Melbourne, Australia

Up early for my flight to Melbourne. Gail met me and drove out to Brighton down the Beaconsfield Parade along Port Philip Bay. Glorious weather. We had a quick lunch alfresco and then I went off to have my hair cut. Around 5, we left for the city for our evening adventure at the Spiegeltent, an amazing contraption that is set up every year for a few months in the summer next to the Arts Centre. We picked up our tickets and popped in on the costume exhibit – this year it is Peter Allen. (Last time, I saw Kylie Minogue’s costumes.). Then got in line, as seats are on a first-come, first-saved basis. The Spiegeltent is a European Mirror Tent - the ultimate cabaret and music salon. A word about them:

Spiegeltents are hand-hewn wooden pavilions used as traveling dance halls, bars and entertainment salons since they were created in the early 20th century. There are only a hand-full of these unique and legendary ‘tents of mirrors’ left in the world today. Built of wood, mirrors, canvas, leaded glass and detailed in velvet and brocade, each has its own personality and style.
The most beautiful of the last remaining Belgian Spiegeltents, The Famous Spiegeltent, was built in 1920 by master craftsmen Oscar Mols Dom and Loius Goor. This Grande Dame has spent her lifetime at the bequest of festivals and fairgrounds throughout Europe and beyond, playing host to the world’s greatest cabaret artists, musicians and circus burlesque performers. Since Marlene Dietrich sang ‘Falling In love Again’ on The Famous Spiegeltent stage in the 1930’s, its magic mirrors have reflected thousands of images of artists, audiences and exotic gatherings. The Famous Spiegeltent is the very essence of a festival club, ‘kabaret salon’ and intimate concert hall. Like every old theatre, her ghosts travel with her, woven into ballooning velvet canopies, circular teak dance floor and stained, cut-glass windows. Her intimate booths, ornate bar and beveled mirror columns hold a million secrets while her glorious Art Nouveau chandelier, or trapeze rig, swings overhead.







We had come to see Lulo Reinhardt, the grandnephew of the legendary gypsy swing guitarist Django Reinhardt. Very exciting. The tent was packed and we got ourselves some champagne from the bar before settling in. Lulo Reinhardt is a gypsy guitarist in his own right, but his music is heavily influenced by Latin American rhythms. Based in Koblenz, Germany, his Latin Swing Quartet consists of himself, a violinist, drummer and bassist. The group tours the world and local musicians join in along the way. For this concert, he also had a percussionist and an American guitarist from San Francisco, Doug Martin. Later in the program, Sean Mackenzie, a Sydney-based pianist, joined the group. He also played the Brazilian berimbau and an African thumb piano.

The concert was wonderful. They played only one cover (that’s music parlance – heh heh), an original Django Reinhardt number; the rest were original compositions, a unique blend of gypsy and Latin jazz, and a melancholic piece written by the violinist. The music was vibrant; the atmosphere was electrifying; the audience was totally engaged. The musicians engaged each other with smiles and signs and were obviously having a blast. It was a fabulous experience. The joint was really jumping.




After the concert, Gail and I rushed the stage – it is not safe to let us out in public together ever since our Club Med days! We schmoozed with the musicians and we let it drop that we were going on to jazz club, Bennett’s Lane, and they said, well, they would be going there later to jam. We were intrigued with the exotic instruments and Sean showed us how the berimbau, which is of African origin, works. If anyone is interested, check the following site.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berimbau

We bought a CD and posed for photos. Voila!







Then off we went to the jazz club where we met up with Gail’s son, Alistair, and his girl friend. Joe Chindamo, one of Australia’s foremost jazz pianists was playing with a bassist and a drummer. We sat with Joe’s former professor at the Victoria College of Music, Geoffrey d’Ombrain, a charming gentleman who was then joined by his daughter who had just come from, of all things, a French lesson. Ha ha. A good table for the evening. The melodies are familiar – Paul Simon’s “America”, “Moon River”, “Un del di”, for example– but Joe plays them in his unique way with unusual harmonies and rhythms. During the first set, there was an influx of "Gypsies". During the break, two came over and said “Fancy meeting you here! “ LOL. Gail’s son, Alistair, aged 22, said “Back in your box, girls”. All in good fun! Joe also came over and had a chat. By the time we got home, it was 1am or 3am for me (NZ time). Don’t know how I lasted…it was surely the quality of the music and the great fun.