A Lark Ascending

Bit slower to really grip than season 1 - hard to really engage with the victims in the way the first series had you completely absorbed with the grieving family. The fact that the main crime story is again paralleled by political skulduggery seems a bit too close to the first series. But tonight's double biller (7/8) was utterly gripping; the final two episodes - including a trip to Afghanistan - look as if they are going to be thrilling. The jumpers are up to standard too.

I'm easy to pick out. I'm the one who doesn't clap the solos.

If you listened very closely you could hear me clapping in the distance! Was it really 6 years ago! Nice programme again.

Good to see Ingrid hasn't forgotten her English comrades of many years.

Seriously. Xmas '72 was special.

Shadow of chap.

The Michael/Christian Garrick version of 'Here, There and Everywhere' had my fillings aching. Not sure if it was the over-Romantic arrangement or the violin! Could have chosen a more representative tribute. Loved the Dolphy at the end - Music Matador - though it sounded more like a Rollinsesque calypso rather than anything Spanish.

Search facility still seems chaotic. But they are working on it. I had one track that would not download (said there was no folder). I sent them a fault report and heard nothing for two weeks. But they finally got back to me - it was all to do with the length of file name. They gave me an easy way to fix it and problem has been solved. I suspect they are working flat out at the moment to stabilise things.

I think its silly to make absolutist statements on Eicher or ECM. So much is influenced by the context of the individual listener. ECM was one of my principal routes into jazz and I've never had a problem with its approach. I know what people are saying about the sheen it can put over music - I don't notice so much with the American stuff (partly because that's where I first heard many people with longer prior catalogues) but I do feel a certain coldness in its recording of Italians like Trovesi and Bollani - the circus element gets withdrawn and something more po-faced left behind. What Eicher and ECM have dared to do (leaving the recording of American artists aside) is encourage varieties of improvised music with some of the most American elements left out - blues, funk, grease or whatever you want to call it. To some that's a case of removing the very soul of the music; but, to my ears, it just make other musics possible. I think he's at his strongest dealing with northern Europe. What results will not necessarily appeal to those reared on jazz with much firmer links to the broader jazz tradition (quite a bit of it doesn't appeal to me). Who would have recorded Edward Vesala and kept it available for it to slowly enter the consciousness it Eicher hadn't? He'd probably have got recorded; but like so many Scandinavians (or Brits!) would have remained trapped on local record labels. To me Azimuth are perfectly recorded on ECM - I'm not convinced they would have sounded better if Blue Note had given them a contract. I agree with David that Eicher is important; he's created a very particular area within (and beyond) the broad jazz spectrum that exists today. It has brought a wider audience (many of whom, like myself, have gone on to investigate the prior music of people like the AEC chaps), but the appeal is not universal. Is he more important than X, Y or Z? That's a pissing contest.

Notable by his absence.

The Coleman model is clearly not sustainable for most musicians (he is very well established so clearly has other ways of earning). Sticking to the creative use of new technology, I spotted a good example yesterday. UK folk band, The Unthanks, have built up a huge following over four albums and regular touring. But they are outward looking enough to be trying projects live that don't meet the main trajectory of their career. A recent one involved some concerts based around the music of Robert Wyatt and Antony and the Johnsons. They've just put out 'Diversions 1' with some recordings from these concerts. Not unique - you could argue that Sun Ra was doing this sort of thing 50 years ago. And I recall both Virgin (Caroline) and Island (Help) having budget labels where side-projects from their main artists could get released. It just seems much easier to do now.

Vital, given how much spaghetti bolognese ends up on my screen.

Making your music free! That is innovative! Joni Mitchell could write a song about him.

Watch the Scorsese film - beautifully done.

Some 'innovations' strike me as 'gimmicks' - some classical labels are offering the equivalent of boxed sets on USB sticks. http://www.chandos.net/USBCollections.asp Seems to negate one of the great advantages of the net - you hear something, you like it, you have it ten minutes later to listen to. I think back to when I was 17 and went to see the then new line-up of King Crimson in late '72. It was astounding but nothing like it was on record for another six months. By that time they were somewhere else. With today's technology, had they so chosen, a selection of that music could have been available very quickly. And in some cases, the whole studio part would be unnecessary; as subsequent live tapes have confirmed, the KC were a much more fiery affair than the relatively restrained recordings of Larks Tongues in Aspic. I'm not writing off the studio - lots of scope for the carefully layered and sculpted album. But a lot of groups don't need that (and most can't afford it!). In fact it is arguable that the curse of recorded music from the mid-70s was excessive studio frippery (no, not you Robert!). You'd have to listen differently, accepting a greater variation in quality/inspiration, the reality that chance taking leads also to failure. It might simply create audience boredom - too much product, too tiresome waiting for the gold to come along. ******************* Here's Douglas' rationale for recent recordings...it also shows there's life in old formats yet: http://www.greenleafmusic.com/threeviews

Distributing music by the internet has been around for a decade or so. Yet, as a rule, non-pop music still gets assembled in the traditional album format (I'm not complaining, I like the album format). Leaving aside issues of sound quality, piracy etc that get a regular outing elsewhere, who have you come across who is doing more than issuing their annual album by the net? Just brought to mind by Greenleaf Music and the way it is putting out Dave Douglas' music. A few years back he put out an entire Village Vanguard residency within a few days of recording. And he's started issuing music that might not add up to a 'signature' release but which he thinks might be of interest. Whatever you think of Douglas' music (again, other threads for that) he does seem to be looking at the new distribution methods as opportunity rather than threat. Lots of musicians have things downloadable from their sites, some with extensive live repertoires. I'm really thinking about anyone who might be thinking beyond the 'key album' approach that has been around since the late 40s.

Look what just appeared on e-music:

The trailer for his Mahler film, shown on TV in the mid-70s, was the thing that lured me into Mahler - a wonderful chord and then a lakeside hut bursts into flame. Didn't see the film until much later and found it too flamboyant for my taste.

A recent one: Scrapple From The Apple; Hot House; ,Punctuat-i'on; Star Eyes; My Little Suede Shoes; Laura; Chi Chi; Now's The Time; Plasticity; Moose The Mooche; Billie's Bounce; Ah-Leu-Cha. Not sure if it's an obituary piece, a tribute or a celebration!

Much as I loved Chicago on those first three records, BS&T never made much of an impression on me. I think it was the chest-wiggy vocals that put me off. My horn/reed route went from Chicago to King Crimson's Lizard and then to Soft Machine.

This series was explained a while back as a result of a translation of a common phrase in one language that meant very little in another. Failure to put the spell check on seems to have been involved as well.