A Lark Ascending

There's an image here: Apparantly Paul Buckmaster of Third Ear Band fame (and one of Miles' records...On the Corner?) was involved.

If you look over at AAJ you'll find Clark Tracey posting there - his label (TentoTen) is starting to put the Steam catalogue of the 70s and 80s onto CD with extra material. This is, to my mind, some of Stan's best recorded music. I think he's starting with 'Captain Adventure', my all time favourite Stan disc; then 'The Salisbury Suite'. He's also mentioned the earlier 'Alice in Jazzland' as a future possibility. He also has some vinyl of the Steams available. Details here: http://www.tentotenrecords.com/ So, yet more UK reissues to break the bank. It's going to be a bumper year.

I strongly recommend this - a record I have played again and again since the 1980s. Now available at budget price: The Stravinsky is very different to the Germanic post-Romantic world of Berg, but equally as thrilling. I'm not a great fan of Violin Concertos but these two really get to me.

I have no issue with Webern's importance; or other people's love of him. I've just never managed to unlock anything to move me. I can be impressed by the orchestration but my mind soon wanders. I keep trying every few years. One day maybe! I have this one too, Rooster: Again, I can't comment comparatively but I enjoy it. There's something very appealing about that dissolving sound world of the early 20thC. I'm very fond of Franz Schmidt's Fourth Symphony which is also in that still tonal but blurring area. A pity the Decca Entartete Musik series dried up - it was unearthing some very strange music in that field. Might not have been as historically important as S/B/W...but I'm always attracted to the side roads.

Yes, I do know that one. Much more in the late-Romantic style of Berg or early Schoenberg (Verkarte Nacht, Pelleas, Gurrelieder etc) which I like very much. I'm afraid I need a bit of a tune. With Webern I always feel like I need to go up into the loft and bring down the old slide-rule. Sorry to disturb your skull. It's my digestion that gets bothered!!!

What faux pas have I committed now...

I can't say I care for Webern much...like eating twigs with a hair shirt on. Berg I do like and would strongly recommend the Three Orchestral Pieces, Violin Concerto and Lulu Suite. Think Mahler but far more curdled. The two operas (Wozzeck and Lulu) are engaging too. Can't really help on versions as I only ever buy one version of classical pieces. The Abbado and Karajan versions of the above do me fine.

Take care, sidewinder. Start acting 'crazy' and Michael Howard will have you deported for behaving in an un-British manner.

We're British. We don't do crazy. Mild admiration is the closest we come to breaking a sweat! (I'd imagine Ardley is very little known to most UK jazz fans; only those with a memory of UK jazz in 60s or who have got curious subsequently. Most British jazz fans are more likely to be 'crazy' about Miles or Coltrane).

Only one short track on Amaranths has a recitation - 'The Dong with the Luminous Nose' (Edward Lear). I love it, but then I grew up hearing Ivor Cutler (who recites it) regularly on John Peel's show. The main Amaranths Suite is all instrumental. The three Lewis Carroll songs are sung, not recited, by Norma Winstone. The poetry/jazz thing was a very 60s movement. As I understand only some of the Garricks have poetry. 'Black Marigolds' seems to have a reader; 'The Heart is a Lotus' doesn't. Details here: http://www.jazzscript.co.uk/extra/garricklps.htm I'm not sure 'we UKers' are all 'crazy' about these albums. They've been OOP for so long some of us are just very curious. It's a bit of our jazz history we'd like to get to know.

Yes, I didn't think of that. We can only hope that with all the flurry of activity over the last couple of years, someone somewhere will decide there is good reason to reissue the Ross. I too am looking forward to seeing those Garrick's reappear. I find his more recent music rather big-band-lumpy; but what I've heard on the Rendell-Carrs and Troppo suggests a very different animal in the 60s.

Is mold the same as mould? In the UK this is Mold: http://www.moldweb.co.uk/

Yes, up to now they've concentrated mainly on the 'dance band' end of things. I have a couple of 50s things by Ken Moule and Tony Kinsey, both very well done. So this step into the 60s can only be welcomed. They're also priced in the £8.99 range rather than the £13.99 of the Universal reissues. Hope they don't change that. Who knows...Cleopatra's Needle may not be far away! What is 'Chitinous Ensemble' .... never even heard of it?

Those of you seeking the Surman Derams should take a look over at AAJ at a thread called 'Surman Releases in May'. The Dutton Vocalion label would appear to be releasing John Surman and Tales of the Algonquin plus a host of other mouthwatering discs from that era. Look under New Releases, Recommendations, Reviews I don't want to steal the informants thunder by just posting here.

I came out of Reading in 1976. I might not be Kate Winslett but I think I'm half-decent! Some very nice biscuits came out of Reading. The M4 and the main east-west railway line comes out of Reading. Sutton's seeds came out of Reading. An awful lot of wasted rockers came out of Reading each August in the 70s. However, only Kate Winslett would fit that badge description.

Are you sure she wasn't indicating a lust for a town to the west of London? On second thoughts, I lived there for three years. This is most unlikely.

Ditto Limeys

Good luck with the move. Hope it all goes smoothly.

Expect Kelloggs to file for royalties from the last few minutes of Atom Heart Mother.

Yes, that was one of my two recent spottings. Great afternoon.

The reissue of 'Metropolis' on BGO was faulty but this was corrected last year (you can send back duff copies and they'll replace). Citadel is well deserving of reissue - one of my favourite Westbrooks. I believe McRae returned to NZ in the 70s or 80s. I agree that he is a very distinctive voice - I love his contributions to Matching Mole's 'Little Red Record'. I'm not too keen on the calypso side of 'John Surman' - sounds a bit 'Light Programme' to my ears. Can't say I've noticed Marshall getting more solo space than most drummers of the 60s/70s...you should have attended a Collosseum II concert if you wanted drum solos!!!! I do know he remains a marvellous drummer - I've seen him twice in recent years with Surman and both times he's contributed to stellar band performances. I don't even remember if he took solos...I expect so. It wasn't what stuck in the mind.

Rod Stewart - despite his many, many sins from the mid-70s onwards - deserves a place in this emerging list.

1969-1972 Can't exactly remember the exact dates of releases but that period had the music that was the foundation of my musical taste - King Crimson, Soft Machine, Caravan, Neil Young, CSN&Y, Fairport, Nick Drake, Led Zeppelin, Joni Mitchell, Traffic, Free, Pink Floyd, Yes, Genesis, Chicago and many, many more. Lots of favourites before; some significant favourites in the 1974-6 period with only early REM and XTC making much impact beyond '76. But there was something loose and folky about that 69-72 period that still draws me back.

Did you see Tom Jones on the UK episode of the Scorsese 'The Blues' series? Made me realise what a fine singer he was.

Good to hear that, Mike.