A Tsunami of Black Porter and a Skip Full of Blaas

Thanks to John Cloono for this colourful report on the Booze Blaas and Banter. I am proud to have been included on the bill for this annual event

Photos Ciarán Conneely

The crackling of sizzling sausages blended with the pleasant aroma from Jack Molloy's spicy breakfast beverages as early house punters gathered around the side door of Jordan's Pub, at Waterford's Quay's on Saturday 25th. last for the 2014 Booze,Blaas N' Banter gig.  A wisp of light white smoke rose gently from Jordan's beer garden,where Peter and Noel Atkins prepared the culinary delights which awaited the restless,gathering crowd.  City gulls crossed from the river to view the proceedings as other avian scavengers flew in and watched for any easy pickings, from atop Greyfrairs and The French Church.

Within seconds of the doors opening at exactly 9am, pints were being pulled and corks softened on large bottles from the shelf and cooler. Balls of white flour from Michael and Dermot Walsh's bakehouse caressed the results of the Atkins brothers labours, but now embellished with a wonderfully flavoured aromatic sauce, specially blended by Waterford's answer to the ' Roux Brothers ' or Hairy Bikers.  These warm blaas  and their savoury fillings, which passed around the bar, were quickly consumed by the hungry early morning revellers, some who claimed to have been on half rations since the previous Thursday. Pat Galvin on box and Tom Casey on banjo are quickly into their stride as the crowd settle in for a few hours of Booze,Blaas N' Banter.

By 9.30am local journalist, renaissance man and MC for the event, Ciaran Murphy,formally gets proceedings under way. Those in attendance were regaled with stories of Olde Waterford, Redmondism and Ballybricken,The Glass Factory, The Larkin Tapestry,  The Clyde Shipping Co. River Craft and Navigation as well as the Fenor Melee and 1922-1923 Farm Labourers Strike.  Dermot Power sang ' The Black Leg Miner ' docker, Dyksie Walsh gave us ' Don't Forget Your Shovel' and other Christy Moore songs. Paul Dillon played guitar and elevated us to an other dimension, whilst Cathy Desmond played Lilly Marlane and 'She through the Fair' on a magic fiddle.  Mathew Roche recited Oliver Goldsmith and Johnathan Swift whilst Louis Quinlan read from his punk poet repertoire.  Marcus and Michael Power covered anti-war and love poems and in a rip-roaring, Agi-Prop critique of Kenny's Government, Joan Burton and water tax, Konor Halpin, had the crowd roaring ' Can't Pay,Won't Pay - Water Charges, No Way ', a cacophony of sound that surely echoed all the way to the Fine Gael offices on Ballybricken.

By One O'clock,a fleet of taxi's were ferrying some of the early revellers home to their beds,whilst hardier souls retreated to the beer garden, where an informal session had started. All through the morning an overflowing crowd enjoyed their drinks and Baccy,in the late Autumn sun in front of the Central Hall, in a scene reminiscent of Hogarth's Gin Lane.  Andy Jordan agreed with the crowd that "this was the best Booze,Blaas N' Banter to date" and that apart from Blaas "there was a tsunami of black porter consumed".

The event was organised by the Waterford Council of Trade Unions as part of the Imagine Festival. The WCTU wish to thank all the readers and performers as well as all who contributed to insuring the event was a success.

Ends.

JC, for the organising committee.

John Power,has pics. johnpowerphotography@gmail.com

Related post  Report on Booze Blaas Banter http://cathydesmond.blogspot.ie/2012/10/boozeblaas-banter-of-saturday-morning.html

listen to ‘Catherine Foley reads her Sunday Miscellany piece about growing up in Waterford’ on audioBoom

Top Brass for Waterford1100

As readers of this blog will be aware, I have been fortunate to attend many remarkable events, some good and some superb and have attempted to describe most of them, as best I can.  I am not often stuck for words but  I feel at a loss to know what to say about last night. Leaving the Cathedral in Barronstrand Street Waterford, tingling all  over from the musical perfection presented by the ensemble and the palpable sense of occasion, just one problem niggled. Attempt to record it in mere words I must-but just how to do justice to the ladies and gentlemen of the Black Dyke Band.

