Goodgod, Ray Mann and Duende

On the Spanish Costa Brava, the bars have been “angled’ for the British, hormonic hooligans.  A fistful of pesos and euros will buy cheap Iberian booze, curried paella, a few tango’d Pablos in tight black trousers and statuesque black-haired senoritas clacking their maracas.

La Campana Spanish Restaurant has been antipodised for the Aussie harmonic fandango classes into The Goodgod Small Club.  It’s our token equivalent, totally lacking in the sunshine department, siestas, sombreros, the bad and the ugly.  The Goodgod Small Club excels in the good, such as great music and beautiful people wearing Narciso Rodriguez, doing versions of the bolero, sarabanda and flamenco all at the same time and behaving terribly responsibly on bucket loads of expensive, alcoholic accelerant.

A jug of sangria went down well as we listened to DJ Nick La Rosa.  If you are into DJs, El Nico is El Hombre.  Then came, Briscoe a 6-piece band that was tight and came packaged like Real Madrid with its own cheer squad.

The cervezas kept coming and we were swaying under the disco ball and a fistful of dollars lighter.  Nearly overcome by wafts of fried onions and nachos laced with Maja soap, we were ready for the action.  A few cervezas and then the charismatic Ray Wassef (aka Ray Mann) came on stage. Ray did an interesting sketch, but we have no idea what it was about.

 

 

Ray is undoubtedly talented – with his musicianship and broad range of skills.  His music emanates from influences including reggae and Caribbean riffs, soul and funk, jazz rock and Latin rhythms well suited to the atmosphere at The Goodgod.

After the sketch it was The Ray Mann Three – Joel Burton (Superheavyweights) provided the bass lines and Bart Denaro (Briscoe) the drumbeat.

Caramba !   More drinks – far canal, who’s paying for these  pina coladas ?

 

 

Forget the drinks, let’s talk about the bassman.  This is one cool gringo, duende personified.  He’s just got it you know.  Joel Burton, one of the best bass players we have seen for a while – and he gives the band “duende”.

Duende - what is that?  It’s a concept adopted by Lorca, a dark mystery that you either have or you don’t.  Similar too “je ne sais quoi”, but not like charisma or sex appeal, more akin to “soul”.

Musically, Brian Ferry has it, we are not sure about whether Meatloaf; Florence Welch, Billie Holiday and Blondie have it.  As for Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga, Kanye West, Eric Clapton, Whitney Houston … we will keep our powder dry.  What do you think?

If you want it, you haven’t got it.  No matter how fast you can play or dance, no matter what range, volume, skill or talent you may have in your voice or musicianship, you may not have it.  Yet some very ordinary artists have it.  Great leaders have it.

Duende can’t be acquired, built, increased, transferred or learned – if you haven’t got it, you’ll never have it.

“a power and not a construct, a struggle and not a concept .. the duende comes up from inside, .. not a question of aptitude, but of a true and viable style – mysterious power that all may feel and no philosophy can explain ..”{Lorca}

From their new album ‘Friends Ago’, the band introduced their single ‘Animal’ – hang loose, as Jerry Lee Lewis sang “all you gotta do is just stand in one spot and wiggle around just a little bit that’s when you got something, shake it baby.”  Whoops, getting carried away there, but it’s that sort of infectious music.

If you like your music tongue and groovy, you will like Ray Mann Three.  We did.

 

 

With a few late Cuba Libres under the belt, we joined the heaving throng stamping our feet, making like toreadors and shouting “ole” after each paso doble sweep of our imaginary red cape.

My God, The Goodgod Small Club is good and God, it is small – toothpaste tastes like Tia Maria this morning.