Simon Weil

That is the reason I mentioned film music. Because that is music devised with one (and one only) end. It's supposed to move the audience's emotions in a certain direction. It's a purely instrumental (in the sense of being a means to an end and only that) use of music. Do you agree with that characterisation - and, if so, how does it fit with your scheme?

When I was a student, one of he courses I had was Physiology. The way information is conveyed through the nerves in the body, via electrical signals that modulate in frequency, has some parallel to the basic language of music - notes are sounds of different frequencies. Because music is so immensely powerful, yet made up of these rather basic elements at source, I thought "Well, that is why music is so powerful. It's basically speaking the language of the brain [The brain being just nerves]". Just because it was a simple solution - that's why it appealed to me. I had the idea that the brain somehow encodes emotion in a form akin to music. Years ago I did find a paper where one Professor seemed to imply something parallel, but nothing else. Anyway, that's always stuck with me - but, by language of the brain, I mean emotional language of the brain - because that is basically what music is for me, a massively effective way of articulating, conveying and evoking emotions - feelings (the role of film music - where music is used instrumentally to this effect). We think in words, that is the conscious language of the brain - while visual symbols and mental pictures also have their effect. So...a totally non-aesthetic way of looking at it.

There's an awful lot of thinking going on on this record. I listened to the first CD a week ago and have only now listened to the second. When people say there's a lot to digest, it's the amount of thought, for me. My instinct is it's a valuable record. There's a kind of watery theme, so far as I can see, which plays out in some tone-poem-y kind of playing.

She was wonderful...

Musicians... They can know stuff. Other times they can be like the rest of us - lost.

I'd go for Karyobin. You hear that whole Brit free improv style close to its inception.

Makes a lot of sense.

Tom Wilson was the producer on the first Soft Machine record. Kevin Ayers said he just sat around phoning his girl-friends while the band played a standard set. In which case, he did a hell of a job and one would like to know what he'd be like when he was really concentrating.

It's almost unbearably poignant (IMHO).

Bud Powell, "It Could Happen To You" (alternate take).

They could always do Silence [4:33] by John Cage, but I guess that's not what you meant.

The trend I see is of a poll stuck in a groove - or maybe a time-warp. Let's vote again like we did last year...and the year before.....and the decade before.

Yeah, that’ll never work. I’m Irish. But as I said, I’ve had the anxiety completely under control with CBD. This situation was just a bad confluence of letting my BP meds lapse, and letting my imagination run away with me. Since my high BP is genetic, the anxiety was but a small aggravator. Truth be told, I lead one of the most stress free lives imaginable. I think that’s why I lost my grip on the situation. Like everything in life, practice makes perfect. And I “fortunately” have little practice dealing with that level of stress. Look Scott, I don't want you dying out of this. I've got to be straight with you - ever since you did that attack on me, my instinctive response has been "This guy is an accident waiting to happen".

You probably need to go and talk to someone professional (i.e. therapeutic). Just to give yourself emotional space so you can let some of the anxiety out. That would be my instinctive response.

There can be psychological factors at play. One can have some self-destructive bug within oneself.

Arrogance is a charge that has been made about the English (as is the one about self-delusion) - including by someone English whose views I highly respect.

My problem with England is the lack of creativity in the side, which is a generic problem with English sides - and a generic problem with the English (IMHO). That's part of the reason I was so negative about this WC, because I think they've just decided that work-rate and etc. is good enough. It's true that they're young, but I don't see them going very far without the creativity they don't seem capable of. Southgate is the first manager I've believed in for a while - and I think it matters that he's English to motivate the side. None of the foreign managers seem to have got the side up, which he has. In those terms he's probably the best manager they've had since Robson. N.B. I barely watched any of their stuff - just some highlights - but I'm not sure, if you strip the patriotism away, that I missed much. I loathed the way it was such a big deal on the news. God, it pissed me off how important people made this out to be.

I suppose I'm mostly concerned that North Korea (or equivalent) decides to take a pot-shot at the internet - and then where are we going to be? The thing is wide open. There are actors out there who'd do that just for the sheer hell of it. Not to get paranoid or anything.

I had a conversation with my brother today - he's an IT pro. He's selling all his CDs and storing on multiple backups - hard-drive, online etc.. Takes less space etc.. I demurred, saying somehow the physicality of the CDs gave me a sense of security. I can just take one out and play it on a machine. Otherwise - I just never quite believe the whole online system couldn't just go "splat" (or, I guess, that your hard-drive couldn't get eaten by a virus).

'Shoah' was epochal - even though I wasn't entirely happy about some of it. RIP.

You're so viscous (Lou Reed, amended).

I've been, on and off, online discussing Jazz for 21 years. I well remember the manufactured vibe on rec.music.buenote for the Coltrane Village Vanguard box. All buzz has the element of soufflé.

The sense of the buzz has a soufflé quality (to me). I haven't bought this (in any sense).

150+ posts. That's a lot for just "good listening". There's a "buzz" to this thread - and I'm sure elsewhere. To be sure it's been created - but we are part of its creation. Hence: "Wound up".

Not to blow my own trumpet too much, but I have an article on aaj which seeks to show that, at least from Ascension on, science was religion for Coltrane. Circling Om