A Lark Ascending

If the Magnificent Goldberg were here he'd refer you to the Rev. J.M. Gates "Death Might Be Your Santa Claus" which might go back to as early as 1926.

A nice story, if very imitative of Louis de Bernieres. Idyllic Basque community in first half - loving families, comic characters, harmless mischief; then sudden tragedy with the bombing; then the rebuilding. He also throws in vignettes of Picasso, the planning of the Condor Legion etc as Bernieres did with Mussolini in Captain Corelli. Still, very enjoyable and has made me want to read:

This new compilation might be of interest to anyone wanting to dip their toe into this marvellous little lake: Disc: 1 1. Cocaine - John Martyn, Theo Johnson 2. She Moves Through The Fair - Fairport Convention, Joe Boyd 3. Withering Tree - Jimmy Miller, Traffic 4. Seven Black Roses - Al Stewart, John Martyn 5. A Sailor's Life - Fairport Convention, Joe Boyd, John Wood, Simon Nicol 6. The Ocean - Joe Boyd, John Martyn, Beverley Martyn 7. Strangely Strange But Oddly Normal - Dr. Strangely Strange, Joe Boyd 8. Living In The Past - Alexander Ian Anderson, Jethro Tull, Terry Ellis 9. Matty Groves - Fairport Convention, Joe Boyd, John Wood 10. John Barleycorn (Must Die) - Chris Blackwell, Steve Winwood, Traffic 11. Banks Of The Nile - Fotheringay, Joe Boyd 12. One Of These Things First - Joe Boyd, Nick Drake, John Robert Wood, Robert Kirby, Paul Harris, Ed Carter, Mike Kowalski 13. Sir Patrick Spens - Fairport Convention, Frank Kornelussen, Jerry Boys, Joe Boyd Disc: 2 1. Dirty Linen - Fairport Convention, Joe Boyd, John Wood 2. On The Road To Find Out - Cat Stevens, Paul Samwell-Smith, Del Newman 3. Late November - Sandy Denny, John M. Wood, Richard Thompson, Harry Robinson 4. Flowers Of The Forest - Joe Boyd, Mike Heron 5. Spring Season - Amazing Blondel 6. Time Slips Away - Bronco 7. The Man Who Cannot See Tomorrow's Sunshine - Claire Hamill, Michael Coles 8. The Siege Of Yaddlethorpe - Amazing Blondel, Paul Samwell-Smith 9. Dear Old Battlefield - Stan Schnier, The Incredible String Band 10. Dark Eyed Lady - Robin Williamson 11. Poor Ditching Boy - John M. Wood, John Wood, Richard Thompson 12. The Nutting Girl - John M. Wood, Morris On Band 13. Bushes And Briars - Sandy Denny, Trevor Lucas 14. Black Jack David - Mike Heron, The Incredible String Band 15. Sailing - Muff Winwood, Sutherland Brothers 16. Over The Hill - John Martyn, John M. Wood 17. Things Behind The Sun - Nick Drake, John Robert Wood 18. Haste To The Wedding/The Triumph/Off She Goes - Ashley Hutchings, John Kirkpatrick Disc: 3 1. Hanged I Shall Be - Albion Country Band 2. Eibhli Ghail Chiuin Ni Chearbhail - John Martyn 3. Withered And Died - John Wood, Richard Thompson, Linda Thompson 4. Spencer The Rover - John Martyn 5. Darlin' Cory - Bryn Haworth 6. The Sun Never Shines On The Poor - John Wood, Richard Thompson, Linda Thompson, Simon Nicol 7. Stone - Ronnie Lane 8. Dimming Of The Day / Dargai - Richard Thompson, John Wood, Linda Thompson 9. Upton Stick Dance - Ashley Hutchings 10. Calvary Cross - John M. Wood, John Wood, Richard Thompson 11. I'm A Dreamer - Jerry Boys, Jerry Donahue, Sandy Denny 12. May You Never [bBC - John Peel 4/2/77]] - John Martyn, Tony Wilson, Mike Robinson 13. Meet On The Ledge - Fairport Convention, Glyn Jones, Robin Black

There's no official announcement of the changes in any obvious place on the UK site. I assume they sent me an e-mail but I generally delete those without reading them (they're normally telling me that some heavy metal band is now on e-music!). I'm expecting things to change but will wait and see. In the meantime, those of you wanting to use up one credit might like to chance this: I've not listened yet, but at 54 minutes for one credit it's worth a chance!

