Turn It Up

In my previous post Quiet Please, I made a plea for turning down the background music in just about every public place. But I have to admit that the best thing about the excellent Middle East restaurant that I visited in Brighton the other night was the soundtrack supplied from the above album by Turkish clarinettist Barbaros Erkose.

Erkose has been around for 70 years or so, and I deeply regret my ignorance of his music up until now. His playing soaks up all kinds of influences and comes out in all sorts of styles. But this particular album has a transcendent cool jazz feel that is the equal of any Miles Davis classics.

After my iDrum experience of a few days ago (see my post iDrum, Therefore...), I'm beginning to think the best way to discover great music is just to walk into Brighton and open your ears...

iDrum, Therefore...

Yesterday in Brighton I had the good fortune to stumble upon a street performance by two young drummers performing under the banner of iDrum. These guys prove that you don't need top-quality gear to produce a great sound.

One played a pretty basic drum kit (plus assorted street furniture) while the other played plastic buckets and bowls. But what a groove!

From what I can gather, iDrum are popping up all over the place (on the street, in clubs), so if you get the chance to see these percussive guerrillas, take it. Anyone who says drum solos (or duets) are boring should have been there yesterday, along with the huge crowd of appreciative passers-by, who couldn't pass by.