He’s world famous for his wonderful films but Woody Allen also has another string to his bow – he’s a remarkably talented musician. Now a Belgian audience is set to get a rare glimpse of his less well-known talent when Allen, accompanied by the Eddy Davis New Orleans Jazz Band, kick off their European tour with an exclusive concert in Brussels.
On Saturday, June 22 at BOZAR, the famous director, who is also a clarinetist, will be on stage with musical director Eddy Davis and his band. It will be the first time in 10 years that Allen has performed in Belgium on the clarinet. This all-too-rare concert is part of a European tour he is undertaking this spring and summer. Other dates later this year include Amsterdam on June 24, Munich on June 26 and Milan on June 28.
The show, brought to this country by the leading Belgian promoter Greenhouse Talent, will be improvised each night with no firm set list as always and will comprise a diverse collection of early twentieth century tunes, hymns, blues and rag, drawing inspiration from a range of artists, including legendary performers such as Sidney Bechet, George Lewis, Johnny Dodds, Jimmie Noone and Louis Armstrong.
It has been 36 years since Allen and his New Orleans Jazz Band, led by musical director Eddy Davis, have been delighting audiences with a unique mix of New Orleans inspired music. It is no less than 23 years since their very first European tour in 1996, where they played 19 concerts in 21 days.
This was captured for the much-acclaimed documentary “Wild Man Sings the Blues’”, which was filmed by Oscar-winning director, Katherine Bigelow, who shadowed Woody and the band throughout the tour.
Allen and the band also play regularly to sell-out houses at The Café Carlyle in New York, which is famed for its musical heritage. For years, every Monday night Allen has played clarinet with the same band on the ground floor of the legendary Carlyle.
The American director, writer, actor, and comedian’s career spans more than six decades. He began his career as a comedy writer in the 1950s, writing jokes and scripts for television and publishing several books of short humour pieces.
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