Jude Davison: Reviews

Bár az angol származású multiinstrumentális muzsikus, Jude Davison neve csak keveseknek csenghet ismerősen hazánkban, egy nagyon komoly multú művészről van szó. Akinek a közelmúltban jelent meg a 18.(!) albuma, a Circo De Teatro.

Davison Angliában született ugyan, de gyerekkorát állandó utazással töltötte. Az életrajza nem tér ki az okra, de a szülei (és így ő is) szinte állandóan úton voltak Anglia, Ausztrália és Kanada között. Végül a család az utóbb említett ország mellett tette le a voksát és hosszú távra oda rendezkedtek be. A számos hangszeren remekül játszó Davisont a muzsikálás mellett a „pult másik oldala” is vonzotta és ezért hangmérnöki képesítést szerzett. Ennek ellenére a zenélés maradt a fő vonal. Az előadó-dalszerző az elmúlt évtizedek alatt számos együttest alapított és vendég muzsikusként sok „külső” helyen is szerepelt. A eddig is hihetetlenül gazdag diszkográfiája a közelmúltban egy újabb – nagyon érdekes – produkcióval gazdagodott. Circo De Teatro címet viselő album egy cirkuszi vándortársulat életét igyekszik elmesélni a zene és a líra nyelvén. A lemezt Sara Gruen könyve a Water For Elephant inspirálta.

Az albumot hallgatva a cirkusz izgalmas és sejtelmes világába nyerhetünk bepillantást. Olyan képregényszerű figurák jelennek meg előttünk, mint pl. Pete az egyszemű, Madeleine a tetovált lány, Jack a késdobáló, Lee és Kwan az éneklő sziámi ikrek, Belle és Ophelia a leszbikus pár. Zeneileg is legalább olyan sokrétű ez az anyag, mint amennyi eltérő produkció egy cirkuszi előadás alatt előfordul. Szinte felsorolni is nehéz, hogy mennyiféle zenei stílus nyomait fedezheti fel a hallgató az egyórás műsoridő alatt. Ugyanis van itt az amerikai folk zenétől az R&B-ig, a dixiland-től a mexikói zenéig szinte minden.

Aki unja már a sablonos dalszövegeket és a meglepetésektől mentes zeneszámokat annak érdemes benéznie valamelyik lemezboltba (vagy az interneten böngészni) és belehallgatni a Circo De Teatro című album dalaiba. Garantáltan egy ismeretlen és izgalmas zenei világba fog csöppenni…

Közreműködnek: Jude Davison / ének, gitár, dobro, mandolin, dobok, ütősök, billentyűsök, ukulele, Keith Todd/ harsona, tuba, Rick Lingard / szaxofonok, Tim Bullen / trombita, Sydney Galbraith / ének és szövegmondás, Bessei Wapp/ harmonika, Craig Korth /bendzsó, Dalvanir McLean / szövegmondás

* * * * (4/5 Stars)

I have always considered the circus a curious world to be in and even more curious to write songs about it. Clowns? Never liked 'em. Elephants doing stand-up? Nah... Bearded ladies? You can see them in most provincial town centres if you look hard enough! But I guess stories make a circus as well as the performers themselves and they have their place in musical history too. XTC, Tom Waits and Britney Spears have all used the circus as inspiration for 1 or 2 songs, but here Jude Davison has dedicated an entire album to the subject of cart-wheeling monkeys and burlesque beauties.

"Circo De Teatro" is a very brave and very successful foray into the world of freaks and sideshows, performed with a passion and warmth that only an 18th album could be. You have to admire his perseverance after a few peaks in his career (one of which saw a song get aired on Baywatch), but there is much to like on this 15 tracker. The opener, "Carnaval Burlesco", is an instrumental designed to open the tent-flaps and welcome you in for the big show. Strains of Americana and mariachi flow throughout this and the follow-up song, "Big Top Parade", and you can't help feeling that if Calexico or Los Lobos had made this album, other music publications would be falling over themselves to appraise it. "Madame O" draws influence from Cajun whilst "The Greatest Show On Earth" sounds like music-hall - but the to-ing and fro-ing across musical genres is enjoyable rather than irritating. It is also deliberate - circuses are varied so why shouldn't the music be?

The album seems to improve, song-wise, towards the close of the set. Songs like "Veil Of Tears" and "Monkey See" may be a little more straight-forward and minor of key in their acoustic delivery, yet they exude a depth that one or two tracks lack earlier on ("Con Volai Amore" doesn't quite cut it for me). Davison is a very accomplished musician (he learned to play the guitar while recovering from a cycling accident) and plays the vast majority of the non-wind instruments on here with aplomb and dexterity - check out the Yomo Toro-esque "Mitad Del Camino". I'm wondering how many cycling accidents our man has had because he plays 8 other instruments on here as well. So, all hail a man who has made a big album from a small budget. What say Tom Waits does a cover of "Amphetamine Sam" for his next album, it would work a treat? "Circo De Teatro" is a really worthy effort and deserving of attention from anyone interested in the more accessible end of roots music.

This work is a rock opera or song cycle with a study of characters and the lifestyle of the travelling carnival. The carnival has long been an interesting palette to work on and has had great works of art including Ray Bradbury’s “Something Wicked This Way Comes” and Tod Browning’s “Freaks”. The stories are good and the music is fun and varies from light rock to Americana with mariachi tossed in for good measure. The music is very good and sounds like a soundtrack to a play or movie, obviously because of the united theme, but also due to Davison’s style. He plays all the core instruments and is supplemented by some musicians playing brass and percussion. Davison has a long history of interesting projects in production and song writing that aspire to more than just a collection of songs. This work is ultimately successful and will hopefully will gain an audience.

Circo de Teatro (Independent)

If you must record a concept album, you couldn't pick a better topic than a travelling Mexican circus. Think about it: you've got a ready-made cast of freaks, geeks, and townies, and the combination of big-top parade motifs and south-of-the-border sounds is practically irresistible.

At least, that's what Jude Davison must have thought when he conceived the sonically ambitious Circo de Teatro (inspired, he says in his bio, by Sara Gruen's best-selling novel Water for Elephants). And, indeed, the Nelson-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist does people these songs with colourful characters who have names like Black-Jack Mary and Amphetamine Sam. There's no particular story line here, just a collage of imagery drawn from the world of the carnival, from the “calliopes and cotton-candy smiles” to certain unsavoury goings-on behind the curtain.

Given the subject matter, it would be easy to borrow heavily from the Tom Waits rule book, but Davison mostly avoids the temptation. The songs are, perhaps appropriately, all over the map, from the music-hall bustle of “The Greatest Show on Earth” and the banjo-propelled neo-bluegrass of “Madame O” to the Tijuana-brass mariachi of “Mitad del Camino” and the gritty blues-rock of “Monkey See”.

And yes, the junkyard shuffle of “Big Top Parade” sounds like a Swordfishtrombones-era B-side, but Waits would probably appreciate the homage.

Jude Davison - Circo de Teatro (Pigeon Moods Music)
I read somewhere that Circo de Teatro is Jude Davison’s 18th CD release. That’s proper - a dedication to the cause that indicates Davison’s itch to make music needs a very regular scratch. Though it’s no singular vision that guides his creative hand. It’s said that variety is the spice of life, and there’s talk of a Broadway-style soul-musical in the offing - and Circo de Teatro in no way follows anything as pedestrian as a single inspiration. Rather it mixes and matches its influences, from the street bands of Mexico, to New Orleans RnB via Southern Americana and the circus / fairground music of childhood memories (or maybe they were dreams / nightmares). Davison manages to hold it altogether with a series of story songs, which isn’t to say Circo de Teatro is a concept piece, but there are certainly themes. If you’re after a comparison, then it’s Tom Waits name that seems to crop up most regularly, but that’s maybe down to Davison’s ambitious approach instead of any real stylistic similarity. In fact it’s fair to say that much of the material here infinitely more accessible than anything Waits has produced for some years. Check out the man’s MySpace page and see what you think. I like what he’s done here... a lot.

“The magic that can be enjoyed in a circus, the tears of a clown and the astonishment in children’s eyes about the unbelievable magician’s act or the amazing performance of circus acrobats. These fundamental emotions best describe the feelings one has when listening to most of the songs on Jude Davison’s album ‘Circo De Teatro’. In a blend of Americana, Roots music, R&B and Calexico-style Mariachi sounds this concept album consists of 15 musical acts that will make all listeners applaud and shout for more.”
"The listener whose heart will be racing from hearing these beautiful
Mexican sounding songs should run on home and buy this superb CD!"

Jude Davison schrijft ons in zijn begeleidend briefje dat zijn nieuwste project “Circo De Teatro” tevens zijn 18e cd uit zijn lange muzikale loopbaan. In de voorbije jaren verschenen er meerdere albums met Broadway-achtige musicalmuziek, een trilogie van muziek en dichtkunst, drie akoestische platen en twee soundtracks bij een toneelstuk.
Deze Canadese artiest met Britse roots brengt met “Circo De Teatro” een conceptplaat waarop we een mix van Americana, R&B, rootsmuziek en Mexicaanse mariachiklanken aangereikt krijgen in 15 tracks.

De sfeer van dit album wordt meteen gezet in de eerste song “Carnaval Burlesco”, een instrumentaal mariachinummer met spoken word van Dalvanir McLean waarin we zowel muzikale invloeden van Los Lobos als Calexico menen te herkennen. Zijn cabareteske stijl van zingen en optreden bezorgt Jude Davison ook wel eens een vergelijking met Tom Waits.

Voor “Circo De Teatro” verkoos hij om het verhaal te vertellen van een rondreizend Mexicaans circus en de belevenissen van de kleurrijke artiesten die in het circus optreden. Elk speciale karakter dat zich in de circusmedewerkers herbergt krijgt zijn ‘moment de gloire’ in één of ander liedje op dit album.

Intrigerend is het verhaal van “Madame O” dat wordt gebracht onder instrumentale begeleiding van banjoklanken, gespeeld door een virtuoze Craig Korth.

Jude Davison neemt zoals steeds het gros van de muziekinstrumenten voor eigen rekening maar hij heeft voor dit album toch ook een aantal professionele muzikanten uitgenodigd om hun bijdrage aan enkele songs te verlenen. Wat opvalt zijn de vele geslaagde interventies van een blazerssectie die een soulvol cachet geven aan meerdere liedjes. Zo kabbelt het nummer “Amphetamine Sam” en het met een mooie intermezzo van klarinet gebrachte carnavaleske “The Greatest Show On Earth” voort op het hoorngeschal van trompet, saxofoon en tuba en valt de heerlijke accordeonmuziek van Bessie Wapp meteen op bij beluistering van het instrumentale “Mitad Del Camino” en bij “Big Top Parade”.

Met het circus als onderwerp ligt het voor de hand dat er veel vrolijkheid te horen valt op “Circo De Teatro”. Zo is er een mooie samba te horen in “Sideshow Souvenirs” en de pedal steel gitaar die Jude Davison recent zelf leerde bespelen klinkt ook meerdere malen mooi door in vele van zijn liedjes, o.a. in het zeer sterke “Belle And Ophelia”.

Het prachtige duet in het Spaanstalig klinkende maar eigenlijk in een onbestaande taal gebrachte “Con Volai Amore” roept herinneringen op aan het betere Mexicaanse klinkende werk van Calexico. Hetzelfde geldt voor de prachtige rumba in “Veil Of Tears” waarin Jude Davidson het ultieme bewijs van zijn uitstekende zangcapaciteiten laat horen en de mariachi-trompet voor een onvergetelijk muzikaal intermezzo komt zorgen. De pedal steel gitaar wordt tenslotte nog een laatste keer bovengehaald op het afsluitende nummer “Further On”, wat één van de mooiste songs op “Circo De Teatro” blijkt te zijn geworden.

Maar de luisteraar van wie het hartje sneller gaat slaan bij het horen van door Mexicaanse klanken doordrenkte liedjes moest eigenlijk al lang zijn overgegaan tot het in huis halen van dit superleuke album.

Circo De Teatro is a strange album in many ways from Jude Davison, the 18th of his career so far, yet at the same time as i’m thinking and saying that I also find so much to admire about the album and Jude’s career in general.

In an age where people seem to come and go all the time, it’s refreshing to see an artist who really doesn’t care what other people make of his music and consequently makes the albums he wants to make, sticking around despite the likely financial constraints that a career like this must bring.

Album wise it’s a mixed bag really, it gets off to a slightly strange opening with Carnaval Burlesco but soon picks up on Big Top Parade, a track that is driven along by some lovely brass. As you may have worked out already from the titles of those two songs, the album takes you on a journey with a travelling circus, taking in a range of charcters from a guy that swallows anything, to the ringmaster himself on Amphetamine Sam.

The Greatest Show On Earth is the jauntiest track on here and is all the better for it, although on Belle And Ophelia he proves that he can also tackle a ballad just as well. A couple of the foreign language inspired tracks did lose me a liittle and Sideshow Souvenirs and Devil’s Road were both decent but a touch middle of the road (Bruce Springsteen fans would be in heaven with these).

Overall if you want an album that takes in a myriad of styles in a fairly m.o.r. way then this could well be the perfect album for you, it’s certainly adventurous in it’s scale and as far as storytelling goes it’s right up there.

Style : Roots Rock
Rate (1-5) : * * * * * (5 stars)

Did you ever wonder what Calexico, Tom Waits and Los Lobos have in common ?? ? probably not much except that Jude Davison is heavily influenced by all of them! He’s not hiding these influences, as a matter of fact Jude is proudly showing them in his newest effort “Circo de Teatro.”


Circo de Teatro has an air that is reminiscent to a carnival, a burlesque show and a sideshow all in one! Leading track Caranaval Burlequo gives it away immediately! The sound of Calexico was one of the main influences for this tune! Jude creates an atmosphere first and then build a song around it. Banjo Picking can be found in Madame O an incredible strong anthem that keeps you haunting for a couple of hours after each spin! Together with some pleasant slide guitar and enigmatic vocals the tune is amongst the best of the album.
Amphetamine Sam is another track that borrows from our collective memory and fill the gaps with tricks learned from Mr Waits. But just when you think things can’t get better Jude Davison throws in a little salsa and some “Sideshow Souvenirs”. It’s only a couple of tracks away from the Cuban flavours to the Mexican sounds of the Mariachi. The instrumental ”Mitad Del Camino” is full of energy in contradiction to “Con Voloi Amore” a Spanish sung Bolero! “Devil’s Road” brings us back to the roots rock of the seventies with a sound that sounds as fat as those bands years ago! “Rag and Bone” takes us deeper in the south, something that is reprised on “Monkey See”. Closing down the alum is the rather mellow song “Further On.”

Combining Americana, R&B, mariachi, Dixieland, and junkyard carnival into the story of a travelling Mexican circus, Circo de Teatro is a true concept album (hell yeah some people do remember them)!
The sounds and tunes you get on this album are truly wonderful and for the time being I simply can’t get enough from it! Hope that you check it out as well but beware the album is very addictive.

* * * * (4 Stars)

The first number on this CD is called "Carnaval Burlesco" and is a
perfect introduction for what is to follow. The song contains more spoken lyrics than singing, and makes for a great introduction to an album of Calexico. Circo De Teatro (self produced) by the Canadian artist Jude Davison gets a thumbs up on all accounts.
This is true Americana - roots music in various styles as diverse as dixieland and mariachi."Madame O" sounds like Levon Helm, while the harmonies are reminiscent
of Barefoot Jerry. "Amphetamine Sam" sounds like 10cc on a reggae tour.
"Sideshow Souvenirs" is a jam with Kid Creole and Tom Waits on the stage.
Jude Davison has released various albums, everything from acoustic to a musical that he describes as Broadway-soul. Circo De Teatro is the story of a traveling circus, and the interesting characters in that circus:Meet characters like Belle & Ophelia - two lesbians, or one-eyed Pete and the Siamese twins Lee en Kwan (in the banjo-bluesy song "Rag and Bone") The CD is a wonderful experience and an adventurous trip with big city
rock, funky guitars and saxophones (Devil’s Road, a number about "lipstick and razors on the barroom floor / fingernails are ripping down your spine / smooth senoritas selling suicide charms")alternating with Calexico-like soundscapes. Sometimes the music resembles mid-period Los Lobos (Monkey See). On "Con Volai Amore" Davison creates his own language - something resembling Italian and Spanish. Circo De Teatro is a brilliant cd, on which Davison sings, plays guitars, bass, mandolin, lapsteel, dobro, ukelele, percussion and drums. He is also joined by various other musical guests on brass instruments, as well as the banjo and accordion. Available at CD Baby.

CIRCO DE TEATRO

**** (4 Stars)

Let your imagination run wild!

Opening track Carnival Bulersco is dark and errie, and with the haunting photos insert the CD booklet, the song appears warped and scary.

Big Top Parade then follows shortly in which Jude sings superbly about going to the circus. The saxaphone adds the errie feeling which was present in Carnival Bulersco. As the music plays with Jude singing his dark lyrics, you can not help but picture gothic burlesque scenes of the carnival which Jude is encouraging you to imagine.

A strange turn in style happens to Madame O which loses it’s eerie, dark, gothic style to change into a country tune. Jude has an amazing country voice in camparison to the style in which he sung on Big Top Parade.

Throughout CIRCO DE TEATRO, it is apparent how imaginative Jude truly is, with his creative ideas of his circus. Every song was written and produced by Jude, so why is it this is the first time I have heard of his name? With an amazing backing band, I pray this is only the beginning to a blossoming career for Davison.

En temaplatta om ett turnerande mexikanskt cirkus sällskap, kan det vara något? Ja visst, för Jude Davison har nämligen alla förutsättningar för att ro ett sådant här projekt i hamn. Han har en utmärkt sångröst, texterna är mycket fängslande och han besitter en musikalitet långt över genomsnittet. Jude Davisons låtar spritter verkligen av liv och idérikedom i ett musikaliskt landskap där förebilderna heter Calexico, Los Lobos och Tom Waits.

"A strong, studio-quality release from a veteran musician . . ."

"A truly unique sounding album that combines sounds from Americana, Roots, R&B, Dixieland and Mexican Mariachi . . ."

Jude Davison is een volslagen onbekende muzikant voor mij en toch levert deze Canadees met ’Circo de Teatro’ al zijn 18e album af! En laat ik het gelijk maar bekennen, ik heb met bewondering dit (concept)album beluisterd; op een enigszins burleske manier verhaalt Jude over ‘The greatest show on earth’, het circus. Vermoedelijk een Mexicaans circus afgaand op de vele heerlijke mariachiklanken die hier en daar opduiken. Ook reminiscenties aan Los Lobos en The Iguanas (track: ’Sideshow souvenirs’) verstevigen het Tex-Mexkarakter van deze cd.

Bij de eerste muzieknoten echter is Calexico het eerste waar je aan denkt, de blazers en de doorkrinkelende gitaar á la Joey Burns op een ritmebedje van John Convertino. De slotnummers ’Nowhere bound’ en ’Further on’ zijn pareltjes voor liefhebbers van deze groep.

Deze invloeden zijn niet overheersend, ook o.a. fraaie americana-, vaudeville- en r & b-geluiden strelen je oren. Jude Davison is een fenomenaal alleskunner, hij schreef, arrangeerde en produceerde dit in eigen beheer uitgebrachte album. Naast de zang bespeelt hij ook nog gitaren, bas, mandoline, dobro, ukelele, keyboards en drums. Een Multi-talent dus! Een prima blazerssectie, banjo en accordeon vervolmaken het geluid van ‘Circo de Teatro’; een (hoorbaar) met liefde gemaakt product. (ben toch benieuwd geraakt naar die 17 voorgaande cd's van hem!) (Benny Mulder)

It was another classic evening in Nelson. The kind that makes you realize what a special place we live in.

