Location: Avditorij, Portorož, Slovenia
Concert date: 19.07.2008
Attendance: 1000
Ticket price: 30 € in advance, 35 € on the day of the show
It wasn’t the first time Slovenia has hosted names tied in one way or another to the mighty The Rolling Stones. On April 24th, Chris Jagger, the younger brother of the infamous Mick, dropped by Cvetličarna Mediapark in Ljubljana, and last Sunday, July 20th, Tim Ries took the stage at Avditorij in Portorož with his “The Rolling Stones Project”, which also features The Rolling Stones bassist Darryl Jones (who replaced Bill Wyman in 1993), backing vocalist Bernard Fowler and trombonist Michael Davis. Joining the gentlemen on stage were Frederick Favarel, a guitarist from Paris, and drummer Marc Miralta, a Spaniard from Barcelona. Of their three European shows, the last one went down right here with us.
Tim Ries, who’s considered the top saxophonist in contemporary music and has written more than a hundred jazz and classical compositions, first got the idea of rearranging the tunes of the famous Stones back in 1999, when he joined them for the first time on the tour called “No Security”. At first, just for fun and out of sheer curiosity, he dressed “Moonlight Mile” up in a jazz outfit, and since the track came out sounding almost better than the rock version, others followed. On September 9th the second album, titled “Stones World: Rolling Stones World Music Project”, will come out, featuring 72 musicians from four continents, with lyrics performed in no fewer than nine languages.
The evening was kicked off at half past nine by Cube Jazz, a six-piece jazz-rock-latino-fusion instrumental outfit from the Slovenian coast, who showed off their remarkable talent in a good half hour. No surprise there, since the guys study at an Austrian conservatory and are regular guests at all sorts of jazz events at home and abroad.
Just before half past ten, with Cube Jazz having already warmed up the crowd nicely, the ones everybody had come for stepped out in front of a crowd of almost a thousand heads. Tim Ries, Darryl Jones, Michael Davis, Frederick Favarel and Marc Miralta served up an instrumental version of “(I Can`t Get No) Satisfaction” as an opener, followed by an equally instrumental “Waiting On A Friend”. Both tracks, which stretched out past the twenty-minute mark, proved that the legendary songs of the even more legendary The Rolling Stones sound great in jazz form too, and above all, unlike the energetic rock`n`roll versions, they come across as calming. Bernard Fowler then joined the lineup on stage and wowed the crowd with his superb vocal chops. Even though the much-sung “Honky Tonk Women” never sounds the same twice and Tim leaves it room for improvisation, in its jazz version it’s every bit as wild as it ever was. “Wild Horses” took on a sensual shade, and Tim joined Bernard on vocals during the chorus. Definitely the highlight of the night. Listening to “The Rolling Stones Project”, it feels like every single atom is being pampered. Balm for body and soul. Next came an instrumental version of “Gimme Shelter”. Even though it was a seated show, there were a few who just upped and went to stand in front of the stage and danced without a shred of shame. “Lady Jane” gave them one more chance to do just that. After an hour and a half, the gentlemen wanted to wrap up the night with “Miss You”, but it wasn’t meant to be. After they’d already said their goodbyes and left the stage, the crowd’s pleading brought Tim and Bernard back, and they put the cherry on top by playing and singing the evergreen “Ruby Tuesday”. Unforgettable! Unrepeatable!
“The Rolling Stones Project” proved that the tunes of the legendary Stones always sound good, whether they’re dressed up in rock or jazz clothes. What’s also interesting is that they never sound the same twice, since they offer plenty of room for improvisation and Tim and the rest have a free hand when playing them.
Tim Ries is considered the best saxophone player of the era and has written more than a hundred jazz and classical pieces. He first came up with the idea of rearranging pieces of the great Stones already in 1999, when he first joined them on their “No Security” tour. For a laugh and out of curiosity, he rearranged “Moonlight Mile” in a jazz way and because the song sounded almost better than the rock version, other pieces followed. And so on September 9th, he will release the second album called “Stones World: Rolling Stones World Music Project”, which will include 72 musicians from 4 continents, with lyrics in nine different languages.
The event started at 9.30 by the six members of the local jazz-rock-latino-fusion instrumental band Cube Jazz. In a bit more than half an hour, they showed their tremendous and unquestionable talent, which is not strange as the guys study music at the Austrian conservatory and are regular guests on jazz concerts in Slovenia and abroad.
A litlle before 10.30 in the evening, after Cube Jazz warmed up the crowd, the people everyone wanted to see finally took to the stage. Tim Ries, Darryl Jones, Michael Davis, Frederick Favarel and Marc Miralta started with an instrumental version of “(I Can`t Get No) Satisfaction”, followed by another instrumental rendition of “Waiting On A Friend”. These two pieces, which went on for more than twenty minutes, proved that legendary pieces of the Stones sound great as jazz tunes as well, but they especially sound different than the energetic rock`n`roll versions, more relaxing. The band was then joined on stage by Bernard Fowler, who thrilled the crowd with his vocal prowess. Eve though the excellent “Honky Tonk Women” never sounds the same and Tim leaves a lot of room for improvisation, it is just as wild in its jazzier form. “Wild Horses” was even more sensual and Bernard was joined on vocals by Tim during the chorus. It was definitely the highlight of the evening. Listening to “The Rolling Stones Project”, it seems like every fibre of your being is being spoiled. It relaxes both the body and the soul. After that, we heard the instrumental version of “Gimme Shelter”. Even though this was a venue with seats, there were quite a few people who cam under the stage and started to dance without reservations. “Lady Jane” proved as another perfect opportunity for the people to dance again. The band wanted to finish the evening after an hour and a half with “Miss You”, but they didn’t get away with it. After they had left the stage, the crowd’s cheering got Tim and Bernard back and they did an excellent version of the great hit “Ruby Tuesday”. Unforgettable! Unrepeatable!
“The Rolling Stones Project” proved that Rolling Stones songs sound great, no matter if they are played in a rock or jazz way. It is also interesting to note that they never sound the same because they offer a lot of room for improvisation and so Time and the rest of the band have a lot of freedom when thy play.
Setlist
The Rolling Stones Project:
1. (I Can`t Get No) Satisfaction
2. Waiting On A Friend
3. Honky Tonk Women
4. Wild Horses
5. Gimme Shelter
6. Lady Jane
7. Miss You
—– encore —–
8. Ruby Tuesday
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