Richard Thompson Live

Richard Thompson is among the few musicians from the 1960s with his edge still intact—and maybe sharp as ever. is concert Blu-ray and DVD release, Live at Celtic Connections, reveals a powerful performer who relies on musicianship (with wry commentary between numbers) as he steadfastly fronts a mostly much younger band, tearing off terrific solos with no guitar hero theatrics. Recorded last year at Glasgow's Royal Concert Hall, the concert includes 20 songs, most of them newer additions to his ever expanding, thoughtful body of work. Although his own highly developed yet intuitive playing combines the fluidity of jazz with the propulsive hardness of rock (and echoes more ancient influences), Thompson is a generous bandleader, allowing his sidemen, including a fiddler and a clarinetist, to take the spotlight.