An Australian night of LC's music

[blonde madonna]

I am back from a great long weekend in Sydney, the highlight of which was seeing Monsieur Camembert perform a night of Leonard Cohen music. The band plays jazz, gypsy swing and world fusion and has some great musicians including Edouard Bronson on saxes/clarinet/flute, Marcello Maio on accordion/piano, Santiago on lead guitar, Mark Harris on double bass and Jess Ciampa on drums. They are all skilled musicians and their respective solos were a highlight of the evening. Yaron Hallis, the lead singer on guitar, linked a fine selection of songs with some of Cohen's poetry. The atmosphere of homage to the great man was extended by audio fragments of Cohen himself introducing songs or performers and various video clips illuminating the wall before the show and during the short break.

Yaron delivered Cohen’s songs with knowledge and passion and this would have been enough for me but the riches were multiplied. The group was joined by guest singers Abby Dobson, Carla Werner, Ngaiire Joseph and Elana Stone, all well respected singers in their own right. I recognised Abby from her previous life with Leonardo’s Bride and she brought a pop style to her versions of Suzanne and Hallelujah. I was also really impressed by Elana whose incredible jazz voice illuminated Who by Fire. I heard that Ngaiire was an unsuccessful contestant on Australian Idol (which only confirms my opinion of that show) but she invested such emotion into Light as a Breeze it was like a different song. Carla’s interpretation of The Guests also had me listening to that song anew. That is what I loved about the night, the glimpsing again of that feeling of hearing all these well loved songs for the first time. Other highlights were the lively rendition of Memories (with all the singers and musicians on the crowded stage) and they literally had the audience in tears with Dance Me To The End Of Love, apparently it has been their most requested song for years.

The Vanguard is a jewel of a venue, like an old Victorian terrace I used to live in, with its blood red walls, intimate lighting and excellent food and wine. I loved that they didn’t pick all the obvious songs to cover during the nearly three hours of rich music. However there was also a higher purpose for the event and something you might all be interested in: they recorded the songs over three nights for a CD that will be released on the 23rd June. If you’re interested a sample Jazz Police is on their myspace page at the moment.

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fu ... =102898849

[monsieurcamembert]

HI Blonde Madonna,

Thanks for a WONDERFUL review!
It was such an intense and exciting 3 nights, and as you can imagine, we are busting to hear the recordings (we haven't heard a single track back as yet!)
To which night did you come??
Anyway, thanks again for schlepping such a distance to see the show, and for your kind words!

All the best!
Yaron

[blonde madonna]

Hi Yaron
I was there on Saturday night (middle row near the front) and thank you all for such a whole and enriching experience. I was going to let you know I was posting this review-it can only be a good thing to get the word around and your band deserves it.

Will be looking to see you live again!

[lizzytysh]

Thanks for your review, Madonna. It sounds like their show was worth it every minute. It's so exciting, isn't it, seeing what people do with Leonard's songs. They're so inherently rich that the range for interpretation is endless. The venue sounds phenomenal for hearing Leonard's music in the way you've described the performances. Thanks for taking the time to share all this with us.

Congratulations to you and your group, too, Yaron ! Word of mouth seems to be in your favour .


~ Lizzy

[blonde madonna]

Thanks Lizzy for reading and responding.

Darn I made a mistake though, a night of music and wine can be a bit of a blur the next day or so later.

Correction: Abby did Famous Blue Raincoat, not Suzanne (Elana did that one in a refreshingly different way).

Waiting on that CD to jog my bad memory.

[lizzytysh]

Hi Madonna ~

I tried to get that Bruce cover of Suzanne, but know notta about downloading... and don't have time to figure it out tonight... or if I even want to do it. I don't have a lot of capacity on my computer, anyway. I sure do love that photo, though.


~ Lizzy

[blonde madonna]

Monsieur Camembert are doing a Leonard Cohen tribute show a short tram ride away from me in August. I wanted to remember when I last saw them and found this thread that I had completely forgotten. Time flies as they say.

https://nationaltheatre.org.au/whatson/ ... ard-cohen/

Hoping to relive some wonderful memories.

[B4real]

Hi BM, long time no see.
I hope things are well with you down there and you have a good time at the show!

I was sent this further info about the same tour and I thought I'd post it here.

‘Cohen Noir: The Beauty, Mystery and Romance of Leonard Cohen’ coming to Adelaide

https://www.thenote.com.au/news/cohen-n ... o-adelaide

After selling out shows at the Sydney Opera House, City Recital Hall and the State Theatre, three-time ARIA Award-winners Monsieur Camembert have announced national tour dates for their genre-defying production,

Unlike your standard tribute show, Cohen Nior reimagines the legendary troubadour’s iconic works through different genres, including jazz, tango, Latin, swing and more. Each performance is a unique experience interwoven with rare audio of Cohen himself, with his songs transformed into emotional new textures by Monsieur

Camembert’s virtuosic 10-piece ensemble alongside a revolving cast of artists.
The lineup of guest vocalists is super impressive, with Karise Eden, Abby Dobson, Diana Rouvas, iOTA, Rebecca Barnard, Rob Snarski, Nina Ferro, Frank Sultana, Lloyd Spiegel, Lyn Bowtell, Timothy James Bowen, Alexi Kaye, Brian Campeau and Sue Carson just some of the talent involved in the production.

Launching in August with three Victorian performances in Bendigo, St Kilda and Warragul, the tour now expands to include Newcastle, Wollongong, Brisbane, Adelaide, Barossa Valley, Canberra and Sydney, with each city featuring a stunning line-up of special guest vocalists, spanning generations, genres and artistic worlds.

The two South Australian shows take place at Norwood’s Concert Hall on Friday 10 October and Tanunda’s Barossa Arts Centre on Saturday 11 October and feature Frank Sultana alongside a group of yet-to-be-named singers.
Monsieur Camembert’s Cohen Noir continues to evolve with every performance – cementing its place as one of the country’s most original and acclaimed explorations of Leonard Cohen’s enduring legacy.

The show has received rave reviews, with The Weekend Australian calling it “An uplifting tribute… Monsieur Camembert does justice to the emotional, lyrical and melodic intent of the songs while adding a new dimension” and awarding it four and a half stars out of five.

The Sydney Morning Herald wrote, “Amid near-perfect sound, the band effected a refined ebb and flow of dynamics, heightening the drama and shading the tenderness. A must for Cohen and Camembert fans alike.”