Kenilworth gets on its feet

Posted by Adrian Litvinoff on Sep 21, 2021

Kenilworth got on its feet on Saturday night when Interplay appeared in party mood. With balmy temperatures, the rain mercifully scarce and a comfortably relaxed crowd in Talisman Square we were all of one mind – to groove! Venezuelan pianist Edgar Macias, sitting in for Neil Hunter, brought a truly authentic touch to our Latin set. Not only that, his vocal rendition of ‘Chan Chan’ was really romantic, according to at least one female audience member! As the gig coincided with the 25th anniversary of the great Buena Vista Social Club recordings this was very timely indeed. Our other guest was trumpeter Carol Whitworth, standing in for trombonist Richard Baker, and herself from Kenilworth. Carol’s initially cool playing got hotter and hotter as the night went on, especially on funkier numbers like ‘Memphis Shout’. Interplay stalwarts Alan Wakeman (saxes and flute) and Dave Balen (drums and percussion) were in fine form too, whether on the Latin repertoire or some of the band’s more off-the-wall numbers like ‘Norbert Dentressangle’ and ‘No Trouble’. Thanks very much to Kenilworth Arts Festival for having us, and we look forward to making the Square move again at a future festival! Bohemia After Dark? No its...