A Lark Ascending

Thanks, Jazzjet. All you had to do was point and click - the weather did all the hard work. Snow in Cornwall - it was ever this, as I recall. One fall during my 1968-72 period there, gone by midday. I vaguely recall some snow when I was doing my teaching practice in Redruth in early 1978. The school didn't close but lots of kids from the countryside were missing.

He really struggled this time. Took two goes before he could even get his lips to move.

Yesterday was overcast and a bit of a thaw set in, though not enough to clear side roads. Today is clear skies and very cold so very little is shifting. Tried for a second time to get to Clumber Park but it's closed. So I went to nearby Thoresby Park (north Notts is full of former stately homes - it's known as 'The Dukeries'). Never been before.

Not much of him. He grunts once in a brief ten second segment; a bit later on he passes some comment but I can't remember what he said.

Bill F might be able to explain this one - Lancashire is beyond me! A folky version of the strange world of Gracie Fields/George Formby.

The Brubeck was shown in the UK last night. Quite enjoyable, though too many celebrities (Clint, Jamie Cullum, Sting) and family members drooping over the piano in awestruck wonder at the genius. A bit hammy in that respect. But worth watching.

I love this: Real bugger climbing a high enough tree to take it.

The last time it snowed like this in the UK, you chaps had to send Marshall Aid!

Tonight on BBC 4 TV at 9.00 a programme about Dave Brubeck (with a Quincy Jones and Dinah Washington pair to follow later - repeats, I believe). And tomorrow's Jazz Library on BBC Radio 3 is based round an interview with Louis Moholo.

Someone mentioned Narnia. Found it 3 miles down the road.

You certainly have a point there - Morse is definitely Thaw for me - I've never read the books! I'll keep those Swedish Wallenders in mind - I like having a series on the go from the online rental company.

Hopefully things are changing: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-10993473 I had to laugh at this: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/4055651.stm A fine vocational qualification.

Visions of the jobsworth ARP warden in Dad's Army!

Very nice slideshow of pictures here from the Beeb: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11900122 Another day with work shut! Never happened before in the 33 years I've worked at the place! I tried to get off the estate yesterday afternoon. Got stuck halfway and had to do some digging. Made it onto the main A57 15 minutes later, went rounfd the roundabout and drove back. It took me 30 minutes, getting stuck twice. (Sidenote: Given all the art above, very enjoyable programme on BBC 4 yesterday called 'The Art of Cornwall' about the St. Ives scene. Not painting I'd ever paid much attention to - my one visit to the Tate there left me mystified. But this programme made much more sense of it - particularly taken by Peter Lanyon's painting of a mining disaster at the Levant mine).

Tunes made up of simple, repeated riffs were common in the 30's and 40's, but was there ever one simpler than "C Jam Blues?" It's just eight tones, and the first seven are all on the same pitch. (I know that the main theme of "Woodchopper's Ball is even simpler - five notes, all on one pitch - but "Woodchopper's" has a more elaborate second theme.) It first appeared on a Barney Bigard small-group session, but a big band version came along pretty soon after that. I listened to those two original versions, along with one live version from each later decade, including one from the band's last year, 1973. The soloists change, the background riffs change, but it all stays pretty simple, and I suspect little or nothing was ever written down. It's just an excuse to blow. Total musical illiterate here, but the way the piano notes are stabbed out has me in mind of Monk. It's not as off-centre as Monk, but it might be leading that way. Despite its simplicity it's a tune I never tire of in its many different guises.

Not a painting. But a snow related LP cover that brings back memories: As does:

You should be OK, Sidewinder, as the North West is relatively unscathed, being further from Russia than Lincs. or Notts. I believe you were out of range of the nukes during the Cold War too!

Worksop: Really eerie. Sky white giving a dull sheen to everything. No snow since I got up but it's just started pouring down again.

I don't know what it's like elsewhere, but the bizarre pricing structure works both ways here. Last night I downloaded half a dozen albums from the ECM New Series for very little. Two albums cost me less than £1 each! A very good way to experiment with the unfamiliar - which was e-music's strength in the past. I'm really surprised they've not shifted to a whole album pricing system.

I was just a bit too young for that. I connected to Fairport first - bought my first folk-related CD from money earned doing a traffic survey in Newquay! During the Folk Britannia season on BBC4 there was a film shown from the 60s about folky types camping on the Cornish beaches. I think it had that 'mystic' pull. Hilarious interviews with outraged Newquay councillors - today its surf-bums they seem to be hot under the collar about. Nothing much changes. Seek out Chris Wood's recordings if you don't know them, particularly 'The Lark Descending'. As good as anything from the golden age - great music, steeped in the past but very much of the present in its lyrics. 'Electric Eden' gets a very positive review in this month's 'Gramophone', of all places!

Expect black pudding shortages in the South shortly.

Worksop is a bit otherworldly, even in good weather. Though without the Narnia qualities of Penzance! Just got the call! Shut tomorrow too!

I spent some time there about 20 years back and went inside the house. As you say, highly evocative. Yes, I really enjoyed that. Like you, 'Owls' really got to me. Never heard it before. The one that really undid me was 'Sospiri' - I'd heard it before but never really clocked into it. God knows why as it's 5 minutes of utter heartbreak. The programme gave some idea why! There's actually less 'pomp & pagentry' in Elgar than you'd imagine - it just get played more often. He was actually a master of the dreamy tributary! Symphony No. 1, scherzo! I really enjoyed that Elgar programme as well. The kind of thing that BBC 2 used to do back in 'the good old days'. Have you read 'Electric Eden : Britain's Visionary Music' by Rob Young? It starts in the late 19th century with William Morris, Elgar etc and works through Vaughan Williams to the history of folk music, psychedelia etc. Very wide ranging and a bit wordy in parts but a fascinating read. I have - read most of it in Cornwall this summer, as it happens! I associate it with mackerel salad and beer! Enjoyed the unusual unusual leaps he made between the classical and folk world. Nice to see people like Moeran and Warlock get such space. I just found the ending unconvincing - his examples of who he saw as carrying the spirit up to date seemed random and missed almost completely the amazing English folk revival of the last 10-15 years. And how could he leave out XTC? As I recall he wasn't too keen on Elgar. By no means a perfect book and, I agree, there are some large gaps and unfeasible leaps and links. However, it has helped re-trigger the inner folkie in me. Any more and I'll have to move to Penzance ( twinned with Narnia ). Despite his enthusiasm, I still don't really get the Incredible String Band.

Strange day! A nice 20 mins this morning with all the neighbours out together shovelling to clear some paths. The Polish family who live on one side couldn't understand why the rest of us were so excited! Clear skies with the odd flurry this afternoon. But the sky has gone white again and more is falling.