LOUIS ARMSTRONG AND FRIENDS

Grahamstown: July 3, 2012 – Review by Keith Millar

The vast Guy Butler Theatre at the Monument was filled to capacity for this concert by the KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Richard Cock with soloists Prince Lengoasa, Veramarie Meyer and Nick Nicolaidis.

However, by and large, it was a more mature audience who identified closely with the type of music played. Richard Cock was his usual urbane and witty self, presenting the programme and giving snippets of information about the music, the composers - and in fact, about anything at all.

The music presented consisted mainly of jazz standards and items from the great American songbook.

This is the stuff that the KZNPO can play with their eyes shut. Unfortunately, at times it seemed as if the musicians would have been excused if they had nodded off. For me, many of the arrangements lacked excitement and the music seemed to fall between two chairs, having neither the spontaneity nor swing of the music of that era or the formality of classical music.

However, this mattered not at all. The audience had come to party and party they did. Richard Cock had them eating out of his hand. Clapping along, singing along and at one stage during Seventy Six Trombones even whistling along. They loved it and awarded the musicians with two standing ovations at the end.

As for them soloists! Prince Lengoasa is one of the better Satchmo impersonators I have heard and his trumpet playing is particularly good. He presented several Louis Armstrong standards including Hello Dolly, Mack the Knife and What a Wonderful World.

Veramarie Meyer has a beautiful voice. However, her style is operatic and I don’t think it was totally suited to this type of music. She sang the Bette Midler song The Rose and Edith Piaf’s La vie en rose.

Nick Nicolaidis was in fine voice and impressed with Fly me to the Moon and Unforgettable.

The highlight of the show for me was when all three soloists combined in Back of the Moon and really got the orchestra into the swing of the song.

This concert was presented by the Theatre Benevolent Fund of South Africa and, as such, served a very useful purpose. – Keith Millar