Dilettante Music

That’s how director John O’Stevens of Just so Films described the modus operandi behind The Black Cab Sessions in a recent ITN interview. The concept, which consists of hailing a cab in the streets of London, cramming musicians, a camera operator and a sound person into the back and filming the resulting performance as the cab takes in the sites, started as a novel way to push gigs by promoter Hidden Fruit on the Internet. The resulting webcasts, which are introduced by the cabbies themselves, are broadcast on YouTube while the Black Cab Sessions site itself has attracted its own cult following.

No wonder. The only criterion for choosing performers is ‘whoever blows [the producers] away’, and we were totally blown away by the violinist Charlie Siem performing one of Paganini’s Variations, which is among the most challenging pieces ever written for the violin. Crouched on the floor of a moving taxi, in case you missed that bit.

There’s another classical offering from Jonathan Byers, cellist with the Badke Quartet. Whilst the cab bumps and grinds its way though London, Jonathan gives a beautiful performance of the prelude from Bach’s Cello Suite, which seems oddly suited to the environment. And not a concert hall in sight - except the ones you spot through the window, of course.