Author: Urban Bolta
Venue: Cankarjev Dom / Ljubljana / Slovenia
Concert date: March 30, 2012
Attendance: 700
Ticket price: 18 € – 28 €
Janez Bončina Benč is a legend of Slovenian and Yugoslav music. He’s played in countless bands and over the years built up a respectable body of evergreen tunes that flirt with rock, jazz, blues, funk and soul. Now 64, he still hits the stage here and there, and for the 40th anniversary of his music career Benč rounded up a whole crowd of musical friends and announced a big concert in Linhartova dvorana at Cankarjev Dom. The special twist of this show was the promise that, after nine years, the legendary September would reunite exclusively for this one gig. This is the band that in the second half of the seventies wrote one of the most beautiful jazz-rock stories in our part of the world. September last played in 2003, when they wrapped up a run of concerts at Hala Tivoli in Ljubljana, warming up the crowd for the mighty Deep Purple.
Just walking into Linhartova dvorana set a wonderful scene. The sold-out hall, packed mostly with mature music gourmets, waited impatiently for the show to kick off, and the homey feel and excellent acoustics only cranked up the anticipation.
Benč started warming up his vocal cords with Mr. Soul. On stage he was joined by guitarist Primož Grašič, bassist Aleš Avbelj, keyboardist Blaž Jurjevič and drummer Ratko Divjak. Each of them is a virtuoso in their field, so as the night went on the live renditions wandered off down the paths of moody jamming, starting with Kadar ognji dogorijo. During Paranoja boogie the instrumental noodling got away from them for a moment, with guitar and keys losing the rhythm foundation, but these seasoned players, who’ve seen it all, knew how to turn a lost skirmish into a final victory. Every instrumentalist also got a solo spot, and jazz guitarist Grašič deserves a special mention: watching him, playing guitar looks like the easiest thing on the planet. Janez Bončina Benč – a former athlete – is still in great shape. He steered the show smoothly onward through the unforgettable Maja z biseri and used banter and gestures to get the crowd involved. The master of vocal soul interpretation delivered. The intensity of his voice remains, years notwithstanding, one of his main aces, even if in some registers he got a bit of extra help from the mixing desk. For a gentleman in his sixties, definitely commendable! The real turning point was Nazaj, when hip-hoppers Murat & Jose joined the band on stage and nudged Benč’s old-school-sounding group closer to modern music trends. Fun fact: Jose was performing in a play at the Drama at the same time, so right after his guest spot he »ran off« back across the street to the building next door.
As the show tipped into its second half, the big moment arrived – Benč was joined on stage by the members of September, led by Tihomir Pop Asanović! The September-mania kicked off with Gvendolina and the outstanding backing vocal lines of the ever-smiling guitarist Marijan Maliković and percussionist Braco Doblekar. With Luduj z nama the crew of veterans shifted into an even higher gear, and for the first time that evening the legendary Asanović (an original member of another big band from our part of the world – Time) shone with a solo excursion on the Hammond organ. Despite the lack of rehearsals, September came across like a well-oiled machine and carried on with occasional jamming and spontaneous solo flights, dominated by the aforementioned Maliković and Asanović. Midway through the set Čarli Novak was swapped out for Jadran Ogrin, a symbolic nod to the change of bassist back in 1977.
Benč, in his usual style, played host all night long and shared funny stories from his long career with Linhartova dvorana in a monologue. The nostalgic stroll through some of the finest jazz-rock moments of September’s distinctive fusion continued with Kolo and Florida, where the trumpet of the late Peter Ugrin was replaced by his own son – Peter junior on violin. The at times ear-piercing »Heep-style« backing vocal lines peaked in Domovino Moja, September’s biggest hit, during which the band got a standing ovation from a good chunk of the crowd. For the finale, all of the evening’s guests joined Benč on stage and together served up the crowd-pleaser Ta Noč je moja – and it really was!
A solid two-hour set spanning decades of Benč’s favorites was tailor-made for everyone who isn’t too keen on the anomaly that is the modern rock circus. The old-school language of rock, jazz and funk took Linhartova dvorana back to a time when music (still) wasn’t just a quick-fix tool for padding wallets. And that time was co-created in our neck of the woods by none other than Janez Bončina Benč, who spent a long time preparing for this celebratory concert, gathered a whole bunch of friends around him and, on top of that, reunited the legendary September, so after sleeping on it I can calmly call the evening a huge success.
Setlist
1. Mr. Soul
2. Kadar ognji dogorijo
3. Paranoja boogie
4. Poet
5. Maja z biseri
6. Navali narod na gostilne
7. Ob šanku
8. Edina luč
9. Nazaj
10. Gvendolina,kdo je bil
11. Luduj s nama
12. Noč kradljivaca
13. Majko zemljo
14. Kolo
15. Florida
16. Domovino moja
17. Ta noč je moja
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