Brighton's best...
 |
Harold Budd...
review As a teenager, my lovestruck, lovingly crafted compilation tapes for would-be suitresses would rarely come without a Harold Budd track nestled between the Cocteau Twins, Dead Can Dance and other 4AD sweet melancholia - something from Budd's 'The White Arcades', or his Brian Eno collaboration 'The Pearl' perhaps, and without fail several tracks from his outstanding Cocteau Twins collaboration 'The Moon and the Melodies'.I came to Harold Budd's work via that Cocteau Twins connection, lacking a historical sense of Budd as an ambient pioneer in the Eno mould. Tonight's programme notes tell us that Harold Budd 'helped deliver a generation from post punk' and 'his influence has helped many of us grow up'. But I liked him simply because he made beautiful music. In 2004 Harold Budd announced his retirement from music. For this, his farewell concert, Budd invited musicians including the Balanescu Quartet, Steve Jansen (Japan), Robin Guthrie (Cocteau Twins), Steve Cobby (Fila Brazillia) and Jah Wobble along to celebrate his career. The evening began with some taut, affecting string pieces from the Balanescu Quartet, before Budd settled down behind the piano to ripples of excitement, only his silvery mop of hair visible. an ambient pioneer For an hour Budd journeyed through pieces like 'Nove Alberi' from 'Luxa' and 'How Vacantly You Stare At Me' from final album 'Avalon Sutra', accompanied at different points by Theo Travis, Bill Nelson and John Foxx. Hoping for the plaintive beauty of 'The White Arcades, these sparse, minimalist choices were disappointing. I found myself shifting restlessly, appeased only by Russell Mills' remarkable lighting, his intense washes of colour like giant undulating Howard Hodgkin paintings. Steve Jansen opened the second half with gong solo 'Lirio'. “I could do that!" remarked my companion, wriggling in her seat as Jansen tapped and echoed his way earnestly around the giant sphere. Forming the final hour or so, the epic 'Calligraphy' promised a reprieve in the form of a collective work from Budd, Guthrie, Wobble et al. Looking surprisingly young and svelte, Robin Guthrie's distinctive, sonorous guitar kicked in and for a moment we transcended the serious, contemplative mood for Guthrie's trademark sonic euphoria. Cocteau Twins vocalist Liz Fraser's absence was however achingly apparent, and shortly Bill Nelson added somewhat more pedestrian guitars to Guthrie's, quelling the short-lived bliss. Alexander Balanescu, Jah Wobble, Steve Cobby, Theo Travis, Steve Jansen and of course Harold Budd all added their signature to 'Calligraphy'. Though there were glimpses into the richness of the musicians' individual colours, the collective result was a muddied palette that risked becoming an extended jazz-jam, a musical circle jerk. A disappointing swansong for me then. Budd's grown up and so have I - those compilations are on CD-Rs now.
about Brighton Dome
|
   
...leave a yum! on a photo of someone you've taken a shine to to let them know you care! How to Yum!
|
Sea Spray
