#oosterpoort

[dustedmagazine]

Derek Bailey / Paul Motian — Duo in Concert (frozen reeds)

Specializing in archival recordings, the Helsinki frozen reeds label has come up with another doozy. This time unearthing in the Incus archives previously unreleased concert recordings of guitarist Derek Bailey and drummer Paul Motian for the release "Duo in Concert." Released at the tail-end of 2023, the LP version captures the duo live at the 1990 Jazz Marathon at De Oosterpoort festival in the city of Groningen, the Netherlands. As bonus digital tracks, the label offers recordings made at the New Music Cafe in New York City in 1991. A conversation between Bill Frisell and Henry Kaiser discussing these recordings and their collective experiences playing with Bailey and Motian is included as liner notes.

It's hard to approach a recording from two of my all-time favorite artists with any sense of objectivity, not to mention a heavy dose of expectation. And with a pairing that — at least on paper — doesn't immediately make outright sense, a certain degree of trepidation preempts the initial listening process as well. Accounts of both Bailey and Motian's contrariness and adversarial approach to performing are legion. Having seen both musicians live, I always had the feeling that everything could go off the rails at any moment. There was a certain sense of peril and uncertainty that pervaded their music — and not only because what they were doing was risky but more because they didn't seem to adhere to any rules of musical decorum.

When I first saw Bailey play solo in the mid-1980s, he broke off his set mid-concert to start sharing what seemed like random anecdotes with the audience, then picked right back up and started to play all over again. He stopped abruptly once more a bit later to tune his guitar (actually not much unlike what goes on in Indian classical music). It was almost as if he didn't see the point of himself being there. What he played — when he actually played — was undeniably brilliant. But his attitude came across as ambivalent and irascible, to say the least.

Similarly when I caught Motian in the early 1990s with his trio of Bill Frisell and Joe Lovano, he seemed to revel in the act of eloquent disruption, of not letting things ride but of seeking to derail and create situations where the music took sudden turns down unknown roads. Motian soloed like a kid discovering the drums for the first time, alternately bashing the toms or dropping bombs of bass drum cymbal crashes, then suddenly shifting to exquisite brush work on the snare, echoing his time with Bill Evans.

So, what was I to think of this improbable pairing? Obviously, from the start I was rooting for them. These guys were my heroes. But heroes also fall. I'm happy to say that over repeated listens "Duo in Concert" did not disappoint for one second of these recordings. It would be interesting to know if this concert in Groningen was their first meeting, or if they'd had the chance to play together in a more informal setting beforehand, because the 35-minute set sounds so fresh and invigorating. As if they had met for the first time, discovering their shared language and limitations in real-time before a festival audience. Adding to this the music also comes across as very intimate, as if Motian and Bailey had already played many years together and were picking up on a conversation they'd been having the last time they met. Consequently, both players sound not only completely engaged with the music, but actually excited by what they're coming up with. Practically as though they found themselves in a perpetual state of surprise and delight for the entire length of the concert. "Duo in Concert" is truly an inspiring listen.

There is much to expect that actually transpires: Bailey's spikey, chromatic fields played in jagged rhythmic runs across an incredibly wide dynamic range, spanning the spectrum from ringing harmonics on the verge of feedback to barely caressing the strings with his pick. And then there's Motian's incredible brush work paired with bombastic tom fills and tremorous bass drum drops. The real mystery is how this all manages to coalesce into — for lack of a more apt expression — an undeniable example of sheer poetry in sound. The mutual respect and inspiration between Motian and Bailey so evident in these recordings is in itself one of the most compelling aspects of this release.

A major unifier here would have to be Bailey and Motian's shared backgrounds in jazz. Bailey used to refer to himself in his earlier musical incarnation as previously sounding something like Jim Hall. But of course by the mid-1960s had realized he would, as Henry Kaiser states in the liner notes, have to depart for Planet Improv and leave the world of jazz behind. By this point in his long career Motian still had certainly more invested in the jazz tradition but seemed not to worry about what this meant. He'd long since moved on beyond what the rule keepers of the jazz world had imposed. Yet Motian also never went totally free like Bailey. And in fact, this would be the first record I'd heard where Motian plays from scratch, without any vague road map or composition to steer the musical proceedings.

But it is precisely this jazz background which lends an unmistakable narrative thread to the concert at Groningen. Bailey and Motian's collaboration is truly like a conversation in the most literal sense of the word. And like the greatest musical conversations in the context of jazz music, both players join together for this one brief point in time to tell a story together, listening and building their musical ideas from their dialogue. As hackneyed as this may sound, the end effect is a perfect example of instant composing, of creating a totally cohesive, rigorously structured piece of music from thin air.

