
It is not every day that an all time rock
legend graces the town of Dunfermline, however Thursday night was such
an occasion. Legendry Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman was on stage at
Dunfermline’s foremost theatre The Alhambra. And he was joined by a
whole raft of his virtuoso friends to perform their style of music
encompassing blues; jazz, rock ‘n’ roll even Cajun for the excess of
two hours.
The accomplices were in no particular order
legendry guitarist Albert Lee, rhythm and blues and jazz singer /
keyboards player Georgie Fame, Terry Taylor guitar, Frank Mead and Nick
Payn on saxes, Geraint Watkins keyboards and accordion, Graham Broad on
drums and sweet singing sensation Beverley Skeete adding her vocal
talents on top of the mix.
The collective cvs of these performers would
run to pages of credits, suffice to say they are amongst the best in
their field and based on the evidence on the night, there is no surprise
in this fact.
From the onset the whole show just oozed
professionalism and quality. I have to confess that jazz is no where
near the top of my musical preferences; however this opinion could be
revised if it was performed by this band. Each performer took centre
stage at times to showcase their particular talent, and although
Wyman’s name is on the band, he certainly is not dominant. He was even
possibly understated, but always laying down a cracking bass line.
Special
guest vocalist on the night was Gary U.S. Bonds, another blast from the
past with an excellent track record in both blues and pop with a touch
of country thrown in for good measure. Bonds certainly added to the
experience.
Throughout the sound was crystal clear and the
simply staged, almost basic set-up was most in keeping with the ambiance
of the performance
For most of the near capacity audience the show
could still be running I’m sure, and although the age group was
generally mature, the most enthusiastic member I saw was a young lad
about ten who stated the show as ‘just awesome.’
Highlights?
Almost too many to mention but when Lee made the guitar talk, or
Beverley Skeete was sharing her wonderful voice with us all, then the
bar was raised slightly for me.
So if you get a chance to catch this tour, take
my advice and do so. You most certainly will not regret it.
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