A Lark Ascending

I know. It has magic powers. Turned my neighbour into a frog.

True artists are required to starve. If they have full bellies it proves they have compromised themselves for their baser needs.

That should be "Can we have more threads about whether ECM is crap" Britons and Americans - two peoples separated by singular and plural verb conjugations for the same subject!! (I hope I said that right) They stopped teaching grammar at my school when I was 14. It was 1969. After that it was all about freely expressing yourself, unconstrained by chord changes, key signatures or rhythmic patterns (though those in the know could still tell those who could really 'swing').

I'd go for chefs. Lots of 'em. And maybe one starving artist. Although, not too starving. Is that the work of the chef? Or the artist?

The new 'Lewis' series. Nothing to upset the apple cart but as comfortable as an old pair of slippers.

All very strange. Lots of light blue stuff. And a big, shiny yellow ball.

I wouldn't invite this band to dinner:

My two bibles in 1977 and 1978. I recall slavering over the colour sleeve pictures in the latter, of LPs that could only be dreamed of in Mansfield, mid-Nottinghamshire.

King Crimson - 'Lizard' - Keith Tippett, Nick Evans, Harry Miller, March Charig as guests. At first it was 'What?' And then I got intrigued. Though I was also partial to the jazz trio bit at the end of Buffalo Springfield's 'Expecting to Fly'. If I'd known then what I know know I would have tried to impress my friends by declaiming 'Man, this really swings!' (or, maybe, 'Play that Thing!'].

Lists of saxophone players (or pianists or zither players) that start with a limited, defined brief but end up meaning everybody who ever lived.

Yeah, but he'd make it sound better. Oh, I've heard complaints about the amount of reverb he adds to the brussel sprouts.

Finally watched the Ken Russell 'Song of Summer' about Delius and Eric Fenby last night. Excellent - only a few hints of the the over-the-top Russell of later years (the Percy Grainger segment).

I'd invite Manfred Eicher; but wouldn't allow him near the kitchen because he'd tamper with the cooking. Perhaps a few Andorrans, though I'd make sure I'd hide my recipes first.

Saw that at Cheltenham a couple of years back. I love Ballamy - a saxophonist with a very distinctive tone - but I can't say my attention was kept. I have the last Food album from acheap e-music download. Will try it again. I just have a mental block with 1:1 beats. I'm more of a Stravinsky/Bartok sort of chap.

Didn't you hear about the new jazz vinyl emporium in Moreton-In-The Marsh? Lots of grumbling about downloads there. Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh

I still pine for the sound of the distorted grooves at the start of side 4 of Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Volume 2 where I'd sellotaped too many pennies to the cartridge to keep the stylus in the groove. You don't get that analogue sound with downloads.

No. Though I didn't get Bartsch at first I've warmed to him; he's more flexible. I found the last Rypdal album trying because of the beats. And what I've heard of Nils Petter Molvaer hasn't inspired me. A personal foible - I'm not saying it's wrong.

These three that touch into the electric jazz vein are big Australian jazz favourites of mine: And on the electric jazz front, Britain's Partisans have quite a live following in the UK but don't seem to have made much of an impression elsewhere. I find this record one of the most convincing marriages of jazz and rock. Phil Robson can move from standard jazz guitar to the more acerbic rock style. But what really makes the band work is the flexibility of the rhythmic approach - no plodding rock drums or 'let's get down' funk-by-numbers here. And the compositions are really careful, memorable, engaging: I'm also amazed this Italian beauty is not better known: A 3 CD celebration of the music of Roland Kirk with pieces by Ellington, Mingus, Hendrix, Marley thrown in for good measure. Has the feel of one of those 70s concept albums where everything connects and moves towards a cathartic end goal.

not a lot of danger coming across too much of that on ECM despite last year's remix release (really rather good if overlong). It slips in occasionally with a few of the Norwegians. I don't know....those Norwegians? modern devils aren't they? Perhaps they've found that beating yourself with twigs whilst naked in the snow in more pleasurable with a 1:1 beat. Or is that Finns?

I'm not sure group hugs are appropriate for ECM - more the occasional faint smiles and shy glances.

not a lot of danger coming across too much of that on ECM despite last year's remix release (really rather good if overlong). It slips in occasionally with a few of the Norwegians.

I'm waiting for the Big Bands. This story seems to reappear every couple of months. Won't be long before you'll be able to find second hand record shops in places like Stow-on-the-Wold and Hay-on-Wye.

You missed the 'Can we have more threads about whether ECM are crap?' option

Very fond of his disc of Mahler songs on DG.

Wouldn't that make streaming the more "spiritual" option? Having found the first steps to enlightenment through the download, I hope that in my next life I can progress to streaming.