Friday, December 5

Tag: The Traverse Bar

Portable Infinity – Edinburgh Traverse Bar
Scotland

Portable Infinity – Edinburgh Traverse Bar

Crikey, this was good. Tight. Hot. Funky. At times it even rocked. Four master musicians with CV’s so long you’d need a telescope to finish reading. Accompanying central legend Benjamin Koppel on Alto Sax were Jacob Karlzon on piano, Scott Colley on double bass and Magnus Ostrom on drums and percussion (have a google). Making it work because they love, but more importantly, live, what they do. The setting of the bar at The Traverse lends itself well to these events, allowing just the right ratio of reverence to informality. As Benjamin announces, this will be one long set, no interval, but one is welcome to frequent the bar. The quartet recorded an eponymously titled album in 2023, (available from Cowbell Music, Bandcamp and most of the usual platforms) and this is pretty much what ...
WAKO – The Traverse Bar, Edinburgh
Scotland

WAKO – The Traverse Bar, Edinburgh

Valentine's night with the unpredictability of a  jazz band proved interesting and entertaining at The Traverse bar. Wako, Norwegian Grammy nominees, had several returning fans who saw them in 2020, on their last visit to Edinburgh.  I was joined by a Finnish gentleman, working in Edinburgh. It seems that while Jazz appeals to the older, more sophisticated crew on our island nation, it is very much a young, innovative musical style in Norway and Finland. The government funds music education, having invested its oil money with intelligence and now earning from past investments rather than oil itself. Norway is no longer investing in fossil fuels. It invests in its people and their creative talents. Hence, Wako is a band of four young men who make music together. A collaborat...