The Lounge 102

Around 1979 a friend loaned me a cassette tape of Rory Gallagher Irish Tour '74.   I nearly wore it out, he had to come looking for it back.  I was blown away by the sounds I heard.  It was my first taste of electric rock blues.  From Cradle Rock to Who's That Comin to Walk on Hot Coals to Too Much Alcohol I was hooked.  The music was fresh and grown up and the total opposite to the Punk era that was prevalent at the time.  Robert Johnson may have sold his sole to the devil but Rory Gallagher did his own deal in Ballyshannon. In 1980 Rory Gallagher played what was then the Parkway Motel in Limerick.  Rory Gallagher. Live. In Limerick. And I was there.  I remember seeing him in the bar before the gig, just an ordinary guy mingling with the crowd. I have vague memories of the hall but no recollection of the gig other than I was in awe. I had to walk the 3 miles home but I hardly noticed. Saving whatever meagre pocket money I could s...

Album: Painted from Memory Artist(s) Elvis Costello, Burt Bacharach Genre(s) Adult Pop, Baroque Pop Hard to believe that this album was released in 1998.  A collection of 12 jazzy pop numbers by Costello and Bacharach.  The arrangements are classic Bacharach and result in a wonderfully rich full orchestral sound.  Costello is a fine singer, his voice is stretched to it's natural limit but copes well and remains strong.  The backing vocals of Lisa Taylor and Sue Ann Carwell compliment him perfectly.  Tracks like I Still Have That Other Girl   and In the Darkest Place  give an indication of the subject matter.  An album of songs dedicated to lost love, jilted lovers, divorce, infidelity etc should result in a dirge, but not here.  The music is upbeat and even the slower lament like tracks skip along. Toledo has become a modern classic and I Still Have That Other Girl won a Grammy in 1998. This is a wonderful album and is worthy of...

                          "Jazz washes away the dust of every day life" Art Blakey I 'm sure Art Blakey meant all jazz in all of its styles and all of it's performers.  From Dave Brubeck and John Coltrane to Stephane Grappelli and Django Reinhardt to the doyenne of female artists, Ella Fitzgerald, the interpretation of jazz is wide and varied.  Indeed jazz has been called musical democracy given its acceptance of of so many styles.    And so it is that Limerick Jazz Society present their annual Limerick Jazz Festival from September 21st to 24th.  This years program takes in a number of venues throughout the city and promises some great gigs. PROGRAM Thursday Sept 21st:   Jazz Trail The Mysterious Mr.Valentine, Dolans, Dock Road, Limerick, 21:30 The Charms, Souths Pub, Quinlan Street, 21:30 Downtown Dixieland Band, George Boutique Hotel, Shannon ...

Album: Spirit Artist: Willie Nelson Genre(s) Country, Folk Spirit was Willies Nelson's 49th album when released in 1996.  Many felt that it was his response to the 1994 Johnny Cash album American Recordings, I'll let you decide.  It's a stripped back album featuring just guitars, piano and fiddle.  The Spanish influence runs through the tracks with beautiful guitar, piano and fiddle solos in a very clear and clean fashion.  It features some of the classic themes of country.  Unrequited love, heartache, religion and declarations of love are all there.  It's an evocative yet personal album capable of taking you away to places in your imagination.  The opening instrumental piece Matador takes me to my imagined Mexico.  Indeed the instrumental tracks are probably the albums strongest from Matador to Mariachi which conjours up images of senoras and their caballeros dancing, to Spirit of E9 which showcases the virtuosity of guitarist,...