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Articles by Mark Kidel
Richard Thompson, Wiltshire Music Centre review - fierce songs and fiery guitar
At his first ever concert in Bradford-on-Avon (at the Wiltshire Music Centre) last Sunday, Richard Thompson drew an enthusiastic full house: they cheered and joined in vigorously: you could feel the way in which their warm-hearted appreciation nourished the veteran folk rocker - co-founder of Fairport Convention, trenchant songwriter and uncontested guitar wizard.
Going home with Rhiannon Giddens, and her new album 'Hope is the Thing with Feathers'
The breathtakingly prolific artist, Rhiannon Giddens, inhabits a rich territory that breaks the constraints of time and space – the nourishment that comes from tradition on the one hand, and collaborations at the cutting edge of musical cross-fertilisation on the other, and music rooted in her native North Carolina, as an anchor which allows her to work with musicians from all over the planet.
Going home with Rhiannon Giddens, a woman rooted in multitudes
The breathtakingly prolific artist, Rhiannon Giddens, inhabits a rich territory that breaks the constraints of time and space – the nourishment that comes from tradition on the one hand, and collaborations at the cutting edge of musical cross-fertilisation on the other, and music rooted in her native North Carolina, as an anchor which allows her to work with musicians from all over the planet.
Ata Kak and Mohamed Errebbaa, Strange Brew, Bristol review, African feelgood music ancient and new
Help secure the future of arts journalism In this era of algorithmic recommendation, opaquely sponsored content and AI slop, theartsdesk’s mission to preserve real journalistic and critical values has never been more important. If you like what you see here, please join us in this mission. Subscribing to the site will help us in our coming redesign and expansion. If you do this before the 9th September this will be at our guaranteed founder’s rate: your subs will never increase again.
'Sangam & Friends' is Charles Lloyd's homage to percussion great Zakir Hussain
It’s always a pleasure to meet again with Charles Lloyd, whose sweet and expressive tone first enchanted me as a teenager in 1963, when he graced the Chico Hamilton Quartet, along with the guitarist Gabor Szabo – notably on the classic album Passin’ Thru Lloyd’s – affinity with Eastern spirituality which he demonstrates in his latest release, a homage to the sadly missed Indian percussion master Zakir Hussain, was always evident, long before his first visit to India in 2009, when most of the...
Resurrrected recordings - 'Sangam & Friends', Charles Lloyd's album homage to Zakir Hussain
It’s always a pleasure to meet again with Charles Lloyd, whose sweet and expressive tone first enchanted me as a teenager in 1963, when he graced the Chico Hamilton Quartet, along with the guitarist Gabor Szabo – notably on the classic album Passin’ Thru Lloyd’s - affinity with Eastern spirituality which he demonstrates in his latest release, a homage to the sadly missed Indian percussion master Zakir Hussain, was always evident, long before his first visit to India in 2009, when most of the...
'Different When It's Silent' is a beguiling new collection from Tricky
Ever since he crashed into the world with that eerie masterpiece, Maxinquaye (1995) – an album that has never aged – Bristol-born Tricky, once a maverick member of Massive Attack, has mined a vein of suffering and pain, extracting, disc after disc, the essence of his troubled shadow and ancestry. The new solo venture, hot on the heels of a rich diversity of collaborations, is no different.
Everybody Digs Bill Evans review - atmospheric evocation of the great jazz pianist
It’s hardly surprising that director Grant Gee, one of the most outstanding documentarians around – with acclaimed films about Joy Division and Radiohead, as well as inventive explorations of writers WG Sebald and Orhan Pamuk, should make a first fiction feature that escapes the tropes and clichés of genre.
Volume Two of 'Trumpets of Michel-Ange' makes a lively vehicle for Ibrahim Maalouf
In a cultural world with no frontiers, French-Lebanese trumpeter Ibrahim Maalouf has a musical CV that ranges very widely: collaborations with Angélique Kidjo, Sting, Quincy Jones, Amadou et Mariam, Archie Shepp and countless others. While rooted in Lebanese and Arab tradition, he moves with ease through jazz, rock, hip-hop and other genres.
