Articles by Michael Tansini

Louis Durra Trio

Ask the average punter in HMV what jazz is and they’ll describe squalling saxophones, pulsating trumpets, and the white heat of constant improvisation in a smoky bar.

Harpsichords at St Cecilia's 2

If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, it’s more often than not a badly-played oboe.

Peter Straker's Brel

Review
★★★
Michael Tansini
Edinburgh Fringe
7th Aug, 2012

Jacques Brel is one of the most famous French singers of all time.

Anthropoetry

I went into Anthropoetry not sure what to expect.

Liam and Owen - A Cracking One Off Show!

Review
★★★
Michael Tansini
Edinburgh Fringe
15th Aug, 2012

Free comedy is like cinema pick n’ mix.

Dad Doesn't Dance

Review
★
Michael Tansini
Edinburgh Fringe
10th Aug, 2012

The idea of searching for a lost parent is particularly fertile territory.

Music @ St Cuthbert's

The best often start out young.

Lapin Wants Ice Cream

My main memory of French lessons is struggling to remember lists of increasingly bizarre irregular verbs, a recollection many will, sadly, find familiar.

The Edinburgh International Circus Festival

I have a confession to make: until recently, I’d never been to the circus.

Kate Daisy Grant with Nick Pynn

There is a saying in Hollywood that the gun you see in the first scene will go off in the third.

PassionFlower

Review
★★★
Michael Tansini
Edinburgh Fringe
22nd Aug, 2012

Flowers are not only part and parcel of music lyrics, but also the pretty packaging on top.

Paperbelle

It’s often the simple ideas that are the best.

A Musical Journey with Euna Park: Springtime in Korea

Review
★★★
Michael Tansini
Edinburgh Fringe
15th Aug, 2012

Euna Park produced an excellent performance in St.

The Harri-Parris - The Leaving Do

Thank goodness for the British public’s ability to laugh at itself, otherwise the soggy weather might prove too much when it starts lapping at our ankles.

Organ Recital - A Grand Tour of Europe

In the world of organs, the Frobenius brand is king.

Magdalena Reising - Blue Cafe Jazz

Review
★★★
Michael Tansini
Edinburgh Fringe
11th Aug, 2012

When it comes to unusual instruments, the harp probably is somewhere in the top 5.

Neapolitan Songs

Valvona & Crolla is a bit of a household name in Edinburgh, and that’s putting it mildly.

The Bravery of Miss Anne and Other Tales of Splendorous Adventure

It’s only when you look back at your childhood books and films that you realise how many of them are ripe for satire.

Relevancy with Kemari - Traversing 5000 Years of China

Review
★★
Michael Tansini
Edinburgh Fringe
9th Aug, 2012

The Gillis Centre, situated in the leafy Grange, is far away from the hustle and bustle of the Fringe and its blizzard of proffered leaflets.

Born to Run

Multitasking can be very difficult: Gerald Ford was famously said to not be able to walk and chew gum.

Ben Okri's The Comic Destiny

Review
★★★
Michael Tansini
Edinburgh Fringe
16th Aug, 2012

For the first ten minutes of Ben Okri’s the Comic Destiny, I sat there entirely unsure about what was going on.

Bad Musical

When in the first ten minutes of the show there have already been several jokes about vaginas and a song essentially about paedophilia, it quickly dawns that few sacred cows are go…

The Prince and the Pauper

The Prince and the Pauper has long been a staple of children’s bedtimes so the cast from Newman’s Art College had to satisfy not only children’s expectations but their parent…

Jumping Jesse Jones

Review
★★★
Michael Tansini
Edinburgh Fringe
5th Aug, 2012

Blues can be a difficult act to pull off.

Review
★★
Michael Tansini
Edinburgh Fringe
7th Aug, 2012

Musical comedy is a risky business.

Anda Union - The Wind Horse

If your knowledge of Mongolian history is limited to Genghis Khan, or if you think that folk music is merely background music for washed-out hippies, then Anda Union are the perfec…

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