Expectations were high. Would they live up to the hyperbole. Perhaps there was an element of exaggeration in the accounts?  Not a bit. No one in the 800 strong audience can have been in any doubt as to why Black Dyke  are described as the best brass band in the world. This was Olympian gold medal perfection in silver and brass performance.

Apart from the jaw dropping technical virtuosity, the impossible pianissimos, the shimmering warmth of the timbre, the  thrilling climaxes, we loved the choreography with the ensemble slickly reforming to suit each  number and a bit of  big band shaping in lighter numbers. Soloists emerged at the front to do their bit before being reabsorbed in the brass fold. The stereo effect of a group located in the organ loft engulfed us further in rich sonority.

This is an ensemble of soloists. How warm and pleading was Katrina Marzello's baritone solo in the Mario Lanza number, Be My Love. Richard Marshall conjured up a pirouetting Miss Blue Bonnet on cornet. Still a teenager, Jonathan Bates excelled in a tenor horn solo. In a change to the programme, Christopher Binns presented a fresh jazzy version of Danny Boy. the Work by Karl Jenkins and the extraordinary Triumph of Time by Peter Graham represented the 20th century in thrilling and unfamiliar new work. The biggest cheers were reserved for Cork man Gary Curtin who did impossible things on his euphonium. Carnival of Venus was full of technical fireworks but it was the baritone duo in encore piece, Highland Cathedral with twin snare drummers  that will live in my memory. Mere words added another layer in a narrative on the band's history in Paul Lovatt-Cooper's Immortal. Amid the bravura, Crimond featuring the hymn, The Lord's My Shepherd resonated perfectly  with the cathedral setting.

Despite the professionalism of  playing standard, there was a sense of the amateur in the best sense of the word,  in the sheer joy and exuberance. The band beamed at us and at each other. Everyone from Musical director Nicholas Childs down throughout the ranks seemed to be having thoroughly marvellous time. I can report that in true amateur spirit, there was no roadie crew and each member picked up their own stands and packerd up the van just like an ordinary village band  .

Just to show my critical faculties are working, I note that the programme carried listing and biographies but was  light on programme notes on the pieces. It would have been good to read some background on the unfamiliar pieces.

As Caroline Senior, director of Garter Lane Arts Centre said in her introduction this was a fitting way to celebrate Waterford 1100. We say thank you to Liam Daly and Symphony Club of Waterford, Waterford Cathedral  and Imagine Festival Waterford for presenting such a wonderful evening in one of our most historic churches. Bravo tutti!.

Imagine: The First Day

Day One Roundup

Pop Up Exhib. St Olaf's Hall photo Paul Dower

Art to Art: The arts fest proceedings set off gently with a pop up art exhibition at St Olaf's Hall from a group of lady artists. We like any event that starts with a glass of bubbly and nibbles. The task of quick and easy displaying of work by the seven lady artists was solved by erecting a few temporary railings in the lofty space with a wonderful stained glass window. We liked Lisa Byrne's Collection of Perspectives, a set of portraits of heads reminiscent of Louis le Brocquy.





Later at Greyfriars Gallery, there was a buzz of anticipation in to a packed municipal gallery  for the opening of a Patrick Morrison Retrospective, the headline exhibition of the Visual Art strand of the festival.

Anja Poche Lipfert

Over at City Hall, Camerata Kilkenny presented a smashing evening of baroque music by JS Bach. with guest soprano German soprano Anja Poche Lipfert and flautist Rachel Beckett. You can read the Irish Examiner review here    Great to see a good house in for this concert in the Waterford Music series. And in keeping with the festive spirit, there were canapés at the interval. Next event features the Con Tempo with accordionist Dermot Dunne on 30th October.

