‘The War on Trevor’ UK tour

with variations on a theme by Joseph Haydn

Beat poet adventurer strays beyond the bounds of singer songwriter’ MOJO

Haunting tunes & striking lyrics… yearningly pretty &  bittersweet.’ The Independent

An incandescent new presence with superior lyrics.’ The Guardian

Lovely, poetic, with poise and bite wrapped in a protest singer’s conscious. ’Daily Mail

The War on Trevor is a 15 minute piece of narrative music composed by critically acclaimed singer songwriter Sarah Gillespie, arranged and produced by her long time collaborator, maverick saxophonist Gilad Atzmon. The piece combines elements of classical music, folk, jazz & blues knitted together with Gillespie’s trademark lyrical bite. The project is supported by the PRS ‘Women Make Music’ Award & launched at Ronnie Scott’s on the 3^rd & 4^th April 2012.

Set in London The War on Trevor depicts the plights of an ordinary Londoner who suddenly finds himself accused of various wrong-doings, ranging from public indecency and infidelity to terrorism. Gillespie never draws us into Trevor’s guilt or innocence. Instead she sketches a sinister, Kafka-esque world in which guilt and innocence have become irrelevant. Reflecting on the recent tragedy of Jean Charles de Menezes, who was killed by police when he was misidentified as a bomber, and Moazzam Begg, who was imprisoned for terrorism without charge, mere suspicion itself is all it takes for Trevor to be reduced to a blank slate on which various people project their phobias, fears and revenge.

Musically and lyrically Gillespie mixes black humour and pathos in 4 song sections delivered in the first person: by the copper that arrests Trevor (The Miranda Warning), the girlfriend who dumps him (Signal Failure) and finally the Intelligence officer who interrogates him (The Shami Chakrabarti Blues). The first 3 sections are characterised by jovial horns and cockney colloquialisms: ‘Do I look like I sailed down the Thames on a spoon?’ and pithy allusions to Trevor’s ‘meat and two veg’,  the ‘Twitterati’ and human relationships that rely entirely on decent phone signals. The final section, however, unfolds into Trevor’s despair as ‘executioners chew gum’ and ‘physiatrists wet the bed.’ Transforming Haydn’s famous melody into an epic war march that laments the carnage taking place along Afghanistan’s main river and beyond, Trevor asks meekly, ‘would you mind terribly if I cry on the banks of the Arghandab .’?

The War on Trevor is a contemporary anti war song. Its protagonist personifies a culture that, without realising it, is terrorised because of the hell it inflicts on others. Sarah Gillespie – guitar and vocals, Gilad Atzmon – clarinets, saxophones & accordion, Enzo Zirrili – drums, Ben Bastin – double bass & cello.  The War on Trevor is launched at London’s Ronnie Scott’s on 3^rd and 4^th April and followed by a 12 date UK tour.

1. April 3^rd – Ronnie Scott’s, London
2. April 4^th Ronnie Scott’s, London
3. April 13th – Much Wenlock Poetry Festival
4. April 15^th – Lichfield Guildhall, Lichfield
5. April 19^th – Ropetackle Arts, Shoreham by Sea
6. April 21st – The Barn, Snailwell Suffolk (SOLO)
7. April 24th – The Albion Beatnik Bookshop, Oxford (TRIO)
8. April 25th – The Command House, Rochester
9. April 26th – The Vortex Jazz Club, London
10. April 27th – Wakefield Jazz Club, Wakefield
11. April 28th – St David’s Hall, South Petherton
12. May 27th – Black Mountain Jazz, Abergavenny
13. June 3rd -Strawberry Hill Jazz Festival, Richmond
14. July 14^th – Marlborough Jazz Festival

www.sarahgillespie.com

Sarah Gillespie

Posted by the Editor on March 30, 2012. Filed under Britain,Culture. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.