Songs of Nick Drake 50th Anniversary Concert @ Hugh's Room, Nov 23 & 24

Luke Jackson and friends salute to Nick Drake at Hugh's Room on Saturday is sold out. Get tickets for Sunday's show below. 

Here's the scoop...

Hugh’s Room is delighted to announce the return of The Songs of Nick Drake on Saturday (November 23 with a second show added on Sunday November 24). This labour-of-love show is produced by UK-born Toronto musician and impresario Luke Jackson, who worked with Nick’s string arranger, the late great Robert Kirby, on his 2009 album And Then Some. Luke is one of a handful of people entrusted with Kirby’s original arrangements of Nick’s songs. Faithful renditions of those songs with strings form the bedrock of the concert, and creative arrangements of the rest of Nick’s canon make up the balance of the night.

 

The house band features drummer Cam Giroux (Weeping Tile, By Divine Right), bassist Jason Mercer (Ron Sexsmith, Bourbon Tabernacle Choir, Ani Difranco), and Toronto renaissance man Kurt Swinghammer on guitar.

 

The string quartet comprises Wendy Solomon on cello, Johann Lotter on viola, and Sahra Featherstone and Alex Cheung on violin.

 

Three featured performers are flying in to participate in the concert: Michelle Willis (David Crosby, Snarky Puppy), Kevin Kane (The Grapes of Wrath), and Suzie Ungerleider (formerly Oh Susanna), along with Toronto singer/songwriters Kathryn Rose, Conor Gains and Trish Robb. Flautist Andrea Kovats and Jackson himself round out the line-up.

 

This concert marks the 50th anniversary of Nick Drake’s death on November 25, 1974, and will be the first Songs of Nick Drake concert in five years. Although Saturday's show is sold out, there are a few tickets remaining for the Sunday show right here. The last concert was held at the original Hugh’s Room in November 2019 and was lovingly recorded and filmed for posterity. You can watch it following the preview clip for the 50th Anniversary Concert below. 

Jackson/Tully Band play Thin Lizzy's Live & Dangerous @ Dakota Tavern, Thursday

Luke Jackson and Marshall Tully salute Phil Lynott by performing Thin Lizzy's entire Live & Dangerous album on Thursday.  

Remembering Nick Drake on the 40th Anniversary of his passing

Here's the entire Songs Of Nick Drake tribute concert filmed in Toronto back in November, 2012. 

Don't miss the Songs of Nick Drake tribute @ Randolph Theatre, Sunday

Robert Kirby remembered

Last October, gifted British arranger Robert Kirby passed away at the age of 61 following emergency heart surgery. Best remembered for his studio work with Cambridge pal Nick Drake – Kirby's gorgeous string enhancements have helped make Five Leaves Left and Bryter Layter timeless classics – the affable string master continued creating wonderful arrangements long after Drake's untimely passing. Elton John, Linda Thompson, Elvis Costello, Paul Weller, The Magic Numbers and Nick Lowe are just a few of the many artists who've benefited from Kirby's rare artistry.
To honour Kirby's lasting legacy, his son Henry has put together The Robert Kirby Memorial Concert at Cecil Sharp House (2 Regents Park Road) in London starting at 1:30 pm and featuring performances by Vashti Bunyan, Teddy Thompson, Luke Jackson, Steve Ashley, Ben & Jason (who've reunited for the show), Harvey Brough & Clara Sanabras and a one-off appearance by Fab Cab, Kirby's Caius College choral group who last performed in 1967. In addition, the special guest show closer is rumoured to be Paul Weller although there has been no confirmation as yet. For tickets, check the site http://www.wegottickets.com/event/93603. For more information, go to ww.robertkirby.co.uk

Here in Toronto, Kirby's work will be celebrated in November as part of a Nick Drake tribute concert put together by Brit ex-pat Luke Jackson, whose critically acclaimed album ...And Then Some (Popsicle) was recorded with Kirby.
Originally planned for last November, with Kirby flying in from the UK to conduct the strings, the show was cancelled with the news of Kirby's sad passing on October 3 just a week before the concert was to be announced. So that tribute concert in honour of Nick Drake has also become a Robert Kirby tribute now rescheduled for Trinity St. Paul's on Sunday, November 28.
Performers for the evening will be Kevin Kane, Stephen Fearing, Mary Margaret O'Hara, Tom Wilson, David Celia, Emm Gryner along with Jackson and a special mystery guest all backed by a string octet led by Kevin Fox and a solid house band featuring Don Kerr, Kurt Swinghammer and Maury Lefoy. It promises to be a stellar night out with proceeds benefiting the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. Tickets for the Nick Drake Tribute Night are now available through ticketpro.ca right here. You can check Jackson's site (www.lukejackson.com) for more details.     


Robert Kirby interview circa 2002



This Life by Luke Jackson (in the studio with Robert Kirby)