13 September 2011

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The 1st half of the Lean Left tour is finished in Bristol, another double bill with another band with another strange name, this time, “Hunting Lodged.” Concert organized by Qujunction, the same folks who put together the Ex & Brass Unbound tour in the UK during February of 2010; very nice to see them again. Sometimes when a group has a concert before a couple of days off during a tour the focus on the music can get lost- people distracted by the idea of a break from the grind of the road, looking forward to being home (when possible), seeing friends and family, etc.- thankfully this didn’t happen in Bristol. The band played a loose, free wheeling buy in usa set, very much enjoying the work of an excellent soundman and the presence of a fine audience. The next day wasn’t really “off,” Paal headed to Oslo and the rest of the quartet traveled back to Amsterdam, quite tired. On the 15th I wandered around Amsterdam, found Concerto and picked up some Thelonious Monk and Soul albums, and checked out FOAM, which often has interesting photo exhibits but in this case mounted, “Still/Life: Contemporary Dutch Photography,” a show that provided another nail in the coffin for my interest in most current art. Luckily, the smaller exhibit of work by Brazilian photographer, Breno Rotatori, also contemporary, was much more interesting. Lean Left in action with Ab Baars: