A Lark Ascending

I think a pub in somewhere like Moreton-in-the-Marsh might be nicer!

And I thought I'd found a loophole! Tried to place an order, Jim, but when attempting to register it insists I indicate which state I'm in. Won't allow me to go any further without. I'm tempted to go for 'Armed Forces Europe'!!!!!!! I ran into that, Bev. You bypass that "State" field and go for United Kingdom aone or two farther down the page. Once that was in, the "State" field let me put in Rhondda Cynon Taff and a UK postcode. It's subtle, ain't it? You have to think a little way outside the box to get an Organissimo CD. And QRT! MG Thanks, MG. I didn't see the box below - thought it referred to the list of states. It worked with your directions. I like the cover - reminds me of the lava lamp we had in 1969!

Any recent recommendations? I just listened to the track from Os Novos Baianos on Spinning in Air and thought 'Yes!' Sadly, out of stock at Dusty. I'm currently working through some new arrivals from Jovino Santos Neto, Hamilton de Holanda and a disc of Tutty Moreno, Teco Cardoso etc. Dusty Groove has so much that its hard to know where to begin!

And I thought I'd found a loophole! Tried to place an order, Jim, but when attempting to register it insists I indicate which state I'm in. Won't allow me to go any further without. I'm tempted to go for 'Armed Forces Europe'!!!!!!!

Worksop is east of the Mississippi!!!!!! If 10 Brits pool $300 each we get a CD each and a private performance in one of our homes!!!!

I agree. It's the byways of a person's interest that create a sense of their personality. And if you should find yourself straying in that direction it becomes a goldmine of information. I always struggle with the idea of 'essential' as it suggests that there is some norm, some canon that everyone must have experienced. Most people would have 'Kind of Blue' in the essential list; yet I suspect someone interested more in blow-torch jazz could go through life without hearing it and be none the worse.

This wasa big hit in the UK in 1976 and I recall rushing to the radio to switch it off every time it appeared: 'Music' John Miles These were the days of intense trade union activism so I can only assume that the lyricists union was working to rule, putting a quota on new verses.

That's one of the things I find so unattractive about the sound of rock records from about the mid-70s on. The drums sound like they were recorded in an aircraft hanger! I'm clearly a gentler soul - prefer something more pastoral!

About the time disco got popular. But most of these bands hated disco! Most hated punk...though a fair few learnt to express an admiration for it in the hope that it might just save them from being marched off to the countryside for re-education. Bill Bruford has commented that large stadiums lose any subtly in the drums; if you're not careful with all the reverb it gets hard for the other musicians to follow. The only thing you can do is is thump out the beat as steadily as possible. I have a feeling the culprit lies there.

I'm the same with PF up to 'Wish You Were Here' - Gilmour's guitar is a beauteous thing - I've always felt he's been shortchanged by the exaggerated cult of Barrett. I find the PF and PF related music from the 80s onwards difficult to appreciate. Too much plodding beat. There was an airborne, spaciousness about them in the 60s/70s that seemed to get destroyed by the need to shape music to stadiums. But that seems to be a problem for most of the bands/musicians of that era when it got to the 80s. I was listening today to a compilation of Harvest label bands from the 60s/70s: Even the most lumpen blues rockers seemed to have a bit of lift about them. When did it become so vital to put a standard beat so far in the foreground?

Hopefully a bit of camping in the Cotswolds/Wiltshire/Dorset area...though I planned this last year and the atrocious weather (flooding etc) scared me off.

I imagine another punk revolution is about due!

Really interesting - Vietnam from the perspective of a Vietnamese. Explains a great deal about the 1945-54 period that had always been misty to me. I'd never realised how brutal the French reconquest was after WWII.

Yes indeed. I was at the Oxford concert where they recorded the CD of that line-up. She also did a great tour with Steve Swallow, John Taylor and Ralph Towner singing mainly Swallow tunes.

This remains for me my favourite Norma winstone album: The Azimuth group minus Wheeler, plus Tony Coe. The version of 'Tea for Two' is breathtaking!

