The only record of Peter Gabriel I ever owned on vinyl was manufactured in the USSR and entitled simply «Питер Гейбриэл» (apparently, they weren’t so sure how to translate So to Russian, and the spelling «Гейбриэл» must have looked innocent back then).
I also had a curious double compilation album Greenpeace Breakthrough (1989) which included the So opener «Красный дождь» (Red Rain). I completely forgot that, in addition to Peter Gabriel (now as Питер Гэбриэл), it featured Sting, Grateful Dead (Грейтфул Дэд), Sade (Шаде) and Dire Straits (Дайер Стрейтс)!
About the same time, I first spotted Sledgehammer and Big Time music videos on 2×2, the first commercial TV channel in the USSR. Man I was impressed.
The covers of the So songs abound. I love Sledgehammer by Morgan James...
But nobody makes Peter Gabriel covers better than Gabriel himself, with a little help from his friends. My favourite So re-interpretations are Don’t Give Up as a duet with Tracy Chapman...
...and In Your Eyes with Youssou N’Dour, Angélique Kidjo and Soweto Gospel Choir.
Isn’t it curious how, 50 years later*, the only Mark IV studio album still manages to divide Purple fans. Is it, or is not, DP? Why it shouldn’t be DP? Come Taste the Band could (or should) be called pioneering for being the first album in Purple discography not to feature Ritchie Blackmore. It’s not Machine Head, and thanks for that. It did not spawn any stadium hits à laSmoke on the Water — ditto.
I myself didn’t quite dig CTTB upon first hearing, some time in early ’80s. The fact that I heard the atrocious Last Concert in Japan first must have contributed to my initial prejudice towards Tommy Bolin. But why? Poor Tommy couldn’t even play on Last Concert in Japan, not with two hands anyway. Forget it. On CTTB, Bolin shines through and through. Re-listening it now, I realise how ahead of the time this record was.
The title is, of course, a portmanteau of the famous Cabaret lyrics. My favourite tracks are Gettin’ Tighter, This Time Around/Owed to ‘G’ and You Keep On Moving. The 35th Anniversary Edition (why not 30th or 36th, I wonder?) does not provide much in terms of extra material. The second CD (2010 Kevin Shirley Remix) is a refreshing alternative worth listening to... before you go back to enjoy the “original” version, in this case, CD1 (i.e. 2010 Digital Remaster). If I owned a turntable, a space to house it, and £105 to spare, I’d go for the real thing, not least because of its gorgeous cover art.
*
Wikipedia says, in the same article, that the album was released on 10 October 1975 and on 7 November 1975. This cannot be right. According to the BPI database, Come Taste the Band was certified silver on 01.11.1975, six days before its release on 07.11.1975.
Meet Samson and Delilah, Caesar and Cleopatra, Joan of Arc, Ferdinand Magellan and Anne Frank — thanks to La Banda Sinfónica Municipal de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria conducted by Juan Roda Sapiña. The programme included:
11 July: Andrea Báez @ Casa de Colón, Calle Colón, 1
Canarian cantautora presenting songs from her forthcoming album.
15 July: El Afecto Ilustrado «Britannia. Inglaterra 1650» @ Casa de Colón
English chamber music of the 17th century interpreted by Adrián Linares (violin), Laura Díaz (violin), Melchor García (viola), Diego Pérez (cello) and Carlos Oramas (theorbo). The programme included:
Joven CanariJazz Big Band led by José Vera Bello, featuring vocalists María Zerpa, Gabriela Suárez, Vanesa Lemoine and Carlota Baldó, plus guest Rayko León on piano. Zuco 103 sounded interesting but as they started later than (I) expected, I didn’t stay for long.
It was great to see Patax once again — nine years later! — at Plaza de Santa Ana. As for Kennedy Administration: I loved the band sound but find the singer (named Kennedy) overly intrusive.
Vocal and instrumental compositions of French Baroque, as could have been heard at the royal court of Versailles. Performed by the teachers of the 3rd International Course of Early Music (III Curso Internacional de Música Antigua en Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 21—25 July 2025): Olalla Alemán (soprano), Patricia Robaina (harpsichord) and María Alejandra Saturno (viola da gamba). The programme included:
Later the same evening: Luis Sánchez (piano) with José Vera Bello (sax), Gaspar Nogales (double bass), Rubén Bueno (drums) and Kervin Barreto (trumpet).
