A Lark Ascending

I was playing 'Nice' by The Nice yesterday and was struck by the jazzy nature of Emerson's playing at that time. It made me buy a copy of this today: I had this as an LP in the early 70s but it got purged when I went through a puritanical stage. Fascinating to hear it 30 years later. I suspect that it was on records like this that I started to get interested in the idea of jazz piano. I can recall 'nearly' buying a Bill Evans LP at that time (c.1972) and then getting cold feet. It would take another six years!

It is indeed! When I win the lottery I plan to go and live somewhere around there! Stonehenge is fascinating but it's Avebury that gets me!

The show was a pretty good indication of what Atzmon sounds like on CD. Most of the broadcast was made up from the most recent 'MusicK' which is excellent but highly polemical. 'Exile', despite its uncompromising political message, has more in the way of improvisation; I'd recommend it as a first point of call. The earlier 'Orient House Ensemble' and 'Nostalgico' discs are also excellent - straight quartet discs without the exotic instruments more recently added. He does some great twisting of jazz standards like 'Footprints'.

Anyone who listens to BBC programmes on the web might like to know that the service will be suspended from 10am on Monday 24 January until approximately 5pm on Tuesday 25 January. They are upgrading the Radio Player. Don't panic if you try and connect and nothing happens!

Yes, there has been some excellent live Crimson pouring out in recent years from all eras. I really like the Summit Studios, Denver '72 disc recorded in a radio studio. Very well recorded. They sound 'funky' on Groon!!! The Nashville 2001 disc is superb too; the music of the last two albums in, to my mind, much more flexible form.

And how could I forget...

What is easytree? ************** Look out for the Kenny Wheeler 75th Birthday Concert from London last night, being broadcast on Jazz on 3 on January 28th. I just got back from the Manchester concert - superb. How about this for a line-up: Kenny Wheeler (trumpet, flugelhorn) Lee Konitz (alto) Norma Winstone (voice) Hugh Fraser (conductor, trombone) John Barclay, Ian Hamer, Henry Lowther, Derek Watkins (trumpets) Evan Parker, Julian Arguelles, Duncan Lamont, Stan Sulzmann, Ray Warleigh (saxes) Mark Nightingale, Barnaby Dickinson, Richard Henry, Gordon Campbell (trombones) John Parricelli (guitar) Gwilym Simcock Piano) Dave Holland (bass) Martin France (drums)

I strongly recommend that Gilad Atzmon concert.

A teenager up to his nose in privilege, with minders at every step.

The BBC are only allowed to archive their broadcasts for 7 days after broadcast. You have to be quick off the mark!

If I recall Princess Di's musical taste correctly she would have been more likely to make Duran Duran PM than Yes. God she must have hated those nights at Covent Garden with Charlie Boy.

Given the way the current PM and Chancellor of Exchequer are in a state of only barely disguised warfare, the thought of five members of Yes running the country makes the mind boggle! Quintrophenia? ["Well I'm buggered if I'm going to listen to all this crap about economic performance, fetch me a curry!"]

I think I've cracked it. Here's a recent photo of Aric... And here he is engaging in humanitarian activities:

I have 1999 reissue from the brief Columbia British reissue series. Just played it again - not one worth worrying about, to my mind. The guitar sounds very tinny.

'Dragon Hill' I've just put it on to see if it makes more sense!

The fourth stucke from Webern's Funf Stucke fur Orchester Op 10. Damned catchy.

Listen to him on Gil Evans 'The British Orchestra' from the early 80s. A very nice 'Little Wing'. I only have one of his own recordings which does not stand out for me.

I don't see Tubby the Tuba, one of my formative influences.

I thought the USA had crossed Spain off its Xmas card list. Surely you should be renaming all things Spanish in the mother tongue of your one, true ally in recent tribulations? [please take the latter with a pinch of cilantro!]

Oh, the limitless possibilities of misunderstanding the English language! ************* Everyone I knows puts butter in mashed potatoes. I hate butter but always liked the idea of a creamier mash. Solution? Olive Oil. Delicious. I wonder if the Scots will start deep frying their Mars Bars in olive oil? One way to get offthe top of the European bad diet league.

I swear by the following curry puree as a base for other curries. Make a huge batch, freeze, stink the kitchen out for weeks. CORIANDER is a major part of its success.

I'm astonished you call it olive oil, given the American habit of misnaming fine foods! Cilantro indeed!

Did I ever tell you about my favourite washing machine detergent?

I think you'll find that's my job. Quit now or I call in my union!