Vol 2 of Trumpets of Michel-Ange: a lively vehicle for Ibrahim Maalouf
In a cultural world with no frontiers, French-Lebanese trumpeter Ibrahim Maalouf has a musical CV that ranges very widely: collaborations with Angélique Kidjo, Sting, Quincy Jones, Amadou et Mariam, Archie Shepp and countless others. While rooted in Lebanese and Arab tradition, he moves with ease through jazz, rock, hip-hop and other genres.
A classic revisited: how Miles Davis's 'Lift to the Scaffold' set the tone for the French New Wave
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Jazz and New Wave film: Miles Davis's Lift to the Scaffold
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Tricky, The Troxy review, the prince of darkness returns
A gig with Tricky remains a trip to the Underworld: forever shrouded in almost total darkness, his haunting voice barely audible, he’s an artist who’s always shunned the spotlight, seen through the charade of celebrity fame, and made a virtue out being a shade rather than a hero.
Well-honed gems in Teddy Thompson's latest collection 'Never Be The Same'
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Well-honed gems in Teddy Thompson's latest collection
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Jasper Høiby's 3Elements, Bristol Beacon review - incandescent jazz conversation
Ace bass-player Jasper Høiby achieved fame with his band Phronesis, recording and performing sophisticated yet accessible jazz, and establishing themselves as leaders in the crowded piano trio field. With 3Elements, and new collaborators, he is continuing to explore the seamless and inspiring combination of composition and improvisation that has characterised his work to date.
Zayn expands his range on fifth album 'Konnakol'
Along with Harry Styles, Zayn is one of the stars to emerge from the immensely successful boy-band One Direction. Now no longer a mere "boy", he’s part of a mainstream in which music is carefully fashioned to gleam, the product of artisans of the kind of pop that reaches the widest possible audience – uncannily astute talent-spotters such as Simon Cowell and super-producers that hold the keys to dressing the songs up with catchy hooks, appealing riffs and contagious rhythms.
Zayn expands his range on fifth album 'Konnakul'
Along with Harry Styles, Zayn is one of the stars to emerge from the immensely successful boy-band One Direction. Now no longer a mere ‘boy’, he’s part of a mainstream in which music is carefully fashioned to gleam, the product of artisans of the kind of pop that reaches the widest possible audience – uncannily astute talent-spotters such as Simon Cowell and super-producers that hold the keys to dressing the songs up with catchy hooks, appealing riffs and contagious rhythms.
Richard Sennett: Building and Dwelling - Ethics for the City review
All the great sociologists, in the tradition of Georg Simmel, Max Weber and others, are on a mission. They cannot help wishing to change the world. Science should be value-free, but the social sciences have never come close to that questionable ideal. All science is a human endeavour, indeed always one rooted in society. There is no position, theoretical or descriptive, that will or cannot change, or that isn’t subject to paradigm or point-of-view, perspectives that are rooted in time and place.
Aynur Doğan, St Georges, Bristol review - a glorious celebration of Kurdish identity
The Kurdish singer Aynur opened her current European tour in Bristol, presenting music that's rooted in ancient tradition but explores contempoary sonorities and styles while keeping the music of her people vibrant and alive. On arriving at the venue, it felt as if the place had been magically transplanted to the Middle East.
Steve Coleman and Five Elements, Ronnie Scott's Review, incandescent collective jazz impro
Over the years, Ronnie Scott’s, one of the premier jazz clubs in the world, has hosted some truly transcendental music. There’s something about the horseshoe layout of the seating that promotes exceptional intimacy. When the music zings and the audience feels it, there is a positive feedback loop which elevates the event beyond the merely ordinary.
'Distance in Static' is soft-edged electronica from Bonobo, a dance-floor sorcerer
Simon Green, aka Bonobo, has been gently gliding through a kind of soft electronica, music whose warm embrace, has for some years explored the ways in which elements of music from other continents can lend to the dance-floor a dream-like quality that escapes the hard edges characteristic of so much technology.
