A Lark Ascending

No synch - subtitles! Yes, I can see how it might look different internally - in much the way that I read praise for some UK series here that I find very weak. Foyles' War for example, which seems to have cardboard cut-out characters set in the period of our favourite national myth. I never felt the 'big history' was allowed to crowd too obviously into the overall story. I struggle with a lot of historical fiction because it tends to want to place its characters at all the major events when most people live lives quite distant and only connecting in unexpected ways (unless a world war rumbles along!).

Seems like we're still not out of that 'Cool Britannia' marketing plan. These things inevitably work round stereotypical 'icons'...but... Maybe they should have just played 'The Lark Ascending'!

One of the things that really impressed me about 'Heimat' was how it could be serious, thought-provoking, non-standardised yet never incomprehensible. The whole thing has a narrative drive that can engage a wide audience, yet tackles some profound issues. There are a few moments of total surrealism where things go off into a dream world but these are rare. My parents were based in military camps just north of the central region of the series (close to the Rhine gorge) so I found the photography fascinating. I think I enjoyed series II the most - it caught the 'we can do anything' nature of the 60s/70s perfectly. And it was fascinating to watch the inevitable drift of one of the characters towards the terrorist groups of that era. And, of course, the strong musical theme pulled me in. British TV drama tends to treat history as either a romp or action adventure (think 'Rome' or 'Henry VIII) - and there's clearly a place for that. It's just a pity that commercial pressures prevent taking chances on things that are less standardised. What happened to things like 'GBH'?

I saw odd programmes from the first series when it was first broadcast in the UK in the early 90s but couldn't keep up (tucked away at changing late-night times, as tends to happen here). 18 months ago I started working through it on rented DVD and have just finished series 3 tonight. A breathtaking series. Given how weak UK TV drama has become in the last decade, 'Heimat' stands as a testimony to what is possible. Three series, with episodes usually 2 hours in length, covering the experience of Germany in the 20thC. Series 1: From the end of WWI to the 60s/70s. Series 2: Follows the experiences of a young, avant-garde composer in Munich in the 60s/70s. Series 3: Takes the latter's story, now a famous conductor, from the fall of the Wall into the reunification years, ending on New Years Day, 2000. Storylines that go places you don't expect, wonderful acting, amazing photography (the camera is not afraid to just linger on a scene) and marvellous use of music. This series is just so rich. If you want something to wallow in for a few months (or 18!!!), this is peerless. What am I going to watch now?

That's what I guessed. Though the initial recording of tracks is done manually (I have to press a button to tell the recorder to start a new track) so the timing of each track will be slightly out of synch. But I image it goes for a 'best fit'. The only other thing I could think of was if it recognised the contours of each track in a graph format - peaks and troughs, like you see on a monitor.

I can see your point. I don't rip anything that is not in my collection on CD (to go to the iPod) or LP (to make a CD-R) but I can see how all sorts of problems might emerge. I just had the same thing happen again, having CD-RW'd Ralph Towner's 'City of Eyes' from vinyl. 'Gracenotes' recognised it immediately on inserting in the PC!

I'm not unhappy with it - saved me finding the info manually. Just amazed!

Oh, I'm familiar with that when you put in a commercial CD where there is clearly some sort of encoding. But there was no way the three tracks could carry any codes. When finalised on the stand alone machine they had no names or anything. They were copied direct from vinyl. All I can think of is the checking of number of tracks/times and a rough guess being made by the software. There can't be any other albums with that particular profile. It really makes you think!!!!!

After reading the ECM thread I dug out my LP of 'Gnu High' and recorded it to a CD-RW via my Pioneer stand alone recorder. I had it set on 'analogue' - digital always gives me too many funny options! Anyway, having 'finalised' the disc I then inserted it into the computer to 'rip' so I could make a full CD-R (cumbersome, I know, but it avoids wasting discs when things go wrong). Normally I get 'Track 1', 'Track 2' etc with the computer saving as 'Unknown file'. But this time both iTunes and Winamp jumped into action and told me it was 'Gnu High' by Kenny Wheeler! How could it possibly know? There was no digital transfer of information. It went from stylus to analogue CD-RW to computer. I can only assume that the software at iTunes/Winamp measure the track lengths and guess the album! Spooky!

Sounds good. I must look out for Barnes locally - he seems to be forever working! I miss my annual dose of his impassioned playing...to say nothing of his wonderful dead-pan humour! **************** Talking of humour, just playing this for the third or fourth time and it's finally clicking: A million miles from Barnes. Bates continues to follow his bizarre, changing-every-bar, course. Music that sounds chirpy, cheerful and tonal yet is has so much going on, often simultaneously, that it's initially hard to get a grip on. Nothing in the way of conventional jazz soloing, though improvisation is going on the dense textures. The usual mix of jazz, Latin, calypso and oddball vocals (reminding me in places of the Northettes on the old Hatfield and the North albums, though Bates claims the Singers Unlimited as inspiration). Like a Monty Python episode, a seemingly incongrous mix of sounds that makes sense if you want it to!! The sort of music I wish Carla Bley was still making.

Nice new Alan Barnes set of less familiar Ellington...and good to see Tony Coe getting onto record. Why is he allowed to hide? Not remotely innovative, groundbreaking etc. Just marvellous music superbly played by excellent musicians. I'm sure if Appleby had survived we'd have heard this live. A pity.