We caught the end of the world music double bill at Garter Lane. There was an alpine flavour to
Claudia Schwab's yodeling vocals melded with Eastern drones, quite a head swaying  fusion .  A Muriel Anderson and her surreal looking harp guitar joined Claudia and trio for a final waltz.

The Hard Ground 

All the way from Cork, The Hard Ground a five piece band from Cork provided the edgiest vibe of the day. Pat Carey had an impressive presence as front man and we loved the mellow duets with keyboard player Marlene Enright.  The bijou proportions of the Hall combined with the front row sofas (get in early to nab one)  made this experience pleasantly intense,  like watching late night Jools from the comfort of your living room on a very large screen. Close enough to engage in a little banter with the band if so inclined.  Next gigs at the venue  include Katakana and punk poet, Jinx Lennon. Full details here www.centralarts.ie

The Imagine Arts Festival continues until 26th October . Details here www.imagineartsfestival.com.

Free Imagine : Round up of the Best of Free Events

'The mix is complemented by the festival’s other distinguishing strand; its genuineness as a community festival, backed by many free events'  Kevin O Sullivan Irish Times  at Imagine Launch 2014

Call me a cheapskate but one of the things I love about Waterford Imagine Festival and indeed Spraoi, the street festival extravaganza is their accessibility and their 'arts for all' inclusiveness. With many free events, lack of funds should not be a stumbling block to firing your Imagination. Here is a roundup of the best free, no strings attached events you can enjoy at this year's Imagine Arts Festival.  

** Highlight Booze Blaas and Banter: Jordan's Bar Sat 25th 9am -12pm One of my personal favourite  events of the year. Who could forget Catherine Foley recalling the visit of Dan Shanahan to deliver oil and the trip down memory lane as everyone joined in with her evocation of the childhood skipping games. Teena O Connor reading from her father's memoir of fighting in the Spanish Civil brought a lump to everyone's throat. John Molloy's memoirs of his life as a merchant seaman are just wonderful. I am proud to have been invited to add to the musical interludes to the banter. I am working on some melodies with a World War 1 theme for this year's event.

listen to ‘Catherine Foley reads her Sunday Miscellany piece about growing up in Waterford’ on audioBoom

Author John McKenna reads from his 5th novel Joseph Saturday 18th Oct 3pm Greyfriars Gallery
Ernest Shackleton Illustrated Talk by Michael Smith. Tuesday 21st Oct 7.30pm Central Library

Festival Heads Mark Graham: Geoffs Bar Tues 23rd 6.30pm Irelands' favourite festival junkie and blogger Mark Graham may have curtailed his journalistic activities but Mark will be at Imagine displaying his splendid photographs taken on his festival odyssey at Geoff's Bar. I dare say we will hear him read in his own inimitable voice. Well I am hoping we do. How good was it to hear those Deise dulcet tones on the national airwaves from time to time.


Cat Dowling and Band .The Vic: Sat 25th 11pm Not familiar with this artist but by all accounts she has a terrific voice and writes great stuff. You can hear her at Victoria House Tramore, one of Tramore's oldest and most popular pubs in a late night gig


WIT Book Fair New Used and Antiquarian Books Sat 18th 

Trad Festival Club Dooley's Hotel As part of The John Dwyer Festival Midnight -2am Fri Sat 17/18th Oct

History and Heritage Weekend: Continuing on where Booze Blaas 'n Banter left off, there are two afternoons of history talks, Sat and Sun, at St Patrick's Gateway Centre.  This year, the theme is Waterford's contribution to the Great War. Among the contributors will be Emmet O Connor (Sat 2.00pm)   and the series is put together by James Doherty who will present images of Waterford during the war on Sunday .

Parade of Light LET THERE BE LIGHT. Here's hoping the thunder and lightening will blow over for the very first Parade of Light at Imagine. Staring at the Bull Post Ballybricken at 6pm, hildren bearing willow lanterns will make their way to the Park. It promises to be dee'light' ful.

Lots of art exhibitions all over the place including Gerald Scarfe at Port Building and Patrick Morrison restrospective at Greyfriars Gallery  will be  a must see for art buffs.



