Hi all,
Went to see Mr Cox at a garden party sort of event in Bryanston yesterday. Nice venue on a beautiful highveld autumn afternoon - the musos in a lapa and the audience spread out around an attractive garden. AND they provided ladies and gents loos. We took a picnic basket.
The support act was Mike Burger and Richard Bruyns. Some of you may know Richard as the sales manager at Andy McGibbons. Mike plays finger-style acoustic (two Larrivees - an OM-05 and a limited edition JCL), Richard plays lap steel (a National, metal-bodied with 3 cones). They combine very well with Richard occasionally showing his gruff, half-spoken vocals. The sound was very good - you could hear the two guitars as two separate instruments, and thus you could hear the two intertwined guitar parts.
A nice set from these two - anything with a lap steel in Jo'burg is automatically novel and different, but that aside they chose interesting material and they worked together very well in the way they complemented each other's playing.
The main act was up next. Playing a Mervyn Davis Smoothtalker. Loud! (or noticably louder, the PA was set somewhere south of "ears will bleed") Does that Davis guitar have remarkable grunt? Does Cox has considerable power in his hands? I suspect both.
His playing was precise, potent and very agile. At one point one of the friends I was with asked where the bass player was - guitarists of this caliber can occasionally cause moments of disbelief.
I enjoyed Cox's set, but it was a bit hard going for those who hadn't seen him before (he seemed to know most of the audience) as he stuck mostly to pieces that were technically challenging but not easily taken in.
Then there was surprise 3rd act. Tony Russell. I have heard about Tony Russell but never heard him. Some of the better players I know go to him for lessons - but more to do with musical theory and possiblities than "let's teach you this technique". Tony played with a rhythm section (stand-up bass) and himself had a gorgeous late 50s Gibson arch-top. I think an ES-125. Classic jazz axe - single pickup up near the neck, trapeze tailpiece, floating bridge.
He plays in a style akin to Barney Kessell or Kenny Burrell and has considerable chops. A set of standards ("Night And Day","Stompin' At The Savoy") with great soloing and chord work laid on top. He stole the show and got two encores.
All in all a great way to spend a clear, warm(ish) Highveld autumn afternoon. Tony Cox had just been in the UK and then in Canada and was so enthused by the relatively warm weather that he was wearing shorts.
Went to see Mr Cox at a garden party sort of event in Bryanston yesterday. Nice venue on a beautiful highveld autumn afternoon - the musos in a lapa and the audience spread out around an attractive garden. AND they provided ladies and gents loos. We took a picnic basket.
The support act was Mike Burger and Richard Bruyns. Some of you may know Richard as the sales manager at Andy McGibbons. Mike plays finger-style acoustic (two Larrivees - an OM-05 and a limited edition JCL), Richard plays lap steel (a National, metal-bodied with 3 cones). They combine very well with Richard occasionally showing his gruff, half-spoken vocals. The sound was very good - you could hear the two guitars as two separate instruments, and thus you could hear the two intertwined guitar parts.
A nice set from these two - anything with a lap steel in Jo'burg is automatically novel and different, but that aside they chose interesting material and they worked together very well in the way they complemented each other's playing.
The main act was up next. Playing a Mervyn Davis Smoothtalker. Loud! (or noticably louder, the PA was set somewhere south of "ears will bleed") Does that Davis guitar have remarkable grunt? Does Cox has considerable power in his hands? I suspect both.
His playing was precise, potent and very agile. At one point one of the friends I was with asked where the bass player was - guitarists of this caliber can occasionally cause moments of disbelief.
I enjoyed Cox's set, but it was a bit hard going for those who hadn't seen him before (he seemed to know most of the audience) as he stuck mostly to pieces that were technically challenging but not easily taken in.
Then there was surprise 3rd act. Tony Russell. I have heard about Tony Russell but never heard him. Some of the better players I know go to him for lessons - but more to do with musical theory and possiblities than "let's teach you this technique". Tony played with a rhythm section (stand-up bass) and himself had a gorgeous late 50s Gibson arch-top. I think an ES-125. Classic jazz axe - single pickup up near the neck, trapeze tailpiece, floating bridge.
He plays in a style akin to Barney Kessell or Kenny Burrell and has considerable chops. A set of standards ("Night And Day","Stompin' At The Savoy") with great soloing and chord work laid on top. He stole the show and got two encores.
All in all a great way to spend a clear, warm(ish) Highveld autumn afternoon. Tony Cox had just been in the UK and then in Canada and was so enthused by the relatively warm weather that he was wearing shorts.
