ALEX VAN HEERDEN
(solo trumpet, accordion and voice)
Sunday 18 March 2007

Alex is the magician that has always brought the best out of the giants: Robbie Jansen, Mac McKenzie, Hilton Schilder, Winston Mankunku.... Alex brings out the best in all of them. This is his pedigree.

This was his first solo performance ever in public. And a daunting one no doubt with trumpet, accordion and voice. Not exactly your average solo instrumentation.

What started off as a warm evening quickly turned wintry and most retreated indoors.

Or perhaps it was that Alex’s insect-interpretations on accordion were going straight through the ears of all the untrained and uninitiated of Norwegian folksy vastrap.

He said that if we actually listened, we might hear, or at least feel, something resembling structural understanding and order, then perhaps we might even enjoy it…

Personally, the only song I enjoyed was his rendition of “Sissie my Kind”, quite possibly because I’d heard it many times before.

The rest was too abstract even for me.

At least he’s attractive to look at!