Upcoming Gigs

Ok so obviously lots of people have been to see Prince in his incredible run at the O2 Arena and probably posted their thoughts online... but I just wanted to share the thoughts I had during the gig. It’s the first time I’ve been to the new O2 and also the first time I've gone to a gig this size. Obviously it was a very different experience to the small jazz gigs I frequent and it was very interesting to see the different skills needed when performing music to an arena-sized audience. I learnt a lot. That said, the over-riding thought which I left the gig with was that I’d just seen an amazing jazz gig! I’m sure the inclusion of Maceo Parker on sax (bonus!) brought some authentic jazz to the sound, but I was fascinated by how much was in there even when he wasn't on-stage. If the audience had realised they were listening to some great jazz solos and jam sessions maybe they would have felt forced to stand still and pretend they weren’t enjoying it as much. Maybe the guy in front of me wouldn’t have been dancing like his life depended on it. It begs the perennial question: does the 'jazz' label itself do more damage than good to the genre? And how can we capitalise on uses of jazz in popular music to create audiences for 'actual' jazz gigs? Could someone like Prince do anything to help people open their ears and lose their preconceptions?

And yes- I’m going to see Prince again. Twas an experience not to be forgotten.

B