The annual
Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival starts on Friday (click on the link to get a flavor of the thing). Each year the festival gets bigger and better, with more acts from farflung places such as the States and from any number of countries in Europe. There are free gigs all around town, taking place in coffee shops and pubs, starting in early afternoon and lasting past closing times. There is truly an extraordinarily high level of musicianship. Only three events require paid admission - the Old Timey session at Trinity Church on Friday night, the grand concert at the Town Hall on Saturday night, and a folk session at Matt Molloy's Pub on Sunday. We'll go, along with the Duffys, to the Friday and Saturday concerts, but we'll also stop in on many of the free gigs throughout the weekend. In 11 years' time, the festival has become regarded as one of the top ten small festivals in all of Ireland - a place that loves a good festival. As I've written before, the WFBF is the creation of an Israeli Jew - the amazing impresario Uri Kohen who, when he completed his Israeli military service, moved to Ireland to work in a pub - a lifelong dream. Nevermind that Uri's father and grandfather were world-renowned scientists and all his life he would be queried as to what his science would be. When asked, he would state his intentions and would be regarded as simply being a goof. Look at him now. Settled into Westport these past 20 years with a stunning Irish wife and daughter and, with that daughter being a multi-award winning Irish dancer. In his spare time, he moonlights as DJ Dodgy, a noted purveyor of all things reggae. Uri's a sweet, unaffected guy who's always available to sit for awhile to catch up on the year gone by. Ain't life funny...
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| Yer man Uri in the ball cap |
Not that we haven't heard some terrific music already. Padraic introduced us to the Hipnosis Band/Hip Pocket Trio three years ago. It's a amalgam of fantastic musicians who come together in various configurations to form different groups and play different genres of music. Hipnosis is the larger group, with a sax, keyboards, drums, lead and bass guitars, and an unbelievably talented lead vocalist. She's 21 years old and the daughter of the drummer. The band features material best characterized as soul/funk with driving rhythms and terrific solos by all the musicians. Candee and I were welcomed back (we're unblushing groupies...) and had my favorite song dedicated to us -
Miss You by the Stones. Yer man on sax, Eddie Rogers, does the vocals and switches over to harmonica for the song, taking all the bluesy notes on an incredible growling and soaring journey. Also stunning solos by the bassist and lead guitarist.
We're gonna come around 12 with some Puerto Rican girls that are just dyin' to meet you... Goodness, it was a great song. The rest of the evening was filled with an entertaining and surprising mix of songs bent to fit with the overall funk, reggae, blues feel of the band.
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| Hipnosis |
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| Smokin' hot Hannah Hoban. Smokin' hot vocals, I mean... |
Enervated by the evening, we vowed to follow them into the next town, Castlebar, for a gig by the smaller iteration of the group - Hip Pocket Trio, on the following night. The trio plays traditional jazz - some bossa nova songs (great rhythms), some cool jazz (a la early Miles Davis "Kind of Blue" period), and a few other songs unknown to this musical Phillistine. All great stuff in a 2 1/2 hour free set.
I continue my quest to establish a handicap at Westport Golf Club - they require of new members that three rounds be played and verified by a current full member in good standing. I got my second round in with Padraic's good friend, Dave Joyce, early on Saturday morning past. Dave is an excellent golfer - lovely swing and a mid-single-digit handicap. And, despite the fact that he'd only played a few times this year (took some time off for cataract surgery), he shot somewhere in the mid-70s. A fine game and very good company for a walk around the course. Dave maintains a very nice awareness of the beauty of the course and setting and frequently remarked on the wildlife and birdsong as we played. No need to reflect on any beauty in my game however. I seem to have a swing for awhile and then I completely lose it - a par or hard-earned bogey followed by sideways and brutally topped shots. Same thing when I completed my third round in Marion's company on early morning Monday.
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| Sunset on Barleyhill |
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| Backyard view |