Drama: Hurrah for Jim Nolan who is pivotal in making Waterford a beacon for theatre in Ireland We mourn the loss of our regional theatre company, Red Kettle but as director Ollie Bresin put it ,
very important for a city to tell it's own stories and Jim does it more eloquently and dramatically than most. We heard Jamie Beamish read from his play Dreamland at the launch. Jim Nolan launches the print version on Fri 17th at 6.30pm at The Book Centre

WIT Theatre Studies students present a reading by candlelight of a new play by Demot Curraoin Good Shepherd Chapel 7.30 pm Thurs 23rd Oct

 Ballybricken Documentary  by Mark Power 5pm Sun St Patrick's Church

Health Symposium Mad Men  Musician, Dylan Tighe and writer, Michael Harding discuss mental health with chairman Dr Mark Rowe of Prescription for Happiness seminars St Patrick's Church  4pm
 Weds 22 Oct

ALL EVENTS ARE FREE

Imagine: Gateway to Georgian Splendour

St. Patrick’s United Church, Patrick’s Street, Waterford, is an ecumenical congregation under Methodist care. The current 300-year-old heritage building, built in 1727 AD, is located just inside the medieval city wall on a site that dates back to the twelfth century. One of the pleasures of the Imagine launch was an opportunity to see interior beautifully restored to gleaming Georgian splendour.


There are several events scheduled for St Patricks's as part of Imagine Festival.


In order of appearance Full details on brochure here


Film and Feast: Sat 18th 7pm: Film Io Sono l'Amore ; screening with chef Dario Cavalieri dishing up food to match the Italian theme


Ballybricken Documentary 5pm Sunday 19th: People of the area recall their memories in this doc by Mark Power


Mad Men Double Bill Weds 22nd Oct Afternoon symposium with Irish Times columnist, Michael Harding and musician Dylan Tighe followed by evening of storytelling and song 4pm and 8pm


Tim Erikensen Friday 24th 8pm: Highly regarded on the American folk scene, Tim Eriksen was the music consultant on Cold Mountain.


Lee Ranaldo : Sat 25th 9pm Best known as the guitarist with seminal alternative rock group, Sonic Youth. One of just two Irish appearances.


History and Heritage Weekend Sat and Sun 24 and 25th 2-5pm: There seems to be a great appetite in Waterford for insights into our past and talks at the Museum and at local history societies are reporting full houses. The format will be 40 min talks around the theme of the Great War with Q&A Speakers include Emmet O Connor and James Doherty who curates the weekend programme


There are plans to develop the whole site as a community centre to serve the many needs of Waterford inner city. The St. Patrick’s Gateway Centre Ltd is a charitable company established to oversee this new initiative.

Fire Your Imagination at Imagine 2014

Imagine Arts Festival Waterford  16-26th October




Imagine Arts Festival  is almost upon us and there is a just a fortnight or so to peruse the programme and savour the anticipation of the impressive range of events lined up for this eclectic arts festival.  Here is my pick of the highlights of the  first three days.
Imagine 2014

Gary Curtin Euphonium

Black Dyke Band: Saturday 18th Oct Cathedral Barronstrand St 
The tradition  of Brass Bands associated with the industrial heartland of the North of England may have waned with the closure of the mines and cessation of the mills but some of the very best brass bands in the world are still found in this corner of England . Roy Keane is not the only Mayfield man to be excelling in Manchester arenas Embedded in The Black Dyke Band is Gary Curtin, a virtuoso euphonium  player from Cork.  The draw of hearing one of their own in

the only Irish appearance of the Black Dyke Band has led to a run on tickets and a move to a larger venue. Expect an influx of buses bearing Leeside brass fans to descend on the Cathedral on Saturday.
I asked Liam Daly, administrator of SCOW Symphony Club of Waterford,  what is so special about Curtin. "An amazingly talented musical and technically versatile musician to have come from the Banks of the Lee, to have studied at the Cork School of Music, to grace the stages of some of the greatest concert halls in Europe,and to hold the Solo Euphonium position with with one of the worlds greatest Brass Bands is a testament to his talent"   