That's actually where I made the mistake, All The Young Dudes was later...their earlier albums are much better (IMHO). It's nice to hear Mick Ralphs pre-Bad Company. If I remember right, they were one of many second division bands (talking success, not quality) in the early 70s, playing a common blues-rock veering towards hard rock (with pastoral bits!). 'All the Young Dudes' came as a result of major left turn - a Bowie influence, a decision to ride on the outer edges of Glam Rock. They struck gold. The only song I know from the earlier era is a storming rocker called 'Thunderbuck Ram' which was on a great Island compilation called 'Bumpers'. A lot of my later rock listening stemmed from that record.

I love Crosby's contributions too. Have always though that - when focussed - he had an unusual way with a song, using chords that few rock/pop musicians would try (Joni Mitchell did that more consistently). Of course he could also write throwaway stuff...but then so could the other Byrds. So could Neil Young (most of what I've heard in recent years, unfortunately). The lyrics of 'Triad' make wonderful evidence to chide the male self-absorbtion of the beautiful people. But I rather like its gentle, floaty sound. I'd place 'If I Only Could Remember My Name' as one of the great albums of the era; though I like many of Clark's songs I've never heard an album by him that holds together as well. But that's probably the direction I came from - CSNY were my entry point. Although I knew the Byrds by some singles I only explored their music in more detail after the era had passed and only became aware of Clark as a separate individual much later.

The new pricing structure is up on UK e-music but there's no indication that they are taking my existing plan away. Just a warning that if I move away from it I won't be able to go back.

Good to read such a warm, generous comment, Jim.

This one's very nice too (though the cover doesn't help his cause!).

...gets my vote. Lovely solo album.

Yes, maybe we should be thanking our lucky stars for the three or so years of giveaway prices we've enjoyed rather than bemoaning the introduction of a more realistic pricing structure. Just as long as they continue to carry the Soul Note, Biscoito Fino, Label Bleus etc.

This can't be accurate. There are no Radiohead songs.

Rather sad, but this seems how things go. Something quite unique starts and becomes a middle league success. Those who run it get drawn into the possibility of going into the big league and enter mainstream territory. The distinctiveness vanishes, step by step. As, very often, does the business! As long as e-music continues to offer the range of music it does and prices don't exceed iTunes or Amazon I'll stick with it, though probably cut back once the price hike hits Europe. One thing I wish they'd be is a bit more discriminating - for yesterday's new releases you had to wade through yet another low budget label releasing a zillion early jazz collections, the music of which is available elsewhere.

I lived in Singapore from 1965-68. We were deluged with American pop culture there - comic books, the latest TV series etc - on a level way above what I'd known in the UK (I suspect union rules in Blighty forbade the entry of a Marvel comic unless a copy of the Beano went the other way). I can recall looking enviously as a 10 year old at the massive Civil War sets of soldiers and dreaming of possessing them. One thing we did have was a 'Show'n Tell'. All quite bizarre as the records/slide sets we had to play on them were also clearly American - I still have memories of watching one on George Washington and the Great Colonial Insurrection (though I think it had a more partisan title). We also had Australian Corn Flakes which tasted very different to English Corn Flakes.

The Sheppard and Sclavis are already out here. The Sheppard is nice but not one I think I'll come back to often. The Sclavis is meant to be quite rocky, based on the Odyssey. The Surman looks really interesting - been a while since he's done a quartet date. Hope the Bollani is less dour than his first ECM solo.

You didn't know the Queen had an iPod? The Queen's corgis have iPods!

There's an interesting passage in Bill Bruford's bio where he talks with great admiration for Towner. He reports conversations with Towner about flying into Oslo, failing to sleep and then going into the studio jet-lagged: "He'll tell you that his entire body of recorded work has been extracted from him between stifled yawns and that he has never made a record yet on which he was not half-asleep." Of course, some wags would maintain this was standard ECM recording policy!