Probably the case with the examples you give. But I sometimes think this idea that ECM albums would be more enjoyable with different production values misses the point that most of its output is very different from the US mainstream, regardless of how it was recorded. I don't find the recent ECM recordings of Italians like Bollani, Trovesi or Rava as engaging as what I've heard elsewhere (on Splas(h) or Label Bleu, for example). But I don't think it's just the sound...I think the music itself is set up rather differently. There's something a bit solemn and self-consciously serious about it. Bollani is a player who is full of fun but you'd never guess this from his ECM recordings. With music like that in this Touchstone series I have no problem - this was one of the ways I first heard jazz in the 70s so it fits my expectations; whereas I first got to enjoy Italian jazz elsewhere and have been a bit disappointed with the ECM releases. I think a fair amount of the criticism levelled at ECM simply comes from bringing one set of expectations and finding them not met by a very different approach. With people like the AEofC that's hardly surprising, given how extensively they were recorded elsewhere (though I first heard them on ECM so never had a problem with the sound of those records).

I know it's not a serious suggestion, but remastering ECM as RVGs does sound a bit like re-cutting films from Europe for the American market. Most listeners in the States would remain uninterested and those who were would probably say they preferred the originals. With a few exceptions, the music and the production at ECM works off a different aesthetic (and, in many cases, tradition) to American jazz. If you can't hear the beauties there in its existing form then no amount of technical tweaking is going to make it any more likely to give up its treasures. I think 'Gnu High' was my first Wheeler album back in the mid-70s, but it's not one I return to a great deal. I'm not sure why - it sounds like a standard quartet date to my ears compared with Wheeler's later discs. I suspect that may come from years of hearing him on record, the radio and live in more unconventional groupings - everything from Azimuth (my favourite setting) to the early Dave Holland quintets (to say nothing of his occasional forays into the free world).

Egea have just put a batch of recordings up on e-music.

I didn't get to any of the freezone sessions but did see the three on the main stage. I'd imagine these are a mix of solo, duo and trio improvs (that's what they did on the main stage). I must admit I didn't really connect with Rothenberg. Might give this a go to see if I can find a way in.

There's a very different Dunmall on at least one of Danny Thompson's 'Whatever' albums - inside playing, very folksy.

I'm still waiting for Lookout Farm! There are some marvellous recordings in that reissue batch if your particular taste runs to the sort of approaches ECM favour (mine does). If funky and greasy is your touchstone then you'll almost certainly wonder what the fuss is all about.

He played Appleby last year - very impressive. Several of his discs are on e-music. I especially like the recent Frith/Bjork one.

I mentioned it before, but I strongly recommend the organ work 'La Nativite du Seigneur'. It was the first Messiaen I bought c.1975, on the back of the organ solo in the centre of Henry Cow's 'Living in the Heart of the Beast'. It has the same immediacy that the Quartet for the End of Time has. I'm still working on the longer organ pieces!

I've been trying to find 'Lampo' for a while, after reading your earlier enthusiasms, seeline. It's been unavailable for a few years but I notice a 2008 release with that title but a different cover on Amazon: as opposed to: Seems to be the same track list. Not a remake, by any chance?

Dropped into the Sidmouth Folk Festival a couple of weekends back and was transported to another world by these two: Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill slowly unpeeling Irish tunes. Very different from the usual 'last one to the end of the tune is a sissy' approach to Irish music. Hayes is originally from County Clare in Ireland but, I believe, lives in Seattle now - I think Cahill is a Chicago native. Look out - could be in your area sooner than they'll be in mine!

I'm sure there's a more proper way to describe it, papsrus! Well worth a listen - De Vito has consistently put out very individual vocal discs, a million miles from the 'standards' based records that flooded the marked in the late 90s/early noughties. You can hear some De Vito samples here: http://www.myspace.com/mariapiadevito Though I'd suggest starting with the Italian titles. 'Voccuccia de no pie' (from an earlier recording) is especially lovely.

Just acquired this as a download from the DG website: Very interesting disc: 1. Concert à quatre 2. (Les) Offrandes oubliées 3. (Un) sourire 4. (Le) Tombeau resplendissant 1 + 3 are very late pieces; highly accessible - 1. sounds like Debussy in places! 2 + 4 are some of his earliest orchestral pieces, owing a good deal to Firebird era Stravinsky. Interesting because according to the bio he was highly critical as a young man of the later neoclassical-era Stravinsky (and neo-classicism in general).

Here's a splendid new release: Stumbled on it at e-music. Maria Pia De Vito has been a favourite of mine for the last ten years or so; Huw Warren is from Wales and has played in both the jazz world (roughly in that rather zany Loose Tubes area) and in the folk world (he was June Tabor's pianist for many years). Gabrielle Mirabassi is on a few tracks so I suppose that makes this one Italian! I saw the Warren/De Vito duo in an Appleby concert last year - spellbinding. This Cd is marvellous too. De Vito has something in common with Norma Winstone, though she's more prone to break into free form vocalising. I was underwhelmed by her Joni Mitchell project on Camjazz last year but this one works very well. From icy ECM-ish ballads to vocal pyrotechnics and a particularly fine track with Mirabassi going bonkers on clarinet. Recommended.

In the UK you get three points on your license for a speeding offence (plus a fine...I think it was £60 last time, though I think they are changing to an incremental system). If you get 12 points you lose your licence. I got caught just over three years back, following a school coach through Wales. We both got zapped! Then just over a year later I got caught late one night on a camera on a 30 mph stretch on the edge of town following a 40 mph in the middle. With six points I started driving very carefully. With 3 years since the first lapsed I'm now back to three points. Lots of grumbling over here about authorities using cameras as revenue milk cows. Doesn't bother me much...if I'm daft enough to speed then I deserve the fine/points.