‘Oh, what a lovely culture!'
Cockney musical hall - just sentimental, old-fashioned, irrelevant songs, or a cultural art form full of warmth, compassion, and understanding of the human condition - with much to inspire us in the 21st century?
Join a conversation with Joe Jackson, Tom Carradine, and Vivi Lachs on a musical journey as we explore the passion, emotional learning, and just good jollification from the music of the non-posh Londoner of over100 years ago.
Meet Joe Jackson, musician extraordinaire, who’s covered genres from New Wave to Jazz and now Cockney music hall, fresh from his foray, with his album and tour of ‘What a racket!’ described by critics as a ’note perfect music hall pastiche with a potent whiff of modernity’, Tom Carradine, a musical director and pianist specialising in music hall and founder of ‘Carradine’s Cockney Sing-a-long’ and regular performer at Wilton’s Music Hall and with the Players Theatre company, and Vivi Lachs, Yiddish performer, historian of the Jewish immigrant East End, and author of Whitechapel Noise and London Yiddishtown who performs Cockney Yiddish music hall in the UK, US and Canada.
How did they get into music hall songs, and what do they love about them? What is the art and craft that goes into creating great music hall songs? And what inspirations do the music hall songs and culture have for us today in contemporary 21st century life? Bring along a curious, open mind, and discover some real song gems, the odd cheeky innuendo or two, and a deeper appreciation of music, the joy of life, and facing up to whatever life throws at you.
This event is just one of the many events organised in the Modern Cockney Festival (March 1st-31st). Further details at www.moderncockneyfestival.org.uk