sidewinder

I wouldn’t hold your breath for June and suspect July might also be a gamble too. Glastonbury over here is likely toast. Suspect that my favourite jazz festival at Swanage may be impacted too.

Interesting - policy over here now seems to be very much being driven by the modelling work coming out of Imperial College London. The modelling is literally evolving in real time, using outcomes in Italy etc. to validate it. This has led to a major change of approach and tightening up since the weekend. Major concerns with total overburdening of the health resources. ‘Herd immunity’ theories and approaches now abandoned. Much bigger level of homeworking and isolation for high risk groups coming up. ’Urgent Operational Requirements’ to fast track manufacture of additional ventilators from ‘blueprints’ is also being initiated - an approach previously only used for rapid military procurements. Unprecedented !

There’s a bit about that Newcastle scene in the Ian Carr bio by Alyn Shipton. Wish Ian had written a full book about it !

I remember listening on my tiny transistor radio and earpiece to a French station in Normandy playing one full side of ‘Agharta’ in fade in, fade out, back in the day. It was Summer so the tropospheric scatter across the Channel was working. I think the side they played was ‘Theme From Jack Johnson’. The only thing that made me aware of ‘Pangaea’ and ‘Magus’ back in the day, probably 1977, was a late-lamented Melody Maker article by either Richard Williams or Chris Welch saying how brilliant they were. Very frustrating ! At the time, the only store over here that might have stocked these would have been Collets. Mole wasn’t yet open.

A noticeable tightening up of control measures over here today. I had hoped to attend a university alumni event and dinner later this week but not surprisingly it has been postponed. Wasn’t looking forward to braving London transport.

Newcastle would be a good one to do - ‘Club a Go Go’ etc., ‘The Kansas City of the North’ in its prime.

Any good?

Have never seen any jazz in the Manchester area (other than that Alan Barnes and co. gig a few years ago Bill ) but I’m sure that this book will be fascinating. Just wish I hadn’t left it so long to buy a copy ! Is Bill Birch still around these days? There would probably be an equally good book project to do about Newcastle and maybe also Leeds/Bradford.

Up again for this thread. After a 10 year delay I have finally bought a copy of this fine book. Mr Birch doesn’t seem to be selling it through Amazon directly any more but by some miracle I’ve found a discount ‘new’ copy. Looking forward to it !

Great news !

I thought it was a good balance between the musical side and the biographical stuff and addressed the context of each era very well. The late 60s onwards electrical period also got decent coverage. Nice that they used ‘Paraphernalia’ as key continuity music. Also very valuable interview footage with Corky McCoy and Marguerite Eskridge (Erin’s Mum), not to mention Corky’s home movies. Shame that Teo didn’t get a mention.

Benedetti Mosaic vinyl geek box set will be dug out today.

At the time of release only ‘Agharta’ was readily available in the shops over here and ‘Pangaea’ and ‘Magus’ were mythic Japanese beasts. In fact the first time I heard ‘Pangaea’ was on a cutout North American cassette for my car. These days I have them all on vinyl and CD. Talking of Miles - that documentary on TV last night was pretty good, some new to me home movie footage from Corky McCoy. Well worth catching !

Japanese Sony. Always good to spin the vinyl of this one.

The Mingus was originally mail order only. I think it was reissued by Fantasy and in Japan but with a different cover design.

Time to bunker down with the Mosaics..

Sad news - it was good that he returned to the Arkestra in recent years, a key member for sure in the peak years. RIP.

NY mono

One of the few Pharoah Impulses that I don’t have. The ‘Sumun Bunkum..’ (or whatever it’s called) is the other. Must rectify !

Now postponed to June 20 for obvious reasons.

Is that the Charles Mingus Records version or a reissue? Spinning this one on Esquire Records. Side 1 has Jai and Kai. Side 2 Bennie Green with strings. Good stuff ! Noticed that the Bennie Green sides were recorded in Chicago - which explains John Malachi on piano. Sonics excellent.

Another one that will probably get thrown out by the HJ/PayPall firewall !

Just done my grocery shop - it seemed a bit subdued but on the whole fairly normal. Managed to get everything I needed - even a couple of packs of toilet paper left on the shelf !

Hope it goes ahead - I want to catch Kirk via the streaming tonight (or rather tomorrow morning).