These are a few things that we’ve seen in August. Sketches by Tamara.
10 August: LPA Groove Summer @ Auditorio José Antonio Ramos, Parque Doramas, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Nala Rami, a band led by Alan Imar Rodríguez Mitchell (vocals, sax, flute), accompanied by Carlos Artiles (bass), Kilian Barrera (drums), Marta Herrera “Holly” Hollingsworth (vocals), Luis Sánchez Guerra (keyboards) and Leonardo Segovia (guitar).
A new incarnation of D’Local Groove with Miqui Delgado (piano, keys), José Carlos Cejudo (bass), César Martel (trumpet), Luis Merino (guitar), Javier Montero (drums), Miguel Ramírez (sax, rap) and Alba Serrano (vocals).
Eddie Roberts & The Lucky Strokes featuring Ashley Galbraith (bass), Taylor Galbraith (drums), Shelby Kemp (guitar, lead vocals), Eddie Roberts (guitar, vocals) and Chris Spies (keyboards).
22 August: «Iberia» @ Centro Atlántico de Arte Moderno (CAAM), Calle de los Balcones, 9
Sergio Sánchez presented “electroacoustic concert with experimental sounds from social environments” of Iberian Peninsula. In my book, standing behind his laptop, even if pressing occasionally some keys, does not count as a concert, but well. There was no other visual support, so I was bored beyond belief. This performance was closing the cycle CAAMSonora of which I was blissfully unaware until now.
22 August: Jesús Garriga @ Museo Castillo de Mata, Calle Domingo Guerra del Río, 147
I couldn’t listen to «Iberia» for longer than 15 minutes and left for another concert (the real one) from the cycle «12 Noches de autor».
Whoever decided to organise the 32ndInternational Canarian Jazz Festival (30 June — 23 July 2023) and 27thTEMUDAS Fest (6—22 July 2023) at the same time, clearly didn’t think of people like me. Oh well. I tried to catch what I could.
6 July: Both Sides of Joni Mitchell and Rey & Syl @ Paraninfo de La Universidad de Las Palmas, Calle Juan de Quesada, 30, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
This double bill started with a jazzy tribute to Joni Mitchell by Alexis Cole (vocals) and Monika Herzig (piano) with Peter Kienle (guitar/bass), Peter Lehel (saxophone) and Cecilia Sanchietti (drums). I found the second part more engaging: a fantastic band featuring Dorrey Lin Lyles (vocals), Sylwester Ostrowski (tenor sax), Jakub Mizeracki (guitar), Michał Szkil (piano), Adam Tadel (double bass), Owen Hart Jr. (drums), Lucas Balbo (percussion), Mariana Martinez (dance) and Slawek Ostrowski (vocals).
7 July, 21:00: «Latas» @ Plaza Stagno
Three people and lots of cans: a show by D’Click from Zaragoza (see the gallery).
Bikes, circus and opera: a truly amazing performance by the Belgian company Theater Tol which “tells a love story about being together in dark days” (see the gallery).
13 July: «Juan de Miranda (1723—1805), un relato de ida y vuelta. Músicas para un genio canario» @ Casa de Colón, Calle Colón, 1
El Afecto Ilustrado immersed us in the music of the times of the Spanish Baroque painter Juan de Miranda (1723—1805), who happened to be born on this day 300 years ago in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Featuring Lucía Caihuela (mezzo-soprano), Adrián Linares (violin), Marta Ramírez (violin), Diego Pérez (cello),
Carlos Oramas (theorbo, baroque guitar), Juan Carlos de Mulder (theorbo) and Raquel García (organo). The programme of the concert included:
Another concert of the cycle Música Antigua en el Patio, this time of 17th- and 18th-century harpsichord music performed by Patricia Robaina. The programme included:
Six years after we went to see her trio in the Auditorio, a welcome re-encounter with Carmen Souza (vocals, guitar, paino), this time as a quartet with Deschanel Gordon (piano), Elias Kacomanolis (drums) and Theo Pascal (electric bass). Caramelo de Cuba seemed to be an interesting project but I didn’t stay beyond the first song.
