A Lark Ascending

Belgian abbey badly damaged by fire but beer saved: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12091594

Counted by individual disc I'm at 9 500. If I play ten a day I'll get through them in three years! [sorry - that includes MP3. Most of my purchasing of the last few years has been MP3. My database counts recordings, not formats)

The exaggerated reverance for Elvis seems to be part of a general human need for ancestor worship. People often kick against that in their youth but most eventually end up revering some (or many) people from the past. And the past is so complex that it is much easier to enter it via grand personalities. You see the same thing here - people falling over themselves to declare their undying attachment to 'Bird', Ellington, Bach, Ayler, Miles, Hendrix or whoever. And the lavish boxed set industry plays off that human need for ancestor worship. As for your Doomsday scenario for the USA (or is it Western civilisation or even all civilisation) I think you are wandering around the board with an 'End is Nigh' placard. What you are possibly seeing is the end of America's period as the undisputed dominant force in the world, but that's just part of a natural cycle. There will undoubtedly be unpleasant consequences but we in the Old World went through that a century back and are still here beating the Aussies at cricket. Who knows - maybe China is preparing a 21st Century version of Marshall Aid to help you out. In the end those of us who have been stung by the thrill of music latch on to musicians past and present for reasons I suspect we only dimly comprehend. There's some mileage in academic debate, carefully researched, properly referenced, as to who is more significant than who. But most of these online debates - and this one is no exception - amount to little more than personal likes/dislikes asserted as universal truths (or lies!). Relax. Elvis can do you no harm.

Elvis is still huge on the UK pie and supper club circuit. No end of impersonators who sometimes make it to those wannabee TV shows where people mimic the stars. Plenty of the kids I teach know his music, largely I'd imagine from their parents or grandparents enthusiasms. I suspect it might be a working class thing - I don't recall Elvis idolatry being around in the nouveaux middle class circles of my youth. http://www.elvis2k.co.uk/

More old age, I think! Thanks for that. I remember a discussion of 'The Controversial Suite' but thought that was on another thread! I usually cut and paste the 10 random tracks from the main list - must have copied and pasted. If I'm losing track now God knows what I'll be like by 2038 when we should finish! Re: the unknown tracks, I'm just copying from a database mentioned at the start of the thread. Some of the things there are oddities in films and the like. Interesting thoughts on "Diminuendo" and "Crescendo". I'm saving my listening until my Mosaic arrives. Your comments on the Newport version open up a whole can of worms. Are we really hearing a thrilling performance or are we just responding as we thing we're expected to because of all we've read about the performance? 'Me and You' is a tune that has stuck in my head over the years; I like both the Ivy Anderson version and the Rosemary Clooney.

I think Elvis is not the problem; it's the way we music fans tend to exaggerate the importance of those we love. Which can set off equally exaggerated counter-reactions. I like a few of Elvis' 50s recordings but by-and-large he is off my radar; I don't begrudge anyone the enjoyment they get from him even if Robert Fripp is far more 'significant' in my musical universe!!! Now, the claims made about John Lennon's 'genius' - quite different. Don't get me started...

I have it on my shelf - loved his previous two. The only thing that is delaying me is the fact that I read a marvellous account of a slightly longer stretch of the 70s back in May - 'When the Lights Went Out' by Andy Beckett. Amazing how much I had completely forgotten. ********** Complete thaw - not a spot of snow to be seen.

British Gas' solution to my problem: So now I need to buy... Heath Robinson or what!

I feel the same, Manfred. I'm fine when she sings straight - not a great voice, but functional. But the 'funny voices' wore a bit thin 30 years ago!

At last a thaw! After 6 days of not functioning the central heating kicked in yesterday (fortunately I was not at home much).

Do you mean as a CD? It was originally on Transatlantic, a label I associate with folk music! Jazzscriveyn's site has a CD version mentioned as CD: TACD 9.00788 O - I'd assumed that was a Japanese issue. I'd like to see a good CD reissue - my vinyl is very crackly. Really shows through at the start of wonderfully slow Paul Rutherford build-up on 'Creole Love Call.' Edit: Seems 'Goose Sauce' and 'Mike Westbrook Live' are available on CD but only from Japan. I don't know 'Live' but 'Goose Sauce' is well worth paying import prices for. http://www.westbrookjazz.co.uk/mikewestbrook/mike_discog.shtml

