Guest : Graham Cooper

27 February 2009

Graham gave us an entertaining evening with songs from various musical backgrounds, all of which demonstrated his musicianship and versatility. We heard modern folk classics such as “The Dutchman” and “Roll on the Day”; famous country songs like “”City of New Orleans”, also songs of troubled relationships “Cat’s in the Cradle”, and “Suzie Queen of E-Mail”.

All song introductions were interspersed with stories of Graham’s travels and people he’d met (some of them really big names) on the international scene, often with the accent on humour, and sometimes to do with sympathetic and philosophical reflections : I particularly liked “Mindful Goodbyes” in memory of the unexpected death of a good friend, and “ Me and the Empty Glasses”, both written with Harvey Andrews.

He also gave us some great “evergreen standards” such as “On the Sunny Side of the Street”, and Duke Ellington‘s “I’m Beginning to See the Light”. He’s quite a jazz fan and this is reflected in the inventiveness of his fine guitar playing .He’s a good singer too. Thanks ,Graham .

Review and photo : Brian Spencer