A Lark Ascending

I'd not noticed any problem with Copy Controlled CDs until I bough a few classical releases from EMI Spain whilst in Spain this summer. I had my CD walkperson with me, one that also plays CD-RWs. The sound was poor to dire...and then at random points the stream of music was interrupted. On the display it actually said 'oops'! CDs played fine on my home CD player when I got back!

I found 'American Dreams' very marshmallow. I love Haden's playing and am glad he's prepared to express his romantic, lyrical side but just wish he'd record more of his edgier music. Hopefully the promised new Liberation Music Orchestra disc with Carla Bley will work this way. Having said that I loved 'The Art of Song'. I ignored it completely until hearing some of the music used on a documentary about the War in the Pacific. His croaky vocal on 'Wayfaring Stranger' is spine-tingling. His duo disc from earlier this year with John Taylor is gorgeous too. Again, the lyrical Haden but without the mush of 'American Dreams'. ****** Chrome, 'Liberation Music Orchestra' from the late 60s on Impulse is a wonderful, wonderful recording. Very much in the radical spirit of those days - a beautiful balance of well constructed themes, free-ish blowing and Spanish Civil War songs! I also love the early 80s 'Ballad of the Fallen' - whereas Vietnam and the discontent of the Nixon years was at the heart of the first record, this one was inspired by Haden's feelings about events in central America and the USAs role there. Very moving music.

Yes, this annoyed me too. Everyone knows John Surman is the most important baritone saxophonist in contemporary jazz.

The Great Deceiver - King Crimson - I retain a great love of this band of my youth. Went to see them three times just before these concerts were recorded. Great memories, marvellous music. Fairport Unconventional - I hate box sets that pack over half with tracks available elsewhere and then put in a few rare things. This one (like all the Free Reed boxes) is made up of nearly all rare things - B-sides, never reissued things, TV and radio broadcasts, live recordings. Recording quality varies but once you've aclimatised it is marvellous to hear some well known stuff played very differently. Free Reed are putting together a Richard Thompson box at the present - hopefully it will follow the same approach. I'd also vote for the Hendrix. I was never much of a Hendrix fan - enjoyed bits here and there. I bought this out of curiosity and play it a great deal. Only 'Electric Ladyland' gets much play of the original discs. Well presented, good sequence, very enjoyable all round.

Sorry. Just checked. It came out in 1970. Though I'd imagine it was recorded and the cover designed in 1969. Here's the full gatefold: And here's a website... http://home-1.worldonline.nl/~mollyb/docs/quatermass/ A website for a band that made one virtually unknown LP!

You must understand how traumatised UK jazz fans are. One of the most popular comedy shows of the 90s - 'The Fast Show' - had a regular sketch called 'Jazz Club' that took the piss mercilessly out of jazz affectation. The mere mentioning in company of a liking for jazz subjected you to a barrage of ridicule with endless quotes from the sketches! The sight of anyone on the 'Cat'-walk throws us back into those dark days once more. "No! No! Jerry. You'll only encourage the re-runs!"

I always liked this looking up at buildings late 60s sleeve. As far as I can tell the pterodactyls are naked though not looking up (those of you with 8 year old children might like to check with them if they are pterodactyls or some more obscure form of flying dinosaur). Never heard the record. Just recall being fascinated by it on the inner sleeve of Harvest LPs in the early 70s.

Bugger! Wrong again!

Brian Morton was my favourite jazz presenter in the UK. He got edged out of Radio 3 a few years back and then fell out with Radio Scotland disappearing completely! He has a book coming out - 'Plenty, Plenty Rhythm' - initially promised for Autumn 2004. But I notice its now slated for August 2006. He's clearly taking a couple of years off to hunt for underused adjectives. When I first bought the Penguin (2nd Edition) I used it a great deal to find my way, especially into European jazz waters. With recent editions I tend to use it more just for the fun of reading what they have to say. Though every now and then I'll come across someone totally new and (I assume) unknown, check Penguin and find ten entries!

Also, from Irish flute/sax player Michael Buckley: Michael Buckley on tenor and soprano saxes and flute Edward Simon on piano Jeremy Brown, bass Stephen Keogh drums (He of the lovely Louis Stewart/Bill Charlap disc mentioned earlier) Very nice, melodic yet sinewy improvisations. Two Irishmen, a Brit (I think!) and an American. And not a jig or a reel in sight!

The silver space ships coming?

I was listening to a couple of Procol Harum albums a few days back. Made me think of Van der Graf. Van der Graf are like a severely depressed version of Procol Harum who have been through electric-shock treatment and other attempted clinical cures. Given that Procol were not exactly jolly...

