A Lark Ascending

Really enjoyed the Delius programme - though I was rather taken aback that I'm supposed to find the music erotic! Surprised the record companies havn't caught on to that - instead of languid, post-impressionist gardens they could have rumpy-pumpy on the sleeves. Worth catching on the replayer. The 'Wish You Were Here' one was good too. I'm always amazed by how posh Dave Gilmour sounds. Haven't watch the PF clips yet.

My dad, despite leaving Cornwall c. 1946, retains a strong Cornish accent (that's aaagxxx_cent). He's always creased us up the way he pronounces 'eggs' - ay-ggs. He also uses the strange Cornish term 'drekkly'. I assume it is a distortion of 'directly' but actually means something closer to 'mañana' as in 'Can you put the rubbish out?' 'Oh, I'll do it drekkly.'

Can't say I've noticed any difference in the chaotic thoughts going through my brain be it car CD or iPod. Just as long as I keep enough of them on what's happening on the road.

Pacific used for specific. Amuses rather than annoys.

Quite. And when you're up against 9Z9 on a hot May afternoon, responsible to respond to the 'personalised learning' of all 28 while they don't want to do anything (and possibly being called on to help out a colleague with a confrontation next door), you sometimes get the idea that you are doing several jobs simultaneously. Waste time on internet? Chance would be a fine thing. Having said that, I really feel for those in professions putting themselves in direct physical danger, or responsible for life or death decisions; or those where keeping in a job requires you to sell a certain amount of stuff to people who don't really want it.

I hardly use the CD player. So much easier to plug in the iPod - and you don't have to think what CDs to bring.

It's phrased as 'Who works the longest hours?'. It goes on to say:

I got: You work 693 hours more than the annual average for United Kingdom. This is 622 hours more than the OECD average. Based on a 60 hour week minus 13 weeks x 5 days annual leave. Doesn't include the hours I put in during the hols. Can't match anywhere close to Bebop, though. That is ridiculous.

jazz Everybody knows it should be 'jass'

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18144320

I've never kept a shop in my life (though my living room resembles a used CD shop). But I must think deep thoughts about the meaning of life several times a day.

I went for years using enervated to mean excited. Until I was quietly corrected on a jazz board (in a polite private message). The funny thing is, I was talking to a group of staff a few months back, including an excellent English teacher, and they thought it meant excited!

Not always. http://www.kindakinks.net/discography/showsong.php?song=390 Shows how out of touch Ray Davies was with the British character. Most Brits prefer to talk about Postmodernism or the immortality of the soul rather than the weather. The French admire us for it. What was it Napoleon once called us? 'A nation of philosophers'.

Discussions of weather are overlooked/ignored/neglected by Brits.

Positively Delian.

Good thing you're not a Lieutenant from Leominster (Leftenant from Lemmster).

The names I keep coming back to are Andrea Keller, Jamie Oehlers, Paul Williamson and the 'contemporary trad!' Allan Browne. Thanks for that Ten Part Invention recommendation, John. I have a trio record by Sandy Evans but nothing else (just played that tonight - superb record). There are a couple of discs on Amazon.mp3/e-music I'll chase up. On that jazz meets Asia front I've been very impressed by a group called Way Out West: Peter Knight - trumpet Paul Williamson - saxophones Dung Nguyen - modified electric guitar/dan bau/dan tranh Howard Cairns - acoustic bass Ray Pereira - percussion Dave Beck - drum kit and percussion (tracks 5 and 6) The blurb for the 2nd album goes: To my ears, they are far more successful than some other things I've heard in a similar area from Europe. The musicians know how to improvise and the drumming/percussion is thrilling. The blues alluded to is hilarious - if Howlin' Wolf had been born in Hanoi... Confusingly, there appears to be both a trumpet Paul Williamson and a sax Paul Williamson.

I do remember IF - I have there first two records. Nice guitar. This is a well recommended recent disc from another 70s guitar chap: Really lovely and a long way from jazz-rock.

You will soon. Manfred recently bought every African record label known to human kind and is currently remixing it all in the ECM way. The fiend!

It's very hot here again. Looking to stay so for the next week at least.

Loo-tenant

I was talking to a kid in a small staffroom today and he commented 'It's all right for you teachers, you get to make cup-of-teas'. The other common one I love on trips to Wales is the little voice behind me on the coach saying 'Oh! Look! There are sheeps on that hill.' Sheeps may safely graze, regardless of grammar.

A veritable feast of Englishry on BBC4 on Friday. After the 90 min Delius programme there's a documentary on Pink Floyd's 'Wish You Were Here' followed by one made up of various filmed clips of Floyd performances. http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/programmes/schedules/2012/05/25 Somehow, in my world, Delius, Pink Floyd and Fairport Convention are all in and around the same space.

I owe Kenny Weir for introducing me to this music nearly ten years back and I'm still playing those discs and adding to them. Wondering if any posters from that neck of the woods have any recent suggestions. Australian jazz is much easier to access now - a lot up on iTunes, e-music and Amazon_mp3.

Gosh, recall reading that (along with a lot of Huxley) in the mid-70s and really enjoying it. One for retirement. The story of England's privateers and nautical renegades, centred round the development of Falmouth (where my Dad was born). Limbering me up for the summer holidays (I'm hiring a small frigate to go a-raiding in the Bay of Biscay).