Jazz Halo, December 2023
Review of Double Dare Performance
An evening at Bimhuis is always special, but at the end of the year it's a real party. Every concert is then graced by stunning views of the skyline Amsterdam shrouded in the December light. Also the 7th of December, many visitors will visit the Cultuurgebouw again can be found on the IJ. That partly has to do with the fact that a phenomenon is programmed: guitarist Gary Lucas, who still worked alongside Captain Beefheart (Don van Vliet), Jeff Buckley, Nick Cave and Lou Reed stood. The evening is dedicated to the first two.The initiator of the concert is the young double bassist/singer Peter Willems, who at the age of twenty-four now has a hell of an album to his name: Double Dare, a collaboration with Gary Lucas. After a short introduction by the great connector and music promoter Co de Kloet, who arranged the meeting between Gary and Peter, two timid men walk onto the stage. The two take a seat next to an ecological bass, a set of effects pedals and two guitars.
With compelling songs such as Edith Piaf's 'Hymne à l'amour' and 'Mojo Pin', the audience is temporarily drawn into the mysterious world of Jeff Buckley. Images of Don van Vliet with his Magic Band and a young Gary Lucas appear on the screen. On the Buckley/Lucas song 'She Is Free', Lucas' hand is clearly audible and the door is opened to the work of Captain Beefheart. Next comes 'Beefhearts Her Eyes Are A Blue Million Miles' (1972), a song on which Lucas himself interestingly did not participate. Willems' voice doesn't come close to Beefheart's creaking sandpaper. After a false start, Willems sounds like Jeff Buckley singing one of Captain Beefheart's catchiest songs.
And, what a wonderful gift, Buckley's masterpiece 'Grace' (co-written by Lucas) is also included in this set. After a long oral introduction by Lucas about his collaboration with Buckley and the origins of the album, a heavenly tribute is heard to this artist who was in the prime of his musical career. The slow guitar lines and echoes of Lucas and the heartbreaking voice of Willems come together beautifully in this tribute to the main source of inspiration of this evening.
Things are a little different with Leonard Cohen's classic 'Hallelujah'. Willems now stands alone on stage with his double bass. And he performs the song “in the spirit of Jeff”. However, what Willems mainly shows here is his own authentic sound, inspired by Buckley. While Willems kneads the double bass with ingenious runs, he lyrically sings 'Hallelujah' as we have never heard it before. He single-handedly sets a new standard here. You just have to dare.
Two different encores including “Hey Mr. Rain” by the Velvet Underground also included in “Double Dare “. And it looks like Lucas has been waiting for this moment the entire set. This guitarist who has contributed for decades, mainly in the shadows, to the music that has shaped many of us, is now in the center of attention and brings a moving tribute to Lou Reed with his melodious voice. A striking ending to a memorable concert.
Heerlen My City (Netherlands), July 2023
Interview with Gary Lucas
American director, writer and actor Orson Welles became world famous in 1938 for his radio play "War of the Worlds". That was interpreted as being so lifelike that some people in New Jersey fled because they thought their state was being attacked by aliens. Three years later, Welles presented his most famous feature film; the extremely innovative "Citizen Kane" for the time. The film is still known as one of the highlights of cinematography. Don Van Vliet rattled firmly at the gate as Captain Beefheart in 1967 with his debut album "Safe As Milk" and released his own Citizen Kane two years later with "Trout Mask Replica". An album that is to this day hailed as one of the most innovative and important records of all time. Welles and Beefheart. Cinema and music. Two different universes that meet next Friday (July 7) in Heerlen. Heerlen My City- reporter Marco Smeets found out what to expect and how this came about.
The search begins in 1938 when Orson Welles loses his unfinished film "Too Much Johnson". About thirty years later he accidentally finds the film in excellent condition, but in August 1970 the film cans fall prey to a fire in Welles' villa. "Too Much Johnson" seemed definitively in the past. Because in 2008, a copy of the roll print turned out to have been unnoticed for years in a warehouse in the Italian town of Pordenone. How the film ever got there is unknown, but in 2013, after five years of restoration, she finally had its premiere.
The film was produced at the time as part of a stage production in which live performance and film would be mixed. It is a slapstick comedy without a spoken word, which will be musically accompanied in Heerlen on Friday by the famous master guitarist Gary Lucas. Lucas has experience with these types of live soundtracks, something that comes from his fascination with cinematography:
'I studied film history and filmaking at Yale and Andover and was director of the Yale Film Society. I am especially attracted to horror, science fiction and fantasy but I have worked with a much wider range of films so far, mainly classic European arthouse films.'
In 2016, he added "Too Much Johnson" to that list. 'When I heard of a long-lost Orson Welles movie, I had to see him. Something told me that he would perfectly match my playing style.'