Without doubt, my favourite jazz singer. 'Distances' is marvellous. I've heard her do some of this material over the last few years and was really pleased to see it get to disc. The trio is really worth seeing - I've seen them a couple of times (on one occasion Gesing had left his music at the previous gig and only realised when he got on stage - you'd not have known!). There's an earlier CD by this trio called 'Chamber Music' which also marvellous. Norma has been extraordinarily active in recent years. What I like is her refusal to sail just one course or rest on her laurels. After years of being known for original music and less structured music she started doing more standards in the 90s (that great disc jazz1 mentions above with Jimmy Rowles, 'Well Kept Secret', for example). Yet she's continued to write her own lyrics to instrumental tunes and drawn from contemporary writers like Randy Newman and Peter Gabriel. Two discs (one of which jazz1 has already recommended) have snuck out with little fanfare in the last couple of years and are well worth hearing. The first is quite different to 'Distances' - Norma set against Colin Towns large scale orchestration. Some really imaginative arrangement here. The Tracey/Wellins discs were premiered at Appleby a few years back - as you can imagine, a perfect fit. Mainly standards but ones that don't get out much! She also does a couple of tracks on bassist Chris Laurence's solo CD of last year, 'New View'. To say nothing of the various Garrick reissues from the 60s/70s. The only recent Norma disc that didn't make an impact on me was the duo album with Fred Hersch. All perfectly executed but didn't leave anything in my memory banks.) ******************** Anyone know anything about this?: Recorded in Britain in the 70s with UK musicians including Winstone on vocals. It's just come out from Dutton. It looks like it could be a cocktail party record - I wonder if anyone knows it? Dusty Groove are excited by it...but they seem to be excited by all the CDs they sell! Finally, if you like Norma's approach to jazz singing which does not take the obvious route I'd recommend casting an ear towards Italy's Maria Pia de Vito and Britain's Christine Tobin, Tina May and (via Australia) Anita Wardell. All grown-up singers who want to be more than the next Julie London.

I should have known that we could count on Bev for some Robert Wyatt! Here's my vote: Come on all of you big strong men Uncle Sam needs your help again he's got himself in a terrible jam way down yonder in Viet Nam so put down your books and pick up a gun we're gonna have a whole lotta fun (CHORUS) And it's one, two, three, what are we fighting for don't ask me I don't give a damn, next stop is Viet Nam And it's five, six, seven, open up the pearly gates ain't no time to wonder why, whoopee we're all gonna die Come on generals, let's move fast your big chance has come at last now you can go out and get those reds cos the only good commie is the one that's dead and you know that peace can only be won when we've blown 'em all to kingdom come Come on wall street don't be slow why man this war is a go-go there's plenty good money to be made by supplying the army with the tools of its trade let's hope and pray that if they drop the bomb, they drop it on the Viet Cong Come on mothers throughout the land pack your boys off to Viet Nam come on fathers don't hesitate send your sons off before it's too late and you can be the first ones on your block to have your boy come home in a box I've seen parts of that used as a source on a history exam paper! I use the clip from Woodstock when doing the anti-war movement...with a prior apology for the fish (!) cheer! Here's some more Wyatt. I could never make out all the words - they appear to be much naughtier than I thought! On a dilemma between what I need and what I just want Between your thighs I feel a sensation How long can I resist the temptation ? I've got my bird, you've got your man So who else do we need, really ? Now I'm here, I may as well put my other hand in yours While we decide how far to go and if we've got time to do it now And if it's half as good for you as it is for me Then you won't mind if we lie down for a while, just for a while Till all the thing I want is need Till all the thing I want is need I want you more than ever now We're on the floor, and you want more, and I feel almost sure That cause now we've agreed, that we got what we need Then all the thing us needs is wanting I realized when I saw you last We've been together now and then From time to time - just here and there Now I know how it feels from my hair to my heels To have you on the horns of my dilemma - Oh ! Wait a minute ! - Over - Up - Over - Up - ... Down Down - Over - Up - Over - ... Up Living can be lovely, here in New York State Ah, but I wish that I were home And I wish I were home again - back home again, home again There are places and people that I'm so glad to have seen Ah, but I miss the trees, and I wish that I were home again Back home again The sun shines here all summer Its nice cause you can get quite brown Ah, but I miss the rain - ticky tacky ticky And I wish that I were home again - home again, home again... Living is easy here in New York State Ah, but I wish that I were home again Just before we go on to the next part of our song Let's all make sure we've got the time Music-making still performs the normal functions - background noise for people scheming, seducing, revolting and teaching That's all right by me, don't think that I'm complaining After all, it's only leisure time, isn't it ? Now I love your eyes - see how the time flies She's learning to hate, but it's just too late for me It was the same with her love It just wasn't enough for me But before this feeling dies Remember how distance can tell lies ! You can almost see her eyes, is it me she despises or you ? You're awfully nice to me and I'm sure you can see what her game is She sees you in her place, just as if it's a race And you're winning, and you're winning She just can't undertsand that for me everything's just beginning Until I get more homesick So before this feeling dies, remember how distance tells us lies. Singing a song in the morning Singing it again at night Don't really know what I'm singing about But it makes me feel all right

