Abbas Kiarostami: a remembrance

Posted on by Geoff Andrew

This tribute was written for and first published by the BFI at http://www.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/sight-sound-magazine/comment/obituaries/geoff-andrew-remembers-abbas-kiarostami With Abbas Kiarostami and translator Massoumeh Lahidji on stage at the Marrakech Film Festival, December 2015 When I first met Abbas Kiarostami on the evening of 21 June 1999 – I know the date because it was the night before I interviewed him on … Continue reading Abbas Kiarostami: a remembrance

Stranger than expected: the Paul Nash exhibition at Tate Britain

Posted on by Geoff Andrew

I must confess that until now, I’d never really found the paintings of Paul Nash (1889-1946) particularly striking. Perhaps that’s not so surprising. Apart from the fact that I’d only ever seen two or three examples of his work at any one time, I wasn’t aware of any especially great claims having been for him … Continue reading Stranger than expected: the Paul Nash exhibition at Tate Britain

Not in Their Names: Carla Bley and Liberation Music Orchestra in London

Posted on by Geoff Andrew

Since I first came to live in London 40 years ago, there’s been a handful of American jazz favourites I’ve made a point of seeing on each and every occasion they’ve crossed the Atlantic to play a gig. It was certainly that way with both Ornette Coleman and Charlie Haden, and it’s still the case … Continue reading Not in Their Names: Carla Bley and Liberation Music Orchestra in London

Where to Begin with Robert Altman…

Posted on by Geoff Andrew

This piece was written for and first published by BFI online. See http://www.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/news-bfi/all for further pieces. Why this might not seem so easy Despite being one of the most important American directors of the modern era, the late, great Robert Altman (1925-2006) is surprisingly often omitted from discussions that happily namecheck such figures as Spielberg, Scorsese, Eastwood, Lynch, Mann, … Continue reading Where to Begin with Robert Altman…

Norwegian good: the Nils Økland Band in London

Posted on by Geoff Andrew

While I may have reservations about the sheer size of the London Jazz Festival, I long ago stopped asking myself whether this or that act can really be described as ‘jazz’. What matters for the individual in the audience, after all, is whether he or she enjoys the music, and the organisers’ highly inclusive approach … Continue reading Norwegian good: the Nils Økland Band in London

An Eye on Mali: the Photography of Malick Sidibé

Posted on by Geoff Andrew

Should you find yourself in central London with half an hour or more to spend, there is currently a terrific exhibition - admission free - at Somerset House. It's devoted to the photography of the late Malick Sidibé, who died earlier this year aged 80 or thereabouts. Sidibé, who as a boy in the late 1930s … Continue reading An Eye on Mali: the Photography of Malick Sidibé