt's par y-time With a vengeance at Graffiti, with two major birthday celebrations in successive weeks, featuring bigger than usual names as the guest artists. Big Be'at's fifth Birthday Party (Sat 7 Nov) is first up, with the sensuous Brazilian singer Joyce making her Scottish debut, supported by DJs Simon Hodge and Stuart Bennett.
Midnight Blue then celebrates its first anniversary the following Friday (13 Nov), and has hooked an even bigger fish to mark the occasion. The MB Players will leave the stage to The Jazz Crusaders, still led by two of their founding members, Wayne Henderson (trombone) and Wilton Felder (saxophone), with DJ Tinku on the decks
The band are a jazz-funk institution, but their Visits to Scotland in recent years have demonstrated that if they have little new to add to a well- established formula, they still know how to crank up a serious party. They dropped the 'Jazz’ tag from their name for while when it seemed commerCially expedient to do so, but restored it in the current decade.
The band was originally formed by drummer Stix Hopper in Texas as the Modern Jazz Sextet in the late 505, and played acoustic jazz until the possibilities of an electric crossover band redirected their energies, with Joe Sample's keyboards forming an integral part of the new, funkier formula. According to Wayne Henderson, though, the funk had been there all along.
’Back in Texas the music we played
I was based on gospel, blues, R & B and
country mUSlC as well as jazz,’ notes Henderson. 'That music was all around us when we were kids growmg up on the gulf coast, and we absorbed that stuff like eating food. Some people say that The Jazz Crusaders became a funk band, but the fact is, funk is what we did all the time. Even when we were doing quite technical jazz things, or a pop song like "Eleanor Rigby" by The Beatles, it still had that Texas-Lomsiana feel.’ (Kenny Mathieson)
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Joyce the voice from Brazil