Egberto Gismonti SAUDAÇÕES Camerata Romeu Zenaida Romeu conductor Alexandre Gismonti guitar Egberto Gismonti guitar SERTÕES VEREDAS I-VII – Tributo à miscigenação DUETOS DE VIOLÕES – Guitar Duets Recorded August 2006 and April/May 2007 ECM 2082 Miroslav Vitous Group Remembering Weather Report Miroslav Vitous double-bass Franco Ambrosetti trumpet Gary Campbell tenor saxophone Gerald Cleaver drums Michel Portal bass clarinet Variations On W. Shorter Variations On Lonely Woman Semina (in 3 parts) Surfing With Michel When Dvořák Meets Miles Blues Report Recorded Recorded fall 2006 and spring 2007 ECM 2073 (Hopefully exploring some of the very earliest textures) Evan Parker Electro-Acoustic Ensemble The Moment´s Energy Evan Parker soprano saxophone Peter Evans trumpet, piccolo trumpet Ko Ishikawa shō Ned Rothenberg clarinet, bass clarinet, shakuhachi Philipp Wachsmann violin, live electronics Agustí Fernandez piano, prepared piano Barry Guy double-bass Paul Lytton percussion, live electronics Lawrence Casserley signal processing instrument Joel Ryan sample and signal processing Walter Prati computer processing Richard Barrett live electronics Paul Obermayer live electronics Marco Vecchi sound projection I II III IV V VI VII Incandescent Clouds Recorded November 2007 ECM 2066 Also things by Steve Kuhn with Joe Lovano (a Coltrane disc...ECM seems to have gone nostalgic), John Balke and Louis Sclavis (some of these might already be out). http://www.ecmrecords.com/Catalogue/ECM/20...amp;lvredir=712

A last desperate blast from the record companies? They've had a field day in the last 25 years repackaging 'classic' material - sometimes to good effect (better sound, comprehensive editions like the Miles boxes), sometimes not so (endless new editions of the same material). But with record companies scaling back, deleting back catalogue etc an anniversary like this looks like last chance hotel. Once minority music is handled almost exclusively by download there is going to be little chance to keep doing this. Though maybe I'm underestimating the marketing abilities of the music industry. Looking at the advert for this set in a music magazine I couldn't help thinking how far the public face of jazz has become part of the heritage industry. Buy these packages and become part of this timeless lifestyle!

Must have missed the news. There were a few collapses last year - some major UK distributors in particular that it was easy to miss other casualties. I wonder how the thing with e-music works. All profits to pay creditors?

Overheard words to that effect at the weekend. And the website has vanished. Though the recordings are still there on e-music. A pity...a great source for contemporary European jazz.

Looks interesting - another one to bring on the nostalgia, even if I never knew the records at the time. Don't miss this newly issued live recording on Reel from 1972 - Jeff Clyne is up front throughout a very intense blowing session: http://www.reelrecordings.org/splinters.php

I keep meaning to buy Kent's collection, 'The Dark Stuff' but get put off by the amount of punk/pre-punk in it. I never cared for all that Iggy Pop/Ramones thing that so enthralled so many of these writers in their hunt for the romantic soul of pop/rock. The article I still recall vividly was a two parter he wrote on The Beach Boys (which is in 'The Dark Stuff'). I have a feeling that, like so much music writing, I'd find it more writer-construction than revelation now. But at the time it made me hear the Beach Boys with rather different ears.

Yep, along with Steve Lake he covered jazz for Melody Maker back in the mid-70s. I used to buy that regularly and his jazz column was damn good. I recall very good, long articles about Miles 'Dark Magus' and 'Pangaea' (then rare imports to UK), Basil Kirchin's 'Worlds Within Worlds' recordings, Booker Little and I vaguelly recall one about Dupree Bolton too. It's a shame that the old Melody Makers are not available on line. He also did a nice tribute book about Miles Davis - 'Man In The Green Shirt'. Along with Lake, Nick Kent and the late Ian MacDonald, Williams always had more of interest to say than most in those days (in fact I made a mistake re: Nick Drake - that was in a MacDonald collection that came out around the same time as Williams' collection.)

Despite its rather obvious theme, this could be interesting. The Blue Moment: Richard Williams http://www.faber.co.uk/work/blue-moment/9780571245062/ A book about the impact of 'that' album. Brits of a certain vintage will recall Williams fronting 'Disco 2' and the first 'Old Grey Whistle Test' programmes. He wrote for the main music papers in the UK in the early 70s, always erudite with a contextual understanding that reached much further than the rock writers of the day. I think he's been mainly a sports writer since. I recall being really miffed around '72 by his put downs of prog-rock, comparing it to Stan Kenton in the 50s (at the time I hadn't a clue who Kenton was). With hindsight, he was probably right on the money. About ten years back I did a review of his collection of music writings - 'Long Distance Call' - for a UK magazine. I got a very nice postcard from him, along with an admission that he was the ogre who had upset my musical worldview in '72! 'Long Distance Call' was a great read - gave a real sense of just why we get hooked on music with a range that went from Dupree Bolton to Nick Drake. Which has me expecting something rather more than the usual hagiography for this new 'Kind of Blue' book.