And this encompasses  signifiers of a more narrative approach along the way: towards the midpoint of the set, Bailey fades out to let Motian take the practically obligatory drum solo, a roiling, thunderous affair across the toms and cymbals. This is followed by Bailey jumping back in with what in a more conventional jazz piece, could be the main soloist picking up again with another long passage. Along the way Bailey engages in some of the most impressionistic and nearly melodic playing I've ever heard from him, even approaching what one could construe as comping rapid chord variations to Motian's hard-driving pulse. The set ends with Motian playing a very grooving swing pattern on the high hat that not only absolutely works with Bailey's field of dissonant harmonic notes but is in itself a stroke of genius, melding the two worlds of jazz and obdurate free improvisation with a gesture of contrast and a nod to the history both of these musicians had left far behind but by no means forgotten.

For fans of Derek Bailey and Paul Motian "Duo in Concert" is an absolute must listen. For those unfamiliar with either of these artists' work, this release would be a great place to start, not only because it captures them both at the height of their powers but is also a convincing and highly moving documentation of free improvised music that shouldn't be missed.

Jason Kahn

[weflyonthewall]

Danny Vera - Rhythm & Blues night, Groningen, may 2024

Ricoh GRIIIx

[sophie-e-b]

The Kitchen Disco Tour is heading to Europe in March 2024. Get ready for a night of dancing and fun! 

Tickets on sale THIS FRIDAY (9am CET)

For pre-sale tickets: please contact your local venue or ticket vendor!

Ticket links: https://sophieellisbextor.komi.io

Mar 1: Oosterpoort (Groninge, Netherlands)

Mar 3: TivoliVredenburg (Ronda Hall) (Utrecht, Netherlands)

Mar 4: De Roma (Antwerp, Belgium)

Mar 5: Bataclan (Paris, France)

Mar 6: Buergerhaus Stollwerck (Cologne, Germany)

Mar 8: John Dee (Oslo, Norway)

Mar 9: Nalen (Stockholm, Sweden)

Mar 10: Small Vega (Copenhagen, Denmark)

Mar 12: Metropol (Berlin, Germany)

Mar 13: Progresja (Warsaw, Poland)

Mar 15: Palac Akropolis (Prague, Czech Republic)

Mar 16: WUK(Vienna, Austria)

Mar 18: Kaufleuten (Zurich, Switzerland)

[ifreakingloveroyals]

9 April 2018 | King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands and Queen Maxima of The Netherlands arrive at the Oosterpoort for the Kingsday concert in Groningen, Netherlands. (c) Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images

[bandsndsuch]

Enter Shikari

12/11/2022

Oosterpoort Groningen

[erikjankoopmans]

War On Drugs - Oosterpoort Groningen

[brokenpiecesshine]

Within Temptation on Instagram, 01/05/2024.

Have you seen that we've added a bunch of NEW dates to our 'Bleed Out 2024 Tour'? * 21-09: 013, Tilburg (NL) * 22-09: De Oosterpoort, Groningen (NL) * 04-10: Lotto Arena, Antwerp (BE) * 12-10: Unibet Arena Blackbox, Tallinn (EE) * 25-11: Meo Arena - Sala Tejo, Lisbon (PT) Get your tickets via the link in our bio!

[thegazete24]

Man doodgestoken in Groningen, vrouw opgepakt

De man die het slachtoffer werd van de steekpartij in de Verlengde Frederikstraat, in de Groningse stadswijk Oosterpoort, heeft het niet overleefd. …Man doodgestoken in Groningen, vrouw opgepakt

[ceolforthesoul]

A fairy flew to Groningen in the form of Alice Phoebe Lou - leaving a sparkling trail of her mastery of song

Hello lovely people and fáilte go dtí Ceol for the Soul -  The podcast that puts into words the warm and fuzzy feelings received from live music. For those of you who are new here, my name is Aisling — I am a singer-songwriter from the West of Ireland currently living in Groningen, the Netherlands. I am always in awe of artists successfully managing to pierce my heart and who bring me with them into their whimsical inner worlds while performing live. Ceol for the Soul is a space where I attempt to transfer the essence of the musical experiences I encounter to you through reviews, interviews and opinion pieces.

As usual, before I begin the episode - I invite you to pause this here for now and rejoin me after you have listened to a song from this week’s spotlight artist - Alice Phoebe Lou. Is there a particular song/album title that speaks to you? Does any of the cover art take your breath away? If you are already familiar with Alice, is there an undiscovered gem hidden deep in her discography? 

