A Lark Ascending

Genesis were one of my favourites in the mid-70s - saw them on the early '73 Foxtrot tour. I was listening to a few albums over Xmas and loved them. An unfairly maligned band - in this country a lot of it because of their posh origins. Never felt they were great improvisers but did wonders with texture and memorable melody before the synths took over.

Interesting. I suppose in the end HMV had to go after the Top Sellers market to stay 'big', but couldn't compete with supermarkets and online. Meanwhile it alienated the customers who might have sustained it in a cut-down mode by minimising its specialist sales and depth of catalogue.

Hard to know where this is all going. A UK perspective: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-12137330 Though today I heard a news report saying that download sales had stalled, CD still in decline, most seemed to be illegal download. Made me feel quite unusual - I now mainly download but I do so through pay sites like iTunes, eMusic, Amazon_mp3 and the label download options.

The primary role model for Diana Krall was Nat King Cole. I recall hearing her in concert before she hit it big. It was almost all Nat. You may be right. Thought it doesn't jump out at me. I heard Krall before I listened consciously to Horn. When I did start enjoying Horn, my brain kept asking, 'But where have I heard this before?' Then it clicked.

Such grace, such timing.

Downloaded it at the weekend and have listened twice. Very enjoyable - contemporary mainstream (if you centre the mainstream on the Miles of around 1963) - clear changes, for example - but with imaginative reworkings of some well known Parker tunes. The use of the two drummers is very effective - they play off one another in a fascinating way. I'm still a bit cool on Lovano himself - never seems to get too excited and doesn't have (for me) a voice I can immediately warm to. But maybe that's a deliberate attempt to be detached, disguising playing skills that I'm not musical enough to pick up on.

Has anyone here listened to any of guitarist Simone Guiducci's albums? I haven't heard much of his work, but my impression of what little I have heard is very, very good. This is fabulous: Mediterranean in feel, but with strong contemporary jazz content. Wasn't quite so taken by what followed and lost touch. You've reminded me to check him out again.

Will look into those, king ubu. I have a number of Egea releases but don't know those ones. I'll add a thumbs up for Seeline's "Jerry Gonzales y Los Piratas del Flamenco" recommendation. Marvellous record.

Utterly bizarre concept - audience on one platform, performers on the other! What would be the equivalent now - audience in Terminal One, performers in Two?

Twas a nice programme. Next week in the same slot....Thin Lizzy! I love the catholicity.

I'm just grateful for all the amazing music I can hear - again and again and again, whenever I want to. That's quite a recent historical development, in the grand scheme of things.

I think that happened quite a lot then. I've always felt it was partly down to the industry being in the hands of people who didn't understand youth culture but who didn't want to be the ones who missed the next Beatles. So all manner of experimental madness got out and onto major labels. By the mid-70s the Geffens were appearing. They knew exactly how to manage and channel it all. No room for curve balls.

I just like it in the same way I like Dionne Warwick singing Bacharach or Glenn Campbell singing Jimmy Webb. Or Matt Monroe singing the non-standards stuff he charted with at the time. Or Andy Williams. Falls into that world for me.

Just got a mailing from Cheltenham with some hints. To be honest, the initial namings don't look very exciting at all. Jamie Cullum is fronting it again (nothing against Mr. Cullum but this does seem to be part of the increasing Budweiseration of the festival). A super group of Dave Holland/Jason Moran/Eric Harland/Chris Potter - could have potential but runs the risk of being another evening of glossy stars, probably lost in the anonimity of the Town Hall. Andy Shephard with Seb Rochford could be interesting, a Django Bates large group commission, John Taylor with Julian Arguelles. But the real frightner: Yuch! Let's hope there's more of interest in the lesser known stuff - there have to be some spikey Republican young guns! Though I fear Cheltenham, has gone upmarket in the last few years - probably priced itself to a level it has to get returns via a less original programme.

I always find those records very evocative of the 60s - I heard the 60s from that strange angle of being a kid and not really understanding the adult world. These records, like the Martini adverts and jet-set spy films of the time, created an image of what being grown up might be like. I was probably even more disorientated because I recall hearing the singles whilst living in Singapore! THough we were much more exposed to American culture there than in Britain. Anyway, real adult life didn't turn out anything like that!

Whereas the originals conjour up images of John, Paul, George and Ringo in a terraced house drinking Ovaltine whilst they watch Coronation Street in black and white on the tele.

The opposite can also be true. I'm no art expert (my interest does not go much beyond reacting to classical LP covers and the links with the history of the time the paintings come from), but I recall seeing the Impressionist paintings in Paris in the very early 80s before they moved into the big railway station and being stunned by Van Gogh and Renoir. With the latter it was the way he portrayed the play of light on leaves so perfectly. Bill. Hope you don't mind me asking but did your day job used to involve art? I seem to recall you mentioning something about lecturing. Apologies if I've dreamed that.

Holst's works outside 'The Planets' came up in the 'What are you Listening To' thread a few weeks back. There's a nice article in this month's Gramophone addressing the perception of Holst as a one work composer. Andrew Davis argues the case for his other works. Interesting comment towards the end. Imogen Holst said that after hearing a performance of the Schubert Quintet in 1934, just before his death, Holst expressed regret that his own music lacked 'warmth'. Would have been interesting to hear what he might have done next had he lived - his 20s work was very much in that detached neo-classical style of the time.

Think of all the meals you've eaten in your life. You only ever ate each of them once. This will not stop you eating and enjoying 3 a day for at least the next 25 years.

Just joined in the last few minutes. Looking forward to the first JRR since the BBC once again showed how little it valued so many of its licence payers with a non-stop Mozart fortnight. Ridiculous.

Yes, another beauty. I bought that after seeing it done live in London.

Never been much of a Lovano fan but I like the look of this. Martin Speake has done something similar: Speake plays alto but the use of the guitar of Mike Outram helps shunt it sideways.

This one always conjours up the Med for me (but then the Med as seen from a cold wet Britain is probably a pretty mythical place).

Paolo Angeli is amazing. He played Appleby in its final year and was spellbinding. Was playing his most recent only last week. Love "Jerry Gonzalez Y Los Piratas del Flamenco" too.

Going out tonight and on the iPlayer: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00xf8k7 The programme on Chess from last year goes out a bit later.