The first performance took place in New York and last year there was the European premiere during the Noorderzonfestival in Groningen.
Because it's a silent movie, Lucas has free rein. It is therefore not surprising that a large part of the music will be improvised. 'This kind of scoring is constantly changing. I play it differently every time so it stays fresh. Some of the music is composed and fixed, but about half of the soundtrack consists of improvisation. This inspires me to discover something new every time I see the film that I can respond to immediately.' Thus, the performance in Heerlen is also interesting for the people who were there in Groningen: 'The people who saw me perform there will hear a completely new score on Saturday.'
Gary Lucas is less known to most for his film work but all the more so for his role as guitarist for great artists such as Jeff Buckley, Nick Cave and Lou Reed. However, the name that sticks most to him is that of Captain Beefheart a.k.a. Don Van Vliet. Lucas recorded two albums with him in the early 1980s, joined his live band and briefly became his manager.
Captain Beefheart pushed musical boundaries in the 1960s as Orson Welles stretched the boundaries of the film two decades earlier. But Beefheart not only stretched the boundaries, he – like his childhood friend Frank Zappa – regularly broke right through them. Radio maker Tim op het Broek (kink.nl) is co-organizer of the Annual Mosae Zappa festival in Heerlen where Beefheart's music invariably passes by for that reason: 'Captain Beefheart is a completely unique figure within music who had a crush on all music laws. He started out as a lover and interpreter of the Delta blues. Those influences can still be heard well on the first album Safe As Milk, but soon he developed his own sound that is most close to Avant Garde. Don couldn't read or write notes but composed using sculptures. Sometimes he whistled an (unsteady) melody on a tape, with which his Magic Band could get started. In addition, he had a powerful voice. The album "Trout Mask Replica" (produced by Frank Zappa) is still a source of inspiration for many experimental bands.' Beefheart's influence also extends far beyond Avant Garde. Tim about that: 'He was also an example for punks like Johnny Rotten. Partly because of his non-conformist attitude.' And then there are his texts, described by Tim as 'poetic and inimitable.'
Don Van Vliet retired as a musician in 1982, retired to a caravan in the Mojave Desert and made waves as a painter until he died in 2010. Gary Lucas has honored the man ever since. By continuing to promote his music, most recently even with a global series of Beefheart symposium shows; a lecture with rare clips, art and live music. That symposium will therefore be linked to Too Much Johnson in Filmhuis de Spiegel. The fact that Lucas chooses to honor Beefheart in Heerlen and not something of the perhaps more famous artists he worked with has a clear reason: 'I see the Netherlands as the number one fan base of Don's music. It is always an honor to speak of him here, show rare clips and beautiful paintings of him. And of course to be able to play his unique music on my guitar.'
In this way Heerlen can prepare for a special evening around two absolute grandmasters. A seemingly golden combination that makes you curious about its creation. It turned out to be a one-two between Geert Pizlo (director-director of Filmhuis de Spiegel) and Mireille Brouwer (Lucas' manager). The latter says: 'Actually, it came about during brainstorming. What if you bring a world-class artist like Gary Lucas to Heerlen? Then how can we best let Gary Lucas come into his own in such a great location as theater Royal and at the same time build a bridge to the audience that is probably only familiar with one side of his musical work? Gary Lucas is also a pioneer in live film score and takes you to an alternative reality full of creative possibilities.
And that's where Beefheart comes in. 'It was therefore obvious to let the evening pass into his Captain Beefheart symposium after the break. The album Trout Mask Replica has been around for 54 years now and has not lost creativity yet. Like Too Much Johnson, it's avant-garde at its best.'
Geert Pizlo also drops most of the credits at Gary Lucas: 'The link originated with Gary himself. He has been essential for us to host this event. Stand alone we both may not have even shown anything, but it is precisely this combination that makes it fantastic in our eyes. As with Orson Welles, Gary Lucas' history also fascinates. I mean; his musical past doesn't lie about it!'
There is clearly no lack of enthusiasm on the organizational side. Can we therefore perhaps expect more events like this in the Royal? Pizlo: 'Filmhuis De Spiegel indeed intends to look for the edges in its programming where possible. It looks at the widest possible range in the audiovisual spectrum. The Royal Theater is also extremely suitable for this. Of course, showing the artistic film remains our core business and we will not get in the way of the Nieuwe Nor and the Theater. But we're definitely looking at events and programming that go beyond just showing movies!'
Too Much Johnson, Gary Lucas and the Beefheart Symposium Show can be admired at the Royal in Heerlen on Friday 7 July at 7pm. Afterwards there will be a Q&A and meet & greet with the artist. More information can be found on the website of filmhuis de Spiegel.
Text: Marco Smeets