What feelings were brought up by this magical moment of immersion? I wouldn’t be surprised if you have been whisked away into an Alice Phoebe Lou dream – but if you managed to come back down to earth, welcome back and I hope you enjoy listening to my thoughts on her concert…

------------------------------------

A fairy flew into Groningen in the form of Alice Phoebe Lou - leaving behind a sparkling trail of her mastery of song! Having been a fan of the South African singer ever since I came across a YouTube video of her busking in Berlin in 2017, my heart skipped a beat when I saw Alice’s name on SPOT’s 2023 winter programme. I don’t think I have ever clicked a ‘buy ticket’ button with so much force and passion. That level of excitement was warranted, given the enchanting show that would ensue at the Oosterpoort on Friday, the 24th of November. A tapestry of skillful songwriting was unfolding that evening and all I wanted to do was behold it.

Loving was the perfect support act for Phoebe Lou - their mystical alternative folk melodies welcomed an openly eager crowd into the Kleine Zaal. I swayed along steadily, feeling particularly comforted by ‘Only She Knows’ which had made its way onto my Spotify playlist ‘Sweet n all that’ a few months prior — the live rendition solidifying the reason as to why I put it there. Loving’s performance set the stage for a cosy campfire-style evening but also left room for the heightened magnetic energy that was to follow.

Alice Phoebe Lou floated effortlessly across the stage with her band while earnestly proclaiming that the intensity of the tour was making her sleepy, so she would be doing this show in her pyjamas. Phoebe Lou instantly became relatable and real, and that vulnerability only intensified when she began to sing. ‘Open My Door’ from her latest album ‘Shelter’ couldn’t have been a more fitting song to open her set with, and we were certainly let in without so much as a knock. Drawing from earlier albums, Phoebe Lou then took us with her on a journey through the past versions of herself with songs like ‘Something Holy’ making us feel just that and ‘Paper Castles’ bringing us just one step down from the Heavens. The synthesiser supported these songs with the utmost care, allowing us to reach these places smoothly.

A transfixed audience radiated the same energy as Phoebe Lou — warm, tender and safe. We were all being held by each other, as her songs touched on subjects of love, intimacy, and growth. She managed to connect with me through these themes in a way that no other songwriter has managed to do before by intertwining mystical language with raw emotion and refreshing candor.  Phoebe Lou singing “Figure out the inner-workings of your mind” encapsulated exactly what she had done with mine. The band left Alice to do ‘Halo’, ‘Shine’ and ‘My Girl’ solo and these songs were sung with such ease and grace that the crowd entered a communal state of trance. 

A song request was shouted from one soul in the sea of concertgoers — Phoebe Lou responded honestly with “Sorry but I don’t resonate with that song anymore” and we all appreciated her openness in expressing this. A burst of dancing felt like the perfect way to honour the euphoric spirit of the night and ‘Witches’ and ‘Dirty Mouth’  made for the perfect finale. Inspiration whirled in my mind and the minds of two other songwriters at the same gig. We discussed in detail what it is that makes her songs so powerful and came to the conclusion that she is an angel in disguise.

Thank you so much for listening and join me again next week to discuss the Estonian artist Kitty Florentine’s ESNS performance! :)

[supatainmentbuzz]

🌟💍👸🕺💃🎥 Disco, world hit 'Murder On The Dancefloor' and disarming Sophie Ellis-Bextor ensure an uncomplicated party | review ★★★☆☆ Peter van der Heide saw the suddenly enormously popular Sophie Ellis-Bextor in the small hall of the Oosterpoort. It was an uncomplicated party in English style. Of course we had not forgott...... 🎶🏆💔📸🎉

[annfaverey2024]

27 januari - Openbare repetitieTon Koopman in de Oosterpoort

[vrijaziatisch]

"Bijna een halve eeuw bestond ze: de Indonesische afhaalzaak Rima in de Oosterpoortwijk. Maar dit jaar sluiten de deuren, nu eigenaar Martha van Os in december overleed. „Ik vind het indrukwekkend om te zien hoeveel indruk haar dood maakt.”"

[weflyonthewall]

Peter Hook - Oosterpoort, Groningen, september 2022

Sony RX100 MIII

[zouljazz]

Salvador Sobral / De Oosterpoort, De Oosterpoort, Groningen, 7 November

[actuelekamers]

Prijs: 1000 per maand Studio oms... #Studio #Groningen #Studio https://actuelekamers.nl/studio-tehuur-groningen-1000-eur/?feed_id=63152&_unique_id=64fec8db91901

[bandsndsuch]

Enter Shikari

12/11/2022

Oosterpoort, Groningen

"Modern Living"