Review!

I was asked to write this review a couple of days ago and have just realised,that like a college essay, it can only be put off for so long; and the excuses you keep making to yourself get weaker and weaker. Now, if I had been asked to write a review before the event I would have taken studious notes and all my facts would be verified. However, here I am just over a fortnight after the event trying to piece together my memories. This then will be a collection of random thoughts whose chief features might be ones of omission.

April the first 2009 stands out as a pivotal moment in my life for two reasons; I handed in my notice at work, and to celebrate I went to the first birthday celebrations of the Tangerine Tree Café in Totnes. If you haven‚t already noticed, Totnes seems to have a ridiculous number of cafes per head of population. When the Tangerine Tree opened, I wondered how it could sustain itself with so much competition. The previous café at that same address, whose name I have already forgotten, seemed to attract the more elderly retiring types who had moved to the South West for their autumn years. There was a very refined atmosphere with floral china tea cups and conversation to match. The Tangerine Tree is completely different. It appeals to a much younger clientele, has wi-fi broadband, comfy leather sofas, fantastic food and drinks (not to mention the loyalty scheme where you get a free drink after having your card stamped a certain number of times). It appears to have carved out a niche where I hadn‚t noticed a gap. A garden out the back, which catches the afternoon sun, two levels downstairs and two levels upstairs; each with its own ambience. Recently, I‚ve noticed that musical evenings have started up called the Segment hosted by Jimmy Stewart who also works there. These have proved very popular. So, when I noticed that there was going to be a Cabaret evening organised by Dartington College students to celebrate its first year of opening, I was struck by two thoughts: has it really been only a year since it opened? And how are they going to organise something on so many different levels?

Having been to a previous musical evening, which was so full there were no spare seats, I booked a table for four for a fiver. On arriving I was delighted to discover that the table had the best view of the performers, so I tucked into the Bento box and sipped my drink while enjoying listening to a young chap strumming away on his guitar. Now, I should have mentioned that on entering I was welcomed by Hattie Mothersill, one of the organisers (along with Lucy Rollins and Jasmin Shermanperrow), who very graciously directed me to my table and ensured that my Bento box had the desired contents. The performers were using the space to the right of the door, which meant that they were facing towards the bar/counter and could be seen by everyone downstairs. This was a far more satisfactory arrangement than how I had seen the space used before. It‚s always a difficult juggling act using spaces that weren‚t specifically designed for performance and then working through the difficulties of audience positioning and deciding where to place PA speakers/mixing desks etc. On this occasion I was genuinely impressed by how much thought had gone into this. Each act that performed had a clear sound with each instrument able to be heard. Perhaps the double bass could have had a touch more, but I think it was his decision not to be amplified. The mix meant that it was not overwhelmingly loud but neither did it mean that we had to sit in rapt attention to hear each nuance, which you might expect from a Folk or Jazz performance. As a result there was a healthy buzz of conversation which I think benefited the cabaret atmosphere.

I‚m afraid I have to admit here that I didn‚t go upstairs at all even to use the facilities, so I can‚t pass judgement on what was going on up there. I did however see loads of faces I knew disappear never to return, so they must have discovered something out of the ordinary. My brother in law sharing our table returned after a visit and said, „It‚s really strange. There‚s a room with all these films being shown, but there‚s no one in there.‰ The plot thickens.

I had thought that the cocktails were going to be shaken and stirred upstairs, but they were being made behind the counter beside the other drink and food orders. This did mean that it took a long time to get served. I was particularly irked when I was asked to go and get some refills at exactly the same time as Jasmin Shermanperrow arrived as a Burlesque act to strutt her stuff. I am of course falling into the stereotyped image for this, describing it like that does not do justice to her act, which was not titillating in the same way that striptease is, while at the same time celebrating the female form and the sheer exuberance of movement and fun. There were some uneccessary comments round my table indicating she was too svelte and slender and needed to eat a few Bento boxes. But I put this down to pure jealousy. Needless to say I made darn sure I was in a prime position for her second performance. I loved the way that her act moved towards a crescendo (I won‚t use the word climax) and then very discreetly she disappeared upstairs.

Of all the performers I felt that Mae Karthauser fitted the Cabaret soubriquet perfectly. The style and arrangement of her songs are a perfect foil for her unique voice. I was entranced into not knowing what was coming next and met some most interesting harmonies along the way. A number of times she performed vocal gymnastics that appeared to be a cross between a playful vibrato and yodelling, that was extraordinarily clever, yet delivered with casual panache. I had been wanting to see Matthew Board perform for some time, having been impressed by his online presence, organising coaches to gigs for fans and recording at the prestigious Sawmill recording studios. I was suitably impressed by the energy and professionalism of his band. Obviously tight and well rehearsed. His voice cut through numerous instruments (I‚m only sorry I can‚t give a name check to those in his band or those with Mae) I feel privileged to have seen him in such an intimate setting, since I have no doubt he‚ll go on to bigger and better things. To conclude, Becky Brine performed her unique style of ŒJazzeoke‚. She had been feeling very nervous beforehand; I think she must have been wondering why she had been chosen to perform alongside all those younger talented Dartington students. Her nervousness must have been contagious since I too began to wonder if she was the right sort of act to finish the evening with. I‚d seen her quite often busking in Totnes and at the Cider Press Centre to a completely different sort of audience. But she rose to the occasion and although she was performing to backing tracks, pulled off a show of sheer brilliance. Her voice is very well suited to the Jazzy standards that are her repertoire. But what makes her a cut above the rest is her self-disparaging sense of humour. We were rolling around laughing at her interaction with a young lad who was eventually persuaded to dance. Her facial mannerisms and miming, during the solos, were all done with split second timing and were a joy to behold. Even the people watching through the window from outside were carried along with it all. So, Becky put the icing on the cake and Hattie reminded everyone that the Tangerine Tree was one year old and we all sang Happy Birthday.

John Elliott
18th April 2009

Photos from The Big Night!

Jazz Singer- Becky Brine

Becky Brine is the latest musician to add to the list of musicians playing!

www.myspace.com/beckybrine

The Line up so far..

Matthew Board,
www.myspace.com/matthewboard

Mae Karthauser
www.myspace.com/maekarthauser