If one man has done more than any other to keep the spirit of live music healthy for the rest of the year, that man is Jools Holland with his 'Later' show. It's impossible not to like a man who brings us the best 'live' music show on TV, and when his full r'n'b band are kicking some serious ass on a hot Sunday afternoon the awkward 'opening' slot on the main stage suddenly becomes a doddle.
None of the large crowd already staking their claim for a vantage point today would normally go out of their way to watch Jools play piano, but the sheer love and exuberance he has for this music is so infectious - hell, you should need a prescription just to listen to it.
Add in the mix of a band with more pedigree than Shergar (Sam Brown, Gilson Leavis. Jools' brother Chris and the legendary Rico) and it's a heady mix indeed. Boogie woogie is not a genre that the Galstonbury generation has ever spent its hard earned on, but when Jools rattles those top end ivories and the bass and drums kick in, you'd buy a CD of the stuff on the spot.
Rico may be older even than Michael Eavis, but his presence on today's ska selection, 'Start Up' and the singalong, 'In A Dancey Mood' adds that authentic on-the-egde, dance-hall vibe to proceedings. You will never ever see kids in Korn t-shirts skanking like this again in you life.
The power generated by these 'acoustic' instruments is astonishing at times, and when the four-piece sax section kicks in, it's enough to take your breath away. Imagine the Manic Street Preachers doing Glenn Miller and you'll have some idea of the impact these gifted musicians and spot-on arrangements can have. I'll probably never see this group again, and that saddens me a little.
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