Zamar Gospel Choir - Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall - 23/05/08

The final Zamar concert this term, and the final concert ever for a number of soon-to-be-graduating students including visionary conductor Alex Clarke, was a glorious picnic of vocal treats.

Whether you have religious beliefs or not gospel is probably the most uplifting type of music you can listen to, a quality testified to by the packed nature of the Jack Lyons Concert Hall. The whole choir pieces that opened the concert were filled with passion and, at one point, a torrent of percussion. These were spiced up by solo spots for a number of choir members. Alice Boagey shone in a moving rendition of Amazing Grace, while Cat Jack's powerful tones grew to fill the room.

The highlight of the evening came with a more nuanced piece, a song bought to Zamar by a visiting American choir who had transcribed it from an old recording of American prisoners. Performed acapella, it provided two minutes of goosebumps and standing up hairs. This was gospel pared down to its most base form, revealing a purity that was both intimate in the emotion it bared and distant in the sense of history it evoked.

The first half finished with a layman's gospel classic - the song from the end of Sister Act II. A familiar piece meant that it soon had the audience getting involved with hand-claps and cheers and sent the half off with a bang.

The second half continued the concentration on variety. A barbershop quartet, made up from pianist Gavin Whitworth, Ales Thomas, Ian McClusky and Mike Hailes, blended voices together like a fine coleslaw. The cheeky carrot flavour came from authentic-sounding American accents, while McClusky provided the onion with free reign over a high solo before he was enveloped in the soothing mayonnaisse of the rest of the boys.

With quality not dipping below the level set by the first half, this really was a great picnic of joy. The mayo was only the beginning; a beefed up band (the usual piano, bass and drums augmented by a three piece brass section and a passionate performance from bongo virtuoso Mike Hailes) meant that the sound only got bigger, and a spicy encore with more key-changes than the average Westlife concert racheted up the high notes for the triumphant choir.

The standing ovation as the concert drew to a close was completely deserved, this was a fitting ending for all the students that are leaving, and hopefully means that Alex Clark has left a legacy that will continue in the performances of the new generation.

Add Comment

You must log in to submit a comment.