Benedictus
Witchwood
Flower and the Young Man
Tears and Pavan
The Hangman and the Papist
New World
On My Way
Josephine For Better Or For Worse
Ghosts
A Glimpse of Heaven
Simple Visions
You and I (When We Were Young)
The River/Down By The Sea
Lay Down
Hero and Heroine (encore)
ROZAZZO ABBEY, 3 JUNE 2001
Me and other long-time fans reached the cloister of Rosazzo Abbey on Sunday evening, 3 June. Unfortunately, due to heavy rains (I told Dave Lambert it was just like being in England) the gig took place in an inside hall holding no more than 100 people.
Personally, I had missed the Strawbs ten years ago when they were in this area. It has been a great emotion to see them play at such a short distance. I must honestly tell you that, even if I'm 45 with teenager children and my hair getting grey, when Dave Cousins opened the act with the notes of "Benedictus" played on the electric dulcimer, I almost had tears in my eyes. I was thinking of the first time I put "Grave New World" on my record player discovering all the beauty of the Strawbs' music. And we also found out that Dave Cousins' s superb voice is still the same we could hear on the tracks 30 years ago.
The gig went on in a magic and very intimate atmosphere. Among the songs they played I'd like to mention "Witchwood", "Glimpse Of Heaven", "The Hangman And The Papist", "New World", "The Flower And The Young Man", "The River", "Lay Down", "Hero And Heroine", "Ghosts", "Josephine For Better Or For Worse". Of course, great guitar playing by both Brian and Dave Lambert.
Our final comments were that we've been lucky to see them play acoustic, being this the best way to appreciate all their artistic skills. Nonetheless, we want them play electric too! Dave Cousins said there are plans for a further Italian tour later on this year (November), so we'd like to see the whole band back and shake hands with Hud, John and Blue too.
Era iniziata con un eccezionale serata tra jazz e tradizione sudamericana con Flaco Biondini ed Antonio Marangolo e si è conclusa con il trionfo del folk-rock acustico "doc" degli Strawbs la rassegna di concerti voluta dal Folk Club Buttrio in memoria del proprio presidente Fabrizio Durì a cinque anni dalla prematura scomparsa. Fra le due date un emozionante incontro con la poesia e le canzoni di Gigi Maieron, l'avventura musicale "on the road" fra le due sponde dell'Atlantico di Luigi Grechi e Ricky Mantoan e la stupefacente vocalità di Mary Coughlan ad interpretare il proprio mito Billie Holiday.
Ma è forse l'ultimo di questi appuntamenti che resterà più a lungo nella memoria di quanti hanno accettato le proposte del Folk Club, tanto per la bravura dei tre musicisti, quanto per la sorprendente varietà esecutiva e soprattutto per l'ascolto di un repertorio che, pur proveniendo in gran parte dagli anni '70, si è rivelato vincente ancora oggi ed anche su ascoltatori che prima di quella sera non conoscevano gli Strawbs, ma che alla fine del concerto si sono buttati a capofitto all'acquisto dei preziosi (e da noi introvabili) dischi del gruppo inglese disponibili in sala. Sempre più efficace, piena, aspra e drammatica la voce di Dave Cousins, leader della formazione ed autore di tutto il repertorio eseguito; delicata, veloce e mai fuori posto la chitarra di Brian Willoughby, amico da sempre di Cousins e prezioso ricamatore di assoli ed arpeggi ; sanguigna, di stampo rock ma estremanente elegante nei suoi fraseggi sgargianti la chitarra di Dave Lambert, anch'egli compagno di lunga data del leader ed ottima seconda voce per Cousins ed i cori che hanno fatto spesso parte del successo Strawbs.
Ed il concerto è stato un crescendo di emozioni, proprio perché lo snocciolarsi di brani conosciuti a memoria dai tanti fan (giunti anche da fuori Regione nonostante il maltempo che aveva impedito lo svolgimento del concerto, come programmato, nel chiostro dell'Abbazia) ha sciolto sin dai primi pezzi il dubbio sulla resa acustica di brani nati elettrici.
