Wednesday 31st January  8pm

The most enigmatic, mysterious and sub textural songwriter the English speaking world has ever known. Revered and covered by the entire music community; Leonard Cohen's exact sense of prose, his wry humour and his courage to wrestle with the unspoken.  Forgiving human frailty with the brush of each line.

The chilling announcement of Leonard's passing truly marked the end of an era. His music befriended an entire generation. Within every line of his writing, he has been challenging us to listen more carefully, speak more thoughtfully, think more deeply and recognize our own fragility.. Leonard Cohen: A Man of Grace. This world will miss him very much.

 

Keith James, a concert Artist with a lifetime reputation of performing in an exact and emotional way and with an undying love of the 'pure song' gives you a concert of this amazing, timeless material in the most intimate and sensitive way imaginable.

Born 1934 into a traditional Jewish family from Montreal Canada, Leonard Cohen can be described as one of the most visionary and celebrated song writers and poets of our time. He published his first book of poetry in 1956 and his first novel in 1963. It was during his time spent on the Greek Island of Hydra that his hedonistic genius as a songwriter began to emerge. In true bohemian style, he returned from Greece, by all accounts, penniless, and joined, almost by accident, the folk revival that existed in Greenwich Village, New York during the mid-60s. During these years he penned the poetic and deeply moving songs that were to change not only his life, but the lives of an entire generation of fans - those of an acoustic music listening counterculture that prevailed at that time across most of the western world. The rest, as they say, is history. 

 

The basis for his work focuses on the deepest of thoughts and feelings known to man, such as sexuality, complex interpersonal relationships, war, religion and morality. Cohen is highly regarded by critics for his lucid, rich lyrics and for wrestling with the unspoken. He has produced intimate compositions of high artistic quality across a six decade career. Just 10 days before his death, a brand new, highly acclaimed Album was realeased; produced by his Son Adam and entitled You Want it Darker. It is amazing that considering his first record release was in 1966, this new Album actually occupied a position in the top 10, sitting proudly among contemporary music almost 50 years later.

 

More than 3,000 versions of Cohen's songs have been recorded worldwide but none as centered, poignant and sensual as Keith James' beautiful interpretations.

 

"I have taken great care to visit each song on it's own terms, stripped back to it's central core and original, fragile sense of purpose by performing each song as near to the way it was originally written, exposing Cohen's unprecedented sense of humanity"   

 

Over the past six years, Keith has performed an extensive tour of this concert in Theatres and Arts Centres across the UK, giving close to 350 performances to what has amounted to more than 100,000 people. Singing his bare and passionate interpretations of these masterfully written songs has proved to be the greatest honor of Keith's 40 year career in music. 

'certainly the UK's most celebrated and evocative interpreter of golden music'  The Guardian 

 

'Some of the most atmospheric and emotive music you will ever hear'

 The Independent 

 

'Keith James has become a pillar of trust. A sublimely intimate and engaging voice'  

Sunday Times 

 

'a sensitive and pleasingly understated delivery, all the better that the songs might speak for themselves'

Acoustic Magazine 

 

www.keith-james.com