Matthew Bason
June 4th 2011
Yamaha EL90
Talk about value for money! Matthew Bason is an accomplished organist, pianist and piano accordion player, and he sings a bit too!
Matthew entertained us brilliantly playing a much modified Yamaha EL90, a Casio Privia 320 piano and his Royal Standard piano accordion.
Matthew opened on the EL with Get Happy and soon had our feet tapping. Feeling romantic? He asked, and sang Almost Like Being in Love with a nice piano and sax registration with a moody red backdrop.
Next up we heard a haunting waltz the Deer Hunter or Cavatina, played with acoustic guitar and strings, lovely. To follow, came a medley from the 1955 musical Oklahoma starting with Oh What a Beautiful Morning. He then sang to pre recorded tracks The Surrey With the Fringe on Top and People Will Say We're in Love and finally the title song Oklahoma.
Moving across to the Casio Privia he gave us some Elvis Presley classics including Hound Dog and Your Teddy Bear using a great Honky-tonk sound. Changing the mood to a beautiful classical piano we next heard The Dream of Olwen. How does he do it with not a piece of music in sight!
Matthew said he likes musical variety and taking out the Royal Standard from its case he asked, 'are there any Scots in tonight'? Beginning with a Scottish reel he raised the tempo and followed with Trumpet and Echo allegedly a yodelling greetings song.
Returning to the EL90 Matthew then switched to a big band sound in the style of Sidney Torch entitled the Bugle Call Rag. With both feet a blur playing pedals only and to a great fizzy-orange backdrop and whirling lights. Great playing. The lovely Nessun Dorma with choir and full orchestra followed filling the hall with sound, magical.
Playing Mendelssohn's Wedding March he quipped 'this will turn the men pale'! To pipe organ registration we were treated to Schubert's March Militaire that neatly rounded of the first half.
Refreshed with tea'n biscuits the second half opened with a swing medley using piano and strings. We heard Honey Suckle Rose followed by a dixieland Sweet Georgia Brown where Matthew delighted us again with a two footed base pedals interlude.
With Matthew back on the Casio piano he played a Scott Joplin number The Strenuous Life then with an electric blue background in Honky-tonk style, the Alley Cat.
With a drum roll we were treated to a medley of Abba songs starting with Thank You for the Music. Singing All of Me and playing to a swing tempo using piano and trumpet he played to a nice cerise backdrop turning to orange. With clarinet and strings came Unchained Melody then Magic Moments using the piccolo. Gilly, Gilly, Ossenfeffer, Katzenellen Bogen by the Sea sang Matthew, phew. Volare was up next followed by It's Only Make Believe, Kiss Me, Honey Honey, Kiss me using theatre organ and cha-cha rhythm.
What Now My Love slowed the tempo then to a deep red backdrop he sang Delilah to a jaunty Viennese waltz. With a swing we got Those Were the Days my Friend then Ghost Riders in the Sky followed by Telstar all to theatre organ. Not slackening pace then came These Boots are Made for Walkin' and Elton John's Song for Guy. From the film Robin Hood Prince of Thieves he played Everything I do. Using distortion guitar we heard Shine and Is This the Way to Amarillo to a cracking theatre organ registration.
Nobody leaves a BKC concert without the obligatory encore. Tonight was no exception and Matthew finished with an opera classic The Bartered Bride and then Brahms Hungarian Dance to full orchestral strings, ending with a flourish.
Our thanks to Matthew for a very varied and entertaining concert.