The Swan at the Rushes, Loughborough
21st April - Jon Harvison - only
the faithful turned up to see one of the country's most powerful performers
on the folk circuit. Remarkably, bearing in mind his background in jazz-rock,
Jon has adapted well to folk and his stature is such that he can call on such
folk luminaries as Tom McConville, Pete Morton, Steafan Hanigan and Chris Newman
to guest on his current album, the excellent "Lonely as the Moon" . Along with
his song writing abilities, Jon's other great strength is his dynamic voice
which contrasts nicely with his neat guitar work. His program was a mixture
of his own songs, a couple by other contemporary writers and the traditional
numbers "Sam Hall", "Rambleaway" and an absolutely cracking version of "Little
Musgrave" for a truly memorable encore. Let's hope Jon reaps the rewards he
so richly deserves and that all of you who stayed away come next time to enjoy
this fine performer. Those who did stay away, missed a treat. Dave Gooder.
The Old Kings Head Belper
"Take a powerful voice, an exciting
guitar style, witty chat and a good sized crowd and you have all that's needed
for a good evenings entertainment. This describes the Jon Harvison evening at
the OKH.
Kath Deighton of Penny Bun started the evening (prompt at 8), with a dulcimer medley, followed by Kevin Gregory - unfortunately most of this was missed by those arriving after 8.30. Please come on time to get your money's worth.
Jon, from Keighley, Yorks, brought a perfect blend of traditional songs and his own compositions like Heavy Horses and Castles in the Sand. His voice was so powerful, we had the pigeon fanciers from next door peering through the window to watch.
Jon's second spot lasted well over an hour with no sign of his voice faltering. Jon's entertainment value impressed me: witty stories between well balanced songs and effortless switches between guitar tunings: I don't like to see performers take ages re-tuning some artists could take lessons from Jon.
The OKH regulars, together with a special guest of high quality made this a great nights entertainment, much appreciated by the audience." Geoff Deighton, Folk On!.