Puertas al Sur 5tet mixes the traditional Afro-Latin rhythms rhythms such as bomba, cumbia, festejo and plena with modern jazz and electronica. I’d say too much electronica and loops for a quintet/sextet featuring Beatriz Alonso (voice, keys), Ariel Bringuez (sax, keys, percussion), Kumar Sublevao-Beat (MC, percussion), Luis Suarez (percussion, loops, samplers) and Miguel Manescau (guitar, bass guitar), plus a special guest Octavio Hernández (guitar). And yes, they better loose that rap. I enjoyed Ayom much more: not as much jazz as a catchy amalgam of Lusophone African and Atlantic with Mediterranean music styles. Featuring Jabu Morales (voice and percussion), Alberto Becucci (accordion), Timoteo Grignani and Walter Martins (percussion), Ricardo Quinteria (guitar) and Francesco Valente (bass).
23 July: Música en la Francia del siglo XVIII @ Gabinete Literario, Plaza de Cairasco, 1
This free concert was given by the teachers of the forthcoming International Course of Early Music (I Curso Internacional de Música Antigua en Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 24—27 July). I learned about this event thanks to Patricia Robaina. Performers: Paula Pérez (violin), Mariana Pimenta (soprano), Patricia Robaina (harpsichord) and Pablo Sosa (flute). The programme included Cantata Medée by Louis-Nicolas Clérambault; Le deuxième récréation de la musique by
Jean-Marie Leclair; and Cantata Le sommeil d’Ulisse by Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre.
And two photography exhibitions:
15 June — 28 July: «La Isla/El Agua» @ Centro Cultural CICCA, Alameda de Colón, 1
An exhibition of water-related works by Canarian photographer Tato Gonçalves.
1 December: Víctor Antón Group @ Rvbicón, Calle del Sol, 4, Santander
A modern jazz quartet featuring Naíma Acuña (drums), Víctor Antón (guitar), Javier Moreno (double bass) and Juan Sebastián Vázquez (piano), presenting their brand new album Centennial Light. Watch the full concert here.
3 December: Live de Objetos y Cassettes @ Eureka Santander, Calle San Simón, 8
Sarah Rasines used cassettes and mechanical objects in her live electronic music show. It lasted about 15 minutes, which was about as long as I was prepared to listen to it.
4 December: Jazz Jam @ Rvbicón
The base band of Nadir Ibarra (tenor sax), Rafa Santana (piano), Toño Gutiérrez (bass) and Marcial García (drums), plus students of the Conservatorio Ataulfo Argenta and the usual suspects Manuel Cavero (double bass), Adela San Miguel (drums), Rodri Irizábal (drums), Manuel San Emeterio (guitar), Pancho Arredondo (trumpet, vocals), Carlos Pizarro (guitar) and others.
7 December: The New World Band @ Rvbicón
A different line-up compared to that of 25 May, featuring Sean Clapis (guitar), Darío Guibert (double bass), Daniel Juárez (tenor sax) and Marc Pinyol (drums). Watch the full concert here.
11 December: La Mala Hierba @ Rvbicón
With Gema Martínez (vocals) and Nico Rodríguez (guitar); this happened to be the last concert I saw in Rvbicón this year. Watch the full concert here.
Back to Las Palmas, I was lucky to attend all eight — well, seven and a half — concerts from the cycle «Jazz entre muros» at Museo Castillo de Mata (Calle Domingo Guerra del Río, 147):
21 December, 20:00: Javier Infante and Jose Alberto Medina
Say no more.
21 December, 21:00: Pablo Queu
Energetic jazz-funk band featuring Alberto Díaz (trombone), Emilio Diena (drums), Ruyman Franco (bass guitar), Claudio Marrero (tenor sax) and Pablo Quintana Guillén (guitar).
22 December, 20:00: Chano Gil Quartett
Chano Gil (trumpet, flugelhorn), Yul Ballesteros (guitar), Paco Perera (double bass) and Javier Montero (drums).
22 December, 21:00: Trijazzic
Luis Merino (guitar), Esther Suárez (vocals), Miriam Fleitas (vocals), José Carlos Cejudo (bass guitar) and Juan Pérez (drums).
29 December, 20:00: Alba Serrano and Cristóbal Montesdeoca
Alba Serrano (vocals) and Cristóbal Montesdeoca (piano) performed songs from their new, mostly Lusophone, album Viagem.