Jeremy Ledbetter Trio, Ronnie Scott's review, too much of a good thing?
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Errebbaa, Ata Kak, Strange Brew, Bristol review - African feelgood music ancient and new
Help secure the future of arts journalism In this era of algorithmic recommendation, opaquely sponsored content and AI slop, theartsdesk’s mission to preserve real journalistic and critical values has never been more important. If you like what you see here, please join us in this mission. Subscribing to the site will help us in our coming redesign and expansion. If you do this before the 9th September this will be at our guaranteed founder’s rate: your subs will never increase again.
Zoe Martlew, Kings Place review - a theatrical tour de force
There was dramatic lighting, dry ice and earth-shaking electronics. In a deftly-constructed programme of new and older works, she created an enjoyable – at times hilarious and others deeply moving – showcase for her wide-ranging talents as a composer. Until recently, she was primarily a cellist, much sought-after in ensemble work and as a soloist in cutting-edge contemporary music.
Blossoms' seductive 'Songs from the Wedding Cake' is brilliantly polished
Blossoms, yet another indie wonder from the ever-so-fertile Northwest, in tune with the Manchester mayor turned PM, have had a string of No. 1 albums, and their latest continues to display an uncanny ability to tailor infectiously danceable hit material, as good for the heart as the head. This will delight their many fans, with oven-ready singalong catchiness and a feel-good factor steeped in contagious love. This isn’t music for solitary introspection but a vehicle for communal fun.
Bach, Kuhnau, Vox Luminis, Wigmore Hall review, the splendour of musical democracy
Vox Luminis, the vocal and instrumental group based in Namur and led by Lionel Meunier, continued their residency at the Wigmore Hall, hot on the heels of a memorable rendition of Bach’s B Mass at the Spanish Church a few blocks away, with an equally breathtaking evening of works by Bach and his predecessor as Thomaskantor in Leipzig, Johann Kuhnau. There were two wonderfully celebratory Magnificats, the first by Kuhnau, and the second by Bach – his earlier version in E flat Major ( BWV243a).
Vox Luminis, Wigmore Hall review, the splendour of musical democracy
Vox Luminis, the vocal and instrumental group based in Namur and led by Lionel Meunier, continued their residency at the Wigmore Hall, hot on the heels of a memorable rendition of Bach’s B Mass at the Spanish Church a few blocks away, with an equally breathtaking evening of works by Bach and his predecessor as Thomaskantor in Leipzig, Johann Kuhnau. There were two wonderfully celebratory Magnificats, the first by Kuhnau, and the second by Bach – his earlier version in E flat Major ( BWV243a).
Becoming Cary Grant 2017 1080p WEBRip-YTS
Becoming Cary Grant 2017 1080p WEBRip-YTS [RR/NF/CU] Size: 884MB mp4 H264 (HIGH) (AVC1) / AAC (LC) (MP4A) HD 1920x1080 All releases of "Becoming Cary Grant" Becoming Cary Grant (2017) Genre: Documentary | Biography Directed By: Mark Kidel Cast: Mark Kidel, Cary Grant, Frank Sinatra MPAA Rate: TV-PG Country: France, United States Original Language: English Storyline: For the first time one of Hollywood's greatest stars tells his own story, in his own words.
Becoming Cary Grant 2017 720p WEBRip-YTS
Becoming Cary Grant 2017 720p WEBRip-YTS [RR/NF/CU] Size: 476MB mp4 H264 (HIGH) (AVC1) / AAC (LC) (MP4A) HD 1280x720 All releases of "Becoming Cary Grant" Becoming Cary Grant (2017) Genre: Documentary | Biography Directed By: Mark Kidel Cast: Mark Kidel, Cary Grant, Frank Sinatra MPAA Rate: TV-PG Country: France, United States Original Language: English Storyline: For the first time one of Hollywood's greatest stars tells his own story, in his own words.
