We wouldn't have called Leonard Cohen jazz, but were delighted to have the chance to see him on his first world tour in 15 years. His London gigs had got rave reviews, so we took a deep breath and lashed out for tickets. (The jazz purists don't count him either, with sniffy comments about too mainstream a line-up. Of course, they don't have to balance the books!)
Cohen was boot-shiveringly good. Hallelujah sung the way it should be (compared to the wimpier versions currently popular), an amazing In the Tower of Song and many others. The park was packed; even though we got to the stage nearly two hours before he was due on, we were too far away to see much. So we retreated even further and sat on a high wall. We couldn't see him much, but watched the darkening sky, swung our heels against the stone-work and sung along.
After Cohen, we made our way to another stage, to see the Maria Schnieder Orchestra, an American combo led by a woman, and a lot of brass. We arrived at the start of a fab trumpet solo, also by a woman, which was great both to see and hear.
We're going back on Saturday to see Joan Baez.