All that jazz

To Conilhac for the stonking double bill of Didier Lockwood and Richard Galliano. As a closing evening for the 30th anniversary of the festival, it was a great choice. Two virtuosi having fun: they do things with violin and accordion respectively that you wouldn't think possible. Indication of the high regard in which they are held: they got a standing ovation before they'd played a note. And three standing ovations at the end. I could have listened for much longer than the 90 minutes or so they spent on stage. When you are as amazingly talented as this, it must be great playing with someone equally talented, as it probably doesn't happen that often. I loved the way they passed melodies seamlessly back and forth between violin and accordion, urging each other to ever greater feats of improvisation and musicianship.

Sorry, no photos allowed, although that didn't stop some people trying with their phones. So here's a photo of my glass of blanquette. And here's a video of the two of them with Bireli Lagrène. If you don't have time for all of it, skip forward to 21:37 where Lockwood improvises on three notes, then carry on listening to Galliano playing Libertango, and also enjoy the interaction between them.

Edit: also, Didier Lockwood plays the blues.