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John Jorgenson – 1st December 2006
Talk about value for money! Ł15, and he played till almost midnight! And the beer was reasonably priced – who could ask for anything more? And in the same week that I saw Tommy Emmanuel at Pacific Road! I’m running out of exclamation marks!
John Jorgenson, who else, was a sensation at Haig House British Legion in Garston last Friday, 1 December. A good venue, easy access, comfortable, spacious and welcoming, provided a decent-sized stage for JJ to perform on, after a warm-up session from a below par, but still entertaining Rockitt.
JJ’s opener we’d all heard before but still love to hear – a version of the Beatles’ (George Harrison’s actually) “Within you and without you” played on a reverse head-stock Fender utilising lots of swirly effects during which the bass player and drummer watched him like hawks to get their timing absolutely perfect, which they did. It was a marvellous piece of imagination in the arrangement to say nothing of the virtuoso guitar skill that is JJ’s trademark, ably backed by the drumming of Jason Smith, and the bass playing of Alan Thomson.
Then out came the spangly Telecaster and from then on I lost count of the songs they actually played, but it was, as we used to say, fab! Highlights included Jeff Ross’s superb and moving version of the Badfinger song “The Name of the Game”; the Luxemburger twins arriving steamy from an 8 hour journey up the Motorways of Olde Englande on a Friday afternoon to play Peter Gunn and back JJ’s version of him as a 14-year old girl (yes, that’s what I said); the wonderful Gypsy jazz material; the climax of the show, a version of Orange Blossom Special that includes musical references to about a dozen other songs, before disappearing in a blur of pace and energy, and of course the reprise, the Hippy Hippy Shake, with Ralph on stage to help out.
And it was just about midnight when we left, dazed and amazed and pleased to have been there. Even the boozy gatecrashers at the back couldn’t believe what they’d heard. Frank Donovan, who sets these shows up, needs to feel proud of what he’s achieved. He’s brought an internationally acclaimed guitarist/singer to Wavertree, Childwall and Garston – not even the Culture Company have been able to do that!
Thanks a lot, Frank, and thanks too to JJ, and to all of us who were there to support and enjoy.