What a great opportunity it turned out to be. Glancing at Pollstar yesterday to see if they had any updated listings for March, I noticed that Howard Jone's name had mysteriously appeared on the Cactus Cafe's schedule for the night. Catching Howard doing an acoustic performance at the Cactus was something I had actually been hoping for, especially after missing Thomas Dolby's solo set at Elysium late last year. I was stunned to find out he had almost slipped under my usually pretty fine tuned radar. I called Griff down at the Cactus and found out Howard was starting in an hour and would perform two sets with no opener. Griff promised to hold a spot for me and to lay the groundwork with Howard's manager for me to shoot the show.

Robin "The Itch" Boult at the Cactus Cafe photo by staff photographer jeff barringer

Grabbing my camera kit, I raced down to the U.T. campus, and after humping it a half mile on foot from my parking space made it to the venue just in time to catch Howard closing his first song. After Griff introduced me to Howard's manager, I slipped into the back of the venue, set down my bag, and started snapping away.

Musicians, like wine, can go either way with age. Sometimes they continue to grow and mature and ripen into fine elixirs for the palate. Others turn to vinegar, bitter on the tongue and the ears. Howard would be best described as a fine wine with a delicate bouquet that continues to better with age, rather than a worn out pop star trying to re-live his past. His music and his lyrics always seemed far beyond the capabilities of many of his peers in the eighties. Fame and fortune aside, at the time few people actually gave him the credit his music deserved, seemingly resigning him only to the 15 minutes of pop star status from that decade.

Rather than flailing away with a keytar and a full band, this was a soft acoustic set with Howard on piano and Robin "The Itch" Boult on guitar. This was a night of piano jazz in an intimate setting with 100 or so friends. Howard interspersed his songs with stories and anecdotes from his long career in the industry, and the hows and whys of some of his lyrics. I agree with his views on the live performance being the way forward rather than the somewhat sterile confines of the recorded song. His music is a perfect example of that.

Howard played songs from his newer piano jazz recordings as well as a select number of his pop hits re-arranged for the acoustic setting. I found no fault with his performance. His voice showed none of the 20+ years of age that it should have, remaining clear as a bell and album perfect throughout the performance. His work on the keyboard is still deft and delicate, and almost perfectly matched by the light guitar fingerings of Robin. For anyone who is a fan of Howard's music, this is undoubtedly the best way to see it performed, and worth twice what they charged. For those unfamiliar with his pop work of the past, it's a great opportunity to hear some wonderful jazz piano by a master.

Thanks to Griff at the Cactus for the hookup, and to Howard and Robin for allowing me to shoot such a great show.

Click here to see the set list

Howard Jones and Robin "The Itch" Boult at the Cactus Cafe photo by staff photographer jeff barringer