Skiffle A True Pioneer
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Tribute to a true pioneerAs Paul Leegan and his band of Legends proved at Thaxted Church on Saturday, there is much more to skiffle music than My Old Man's a Dustman.
Whilst skiffe's most famous tune got an inevitable airing during this frantic and triumphant show of nearly three hours, hearing it alongside so much frankly more interesting music hammered home Donegan's reputation as a musical pioneer whose impact has often been criminally underrated.
No-one does skiffle better than Leegan, who received Lonnie Donegan's personal seal of approval before his death in 2002, and he demonstrated it time and again on Saturday.
Pick A Bale of Cotton got an early airing and had the audience clapping along in the pews, Rock Island Line, the song that inspired Lennon and McCartney to form a band, was played with fire and passion.
While the concert was predominantly a celebration of skiffle, Leegan and his band found time to pay their respects to other pioneers from the 50s and 60s. Among them was Pete Seeger, with the band rattling through several songs from the American folk icon helped make famous and which Bruce Springsteen breathed new life into on his 2005 Seeger Sessions album.
Old Dan Tucker, Jessie James and Mary Don't You Weep were all played with gusto, the latter one of a handful of spiritual songs performed on the night and made all the more powerful given the setting.
Leegan was backed by an exceptional band who all had their own chances to shine.
Drummer Harry Heppingstall brought the first set to a raucous close with virtuoso performance on When the Saints Go Marching In, Keyboardist Carl Sinclair earned big applause for a wild rendition of Winifred Atwell's Pot Black and guitarist Warren James got big thumbs up for his Springsteen-influenced John Henry.
The band's bar-room boogie and the grand surroundings of the church made for an odd juxtaposition, and although the audience, perhaps in respect to the venue, remained rooted to their pews, it was obvious that inside they were dancing.
Whilst skiffe's most famous tune got an inevitable airing during this frantic and triumphant show of nearly three hours, hearing it alongside so much frankly more interesting music hammered home Donegan's reputation as a musical pioneer whose impact has often been criminally underrated.
No-one does skiffle better than Leegan, who received Lonnie Donegan's personal seal of approval before his death in 2002, and he demonstrated it time and again on Saturday.
Pick A Bale of Cotton got an early airing and had the audience clapping along in the pews, Rock Island Line, the song that inspired Lennon and McCartney to form a band, was played with fire and passion.
While the concert was predominantly a celebration of skiffle, Leegan and his band found time to pay their respects to other pioneers from the 50s and 60s. Among them was Pete Seeger, with the band rattling through several songs from the American folk icon helped make famous and which Bruce Springsteen breathed new life into on his 2005 Seeger Sessions album.
Old Dan Tucker, Jessie James and Mary Don't You Weep were all played with gusto, the latter one of a handful of spiritual songs performed on the night and made all the more powerful given the setting.
Leegan was backed by an exceptional band who all had their own chances to shine.
Drummer Harry Heppingstall brought the first set to a raucous close with virtuoso performance on When the Saints Go Marching In, Keyboardist Carl Sinclair earned big applause for a wild rendition of Winifred Atwell's Pot Black and guitarist Warren James got big thumbs up for his Springsteen-influenced John Henry.
The band's bar-room boogie and the grand surroundings of the church made for an odd juxtaposition, and although the audience, perhaps in respect to the venue, remained rooted to their pews, it was obvious that inside they were dancing.
