At Blackheath Halls
Yesterday, the eve of the winter solstice, turned out to be a good one for music. Looking for a Christmas present, I found myself in a clothes shop where the sound system was playing Al Green’s version of Kris Kristofferson’s “For the Good Times”, making me wonder for a moment if there had ever been a finer performance by a soul singer of a country ballad. Then, while I was having a cup of coffee, the café’s playlist surprised me by including Bob B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans’ soaring “The Bells of St Mary”, from Phil Spector’s Christmas Album, a piece of art which seems — unlike Gesualdo’s madrigals and Caravaggio’s paintings — to have been widely cancelled in the present era.
In the evening I took myself to Blackheath Halls, a really splendid venue for music, to hear The Westbrook Blake, a suite of pieces which has been in constant evolution since in 1971, when Adrian Mitchell invited Mike Westbrook to provide musical settings for some of William Blake’s poems, as part of a piece for the National Theatre called Tyger.
I’ve written about it before, here and here, so I won’t repeat myself, except to say that it’s one of the glories of contemporary English music, and the chance to see any performance of it is to be grabbed with some urgency. Last night the two wonderfully expressive solo singers (as always, Kate Westbrook and Phil Minton) and the five-piece band were joined by the 30 or so singers of the Blackheath Halls Community Singers, directed by Paul Ayers.
While Mike Westbrook’s place at the piano was taken by the brilliant Matthew Bourne, the composer himself took the stage in a wheelchair, from which he recited a couple of Blake’s more trenchant poems with clarity and feeling. The spectacular solos from the accordion of Karen Street, the violin of Billy Thompson and the alto saxophone of Chris Biscoe were more than worthy of the spontaneous applause they drew. It was an evening of proper music-making, full of communal warmth, often thought-provoking, and generally good for the soul.
thebluemoment.com 
Damn right it was, Richard. I too have heard it many times and never tire of it, and am always moved by its soaring themes and splendid delivery. We have been blessed to live alongside this evolving piece, and even now, Mike’s infirmity doesn’t dim his passion & clarity, those readings delivered like a Blake-ean prophet. And one unsung in his own land: is there a greater living English composer? Anyway, I’m sure had it appeared last week it would have made your excellent picks of the year, alongside the newly-uncovered Cortège.
Thanks as ever for your writing, always en pointe. Seasonal best to you.
Regards
Richard Lee
Last night was another great performance and I thought Billy Thompson played some outstanding violin. I am looking forward to the film and CD which they said they will release. Even though Mike has delegated the piano part to the excellent Matthew Bourne, he made his presence felt.
Thank you for all your vary enjoyable and insightful pieces during the year. I am looking forward to more in 2026. Season’s greetings to you and yours.
another great post , thanks!!
Authentic classics offer a profound understanding of the human experience across time and cultural context, as they are living works that continue to provide tools for interpreting the world and raising questions about our destiny. I believe the ‘Westbrook-Blake’ to be one such classics, and its rendition at Blackheath Halls the other day proved that – intelligent, emotional, and able to balance the joy and the beauty of a salvific vision with the sharpness and the sourness of our difficult times. All in the hands of superb performers. Bravo!
Sounds great. I can’t tell you how often I’ve read your posts and thought “I wish I’d known – I’d have gone.” Perhaps you could start posting your diary 🙂. Season’s greetings Richard.
It was a superb performance and incredibly moving, partly due to Mike’s heartfelt reading of two Blake poems, but also because of the band’s intensive playing.Paul Kelly is the second person I’ve read about who has come away with the idea that there is going to be a CD of the performance. It must have been something about the way things were worded on the evening. I can tell you that while the Blake Society did film the concert, there are no plans for a CD to be issued. Mike isn’t even aware of what will happen regarding the film at the moment. Any decisions will of course be announced on the WestbrookJazz website.
Thanks so much for that, Richard.
I love the Westbrooks and last saw their Blake concert at the Aldgate Centre, I think, about ten years ago.
My first ever London jazz experience was in 1972.
I’d just left college and I found myself in the basement of the Phoenix in Cavendish Square.
It was Mike’s band at the time, Solid Gold Cadillac, with Phil Minton singing Mike introduced him as ‘The Divine Mister M’ after the Bette Midler album, and it was thrilling perfection.
I felt there could not have been a finer band playing anywhere in the whole of Europe that night.
Or the world.
I left walking on air.
London. I’d found my home.
I just followed the suggestion above to visit the Westbrook web site
Kate and Mike Westbrook’s Website
I see there’s a video of an old interview with them dealing with Blake that I should look at soon. It would also be curious if any recording or video of the concert became available.
Frank: Can you let me know exactly where you saw the video and I should be able to answer that question.
Here’s the page with the video from 2023, where they discuss Blake and there’s a clip near the start of the video to The Poison Tree from “Tyger.”
WestbrookJazz Moving Picture Show – May 2023
The clip in this video is from the Glad Day Live DVD/CD recorded in 2008 at Toynbee Studios, London. It’s available from
https://www.westbrookjazz.co.uk/mikewestbrook/gladdaydvd.shtml
It can also be purchased via Bandcamp. A link is on that page. The concert on the 20th December was filmed but there is no news at the moment as to what will happen with that film.