Alex Ross’ 2012 lecture on the “Wagner Vortex” whirled in my mind as I prepared myself to evoke yet again the Meister´s work, this time at an unseemly, yet atmospheric venue. For good jazz amidst "night and fog" (to paraphrase a Wagnerian expression), many Londoners prefer the Vortex in Dalston to Soho's pretentiously refurbished Ronnie Scott's. As the smoking ban also applies to the Vortex, there was indeed plenty of night and fog in the big communal patio beside it as I arrived for an unusual Wagner night last Winter. Inside, I was welcomed by a this-is-really-not-our-thing attitude from the manager, and even the performers seemed obliged to let us know that they did not take Wagner that seriously. So much so that they even presented themselves as the Dick-Wag trio. “Not again!”, I thought. Not another sexual innuendo to mock Wagner´s…
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