Recipe for success
Jools Holland and guests at the Villa Marina.
THE brilliant piano solos of boogie woogie king Jools Holland are more than enough to thrill me.
But throw in the musical genius of five saxophonists, four trombone players, three trumpeters, two guitarists, a drummer, a keyborad player and four guest singers and you cannot help but be whipped up into the ‘sunshine on a stage’ frenzy the TV presenter produces with a Cheshire cat grin across his face.
Before the gig, Jools said his aim is always to provide joy through the medium of music. And having seen him three times now I swear he has it down to a tee.
Without the need for costume changes, pyrotechnics or scripts, his shows really do hold an easy recipe for success. The orchestra is one big family and the way they saunter and flow on and off stage as their enormously talented brothers and sisters effortlessly do their thing for us adds a magical ease which avoids pretention.
Using the casual banter adopted for his Later... TV show, Jools really has perfected the art of dishing up the feel good factor. With songs like When you Smile the World Smiles With You, Well Alright and Enjoy Yourself, even the biggest grump must have cheered up.
Surprisingly this concert, which also featured Marc Almond and Ruby Turner, was not a sell-out. However, although the Villa floor began the night almost bare, the crowds were slowly drawn towards the rhythm and blues pulsating from the stage and the evening ended with a raucous sea of bodies incapable of merely toe tapping. As my colleague Lee said, it’s just so good to see people doing what they were so obviously born to do!
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Weather for Isle of Man
Saturday 18 May 2013
Today
Heavy rain
Temperature: 8 C to 11 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: North west
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 8 C to 13 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: East
