A Lark Ascending

I'm looking forward to Peter Brötzmann taking over as host on Gardener's World while Monty is on holiday. Though I have visions of a flame thrower and radical redesigning of the long borders.

Evan Parker is on 'The Chase' soon.

http://www.toyah.net/tag/all-star-mr-mrs/ He could at least have worn a Schizoid Man mask,

All part of the usual 'troubled artist and his pain' hard sell: I thought the thread might be about:

Afraid not.

Monica Vasconcelos and a small band (keyboards, bass, drums) playing a fabulous evening of mainly self-composed (or band composed) Brazilian material. Tremendous. There's apparently an expanded line-up doing a 20 year celebration at the Vortex tonight.

Any good? Missed it last Thursday but might catch up tonight. Yes, it was interesting despite David Tennant. I don't know how it will play out but Emily Watson always turns in a solid perfomance, and I'm generally a fan of of political thrillers. Thanks. I'll give a go. Enjoyed it and will watch the rest. Though you end up hating all the main characters! I suspect that is intended.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Warlock

That's part of it; but in the UK at least there is still that patriarchal set of vested interests who decide what is worthy based on tradition and give it precedence. And there's another group who push anything as heritage that they think they can sell to visiting tourists. On the positive side, there continues to be no end of music that springs up outside these areas and finds its own places to dig in its roots. The followers of those musics are quite happy to construct their own alternative heritage narratives.

Be nice if they'd show some contemporary jazz. The country is swimming in it. The Beeb, however, has jazz (folk, classical too) as part of the heritage industry. All you get, if you get anything, is the 'Jazz Giants' of the past. There's a place for that, but it would be nice to have a TV version of Jazz on 3. Pipedream, of course. Wouldn't get past the first suggestion.

MG "There should be a melting clock around here somewhere, chaps."

When I saw the advert I assumed they were wheeling out 'Jazz Idols' from 15 years or so back. Be nice to see a series called 'Jazz Ordinary Lads and Lassies'.

Any good? Missed it last Thursday but might catch up tonight. Yes, it was interesting despite David Tennant. I don't know how it will play out but Emily Watson always turns in a solid perfomance, and I'm generally a fan of of political thrillers. Thanks. I'll give a go.

Any good? Missed it last Thursday but might catch up tonight.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/proginfo/2013/19/queens-of-jazz.html Good to see a programmes about this music. But why, oh why, is it the same old packaging - divas and their 'pain'? The shadow of Romanticism is long cast. (Stick the title of the programme in Google with the channel if you know it e.g. BBC4. That normally tells you.)

Thought that was a saucer (full of secrets?) but it might be a time-delay planet!

Does this count as etc?

Also deserves a place in the worst record cover ever thread...

The obvious one: And one of my first LPs. Not very hip, I know, but that's what passed for hip in on the mean streets of Cornwall in 1970.

Kids do react in different ways. Some classes are so scared to be showing an interest in something outside their particular tribal zone that they just don't react. But all you need is one confident soul prepared to, even ironically, start twitching in their seat and you can get a much more positive reaction. No, they don't rush up demanding playlists. But you'll be amazed at how often you can get the bobbing effect! In my case it's vocal music I use with pertinent words - 'Uncle Sam Says' is as perfect a way as any to start an exploration of the impact of WWII on civil rights. I don't use it to proselytise for the music.

Not for much longer!

Oh, I go for 3 minute topical songs - Josh White, BB Broonzy, the Nevilles, James Brown etc. They can be used as 'sources' to both illustrate the changing attitudes of the times and to then evaluate - how reliable? how representative etc. Just as you'd use a written or picture source.

The trick is to use the music sparingly. I often use things as lesson 'starters' to get initial engagement (Civil Rights history course). The students enjoy it as an alternative to reading text. You just have to make sure you don't overdo so it doesn't look like you are being a bit self-indulgent. My 16-17 year olds think of my occasional musical starters as Mr S's weird music.

I was reading somewhere that Ozzy Osborne was going through a bad patch - drink, drugs, marital problems. Maybe he could start a new career as a Gardeners' World presenter. Just make sure he's driven home before the bats come out.

They quite like Nick Drake on Gardeners' World.