On Saturday night music, charity and of course that special local vibe collided at the Capitol Theatre. It was about checking out the depth of local musical talent, raising money for a worthy cause and most of all celebrating community.

Jude Davison's Circo de Teatro performance was one to remember and came at the perfect time for the Kootenay Lake Hospital Foundation's CT scanner fundraising campaign.

For those who don't know him, Jude Davison is one of our area's most talented musical minds. He's had a long and impressive career in the music business (sorry about using "long" Jude, but none of us are getting any younger). The album he performed live on Saturday night is his 18th.

I've heard Jude play many local haunts over the years, but until Saturday night hadn't heard the new album (yes, I am still going to call it an "album" regardless of how much that dates me). Walking into the Capitol and seeing all the instruments on the small stage... you knew this was one of Jude's most ambitious projects to date.

Ten minutes to show time the theatre was buzzing. For those who knew Jude's music there was the typical pre-concert anticipation. For those who were there to simply support the CT scanner effort, there was an element of wading into the unknown. From the looks on people's faces there was a whole lot of happiness and pride in our community.

Once the all-star local band walked onto stage it was clear we were in for a great night of music. In a community deep with talent, Davison put together the best of the best. From the opening note they didn't disappoint.

Davison's latest work has been described as a "musical train ride." Indeed. The eclectic mix of musical styles made each song an absolute treat.

So Jude's new album is awesome. The next time he performs it live, you should go see it. If you like music, you should buy Circo de Teatro. But, that's not the point of this column.

The highlight of Saturday night was community and how the people in our neighbourhood can inspire us all to make Nelson a better place.

Davison put a tremendous amount of effort into Saturday's live show — both on the night and the weeks before promoting and setting it up. For his time and effort he asked for no financial reward. It was his donation to the CT scanner. The members of the band — Bessie Wapp, Craig Korth, Darren Mahe, Stephen Parish, Mark Spielman, Keith Todd, Rick Lingard, Tim Bullen, Sydney Galbraith — also donated their time and talents for the fundraising evening.

The result of all the musicians' efforts was a magical night that came at the perfect time.

Foundation workhorse Brian May told me Monday that the evening "epitomized everything we were looking for with this campaign." The creativity of Greater Nelson was on display not only in what folks heard, but in how people like Davison find ways to step up in their own way.

Before the show, the Foundation's Roger Higgins announced the funds raised through the concert pushed the $1.5 million target to the halfway mark. That's impressive. In a few short months the community has raised $750,000 for this important piece of hospital equipment. Little Nelson... $750,000!

Of course there's still a long way to go. Half way through a marathon is, well, half way. For that which has been successfully conquered, there is just as much road ahead. And like a marathon, there are times when you feel you will never cross the finish line.

And so a night of Circo de Teatro can be used to energize all those who have still not stepped up to the plate and those still planning their own ways to chip in.

And there's plenty more in the works.

In February the two Rotary clubs of Nelson are putting on a dinner. Later in the month the Nelson Rod and Club is also hosting a dinner. At the end of the month local medical staff and theatre-types are putting together the IHA Awards (which I'm guessing will take a humourous slant on the local health care picture).

I'm told by the Foundation team that looking towards the spring there is also several other bigger fundraising projects in the works.

Over the months some have criticized the CT scanner fundraising campaign. Some argue the provincial government has been negligent in their duty by forcing locals to raise the cash by themselves. Others say it's too much to ask and takes away from other worthy causes.

To me this campaign is an opportunity. It's a chance to show the rest of the province and each other how much we care about our community. I may or may not ever need to use the CT scanner. But odds are somebody I care about will. To work towards something with the ability to make life better for all of us feels good.

Thanks to Jude and the band for a great night of music and community. Rag & Bone continues to play in my head as a lasting impression of an outstanding event!