A Lark Ascending

Due in Sheffield next month. Not seen him for a few years so might well go.

Noooohhhhh! And what do they offer in exchange? An iphone you can wear on your wrist? That's going to make for some fun in the classroom.

The box is superb. Well worth getting - all previously unissued apart from a couple of discs that came out in advance.

That concert dedicated to Lindsay Cooper is also happening in London at The Barbican the night before (Nov 21). http://www.barbican.org.uk/music/event-detail.asp?ID=16696 I'm set up for Huddersfield. Will be very strange seeing these people for the first time since 1977!

Many thanks both! I'm afraid I last did physics in 1969 so anything technical is going to lose me. Think I get the gist of your suggestions, Alex. Just curious if others are disturbed by this. I'd describe the effect as causing 'discomfort' - a bit like 'wow' on record players but the pitch just drops rather than oscillating. ************** Interesting how we can adjust expectations. Listening to recordings from early 20thC to the 50s you expect pitch insecurity and so just listen through it (Ellington sounds amazing, regardless of limitations of the recording techniques of the time). But in a modern recording where you expect absolute fidelity....

Something that has always disturbed me. On some recordings where you get a loud chord followed by silence (or quiet music) I hear an echo but at a slightly lower pitch. Creates an impression of 'out of tune'. I thought this was a recording issue but noticed it in the Royal Albert Hall last month a couple of times. Seems to happen on some recordings more than others, I assume due to the resonance of the recording venue. And becomes especially apparent when listening with headphones. This recent release really has me wincing (not the music or performance, just that effect): Is it just my battered ears? (Apologies to anyone who has never noticed this and now starts hearing it!)

Enjoyed that too. As always, the sight of Spitfires scrambling at the end sent me all wobbly.

To my mind the Trovesi records here are much more enjoyable than the ones he's done for ECM. I'm not an ECM naysayer - love the label for all sorts of reasons - but have never felt they've captured his folksiness and playfulness in the way these records did. They are out there on Spotify if you want to try before you buy.

I was in Malvern a few weeks back. Didn't see that one. Must be tucked down a very inconspicuous street.

I loved that series. One of the rare ones I've watched twice. Just started this about a black British dance band in the 30s and am enjoying it. A bit stylised with somewhat stereotypical characters and I'm pretty sure they're using a late-30s/early 40s music style in the early 30s. But enjoyable.

I think it's "Old Joe Clark" but I'd have to dbl check to be sure. I think you may be right. Just checked it on Youtube and the Haden sequence seems to come in the second half of the tune. A number of sites confirm this. From one: http://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/jul/20/charlie-haden-music-marrow-bones Thank you.

Anyone know what the 'folk' theme is that Haden plays on 'Rambin'' and then on many other recordings. He likes to quote it towards the end of a solo - I assume it goes back to his singing days. I ask because I heard a theme very similar in the instrumental accompaniment of 'I Truly Understand You Love Another Man' by Shortbuckle Roarke and Family (1928) off the 'Really the Blues?' collection. It might be a generic theme. Just curious. Can be heard here:

Priceless - was something photoshopped from the bottom?

Nice record. Good band. Bought mine at a Barbara Thompson gig.

The riches of the Smithsonian Folkways catalogue. Had a few discs over the years but over recent weeks I've been exploring via Spotify. An absolute gold mine.

Fascinating. I love the hand made price tags! At least with mp3s the handlers don't get back injuries or box cutter scars.

You could also do "How Hitler started the Mahler craze" - the music of those composers who wrote for Hollywood is often said to have created a context for listeners to connect to Mahler. I'm sure that's why I 'got' him long befor Mozart, Beethoven etc.

My good friend in Kawasaki, who is also from Sheffield, is a mate of Bean's and has told me many a tale of his encounters with the criminal world when he worked as a probation officer. I noticed that most of his other books are about the criminal world. That would explain why. This one is a compilation of quotes from interviews he did. He writes a contextual intro to each chapter and then lets the voices speak. He's done a good job of selecting and arranging so you still get a sense of narrative. Very good at off-setting different views e.g. on Ewan MacColl.

Just started this intriguing account of the British folk clubs. Fascinated by the bizarre origins - Skiffle, the influence of the American folk revival, the Communist Party, CND etc. Then the growing awareness that there was something odd about singing the 'traditional' songs of people thousands of miles away with little knowledge of the roots of local music. A time when there wasn't much on record so going to clubs was how you heard this stuff. An awful lot of working class involvement at that time - folk is infamous now for being enjoyed by teachers and local government workers (well, those who still exist). I became interested in folk music via record and then went to folk clubs in their last successful days from the mid-70s to early 80s. Amazing to read about the vibrancy and enthusiasm of the very DIY scene of the 50s and 60s. Interesting to read alongside Pete Frame's "The Restless Generation: How Rock Music Changed the Face of 1950s Britain" which covers the same time period (and many of the same venues) but from the rock perspective.

Good? Love her records. I saw her live once; her voice is very powerful. I enjoyed. Tonight - so I'll let you know. She was great the last 2 times we saw her. Wonderful sold out show at the beautiful Lensic Theater in Santa Fe. Merci. Her records give the impression of someone who would be a hoot live. Unlikely to appear outside London here except at a big festival.

Good? Love her records.

Does smack of 'project' but sometimes these things work. Not a Costello fan myself. The only musician involved I know is Rhiannon Giddens whose voice I very much like (not to mention the picture!). Wouldn't mind the 2 CD basement tapes if the sound is improved. Won't need 6 CDs of it!

There's also: Lost On The River: The New Basement Tapes

An absolutely beautiful book. More or less polished it off in one sitting. Mainly an account of Shirley Collins' memories of the 1959 trip she took as Alan Lomax's assistant into the American South. But every chapter alternates with a description of her life before and after that experience.

You can't download a latte. That's why. Yet.