On Stage: Club Kuru @ Paradiso

After I attended Jacco Gardner's show tonight Club Kuru were about to start their show at the small hall. I didn't know the band but of course I wanted to take a peak.

Club Kuru at Paradiso Amsterdam, May 10 2019

Of course I did look up who I was dealing with and the keywords "seventies" and "psych" caught my attention. Indeed the band plays mellow jazzy tunes with a psychedelic touch that could have come straight from the summer of love. The songs are gentle to the ears, soulful psychedelic music, played very skilfully. These musicians certainly can play and are tight, but at the same time loose enough to let the music fan out. They leave enough room for each other to excel and obviously know that "less is more", staying away from cluttering the music with unnecessary complicated parts.

Mostly the songs build up to spacy guitar solos backed up by warm electronics. The rhythm section pleases me a lot with groovy drums and a popping bass. Singer Laurie Erskine's somewhat high voice is the glue between these musical interludes. I do notice after a while that his vocals could use more variation as it makes the songs sound alike a bit. Because of the mellow vibe of the songs, it never gets wild and it doesn't really blow me away . On the other hand Erskine is trying hard to entertain the crowd and I can see myself enjoying this music on a summer's night with a cold one, dozing off while the sun sets.



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On Stage: Jacco Gardner @ Paradiso

After releasing a couple of lush dreamy psych pop albums, Jacco Gardner dropped his latest album Somnium last year. Named after the Johannes Kepler novel from the 1600s it is a somewhat dark instrumental journey that indeed feels like a dream. Not just any dream but one that you need to give in to. He played the entire album in Artis' planetarium a while ago, which proved the be the perfect place for his adventurous music. I wasn't able to attend that night, but fortunately he is now bringing his project to a few clubs around the country.

Jacco Gardner's Somnium at Paradiso Amsterdam, May 10 2019

In Paradiso's main hall pillows and chairs are circling a couple of synths, keyboards and other electronics. Smoke machines are fogging up the venue before the show starts. Gardner sits down in the middle and is joined by María Pandiello, who is sitting down opposite him. They start playing the music from Somnium and will play the whole album tonight.

Slowly the electronic soundscapes start to build their wondrous and somewhat dark dreamworld. Colourful spotlights are pointed at the centre and the smoke spreads out the light. It creates a hazy atmosphere where it is hard to see the other spectators in here tonight. Music and lighting complement each other in this strange atmosphere. You really need to surrender yourself to this spectacle to fully appreciate this performance and the ambient electronic music.

This was a pretty special night and I can only imagine what this must have looked like in Artis' planetarium, although I believe they are currently releasing footage from that show. It was very nice to see Gardner recreate that world here tonight. He's one of those creative artists that we should treasure.



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On Stage: The Comet Is Coming @ Paradiso Tolhuistuin

It is good to see how some young jazz bands are able to mix modern music and jazz together into exciting musical adventures. They are appealing to a young audience and play some of the biggest pop festivals with great success. One of those band is The Comet Is Coming whose star is on the rise, to keep it in space. There's a new album out Trust in the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery and the band is touring in support of the new LP.

The Comet Is Coming at Paradiso Tolhuistuin Amsterdam, April 6 2019

The London based trio have found an exciting blend of electronica, jazz and anything psychedelic. The funky beats by Max "Betamax" Hallet and repeating freaky sax riffs by "King Shabaka" Hutchings are spiced up with spacy keys and pounding house beats by Dan "Danalogue" Leavers. It is clear why a young generation loves this, since these are great songs to dance to and the music is full of eruptive climaxes.

Once and a while Danalogue will say a few words, but mostly the band will simply keep on going, making sure the energy level stays high and the vibe never gets lost. Hutchings is working hard all night, making his sax squeak and grunt, trying to get the most out of the instrument. Sometimes the tempo goes down with gloomy dark keys that are an upbeat to more orgasmic explosions.

Even the obligatory break before the encore is kept short, so the trio can pick up as soon as possible where they left off. After 75 minutes the band plays the final note of the show, which seems to have lasted only half an hour. This wonderful trip through space sure lost any sense of time. Make sure to catch this band when you can on this tour or on any of those festivals this summer.



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