Joe Jackson Pays Tribute To The Duke

Joe Jackson is one of those artists who don't have to prove themselves any more. During his long career he has shown to be a versatile artist. The many albums he released emphasize this. He wasn't afraid to experiment either and showed to feel comfortable in jazz too. A fine example for this is Jumpin' Jive. Now he's trying a jazz record once more and not an easy one. Jackson is honouring jazz legend Duke Ellington this time.

Joe Jackson - The Duke (Ronald Says 8 out of 10)

Versatility definitely is true for Ellington too. The great master was a gifted piano player, brilliant composer and successful band leader of his own big-band. He worked together with all the stars of his generation. This is where Jackson is making a good choice. On his arrangements he's also working together with famous and diverse artists like Steve Vai, Sharon Jones and Iggy Pop. Putting big names together isn't always a guarantee for success, but in this case it's working very well.

Jackson himself mostly remains on the background. Only once and a while he's playing the piano or you can hear his vocals. It's clear that he wants Ellington and his compositions to be the center of attention. No one but the jazz genius himself is allowed to steal the show. And that's giving the album that extra sparkle. Jackson did give many songs a different twist. 'Perdido/Satin Doll' turns into a swinging Latin party and 'Caravan' into a solid pop song. Other songs, like the famous 'Mood Indigo' are diverging less and are breathing the atmosphere of smoky dark jazz clubs from the time "The Duke" himself was active. This beautiful song is also showing how much work went into the arrangements.

But especially the fun in playing the sparkling songs is obvious. All guest artists, like Jackson, made themselves subordinate to the song. The compositions only got stronger because of this and are revealing the unique talent and incredible quality of Ellington. 'It Don't Mean A Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing' is the striking closer of the record. And Joe Jackson's swing is more than fine.

This review has been published on ROAR E-Zine in Dutch over here.



Listen to 'The Duke' on Spotify.

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Lowlands 2012 Day 3: It Doesn't Get Hotter Than This

We wake up to a simmering heat. Today will be the hottest day ever recorded in our country and it certainly is the hottest day ever on Lowlands. But who cares? This is still better than rain and mud, so time to get some eggs, coffee and juice to start us off.

Lowlands Day 2, August 18 2012



Moss
The big Alpha stage is only half full and it still is a mystery to me why Moss aren't playing the smaller Grolsch. Okay, they killed it there a few years back, but this band isn't a big stadium rock band. Their songs are working best in a smaller place. And this is exactly why their show isn't as good as it could be. The band is playing great though and it's obvious the songs are all little gems. But the big stage screams for big anthems and crowd pleasers. We get a glimpse of that at the end with their big hit 'I Love The Chemistry'. It's simply a matter of the right band at the wrong place.

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Orgel Vreten
What do you get when you put two Hammonds together and a crowd ready to party on the hottest day ever? A crazy sweat dripping hot Hammond beating. Thijs Schrijnemakers and Robin Piso, who's also playing for DeWolff, are scourging their organs making it impossible to stand still. There are no vocals and it's like listening to a long Hammond solo. That's exactly the weak spot, it does get a bit too much in the end. Still a surprise on the always interesting Lima stage.



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Pulled Apart By Horses
We may be hot but who cares? Let's see if we can take some hardcore punk rock at the hottest stage of the festival at the hottest moment of the hottest day. So Lowlands was hot? Mwah, not too bad. These guys definitely don't take it easy. They are playing their guts out, almost literally when singer Tom Hudson is puking off the stage just in front of the first row. It turns out he's doing that more often so it probably wasn't the heat. It's a high energy performance that will definitely have pleased a lot of the people that came to see them. After their show they run off to Lake Lowlands to take a well deserved jump into the water to cool off.

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Ewert and The Two Dragons
I have a break in my schedule and decide to go buy some records at the local festival record store. There's not a lot to my record collection, so I'm done pretty quickly. Why not take a peak at the Lima stage where Estonian band Ewert & The Two Dragons are playing? I heard many good things about them although it may a bit too light for my liking. I'm pretty sure of this after seeing them here at Lowlands. There's nothing special about their music and the band is looking pretty pale. Nothing is really happening on stage and the band members don't seem to put a lot of effort in it. Maybe it's the heat, but I'll skip them next time.

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Foo Fighters
I decide to watch Kyteman from outside the Alpha tent to save some energy for the big finale. Therefore I cannot say much about his orchestra's performance tonight. I leave my friends to ensure a spot in the pit at the front. I have seen Foo Fighters play several times but never from up close and definitely want to take this opportunity to get close this time. The band isn't wasting any time and fly right into it. They knock out hit after hit song and the heat is rising to incredible heights inside the tent.

Dave Grohl says it's probably the hottest Foo Fighters show ever, but the band recalls one other show that was even hotter. Later on Grohl says he doesn't care and thinks this really ís the hottest Foo Fighters show ever. I'm not too sure about that, but it definitely is a great one. For over two hours they are rocking the place, only to take it a bit more slow in the end, where Grohl is chatting more. There are great versions of a long spun out 'Monkey Wrench' and the original 'Everlong'. Afterwards I hear they had to cut the show short because of the heat. It doesn't really matter. It was the perfect close of another great Lowlands edition.