Becoming Cary Grant 2017 1080p WEB-DL HEVC x265-RMTeam
Becoming Cary Grant 2017 1080p WEB-DL HEVC x265-RMTeam [RR/NF/CU] Size: 806MB RMTeam x265 mkv HEVC (MAIN) / AAC (LC) HD 1920x1080 +Subtitle All releases of "Becoming Cary Grant" Becoming Cary Grant (2017) Genre: Documentary | Biography Directed By: Mark Kidel Cast: Mark Kidel, Cary Grant, Frank Sinatra MPAA Rate: TV-PG Country: France, United States Original Language: English Storyline: For the first time one of Hollywood's greatest stars tells his own story, in his own words.
Becoming Cary Grant 2017 480p WEB-DL x264-RMTeam
Becoming Cary Grant 2017 480p WEB-DL x264-RMTeam [RR/NF/CU] Size: 296MB RMTeam mkv H264 (HIGH) / AAC (LC) 854x480 +Subtitle All releases of "Becoming Cary Grant" Becoming Cary Grant (2017) Genre: Documentary | Biography Directed By: Mark Kidel Cast: Mark Kidel, Cary Grant, Frank Sinatra MPAA Rate: TV-PG Country: France, United States Original Language: English Storyline: For the first time one of Hollywood's greatest stars tells his own story, in his own words.
Album: Boz Scaggs - Detour
Boz Scaggs rarely does a less than wonderful album. His latest is an exemplary collection of smooth and soulful standard and a few other choice items including a song he wrote for his first album Boz Scaggs (1969) “I’ll Be Long Gone” and an Allen Toussaint song that was a hit for Southern Soul diva Irma Thomas, “It’s Still Raining”.
Trio da Kali, Milton Court review - Mali masters make the ancient new
Trio da Kali are griots, and their traditional role in West Africa is to connect: to evoke the glories of the past and to bring communities together through mediation and spiritual admonition. Their role, even though sung in Mandinka, without surtitles – a thought worth considering – could not be more appropriate in a world so perilously divided.
Ariodante, Opéra Garnier, Paris review - a blast of Baroque beauty
The revival of Robert Carsen’s production of Handel’s Ariodante at the Opéra Garnier in Paris under the direction of Raphaël Pichon, with his Ensemble Pygmalion and a top-notch cast, is well worth a trip to Paris. At over four hours, it might seem daunting, but the show is as close to perfection as opera can be, bursting with vitality and emotion, and never feels a second too long.
Ariodante: Raphaël Pichon, Ensemble Pygmalion, Opéra Garnier, Paris review - a blast of Baroque beauty
The revival of Robert Carsen’s production of Handel’s Ariodante at the Opéra Garnier in Paris under the direction of Raphaël Pichon, with his Ensemble Pygmalion and a top-notch cast, is well worth a trip to Paris. At over four hours, it might seem daunting, but the show is as close to perfection as opera can be, bursting with vitality and emotion, and never feels a second too long.
Album: Robert Plant - Saving Grace
Robert Plant is magnificently well-equipped to shine as a consummate musical survivor: not only has his voice kept its magic, with a range from sensual caress to ecstatic howl, but he’s deeply rooted in timeless music, Scots-Irish and American folk as well as the country blues.
Ganavya, Barbican review - low-key spirituality intimacy
At the start or her show, the white-robed singer Ganavya does something unusual: while other performers usually warm their audience up before suggesting they sing along, she plunges straight in, a minute or so into chanting “a love supreme”, and gets everyone to join her in what can only be described as a communal act of devotion. This is a kind of high-wire daring, and it works, suggesting as well that she's assured of a large group of listeners for whom she can do no wrong.
Album: David Byrne - Who is the Sky?
From his early days with Talking Heads, David Byrne has ploughed a highly individual furrow, and exploited a persona that combines naivety with knowingness, fun pop with serious intent. He's perhaps, without appearing to be, one of the most spiritually orientated arists working in popular music today. He's always been true to form, whether wearing outsize suits or doing almost robotic dances.