Anja Poche Lipfert with Camerata Kilkenny  Thursday 16th Oct

Listeners to Gloria, RTE's sacred music programme will have heard Tim Thurston wax lyrical about the Calmus Ensemble from Leipzig who performed at the Borris River Arts Festival recently.  Anja Poche Lipfert, soprano with the ensemble returns to perform with the Kilkenny based Baroque ensemble led by Malcolm Proud at the harpsichord. The concert is part of the Waterford Music series and takes place in the elegant Georgian Large Room at City Hall . The programme will feature music by JS Bach. Waterford Music work hard to bring a regular offering of attractive  chamber music  to Waterford despite having their funding slashed . You can check out the full schedule for the Waterford Music series here 

Jim Nolan Book Launch Book Centre Friday 17th Oct. 6.30pm
The Gallery Press launch Dreamland by Waterford playwright Jim Nolan at The Book Centre.

Art Exhibition.
Gerard Scarfe's political cartoons are on view in The Waterford Port building on O Connell St from 7.00pm Sat 17th October

Lots more to choose from with two World Music ensembles at Garter Lane on Thurday and one man theatre presentations at Theatre Royal and Central Hall. The John Dwyer Trad Weekend will be in full swing with sessions all over the Quay. Legendary box player , Mairtin O Connor is headlining the bill on Saturday night at Dooley's Hotel.




John Adams in Waterford  Modern music buffs may like to note that Io Sone l'Amore, the film scheduled for Film and Feast evening on Sat 18th features a score by modern minimalist composer John Adams. I think I might have warmed to Nixon in China if it came with some lovely Chinese grub.

Sunday Roundup from the South East

It has been a hectic week on the arts scene in the South East. Here are my highlights 

New Ross Piano Festival Sunday 

FINGHIN COLLINS
Schumann Faschingsschwank aus Wien, Op. 26
MELVYN TAN & CASSIOPEIA WINDS
Rimsky-Korsakov Quintet for piano and winds in B flat major
LISE DE LA SALLE
Gerry Murphy Ros Tapestry Suite V: Battles in the Kingdom of Ossory
Bach Fantasie and Fugue
Ravel Gaspard de la Nuit

I am just back from a wonderful afternoon of music at the New Ross Piano Festival. This weekend festival  dedicated to the piano gathered a confluence of elements to make it so much more than a string of solo recitals in a scenic riverside location.  Artistic director,Finghin Collins,  to his own impeccable skills added  a quartet of European soloists at the top of their game, a wind quintet for exploring chamber music repertoire, a near perfect acoustic of an old country church and a magnificent Steinway grand piano  to produce  a terrific hive of musical activity blessed by Autumn sunshine.  Bravo Mr Collins and committee! Definitely marking the last weekend in September 2015 in my diary. 

Thrilled by an afternoon of dazzling virtuosity, chamber music conviviality, sunshine and superb musicianship Bravo tutti @newrosspnofest
— Fidleir (@fidleir) September 28, 2014

Waterford Concert Orchestra: Pictures of Ireland  Saturday 

Conductor Kevin O Carroll and the Waterford Concert Orchestra marked the Waterford 1100 year with a gala concert of pieces with an Irish connection. The headline piece was the first performance in the medieval city of Shaun Davey's Granuaile Suite. Karen Donovan was the soloist in the epic hour long work. While it was good to hear the popular work in it's entirety, it was the second half works that most impressed. In the clever arrangements of Leroy Anderson's Irish Suite, individual timbres were heard clearly in the sometimes soupy acoustic of Christchurch Cathedral. It was terrific to hear work by two local composers. Mitch Cuss is trumpet player with the orchestra. His work, a movement from his suite entitled Lineage was a pen picture of his grandparents. In the notes, Cuss informs us that his surname is derived from the Irish word cos or leg The closing work was a substantial tone poem by Greg Scanlon. Legacy closed with a stirring rendition of the Angel's Chorus from Maritana performed by a mixed choir drawn from Madrigallery, WMVC and Voci. What a pity there was no official from Waterford City/County Council to add a civic gravitas to the occasion.