Dall'iniziale "Benedictus" con Cousins al dulcimer al successivo "Witchwood" con il delizioso duetto all'unisono di Lambert e Willoughby, ai conflitti religiosi di ispirazione nord-irlandese di "The Hangman and the Papist", un Œmust' di ogni concerto, dal drammatico "New World" alle perle più intime quali "Tears and Pavan", scritta da Cousins durante la sua prima tournée italiana, o "You and I, When We Were Young", ed ai brani più solenni, da "Simple visions" ad una "Glimpse of Heaven" davvero paradisiaca ed alla classica "Lay down", che ha preceduto l'unico bis con "Hero and heroine" e la promessa di un nuovo tour in autunno, sin d'ora atteso con rinnovato entusiasmo dai tanti che viaggiavano per la sala con macchine fotografiche, telecamere amatoriali e, soprattutto, vecchie copertine di lp da collezione da far firmare ai tre maestri, molto disponibili alla fine del concerto ad intrattersi con fan giovani e meno giovani (ci ha fatto piacere riconoscere fra il pubblico anche alcuni ottimi chitarristi di casa nostra). Degna conclusione di una stagione concertistica molto ricca ed uno dei più emozionanti concerti (assieme a quelli di Tom Russell, Sean Keane, Tiharea eRobin Brown) realizzati quest'anno dal Folk Club, che ora lascerà il campo all'imminente Folkest, per riprendere la propria attività in autunno, chissà, magari riproponendo ancora "The acoustic Strawbs"Š!?
Translation of above, thanks to Les Cotton for sending it to www.systrans.com, then Marco Miconi for further work after DG had a few guesses
The set of Spring concerts organized by the Buttrio Folk Club in the memory of the anniversary of its president's death (and concluding the Club's 11th concert season) started with an exceptional evening, with Flaco Biondini and Antonio Marangolo combining jazz and South-American tradition, and after a memorable performance by Mary Coughlan interpreting Billie Holiday, it ended with a triumphant folk-rock acoustic concert by Dave Cousins, Dave Lambert and Brian Willoughby, the 'acoustic' Strawbs.
It is perhaps the last of these events that will remain long in the memory of the Club's regulars, both for the skill of the three musicians, and also for the amazing variety of arrangements, but above all for the appeal of a repertoire which, though dating largely from the 70s, is still thoroughly convincing today. Listeners who until that Sunday didn't know the Strawbs' music were converted fans by the end of the concert, desperate to buy their CDs (hard to find in Italy).
Highly effective, full and dramatic was the voice of Dave Cousins, leader of the group and author of all the songs performed; the guitar of Brian Willoughby, Cousins' old friend, provided both delicate, fast arpeggios and solos, never out of place; Dave Lambert, another long time Cousins' confederate, played with great showmanship and harmonised perfectly with Cousins on the strong choruses which form much of the appeal of the Strawbs' hits.
Although the stormy weather had prevented the concert from being held in the beautiful Abbey cloister, as scheduled, the concert met all expectations, and though many pieces were known by heart by the fans (travelling from many Counties throughout Italy) in their electric context any doubts that they would work in an acoustic environment were dispelled from the very beginning.
The concert started with "Benedictus" and Cousins playing the dulcimer, followed by "Witchwood" with some delicious unison playing by Lambert and Willoughby; then "The Hangman and the Papist" inspired by religious conflicts in Northern Ireland, a "must" for any Strawbs concert. Following that, the dramatic "New World" and the more intimate pearls, "Tears and Pavan" (written by Cousins during the Strawbs' first Italian tour) and "You and I, When We Were Young", carrying on with the more solemn "Simple Visions" and "A Glimpse of Heaven " paradise indeed. Finally, classic "Lay Down" and the only encore with "Hero and Heroine" and the promise of a further chance in November to have them in Italy again. Many fans had travelled with still and video cameras to capture the event and had brought old albums for signature by the three, who came out after the show to talk to the fans young and old.
A worthy conclusion to a rich season of concerts and one of the most moving of the year (together with the concerts given by the Tom Russell Duo from USA, Sean Keane's Irish band, Tiharea from Madagascar and Robin Brown's Triumphant US Gospel Ensemble). That's it for this year, until Autumn - when who knows, we might even see the return of the "acoustic Strawbs" in the Friuli region. Who knows?