Youssou N'Dour and Super Étoile de Dakar, Roundhouse review, the best of Africa
There is a freshness about a show by Youssou N’Dour that never seems to get pale He still has one of the great voices of Africa, a versatile and richly-textured tenor that doesn’t show the sign (at 65) of growing old and tired. At the Roundhouse, he started the show with one of his most well-known song “Immigrés”. Youssou and the Super Étoile de Dakar bounced in with the kind of energy that usually emerges gradually through the simmering build-up of a set.
Sir Brian Clarke (1953-2025) - a personal tribute
Brian Clarke died on 1 July 2025, after a long illness. He was one of the most original British artists of our time – wide-ranging, ground-breaking and influential. His painting was first-class, but it was in the field of architectural stained glass, which he approached as a fine artist, and in a radically innovative manner, that he truly made a name for himself. I first met Brian, when I was making a series for BBC Two, “The Architecture of the Imagination” (1994).
Alfred Brendel 1931-2025 - a personal tribute
Alfred Brendel’s death earlier this month came as a shock, but it wasn’t unexpected. His health had gradually deteriorated over the last year or so, and I was fortunate to see him just a few days before he died. I visited him for one of our regular film nights – evenings when we’d eat dinner together, prepared by his partner Maria, and then watch a movie. On this occasion we’d decided to take in the recently-made German documentary about Leni Riefenstahl.
Brad Mehldau Trio, St Georges Bristol review - exquisite intelligence
There's something luminous about the Brad Mehldau Trio. The music they create with such joy shines with a special clarity, in which ever-changing forms constantly reveal lines of shared thought, explicitly, yet purveying an abiding sense of wonder. Intellect – and there is plenty of that – is matched here with the fire of inspiration and the thrill of constant surprise.
Album Durand and the Indications - Flowers
Neo-soul devotees Durand Jones and the Indications mine a vein of sensuous sounds, at the soft end of a genre that's partly defined by the raw passion of gospel. Their roots draw from vintage Curtis Mayfield and the smooth vocal harmonies of the Impressions, the delicate heartbreak evoked by Smokey Robinson, and a host of groups, many of them identified with the Philly Sound.
Album: Ammar 808 - Club Tounsi
Ammar 808 is the high octane vehicle for the Tunisian-born producer Sofyann Ben Youssef, now based in Denmark. His first album Maghreb United (2018)struck hard and fast in a field already well-populated by the fusion of traditional Arab sounds and modern electronics. It was a marriage made in heaven.
Adrian Utley- Eddie Henderson Project, Ronnie Scott's review, beyond fusion
On the eve of recording an album at Real World Studios, guitarist Adrian Utley and the American trumpet player Eddie Henderson brought their “project” to the hallowed ground of Ronnie Scott’s in Soho, along with four other top-class British musicians.
Album: Car Seat Headrest - The Scholars
Following a tradition that reaches back to the The Who’s Tommy, bands and musicians with serious artistic ambition have created rock operas, reaching beyond the thematic explorations pioneered in concept albums a form that transcends the limits of the three-minute popular song. Singer and guitarist Will Toledo, the leader of Car Seat Headrest is the latest to throw himself into the drama and story-telling that an opera requires.
Album: Bon Iver - SABLE ƒABLE
With a sound that's instantly recognisable, Justin Vernon – known as Bon Iver - continues to astonish. Purveyor of wonder, sculptor of enchanting sounds, he treads a miraculous path between melancholy and joy and has established himself as one of the great voice of contemporary indie pop. His new album built on the EP Sable, which he has supplemented with new material, further explorations of love, a search for identity whose mixture of innocence and wisdom steers well clear of self-indulgence.
Kenny Garrett, Ronnie Scott's review - a mixed bag
The sax-player Kenny Garrett established a reputation as one of Miles Davis’s band in the Amandla (1989) period. He was also a member of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, the launching-pad for scores of talented young musicians.
Kenny Garrett, Ronnie Scott's review
The sax-player Kenny Garrett established a reputation as one of Miles Davis’s band in the Amandla (1989) period. He was also a member of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, the launching-pad for scores of talented young musicians.
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