You will hardly find a songwriter these days so creative and versatile, meanwhile so poetic and formative as Tom Waits. A voice you won't forget, insistent images in the wonderful lyrics written by his wife Kathleen Brennan – what a rich source, what a challenge!
For more than 15 years, Claus Dethleff had been dreaming of composing a complete stage show out of these songs, a stage show that would be much more than just a recital.
Now, finally, the time has come, and he has set up a unique program out this song fund of the years 1973 to 2000, assisted by his extraordinary piano player Markus Zimmermann.
Of course, you won't miss the immortal songs “Tom Traubert’s Blues (Waltzing Matilda)”, “Time” or “Downtown Train”, but there are also songs from the movie “Night on Earth” and the theatre productions“Woyceck” and “Alice” on the setlist.
For nearly one year, the two musicians were concerned intensively with the music of Tom Waits - a time full of surprises and enthusiasm facing so much ingenuity in the music of this extraordinary artist.
Of course, the longtime experience of the musician and standup comedian Claus Dethleff could be used for this project. This year he can celebrate his thirtieth (!) year on stage. His career had been starting with several blues- and rockbands, followed ba a new wave peoject and a funk- and soulband. For many years, Claus Dethleff has been touring all over germany half of the legendary rock- comedy- duo „Spvg. Turn & Taxis“ and as a solo artist.
Now the work is done, and the result of their work is a show filled with sometimes wonderful, sometimes off- key songs, some close to the original arrangment, some completely different, sometimes arranged minimalistic, sometimes rascally. The sound is, of course, mainly stamped by the piano, but electric guitatr, accordeon and drums are used as well.
And there is much mor than music - Claus Dethleff bringt them to life, these creatures living inside the songs, and he tells the stories of the songs, and the terrific stage design created by the artist rita richter makes it all complete.
So, it became a smorgasbord, a mixture of recital and variety, highly musical, with perfect permorming, brilliant, funny, touching, entertaining.
For all Tom Waits fans anyway, for all others as well: a must- see!