HAPPY NEW YEAR

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE

No more posting this year, but loads of goodies in the pipeline.  We shall begin the year with some rare EuroJazz from the vault of SunBop, Paul D, Onxidlib and the Boogieman himself.

And take a good decision for 2013 ...

... drink OUDE GUEUZE

See you in January

GUEUZE 'n BOOGIE

AL COPLEY - Live @ 't LEEUWSKE - 28th June 2011

St Pieters Leeuw is a partly rural village west of Brussels.  The village centre has managed to keep its charm and a unique atmosphere: a beautiful old church and some very friendly cafes on the small cobbled street surrounding the church.  That's where one can find Café Moriau, famous for its traditionnal Gueuze and Kriek (and occasional jazz concerts) and Café 't Leeuwske where I went last night to watch and hear  Al Copley.  Living abroad most of the year, I sometimes forget what a delightful place Belgium could be.  For instance,  one can have the double pleasure of watching / listening to a top-class musical act while drinking some outstanding local beers.   My favourite has always been the Oude Gueze and Kriek ( typical summer beers, very refreshing).  Not always easy to find the real thing, only a handful of small breweries still produce the lambic which is at the base of Gueuze and Kriek.  But in St Pieters Leeuw, you get the real thing; After all, it's the Payottenland, a region that had already inspired Brueghel den Oude and many lesser known painters and poets.  


And yesterday, the Payottenland atmosphere obviously inspired boogie woogie master AL COPLEY (a founding member of Roomful of Blues) who gave a great performance in trio format (piano-contrabass-drums) in Cafe 't Leeuwske.  I've seen Al Copley many times over the year - he's been a regular visitor for some twenty year now and was even resident in Belgium for a few years - but yesterday was one of his better shows.  A small typical Belgian Café, an enthusiastic crowd - some real connaisseurs and some locals who came to have good time, and got lots of it!, but above all, a real piano. Too often nowadays we see blues / boogie pianists playing on electric keyboards that may sound "almost" like a the real thing but almost ain't enough.  

So a great evening of unadultered boogie woogie and - always a crowd pleaser - rock and roll (Copley excels in Jerry Lee's type of rockin' boogie).
Thanks to Bernadette for the pics and to Cool Danny, Thierry & all for organising the concert (and to 't Leeuwske for providing the location and the piano).






Great evening, makes me wish I were in Belgium more often!

Great Balls of Fire

Rock and Roll will never die!

Al Copley (centre) and the bar crew

And thanks to  Boon' brewery (in nearby Lembeek ) for producing such nice beers.  You'll never know how I miss them when I'm thousand miles away!