I went to two Morris Dancing lessons in 1973. Quickly realised it was just rugby with bells and hankies i.e. lots of blokes getting drunk together. Just as well. I'm convinced Richard Thompson wrote that song about me! Always liked the idea of that Cajun dancing. Very formal, very graceful.

I also get iced teeth when faced with hipster-talk. 'Cats', 'Man', 'He was really smokin'', 'Dude' and all the rest. But I suspect this might be a Brit thing. It probably all sounds quite natural in its home environment. Coming out of the mouth of Stanley from Barnsley talking very loudly to show how jazzy he is whilst watching the Fulford Five at the Slug and Lettuce, it really grates. As for Gonzalez, I missed the Brecon broadcast (I was watching Gardener's World!!!!!!) but have a couple of records by him which I'd recommend. 'Rhumba Para Monk' is a particular favourite. I suspect he was playing in the Brecon Market Hall. Having attended concerts in that barn I'd suggest anything lacklustre probably had alot to do with the venue. He probably had a Welsh chicken trapped in his horn...sorry...trumpet. Definitely in the top five 'worst places I've heard jazz'.

Acoustic Ladyland! Not obscure in the UK - one of the up and coming 'young turk' bands that seem to be flooding out of the UK at the moment - but probably unknown beyond. As the name implies they started off doing jazz versions of Hendrix and the album is all Hendrix tunes (with not so cunningly disguised titles - I think the Hendrix estate denied them the right to record so they did what jazz musicians have done over the decades...). They also do other covers and original material. A very exciting band - raw, muscular, subtle, funky. Think of all that the publicity surrounding the Bad Plus promised, delete the plodding rhythmic approach, add a strong saxophone and you're about there. Pete Wareham (saxes), Tom Cawley (piano) Tom Herbert (bass) Seb Rochford (drums). Rochford, Herbert and Wareham also play with Mark Lockheart in the quartet Polar Bear who also have a fine, slightly more abstract disc out: Seb Rochford is very much the drummer of the moment in the UK. He also has the best hair style. No trendy billiard table baldy cut for him: Oh, and going back to Acoustic Ladyland, here are the tunes. Spot the originals... 1. Some Other Sky 2. Marching Dice 3. Something Beautiful 4. Routinely Denied (No Return) 5. Nagel 6. Remote Impression 7. Little Miss Wingate 8. Brave Reply Have a look here for some details: http://www.jazzcds.co.uk/store/commerce.cg...d=1119544.16730

I never knew they had a shop! Thought they were mail order only! Well, there you go!

Good jazz shops outside of London are few and far between. I don't know the Sussex area but it is on a main rail route into London. See here: http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/info/maps/lse.pdf Once in London there are two big HMVs with good jazz sections, Rays Jazz on Charing Cross Road, two big Virgins with large jazz sections, all within about a mile of one another. Mole jazz has also recently moved to just off Oxford Street though I've not been there. At a guess I'd imagine Brighton, Guilford etc will have the usual HMV, Virgin etc small shops with poor jazz sections. I could be wrong!

I've no objection to the wine. I enjoy wine in a clueless sort of way. Just makes it hard to order from Europe. I hate to think what state two bottles of wine would be in after being through two postal services and any number of aircraft handlers. I'm not even sure if the wine merchants ship abroad.

Very Gothic in sound! Had a slightly free-jazz sax sound in places - well, blow-torch! 'Swing' they didn't! 'Pawn Hearts' (mentioned above) is a marvellous, nightmarish album. I suspect it will sound very dated to new ears. But I play it occasionally for its nostalgic value.

You can also hang CDs in your garden to scare off the birds. It helps to conduct a poll of the birds musical taste first so you put out the things they really hate. Cat Anderson? The Hawk Flies?

You could completely depress yourself by playing a version of 'A House is not a Home'.

I have a colleague who can do circular breathing when talking!

Enough of this food for vampires! Here is my favourite food discovery of 2004: Gazpacho - Spanish cold tomato/cucumber soup. I had it nearly every day in Spain a few weeks back. And not a gibblet or piece of offal in sight!

I know that to my cost. My French is minimal but when abroad I play this game of ordering things from the menu that I just like the sound of. This normally leads to nice surprises. One day in Normandy in about 1982 rognons sounded nice....... ************** One of the things the Irish have donated to the cullinary cookbook is 'bacon and cabbage'! Hmmm!

Now this is one of the few things that could make me emigrate. Whoever thought of eating kidneys? Yuch! Steak and potato? Now you're talking! (Watchy out, Rainy Day. Phil will be trying to win you over to tripe next!)