Dean Friedman  Friday Garter Lane 

I didn't have high expectations for an evening with Dean Friedman. I associated him with a couple of very catchy hit songs from decades ago  but I was wowed. Sharp well crafted  lyrics, mellifluous vocals with a Sesame Street twang and impressive keyboard skills. He reminded me of Randy Newman in the soft edged but biting satire and in understated  donnish style. It pains me to record that the audience was more meagre  than an artist of this calibre merited. How best to market these events in this era of fractured information platforms is a problem but it isn't enough for an arts centre  or a promoter to put an event on a website. Clearly more of a push in the marketing is   required.

Enthralling set @DeanFriedman full of wit charm & skill Catch this distinctive NY troubadour @arthurspub #Dublin tonight Athlone Sun
— Fidleir (@fidleir) September 27, 2014

Imagine Launch St Patrick's Gateway Centre Thursday

There was a palpable buzz of anticipation  among the arts community
gathered at the newly refurbished St Patrick's Gateway Church for the launch of the Imagine Festival 2014. Cllr Jason Murphy opened the proceedings. It was good to hear poet Edward Denniston refer to the contribution of  Rev Fred Vincent in instigating the process of opening the venue to a wider congregation. Jim Nolan handed over to actor Jamie Beamish to read from his play Dreamland. Director of Imagine Ollie Breslin spoke with passion about the arts in Waterford . Finally editor of the Irish Times, Kevin O Sullivan expressed  trenchant views on the state of arts in Ireland in his substantial address. More on this evening  in my next post. But for the time being mark October 16-26th in your diaries and check out the itinerary here www.imagineartsfestival.com 

'It is very important for a city to tell it's own stories' #Imaginefest Director Ollie Breslin at launch @obwaterford
— Imagine Festival (@Imagine_Fest) September 27, 2014

Little John Nee brings Sparkplug to Imagine Waterford

Little John Nee 'Sparkplug'

Waterford is a hive of activity  in October during the Imagine Festival. The impressive range of events take place in venues around the  in the smaller spaces of the South Eastern capital. The was an invasion of  eminent trad folk from Clare with  members of the Cotter clan , virtuoso fidlder Maeve Donnelly and scholarly concertina player Tim Collins  all in town as part of the John Dwyer Trad weekend. On Saturday night Little John Nee brought his latest theatrical invention to the bijou theatrical space of the Central Hall Waterford. The set was an intriguing  cornucopia of bric a brac , pallets and the accoutrements of a vintage car mechanic. To the forefront were a consort of ukuleles and various other musical instruments. This is the third of Little John's shows that I have seen.  His collaboration with Raymond Keane of Barabas in Johnny Patterson, The Singing Irish Clown produced a memorable theatrical experience that had a particular resonance to audiences in Ennis where I saw it. The Derry Boat mined the experience of  Northern migration to Scotland . Yet again the the versatile and unusual artist drew us in to the beguiling world of a character on the margins of society inviting us to empathise with a skillful blend of humour,  pathos and melody. Before loading up his van and heading West, Little John spoke  to me about his latest creation, Sparkplug,  You can hear that interview here

Little John Nee at Red Kettle HQ

listen to ‘Little John Nee’ on Audioboo

On the night he performed all the parts himself using the eclectic range of instruments  and loop pedals to set up an inventive aural backdrop of ostinatos adding to the melodramatic effect. You can here a version of the show with other actors playing some of the parts in this RTE Drama podcast  http://www.rte.ie/drama/radio/genres-comedy-sparkplug.html

To paraphrase the author,  there is no better way to spend a Saturday night than in the company of a Rockabilly Conceptual Artist . Have a listen and see what you think.

Related posts http://cathydesmond.blogspot.ie/2013/02/the-happy-prince-donegal-oscar.html