The Review...
Judie played Ronnie Scotts Club in Birmingham, England, from the 05th to 10th October 1998. I was there on the 09th and this is my findings...
Friday 09th October 1998: So here I am early on a Friday Morning. CD Player in hand, batteries charged and a collection of Judie Tzuke CD's tucked in the ruck sack - time for the train !!!
Five hours of being thrown from side to side, having coffee spilled on me, kids screaming in my ears and I've not even reached the train station yet !!! ;-)
AH! Birmingham - where the locals are so friendly even the pavements have a one way system !!! Birmingham - the home of Jasper Carrot, Aston Villa and Ronnie Scotts Jazz Club !!!
I haven't been to a concert in Birmingham before - the nearest was the 'End of the Road Tour' with Status Quo at Milton Keynes Bowl. A concert that Judie was wrongly rumoured to be appearing at !!! :-(
But that was then this is now - as they say !!! It's been over 7 years since I last saw Judie Tzuke in Concert. Her latest albums missing from my collection ! Would she still be as good ?
I arrive at Ronnie's and find myself escorted to a seat almost 6 feet from the stage - 'I should hear from here' I thought to myself ! ;-)
The club itself isn't particularly large, seating for approximately 200, I would guess. A far cry from Hammersmith Odeon ! The tables are set out into little groups of 2 to 8 people and on two levels. Quite a nice venue with a pleasant atmosphere but at £4.50 for some Ice-cream I don't imagine I'll be eating here tonight !!!
It's just after 8:00. The house band will be coming on soon - when I booked the seats the girl told me they were worth seeing... Now I don't think it's a secret, so I think it's safe to say, I've never been a great lover of Jazz - except of course the 'You' Jazz Mix !!! ;-) So it would be unfair for me to review them. They seemed quite competent though and happy in their work - I even recognised a few tunes: The Theme from Mash, The Pink Panther Theme Tune, Happy Birthday, etc.
The time is now shortly after 10:00. The lights go down and the band take the stage. Dave Goodes on Guitar, Brandon Founes on Keyboard, Paul Beavis on Drums, Mick Tedder on Bass and Mia Silberman on backing vocals. Cheers go up and applause as they do so. Judie comes on stage -
A little 'larger' than I remember but hey aren't we all ???
But she looks great ! Still all those distinguishable features that makes Judie Tzuke ! She looks remarkably calm and relaxed - happy to spot the familiar faces in the front row and to the side of the stage. Huw, Krys, Geoff, and Gordon to name a few of the 'Secret Agents' noticed.
Gordon had actually travelled down from Glasgow to see the concert - is he mad ??? Glad I'm not the only one !!! ;-)
It is obvious that Judie still enjoys touring, she was born to sing, and from the opening lines of 'Tonight', a track from the new album, it is obvious that her voice has improved over the years. It used to be good but is now excellent - fine tuned and stronger than ever - even after her recent Bronchial Pneumonia !
The next track 'Fly', from Wonderland, was followed by another new track, 'Fuel Injection'. Judie taking time between tracks to joke with the rest of the group, plug her new album and acknowledge familiar faces in the audience.
'Man and a Gun' from Wonderland was next and was followed by one of my favourite tracks of the evening. The title track from the new album, 'Secret Agent', a story of love, trust and fidelity !
The erie 'Two Mountains' was next - a track from the 'Under the Angels' album - this track is quickly growing on me ! It's one of those annoying little tracks that if you hear it on the radio - you're humming it all day ! 'Two Mountains' should be released later this year as a promotional CD for Radio - see the official Web Site for more details.
Another new track, 'Little Cloud', and the first set was completed with the still classic 'Stay With Me Till Dawn'. A track almost 20 years old and still the highlight of any show !
The first set lasted for just under 45 minutes. Time for a quick wander around, a few phone calls, a chat with some agents and the Jazz Band take the stage again !
Just after midnight, the 10th of Splodge{!}, a few of the regulars have left thus letting some 'Agents' do some more seat swapping ! The club is still pretty busy though !
Judie came back on stage and started the second set with the wonderful 'One Day I Will Live in France' - one of my favourite tracks from 'Left Hand Talking'.
The following track 'Both Alone' is excellent and has already met with the approval of several Judie Tzuke Followers. The track should be included on the 'Two Mountains' Promo CD and therefore I would imagine be the ideal contender for Judie's next single ?!?! :-)
Another new track 'Swallowing' is followed by 'Let me be the Pearl' from the Turning Stones Album. This track has obviously been 'developed' and gave Dave Goodes the chance to show what he can do as he bursts into an excellent Solo. I managed to resist the temptation to jump on the table with me 'air guitar' and 'headbang' but I'm sure if I'd felt more myself I would have done !!! The temptation was almost too much {!} ! ;-)
'Wonderland' and 'Vivien' were followed by updated versions of 'Higher and Higher' and 'For You'.
'For You' has always been one of my favourite tracks - if not the favourite track. A beautiful ballad, 20 years old and still as lovely as the day it was recorded. It is therefore fitting that such a track should now hold pride of place as the closing track for the evening !
Thunderous applause from the crowd and shouts for more. After a few short moments the band returned to the stage to play encores of 'Joan of Arc' and another updated track - the excellent 'Bring the Rain' - now totally updated and another chance for Dave Goodes to show his worth !
But the night couldn't finish there - as it had the rest of the week. The crowd got off their seats and screamed for more, they were glad they did. Judie had obviously been wanting to try this track all week but tonight was the night ! To the delight of the crowd Judie performed another new track, 'Bully'. A track that certainly had some punch (pun intended) ! It might have been the first time Judie had performed it - but it was superb ! I believe Judie also sang the track on Saturday and it was even better !!!
Apart from Dave Goodes' Guitar solos, Paul Beavis had a chance to show off his drum skills and continuous barrage of Jim Carey facial expressions kept me amused ! I was also impressed with Brandon's Keyboard Skills and felt that the band blended together pretty well.
Conclusions: {scratch head - Don't flame me !} Judie, like a good wine, has improved with age. The band seem to work well together. The set consisted of a good mixture of ballads, soft rock and even the occasional bursts of slightly heavier rock !
They're the type of band that will always do well in the club scene - but Judie deserves more than that and needs to be pushed forward, back into the larger venues and back onto the record shelves again !!!
I would hate for the band to 'move on' and leave Judie again trying to blend a new band together. The new tracks sound excellent and I can't wait to hear the studio versions. I feel that with this new album that this is the time for Judie to try and make herself known again. The group certainly have the skills to become famous and if Judie can't get that for them - then they'll go elsewhere.
I enjoyed the concert immensely but I'm sure I would have enjoyed it even more if I was feeling better{!} and had taken the time to send for the last albums prior to the concert !!!
Now I can't wait for the tour in January - I haven't seen the details of all the dates yet but I'll certainly be at one or two of the concerts{!} !!! ;-)
For more details visit Judie's Web Site at http://www.tzuke.com
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