Last year,for our joint 50th birthdays, Julie and I went to gig Tampa Florida (well we didn't just go for the music,we were there for two weeks over christmas).Ooh the extravagance!
This year we also went to a gig. In Camden Town.
As I've mentioned,the building work on our house has left us skint, Christmas is cancelled.
However,thanks to my brother Moray and his wife Gill we could celebrate our 51st birthdays with a meal and live music at the Jazz Cafe in Camden.
We've been to the Jazz Cafe on numerous occasions, to see various rock/blues/jazz acts.
Tonight was going to be blues /rock. The US guitarist Robben Ford was the headline act. He's a fantastic player, who in the past has played with loads of top bands.Tom Scott & the LA express, Gregg Allman & Friends, Yellowjackets, Miles Davis, and Joni Mitchell, to name a few.
We saw him earlier in the year when he was touring with Larry Carlton,another top player who Stelly Dan used a lot in the studio.
The support ac tonight was a guitar/singer songwriter guy called Mark Buck, who not to put to fine a point on it, was crap!
Still that gave us the chance to eat most of our meal before Robben hit the stage.
I find it a bit weird eating in the dark, you order something, and kind of hope, that when the waitress plonks the plate down in front of you , it is indeed the chicken or whatever you ordered!
Robben came on eventually and played stuff from his new CD "truth" plus a few of his old favourites. About half way through his set he invited Bernard Purdie (the worlds most recorded drummer , Aretha Franklin's stickman on many of her recordings,google him!) to sit in on the drums which was excellent.
So thanks again to Moray and Gill for a great evening. That's the last of the live music for 2007.
We kick off 2008 with Joe Bonamassa at the Shepherds Bush Empire in February.

What a bumper year its been for music,starting back in March with my annual trip to NYC to see The Allman Brothers Band. It's now December and the gigs continue.
Last weekend Moray and I headed off to Herne Hill in South London to catch yet another of the Allman Brothers family. This time it was Gregg's son (not sure which wife is the mum!) Devon and his band Honeytribe.
Our only previous experience of Devon was at a party thrown by the ABB, where he did an acoustic jam with Pedro Arevelo.
The gig was at the Half moon, a huge victorian pub.
THe evenin got off to an amusing start when my borther and I walked in to the public bar at the front of the pub. "hey guys" said a drunken regular, "two blokes from the 1970's have just walked in!
After a pint we headed to the rear of the building to where the band were to play. Not the biggest of venues, a bar at one end, a few tables and chairs and a small stage stuck in the corner. We got ourselves a drink and to our surprise found a table right at the front. A perfect position as I had brought my camera.
The lighting didn't look promising from a photography point of view, a mirror ball and a couple of spots which, as the support band took to the stage, did little to illuminate the stage.
The Oli Brown band proved an excellent opener, Oli,a young, make that very young guitar player in the Stevie Ray Vaughan mode, played some fine blues. I took a few photos of Oli,the spot lights bathing him in a red glow, very difficult to focus properly with red lights. Thats my excuse anyway!
After a short break Devon bounded on to the stage which the bloke playing music over the PA failed to notice! Devon joined in with the track playing a few tasty licks over the track, which was quite amusing.
After a short announce ment by the promoter the band kicked off with a storming version of Maholo, an instrumental track from their album Torch.
Tonight was Gregg Allman's birthday so Devon dedicated a some songs to his dad, by playing a selection of Allman Brothers Band songs! During the gig I managed to get quite a few photos of devon in action.
A great evenings entertainment with a good vibe,( the place was full, always a good sign)and the promoter Pete fenestra certainIy is a fan of good quality rock n roll bands.
'll certainly visit this venue again. A walk and eventual bus ride delivered us to my sister in laws house where we stayed for the night, ears ringing!