29 December, 21:00: Alba Gil Aceytuno «Aguayro»
It started to rain during the first song; luckily, the concert was not interrupted. With Alba Gil Aceytuno (sax, flute, keys, vocals), Alberto Díaz (trombone), José Carlos Cejudo (bass guitar), Luis Merino (guitar) and Juan Pérez (drums).
30 December, 20:00: Takeo Takahashi
Would you believe it, by 19:45 it was full so I had to wait another half an hour till somebody left and they allowed me to enter. As a result, I only heard the last three songs. Kervin Barreto (trumpet, percussion), José Carlos Cejudo (bass guitar), Octavio Hernández (guitar), Santiago “Chago” Miranda (guitar) and Takeo Takahashi (drums, guitar), with a special guest Patricia Legardon (vocals).
30 December, 21:00: Bjazz «EnCanto de Mujer»
With Sara Brito (flute), Samantha de León (double bass), Judith Martín González (trumpet), Amelia Gutiérrez (drums), Moneiba Hidalgo (vocals) and Sun-Young Park (piano), performing standards by Nina Simone, Consuelo Velázquez, Aretha Franklin and others.
One dark, late autumn afternoon in 1982, I found myself in the Мелодия (Melodiya) record shop on Kalininski Prospekt. Long winding queues were filling up most of the space on the ground floor; the shop assistants were shouting to the cashiers to stop accepting payments for a certain item*. This item turned out to be David Tukhmanov’s latest album, Н.Л.О. (UFO). So it wasn’t meant to be, at least this time.
Undeterred by this setback, I headed to another section of the shop. And there it was, this LP of a band I never heard about, with a not particularly original name «Аллегро» (Allegro). Curiously enough, the English title, In This World, was taking a greater area of the sleeve than its Russian version, «В этом мире». The liner notes by Alexei Batashev (Алексей Баташёв)†, as always, were over the top; they still make me laugh in embarrassment:
Здесь и «хамелеоновское остинато» Хэнкока, и «апокалиптические скрипки» Махавишну, и инструментальные песни Гарбарека, и витиеватые унисоны Кориа, а то и какой-нибудь «сарказм» с прокофьевской чертовщинкой.
Needless to say, I couldn’t wait to get back home to listen to my new purchase — and it didn’t disappoint. The music was unlike anything I heard before. Besides, it was not that common for a jazz composition to take a whole side of a vinyl. It had grown to be one of my favourite albums of Soviet jazz and, without being acquainted with any work of the aforementioned Western musicians, one of my favourite jazz-rock records, ever. Also, the bass playing by Viktor Dvoskin became a true inspiration for me. Not that I’ve progressed much during the last 40 years, but still.
Listening to it now, I can hear the influences of all the artists listed by Batashev and more — but also, with more clarity, Allegro’s own unique sound. I’d love to have In This World on CD but it doesn’t look that it even exists.
In memory of Yuri Genbachev (12.10.1941 — 31.12.2017) and Alexei Batashev (7.09.1934 — 14.05.2021).
В этом мире
In This World
В этом мире. Джазовая композиция в 4-х частях (Н. Левиновский) 22:10
Легенда. Джазовая композиция в 3-х частях (Н. Левиновский) 20:53
In This World. Jazz composition in four movements (N. Levinovsky)
22:10
Legend. Jazz composition in three movements (N. Levinovsky) 20:53
Джаз-ансамбль «Аллегро»
Allegro Jazz Ensemble
Николай Левиновский, фортепиано, электропиано, синтезаторы «Минимуг» и ARP
Сергей Гурбелошвили, саксофоны
Виктор Двоскин, контрабас Юрий Генбачёв, ударные
Виктор Епанешников, барабаны
Nikolai Levinovsky: piano, electric piano, Minimoog and ARP
Sergey Gurbeloshvili: saxophones
Viktor Dvoskin: double bass
Yuri Genbachev: percussion
Viktor Yepaneshnikov: drums
*
For those unfamiliar with the Soviet-time triple queuing system: the first queue, to the counter to order the goods; then to the cashier’s desk to pay; the final one back to the counter to collect your purchase.
†
A couple of years later, I’d see Alexei Nikolaevich himself introducing the very Allegro, albeit with a different line-up, in a concert. Back then it would be difficult to go to any jazz performance in Moscow that would not be presented by him.
