Cox & Newman - Return of the Road Warriors

Bob-Dubery

A show in two parts. The first part was solo sets from first Steve Newman and then Tony Cox. Not long sets, but enough to show their skills and musical imagination.

Newman is fascinating to watch as well as to listen to. He's a portrait of stillness and concentration, playing with great accuracy and a very skilled right hand that is not just driving the strings but conjuring percussion effects up, sometimes seemingly out of nowhere. The first piece also shows off the mbira built into his Smoothtalker guitar

Last time I saw Newman he worked up some amazing, almost trancey grooves, this time he's concentrating on more melodic pieces. The execution is superb.

Tony Cox is more outgoing, more extrovert in his stage personality and his playing. Also a highly skilled player with great rhythmic drive. Towards the end of his solo spot he pulls his party piece out of the hat and does his one man version of Henry Mancini's "Baby Elephant Walk".

He too plays a Smoothtalker, but a bigger-bodied, steel-string example.

The second half was joy-inducing on so many levels. Cox and Newman in duo mode. There's great technique at work here, but it's hugely entertaining as well. Hardly any of their own pieces, they do a Bach composition and mostly are having fun with unlikely juxtaposition of well known tunes, not all of which you'd associate with guitars. "Dave and Julie" melds "Take Five" and "My Favourite Things". The switching between time signatures is flawless and never jarring.

They show great musical humour too, and this is the magic of this show: Although their skills are mighty and their techniques are something to behold, the performance is joyous and engaging without requiring analysis of the technique. They are so adept with throwing melodies together to surprising but always musical effect, taking familiar tunes and showing new aspects of those tune.

Towards the end they put "Zorba The Greek" and "Duelling Banjos" into the blender and both players and audience have a lot of fun with that one.

This was the last show of their two week run in Johannesburg. Keep your eyes peeled. If either of these players pops up for a gig in your neck of the wood then go and see them. If they arrive as a duo then you're in for a real treat.

domhatch

i've had the pleasure of seeing them perform before, both individually and as a duo. i'll be keeping an eye out...

Bob-Dubery

X-rated Bob wrote: Newman is fascinating to watch as well as to listen to. He's a portrait of stillness and concentration, playing with great accuracy

Said great accuracy includes playing not right behind the fret but ON the fret much of the time. Considering that he hardly ever opens his eyes when playing this is quite a high risk way to play, but he doesn't make many mistakes.

Riaan

I've also had the pleasure to see them, in duo and as individuals. Both are absolute world class players, yet down to earth nice guys.

AlanRatcliffe

X-rated Bob wrote:
X-rated Bob wrote: Newman is fascinating to watch as well as to listen to. He's a portrait of stillness and concentration, playing with great accuracy
Said great accuracy includes playing not right behind the fret but ON the fret much of the time. Considering that he hardly ever opens his eyes when playing this is quite a high risk way to play, but he doesn't make many mistake.

Steve is also brilliant at the lost art of dynamics. He often goes from whisper quiet to beating the hell out of the thing in the same piece of music.

One interesting thing is that his Smoothtalker has a slightly concave string radius which I found threw me completely. Typically Steve, he's not worried: "Mervyn makes them and I play them". I loved his older Davis Flamenca Blanca though (the one he calls "Senior").

Bob-Dubery

+1. I think his default is to play fairly softly, which leaves him plenty of head room. Great dynamics,as you say, and impeccable timing. With all those percussive things he throws in, he's a one man orchestra.