This is the first verse The first verse The first First verse And this is the chorus Or perhaps it's a bridge Or just another part Of the song that I am singing This is the second verse The second verse The second Second verse And this is the chorus Or perhaps it's a bridge Or just another Key Change Never mind It doesn't hurt It only means that I Lost faith in this song 'Cause it won't help me reach you...

I walked into this bar and the man refused; He said, "We don't serve strangers in blue suede shoes; We don't give credit, and We don't give way-- We have to think about what the people might say.. uh, you know what I mean..." I said, "Sure, man" Oh, he gave me a smile that was sickly and wet, And I offered him one of my cigarettes. He took it, afraid that he might appear rude, Then proceeded to sell me some second class food. Nice guy - meet 'em everywhere.. . He said, "My oh my, I have suffered too long, And this cigarette seems to be very strong; I don't make the rules I just get what I take And I guess every rule was made to break. You can take what you like, it won't hurt me Cause I’m just working for the company." From the green cigarette, He took a long drag, And said, "I think I'll pick my travelling bag. I’m tired of cheating, and wasting my head And filling the boss's bags with bread. I want to get out in the sun and rain, And feel the wind on on skin again; The world is large, and I've got time yet. And, by the way, thanks for that cigarette.. Thank you very much." "You know, I feel like a new man Yes I do, I don't know why; I’d just like to say Thank you very much(indeed) It's a beautiful day I think I'll be on my way (right away) I'd just like to say Thank you very much. Yes, I'm getting the hell out of here Yes, I am - bye, bye. That's the end of the message Thank you very much. Bye bye...

It's a beautiful disc - similar in feel to the Guy/Crispell/Lytton discs.

I don't think he's trying to play roots music, so that doesn't really make sense to me. He blends jazz, country, bluegrass, some rock into his Americana stew. It's his music, not roots music. Quite. Any more than Copland was trying to compose roots music in Appalachian Spring or Rodeo. Or Frisell was trying to make classical music with his version of Billy the Kid. A classical buff might find Frisell's Billy unsubtle and unidiomatic. But that's hardly the point and of no importance to a listener coming from a different direction.

I've never got on with the Frisell/Lovano/Motion trio - there's something grating about Frisell and Lovano together and my ears tire of those similar textures over a whole CD. I really enjoy his Americana eclecticism. I can see why that would not appeal to many but it works for me. I thought the East West record were thrilling. I do think he's put to one side the rather forced weirdness of his earlier years, replacing it with a warmer and more accessible approach. It was notable that the audience at the festival concert I went to was not just the usual jazz greyhairs but a lot of guitar enthusiasts. Very much liked his nightmarish interludes on Hal Wilner's Disney album, 'Stay Awake'.

Don't these people sleep? Two days earlier I saw Feldman playing the last gig of a European tour with Sylvie Courvosier in Bath, England. The jet-set life-style of a left-field improvising musician.

I'm really enjoying History Mystery. Frisell's band were superb at last month's Cheltenham Festival. Very exciting, very engaging.