Agree that the Blake is amazing, Manfred. My only reason for the warning is that I know many jazz listeners don't care for vocals and Westbrook's approach to vocals owes more to radical cabaret than standard jazz singing. You are right about 'Tyger' being the first of three Blake albums. Though it remains elusive, along with a number of those earlier discs. I've yet to hear 'For the Record'. Three others I love from that time that are MIA (as far as I know) are 'Goose Sauce' (the brass band, wild and Weill-ish, with plenty of great soloing [George Khan!)), 'Love/Dream Variations' (a beautifully written and stylishly orchestrated big band record - my first Westbrook!) and 'The Paris Album' (a marvellous live brass band double LP with Alan Wakeman in fabulous form). 'Mama Chicago' is another 'cabaret' type disc with fiery jazz playing and great songwriting. That one did get a CD release a while back. And I really like Mike's solo piano album from that time.

Well, here's fun for all the family on the Feast of Stephen, regardless of your religious affiliations (or non-affiliations): The History Stuff Surprise the family with a wren rather than a turkey.

Ellington-a-thon 13 El Viti - Diminuendo In Blue - 1937 Crescendo In Blue - 1937 Chant For F.D. Roosevelt - American Lullaby 1945 CONTROVERSIAL SUITE - 1951 Kentucky Avenue, A.C. - 1967 Brotherhood (The)- 1973 Jet Strip - 1959 Me And You - 1940 Poinciana - 1944 Apologies for falling behind on this - to Jeff especially who has put so much into the thread. Here's a Xmas special!

To everyone here. You've cost me a fortune but kept me endlessly surprised and delighted with music I'd never otherwise have stumbled on. All the best. Bev

Or grumbling about it!

Weather forecast here was predicting lots of snow in the Neths and Germany at the end of the week with a chance it might touch our south east. Local forecast has more snow here on Monday. Temperatures are -1 at present (predicted to be at or just around freezing for the foreseeable future, tough -7 on Saturday night!).

Snowed again yesterday, though the sort of stuff that didn't put the roads out. Still below zero so my central heating has not revived. Thank the lord for that electric fire.

I'm surprised one of the Scandinavian crime writers hasn't used this for a gloomy mystery - twas Christmas Eve and everyone in Ystad was watching Donald Duck; totally unobserved in the town square a man fell to the ground...

Think I'll wait for the 8 CD expanded edition (with gold Miles shades) that is bound to appear in two years time.

Oh Dear! http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/uk_forecast_warnings.html?day=2 Just as well I did my dancing around naked in the garden whilst killing a goat Winter Solstice rituals a bit earlier. Apologies to the rest of the world for the current weather obsession - but this is what you get when you put up a 'How's the Weather?' thread on a site with Brits.

Bloody cold here - and my central heating has gone down. Again! I think it's something to do with a pipe that takes off fumes - if it freezes the system shuts down. Last year it came back once a thaw set in. A great British invention. A central heating system that can't cope with the cold! We've had none of this week's snow. Interesting how much more coverage it got because London was affected! However, there are threatening signs for tomorrow.

Illustration of the lunacy of the new emusic (UK) pricing system: The Rub And Spare Change - Michael Formanek (ECM) 6 tracks, 58 mins £2.52 (7.99 on iTunes) Maria's Song - Sinikka Langeland (ECM) 28 tracks, 72 mins £11.76 (8.99 on iTunes)

The Blake is superb - though be warned: a) It is song based, though with extensive (and wonderful) soloing and instrumental passages. b) There are two versions - the original from the late 70s and a slightly longer version from about 10 years ago. The newer is in fact very similar; doesn't sound like a watering down. 'Citadel Room 315' is possibly a better entry point from a jazz perspective. Almost impossible to pin down a typical Westbrook as he has such range. For me he's never topped 'The Cortege', still a desert island disc in my book. But at over 2 hours, not perhaps a first choice.

I imagine I spend the same on myself over Xmas as I do the rest of the year. Santa comes to me downloaded these days rather than down the chimney. I think buying gifts for kids is a wonderful tradition. But, to my mind, so much is spent on unwanted gifts between adults (especially once outside the very immediate family). I've switched over to getting everyone (apart from kids) an Oxfam donation. I imagine the money gets spent on all manner of good works - but I like the idea of buying a goat or a camel or a well. I try to encouage those who want to buy Xmas gifts for me to do the same.