Here's my hasty attempt at a review of both bands' (Kiss My Jazz and Moondog Jr.) performances at the Jazz Fest this weekend. As usual the festival was great all three days, and i guess Moondog thought so too because i saw them around all weekend. I didn't talk to them because i didn't want them to feel like they were going to be recognized all the time and there was too much good music around to be interupted by talking anyway.

In short i guess both bands felt out of place at the festival, although they doubtlessly enjoyed the chance at watching and perhaps meeting a lot of the people and bands there. They seem true fans first and foremost. the difference in the gigs lay in the way both bands handled the pressure of playing the North Sea, and how that came out in their performances

Everyone in Moondog (except Benjamin, unless i didn't see him) showed up for the Kiss My Jazz show in the small Escher zaal on Saturday. I never had the chance to see Rudy with dEUS but the impression he gave of here was not that good. Maybe he was nervous (he was swigging a lot of red wine through out), and i think he felt the pressure of playing at such a prestigious festival with great Jazz players. But instead of playing his heart out he projected his frustration onto the audience, starting the show by saying "we don't play that much Jazz and for that we apologize". he then started of what an imrpovisation which scared away a good third of the audience before it was over. (by the end only a handfull of the initially packed room was left) This doesn't mean the tune was bad, most of the people were just curious about the band and unfamiliar with what they do, they were definitly more jazz fans than Kiss My Jazz fans. I actually quite liked the improv and it could have been quite a gig, but from then on Rudy started antagonizing the audience and just playing for his Moondog friends in the audience (referring to them as his rented audience). Between the taunting and waving goodbye to people leaving they actually played some good stuff; Burn in hell, tropic of cancer, a greater loss than pain, "the paranoid song", "bodybag" and the "i can't tell my head from a hole" one. The last couple of songs kept being interupted by Rudy looking to the side of the stage and asking for time, seeming not to want to play for any longer than necesary. It was unfair to the rest of the band who played well (especially Aarich Jespers and the featured vocalist who i didn't recognize and who wasn't on the record). It was also unfair to those who actually paid the eighty guilders and bothered to come watch them. It was a shame...and it could be seen on the faces of Tom Pintens and Stef Carlens. (by the way Stef didn't come up for some of the songs like he does on the album).

Then came Sunday and the Moondog gig, maybe they learned from Kiss My Jazz's misfortunes. I really liked their show on Friday in Nighttown (which has already been reveiwed so i won't bother) but somehow i missed something. especially stef seemed unhappy with things that day. today would be the rematch! Being kept to a time limit did good things for the Moondogs because they played focussed, tight as ever, and as a result gave a good gig away. here's a setlist

Spike Smith's Love is heavy brick Bombo Ice Guitars Jintro and the great Luna Cachita I put a spell on you Moondog TV song ? ("...my friends are gone, my hair is grey, i ache in places i used to play..." Moondance The richochet

i may have left one out towards the end, but doubtlesly someone will correct me. I got some good pictures and a decent tape too! The fact that the small stage limited their ligths and sound was a plus aswell, the relative quiet let them put so much of the texture found on the album into their live performance. Sebastian could have been a bit louder for my taste, but hey... who's asking. When I met jools Holland later that evening i told him to get the Moondog Jr on his show quick, he was polite, vague and evasive, but maybe...just maybe one of these days cross my fingers etc etc...we'll see

I just hope the band had a good time themselves, its so hard to tell especially with stef and tomas who are always looking either really serious or really nervous, they should have some fun (or maybe they are but just don't show it). again hats of to Aarich who just plays so well! In any case the crowd loved it, but because of the tight schedule there was no encore.

Later sitting watching Blues singer Keb'mo do his exquisitely fine thing i saw the guys with their equipment walk past outside the room i was in. Tom and Aarich were smiling as always...perhaps they knew that they played well. And just did their thing, just being happy to be able to play amongst such Jazz, Blues Funk etc masters and legends as were present at the festival.