Surprise in the UK’s middle o’nowhere

Working in the UK ! Great isn’t it ? Ah yes, but … it’s not in London … Nor in Brighton, Manchester or Cambridge … neither is it un Edinburgh …  Where is it ? In Basingstoke … Where you say ???

Basingstoke, nice little town one hour from London, be it by train or by car …  Or a half hour from Southampton, if you prefer … Er, that is, if the planes also agree, as they have the strange tendancy to be a tit temperamental, especially on the way back home (Cancelled flights, delayed flights … ).

So, Basingtoke, we were saying. A post-war town : its train station, its repetitive residential areas in dark red briks, its ring road, its « business » area, its center … shopping-mall. Yes, the town’s center is a shopping-mall. A miracle : we did find 2 pubs, that were neither b*rger k*ngs nor stuck in the mall !

You might have guessed it, this town is colorfull, homey, blossoming, thriving … Oops, sorry !!! Rather bleak,  sad, dark although green (well sure, as soon as you leave you’re in the country side !!). And its business area faithfully reflects the current conditions : composed of abandonned buildings with broken and boarded up windows  and surfaces to let, it ain’t quite joyfull. 

Yet, I speak of being surprised … ??? Well yes, what a surprise it was (especially for my collegue, as I was clueless) while vaguely exploring the surroundings of the Mall (going round its blind brick walls …) to stumble upon a Concert hall … 

But not just a concert hall !!! There, programmed, posted-up on the wall, in the coming days, a John Mayall concert !!! The king of the blues, the discoverer of the best, the master !!! Here, in Basingstoke !!!  (And there, my collegue is just about to pass out from shock, surprise, happiness !!!).

Without a second’s hesitation, we buy tickets ! As it works out, the concert is on the evening following my birthday, that I have the pleasure to be celebrating in this hole of a place …  

Well, they don’t look it  here, but wow !! what a memorable concert !!!

Increadible musicians, amazing  music, a terrific sound, solos .. that leave you speachless.  And the artists are quite accessible too.  Of course, I left a lot less ignorant but most importantly … with the CD. 

And the young bassist, him, there, on the left ! Pfiou !!! I’d never seen anyone plying bass with such dexterity and getting such a sound ! (well, ok, I’d never seen a 5 string bass before either)  …

Ah, but I forgot to mention … the little John Mayal, the legend of the Blues … he did unearth Eric Clapton, Mick Fleetwood (Fleetwood Mac) and a few other musicians just as good , during his carreer !

“After Clapton and Jack Bruce left the band to form Cream, a succession of great musicians defined their artistic roots under John’s leadership, and he became as well known for discovering new talent as for his hard-hitting interpretations of the fierce Chicago-style blues he’d grown up listening to. As sidemen left to form their own groups, others took their places. Peter Green, John McVie and Mick Fleetwood became Fleetwood Mac. Andy Fraser formed Free, and Mick Taylor joined the Rolling Stones. As Eric Clapton has stated, “John Mayall has actually run an incredibly great school for musicians.”

In 1969, with his popularity blossoming in the USA, John caused somewhat of a stir with the release of a drummer less acoustic live album entitled “The Turning Point”, from which his song “Room To Move” was destined to become a rock classic. He received a gold record for this album. Attracted by the West Coast climate and culture, John then made his permanent move from England to Laurel Canyon in Los Angeles and began forming bands with American musicians. Throughout the 70’s, John became further revered for his many jazz/rock/blues innovations featuring such notable performers as Blue Mitchell, Red Holloway, Larry Taylor, and Harvey Mandel. He also backed blues greats John Lee Hooker, T-Bone Walker, and Sonny Boy Williamson on their first English club tours.”  http://www.johnmayall.com/bio.html

Anyway, surprises like this one I’ll take anytime ! And the Basingstoke Concert hall’s program, believe me, we keep an eye on it now !!!