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Within no time this edition seemed to be over. Time was going by so quickly because of all the great bands we watched and all the fun we had. When the gods are on my side and the horrible ticketmaster/livenation ticket sale system is cooperative, I'm definitely back in 2013 for my fifteenth edition!

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Lowlands 2012 Day 1
Lowlands 2012 Day 2
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Lowlands 2012 Day 2: The Party Is Heating Up

After a good start yesterday the sun is burning us out of our tents way too early. A bit sleepy we find our way back to the festival area, where a pancake is bringing back life into my body. Let's start this day slow.

Lowlands Day 2, August 18 2012



Phantom Limb
Not exactly my cup of tea, gospel and country. But singer Yolanda Quartey is gifted with a great voice, which she already proved when singing with Massive Attack. So it's definitely worth checking out. Only half of the British band are present today, but it still is enough to impress. The songs are mostly slow, which is perfect at this point of the day. Piano player Dan Moore and guitarist Stew Jackson do a good job supporting Quartey's soulful vocals. And when they join the singing, it results in beautiful harmonies. Like angels carefully waking us up.

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Eagles Of Death Metal
Time for some good old fashioned rock 'n' roll. This time it looks like Jesse Hughes and the rest of the band are actually sober. Unfortunately the sound is awful, which makes it impossible to hear the songs' groove. Maybe the sound isn't the only problem and is the band just not focused enough to lay down a good groove. This is noticeable from the crowd and this party never really takes off. Even their great version of 'Stuck In The Middle With You' doesn't work today. Of course Jesse 'Boots Electric' is his charming self, joking around and he's trying to get the love across. But it simply isn't good enough this time.

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Willy Moon
Maybe this rocker from New Zealand can put some swing in it. It certainly looks great. Willy dressed sharply in a suit even in this heat, while his female drummer is wearing only a bra. The female guitar player, looking like a hot sexy rock diva, is playing the rock licks. The casual DJ in the back ground is a bit out of place like his contribution to the music. While Willy and his ladies are rocking, the DJ is adding some samples and loops, but it feels like there's no thought behind them. Also the breaks in between songs take too long while Willy himself is trying hard to get a move on. It does have potential though and I would love to see him back when it's all running more smoothly.

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Two Door Cinema Club
Everyone seems to love this band from Northern Ireland, and what's not to love? They wrote some great catchy guitar songs like 'Undercover Martyn' and 'Something Good Can Work' that will go down very well on the festival stages. And they do, but I keep missing something. Their stage performance is too static. It's lacking believe and they don't seem to put a lot of heart in it. The band still can't convince me. Which is a shame since it could potentially make this place explode.

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Blaudzun
Johannes Sigmond or Blaudzun released one of the best records this year. It's full of nice indie songs leaning towards Arcade Fire. He already proved that he can play them in an intimate surrounding, but what about this big Grolsch stage? That's not a problem, just make the songs a bit bigger. And that's exactly what Blaudzun did, without doing harm to the songs themselves. What follows is a great show that stays interesting throughout the whole gig. But his band could be a bit more outgoing and challenging instead of just backing up the beautiful songs. The musicians are a bit pale in contrast with the extravagant Blaudzun.



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Triggerfinger
I could've gone to see Charles Bradley or Of Monsters And Men instead, since I've seen Triggerfinger so many times in the past years. But they never disappoint and you know what you're going to get: a full on smoking rock show with tons of energy. And this time is no different. This band is simply amazing and solid as a rock. So no surprises then? There's one: Dutch happy hip-hoppers De Jeugd Van Tegenwoordig join in to play their song 'Sexy Beesten' with them. The sound is pretty bad like earlier today, but this time it doesn't seem to bother the band or the crowd. They're going on a vacation now according to singer Ruben Block and they deserve it. Next time I'll see them it will be with a new record and probably as headliner.



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The Whitest Boy Alive
We go take a peak at the Whitest Boy Alive. When we get there it's clear that Lowlands has surrendered itself to the catchy summer tunes. We watch the full tent dancing to Erlend Øye and his band mates. We only watch a small part of the show, but it's clear that they are doing exactly what every one hoped for: loosening our hips and bringing good vibes.

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Krema Kawa
Time to end this great and hot day with a bang. You want it hot? You got it with Krema Kawa. The Belgian band aren't anything special but are at the right place at the right time: a sultry summer night at the end of beautiful day at the Lowlands festival when everybody just wants to dance. And this party band knows how to do that. And so we all dance to their funky and swinging grooves.

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Lowlands already was at boiling point today, but we have to get ready for the hottest day tomorrow. So we party a bit more, drink a few more beers and try to get some sleep before that golden ball relentlessly will wake us up again.

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Lowlands 2012 Day 1
Lowlands 2012 Day 3

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