The base band of Javier San Miguel (sax), Carlos Pizarro (guitar), Diego Gutiérrez (drums), Manuel Cavero (double bass) with the guests Pancho Arredondo (trumpet), Nadir Ibarra (tenor sax), Adela San Miguel (drums), Rafa Santana (piano) and others.
A quartet featuring Nico Alvear (guitar), Iván Ceballos (electric bass), Marz García (drums) and Juan Saiz (sax, flute). Themes of Wayne Shorter, Freddie Hubbard and, closer to the end, a wonderful rendition of Nature Boy. Watch the full concert here.
There were shows at the Plaza del Ayuntamiento both Friday and Saturday; I only came to see these two Saturday evening:
Another “not-quite-flashmob” choreographed by Lucía Serrano, accompanied by Jose Hernández (cante), el toque de Antonio León (guitar) and y la percusión de Dani Peña (percussion).
Tablao by Compañía Paula Rodríguez, featuring the very Paula Rodríguez (baile), Jose Luis Medina (guitar), Roberto Lorente and Niño Ginés (cante).
18 November: Luna Sefardita @ Salón de Actos E.T.S. de Náutica de la Universidad de Cantabria, Calle Gamazo, 1
Ana Alcaide (vocals, nyckelharpa), Bill Cooley (percussion) and Rainer Seiferth (guitars).
What I saw during my (way too) short holidays in Valencia:
Four exhibitions at Museu Valencià de la Il·lustració i de la Modernitat (MuVIM), Carrer de Quevedo, 10, Valencia:
A fascinating exhibition covering various aspects of design applied to health, from medical illustration and pills to CoVID-19 propaganda and sex toys.
Consultorio de Elena Francis was a Spanish radio programme broadcast between 1947 and 1984. In spite of her utter non-existence, the fictitious agony aunt Elena Francis was tremendously popular: every month, women from all over Spain were sending her some 20,000 letters. Invariably, Ms. Francis recommended patience and submission. From 1966 and till the programme’s demise, it was actually a man, one Juan Soto Viñolo, who single-handedly dispatched those advices to anxious radio listeners. The booklet of the exhibition (in Valencian and Spanish) is available here.
A sample of the creative process of Joan Martí (1946—2004), the author of Els Guardians del Pont (“The Guardians of the Bridge”) of the Pont del Regne de València.
A three-dimensional recreation of the Father Tomás Vicente Tosca’s map of Valencia (1704). The detailed description available as a PDF file in Valencian, Spanish and English.
Four exhibitions at Centre Cultural La Nau, Carrer de la Universitat, 2:
No tan invisibles: Dones en la impremta Valenciana. Segles XVI al XXI.
Documenting the role of women in Valencian printing industry from 16th centrury till now.
The drawings by Manuel Sanchis i Guarner for his fundamental book La Ciutat de València. Síntesi d’història i geografia urbana (1972), none of which, however, made it into the final edition.
The only concert I attended in Valencia had to be this one! Some new songs and old favourites that I first heard (and fell in love with) five years ago. Featuring Oliver Baroni (double bass, vocals), Emanuela Hutter (vocals, guitar), Duncan James (lead guitar, baritone guitar, vocals) and Sylvain Petite (drums).
Back to Santander and counting the days to go home.
In this one-man show, QARA was presenting his debut album, Planet Mattress.
7—28 August: Profundidad @ Ermita de San Ibón, Somo
The exhibition of paintings by Pedro Calderón in a unique setting.
10 August: Jaime Velasco Band Canciones, poemas y otros viajes @ Rvbicón
Jaime Velasco (guitar, vocals), María Villanueva (guitar, vocals), Nacho Miralles (drums, percussion) and Carlos Gutiérrez (bass guitar). Watch the full concert here.
19 August: Marinah @ Festival de las Naciones, Sardinero
21 August: Pájaros de niebla: cantando a José Hierro @ Rvbicón
Álvaro Fombellida (guitar, vocals). Watch the full concert here.
29 August: Los Malinches @ Rock Beer The New, Calle Peñas Redondas, 15
A potent mix of garage, psychedelia and Latin rock.
31 August: Organ Grinder Trío @ Rvbicón
With Nico Andino (trumpet), Pier Bruera (drums) and David Cid (organ). A great show and a perfect way to conclude the last day of summer. Watch the full concert here.
![LE G. BISTAKI, «BAÏNA [NA]»](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53046916796_ab35cbbe05_w.jpg)
