The number 22 bus takes you practically to the door of The Globe so it was but a short hop from Havana à la Hoochie into the unknown - the unknown being whether a two piano set, even one by two such formidable performers as Dave and Dean, would pull the punters.
The downstairs bar was doing good business with concertgoers seeking refreshment prior to an evening of Spandau Ballet at the Arena.
Upstairs too was near to standing room only as the audience slaked their thirst in eager anticipation.
This "Lady" wasn't just "Good" she was "Sensational"! Likewise Miss Jones. Jobim's Triste, St Thomas, Over the Rainbow and Cheek to Cheek were other twenty fingered outings that pleased, as did a solo slot for Dean On the Sunny Side of the Street.
During the break Dean revealed he'd taken lessons from Dave some years ago and it showed inasmuch as, despite their differing styles they were, nevertheless, very compatible.
The second round - sorry, I mean set - opened with the ever delightful Alice in Wonderland followed by a rolling stock blues boogie. Was it Pinetop, Meade Lux, Johnson or Yancey? No, it was John Clayton's Blues For Stephanie - it rocked the room.
Like Someone in Love, four handed stride on Tea For Two, My Romance (or was it Here's That Rainy Day?) had Dave not only flying solo but also pressing the guitar button on the Clavinova to the effect that by closing your eyes he really was playing guitar!
Being domiciled in France, I obviously didn't catch the two piano concert at the Globe but I am amazed that anyone could find fault with the programme which was certainly taken from that treasure trove, the GREAT AMERICAN SONG BOOK. There were tens of thousands of beautifully constructed songs written during this period (1920--50) which allow inventive jazz musicians to improvise in a harmonic or modal fashion. Any pianist worth his salt will have hundreds of these firmly implanted in his head, to be produced & reconstructed at the drop of a hat. I am not familiar with Dean's work but I do know that Dave is a great devotee of TGASB, as I once had to do an unrehearsed two piano set with him at the Bude JF which was great fun, although I was hanging on to his coat tails most of the time but Hey, who isn't? I have always felt that a concert of this nature should contain material that the audience, in the main, will recognise & to avoid including obscure or one's own pretentious compositions. Obviously Dave & Dean didn't think that anything from outside of the TGAB was worthy of inclusion in their programme & who am I to argue with that? In any case it would allow them to select their proramme with virtually little or no rehearsal needed. Anyway how do you find good songs since the 60s as the art of good song writing died with the advent of Rock & Roll & Andrew Lloyd Webber.
I am amazed that someone who didn't actually attend the concert can pass comment on it's content given that you can't possibly now how the pieces were actually perfomed(as it happened they were performed with great panache) if you honestly think that there has been no decent original music composed since 1960 then with all due respect you opinion is meaningless. I have no problem with standards especially if performed in a creative and original way but as a jazz fan I particularly enjoy the new and unexpected. Having said that the vast majority of the audience seem to agree with you - so what do I know?
Explaining recently why he had decided to do an album of Great American Songbook numbers associated with Frank Sinatra, Bob Dylan said: 'I don't see myself as covering these songs in anyway. They've been covered enough. Buried, as a matter of a fact. What me and my band are basically doing is uncovering them. Lifting them out of the grave and bringing them into the light of day.'
Buried! never! and as for lifting them out of the grave, sorry Bob Dylan, they have never been out of the light of day, and yes I agree with Bill Harper, there has been no good song writing since the 60's. Lloyd Webber's stuff is repetitive and boring. GASbook will live forever, recorded by all the greats, and appreciated by anyone who understands a wonderful lyric and arrangement
Proof of the gasbook's durability lies in the number of artists who approach, shall we say The September of Their Years? suddenly discover the legacy of music they have chosen to ignore in their glory days - it's akin to seeking "the grey vote". Dylan may well be sincere - I have yet to hear the album - just as, I'm sure, Rod Stewart, Robbie Williams, Westlife and others were before him but...
Tony Bennett summed it [the sixties] up when he said, "All of a sudden you had to write your own songs as if Kern and Porter weren't good enough!"