A Lark Ascending

Neil Ardley also had a parallel career: He co-wrote alot of the Dorling Kindersley science books too. Yes, it is the same Neil Ardley.

How about some regional entertainment...

Nice to hear they're selling well. That's what is needed to keep the flow coming. Ardley's 'Symphony of Amaranths' is another beauty, due to be part of this series soon. I think you can still track down 'Kaleidoscope of Rainbows' on CD, the Ardley I first recall hearing around 1974-5.

I have half-a-dozen of the Chronological Classics series. I'm no expert on remastering but they all sound great to me.

Ah, they're the ones! "Roll Over Vaughan Williams". Another fine title.

Well Spock's board seems about as wonky as my paving slabs!

Ah, even the 'Hanging Gardens of Babylon' started like this! next up: hanging ponds... What a great idea! I could fit two more above the existing ones. Sort of like that wierd chess game they used to play on Star Trek!

Ah, even the 'Hanging Gardens of Babylon' started like this! Why two ponds? I just like ponds. Also less space to fill in with stuff that needs lots of work.

'Smiffy's Glass Eye' is on 'Hokey Pokey'. Sorry! Couldn't help myself!

Was this at Newark? I went a few years ago when it was at Castle Donington. One of the strangest weekends of my life. I went for a country music festival because Jimmie Dale Gilmore was playing. Gilmore was superb but the rest of the weekend was wierd - everyone dressed as cowboys with guns in the main music area until dusk; then they all changed into 'Best Little Whorehouse in Texas' geer for the evening. I've never felt so out of place! And then there were the cars! Lots of people dressed as Teddy Boys driving classic cars. Very strange. If you enjoy classic cars, Tony, you might like Lake Mora in Sweden. It's a mecca for classic car owners who parade their vehicles round this huge lake.

This, however, was what I was able to enjoy last weekend. A nice walk to a Derbyshire pub from a camp site - the oncoming rainclouds heading towards us in the distance:

The view from my living room. After a lifetime of non-interest in gardening I've finally decided to do something. The small pond is a few years old (God, those paving slabs need levelling!); the large pond got made a week ago. Very much a work in progress. Currently a building site! I hope by next summer it will be a place fit to listen to Maria Schneider CDs in! Weather's been bloody awful here since early June, by the way!

Just reissued in the UK, RTs first solo album. To my mind one of a kind. There's nothing that sounds remotely like this! 'Music from Big Pink' and 'The Band' had a huge impact in the UK and lots of musicians tried to transfer the homemade, rootsy feel of those albums to UK soil. I'd say this is the album that comes closest. Tunes that are deeply connected with Thompson's relatively recent interest in British folk music, lyrics that follow The Band in exploring the world of oddball characters. I remain completely dumbfounded that a chap in his twenties could write a piece as ancient as 'Wheeley Down'. And 'The Angels took my Racehorse away' must be one of the greatest song titles! Great track too. Thompson went on to write dozens of great songs, record marvellous albums. But every one was compromised to a greater or lesser extent to try and get some commercial success. 'Henry the Human Fly' is a document of a young songwriter and player, totally absorbed in a new, rooted world he'd discovered and an ability he'd found in himself to write songs around it. You get the impression he didn't even think about how the thing was meant to sell. Just as well. At the time it sold zilch. Great remastering too. Strangely enough not on Island unlike the other Thompson and Fairport remasters. Done by Fledg'ling under licence - a label thats done a great job in putting out reissues from the UK folk-rockers.

All the 60s Garrick's are long OOP - though I know one got released in Japan a while back. I think it might have been 'Promises'. The Garricks seem to be one of the prime candidates for reissue. Tony Higgins seems a big fan. If the 'Impressed' bandwagon roles on for a couple of years we might see them all out. I'd say grab them while they're here! You get some idea of what has been lying buried in this list: Michael Garrick recordings: as leader :- Blues For The Lonely 45T/EP Columbia SEG 8244 (UK) Michael GARRICK [piano]; Joe HARRIOTT [reeds]; Shake KEANE [trumpet]; Jeremy ROBSON [reader] Kronos LP Jan-Feb 1959 HEP 2013 (UK) Michael GARRICK [piano]; Peter SHADE [vibes]; Brian BARNES [drums]; Paul HEMMINGS [bass] A Case Of Jazz EP 1963 AIRBONE (UK) Michael GARRICK [piano]; Shake KEANE [trumpet]; Coleridge GOODE [bass] Poetry And Jazz In Concert 2 LPs 1963 ARGO ZDA 26/27 (UK) Michael GARRICK [piano]; Joe HARRIOTT [alto]; Shake KEANE [trumpet]; John TAYLOR [bass], Colin BARNES [drums], Laurie LEE & Jeremy ROBSON [reader] October Woman LP 1964 ARGO ZDA 33 (UK) Michael GARRICK [piano]; Joe HARRIOTT [alto]; Shake KEANE [trumpet]; Coleridge GOODE [bass]; Colin BARNES [drums] Moonscape LP 1964 AIRBONE NBP 0004 (UK) Michael GARRICK [piano]; Dave GREEN [bass]; John TAYLOR [bass]; Colin BARNES [drums] Promises LP May 1965 ARGO ZDA 36 (UK) Michael GARRICK [piano]; Joe HARRIOTT [alto]; Ian CARR [trumpet, flugelhorn]; Tony COE [tenor sax, clarinet] ; Coleridge GOODE & Dave GREEN [bass]; Colin BARNES [drums] Before Night/Day LP 1966 ARGO EAF 115 (UK) Michael GARRICK [piano]; Jeremy ROBSON [poet]; Coleridge GOODE [bass] ; Joe HARRIOTT [alto]; Ian CARR [trumpet]; Colin BARNES [drums] Black Marigolds LP Jan-Feb 1966 ARGO ZDA 88 (UK) Michael GARRICK [piano]; Don RENDELL [alto/tenor sax, clarinet, flugelhorn); Ian CARR [trumpet, flugelhorn]; Joe HARRIOTT [alto]; Tony COE [trumpets, clarinet]; Dave GREEN [bass]; Trevor TOMKINS [drums]; Colin BARNES [drums]; John SMITH [poet] Jazz Praises At St Paul's LP 25 Oct 1968 AIRBORNE NBP 0021 (UK) Michael GARRICK [piano]; Joe HARRIOTT [reeds]; Art THEMEN & Jim PHILIP [tenor, clarinet, flute]; Joe HARRIOTT [reeds]; Ian CARR [trumpet, flugelhorn]; Coleridge GOODE [bass]; John MARSHALL [drums]; Chorus of St Michael's - Peter MOUND [conductor]; John SMITH [poet] Poetry And Jazz 2 LPs 1969 ARGO ZPR 264/265 (UK) Michael GARRICK [piano]; Art THEMEN [reeds]; Dave GREEN [bass]; Trevor TOMKINS [drums]; Ian CARR [horn]; Don RENDELL [saxophones]; and seven POETS The Heart Is A Lotus LP 20-22 Jan 1970 ARGO ZDA 135 (UK) Michael GARRICK [piano, harpsichord]; Art THEMEN [flute, clarinet, saxophones]; Jim PHILIP [clarinet, flute, tenor sax]; Don RENDELL [flute, saxophones]; Ian CARR [trumpet, flugelhorn]; Dave GREEN & Coleridge GOODE [bass]; Trevor TOMKINS [drums]; Norma WINSTONE [vocals] Mr Smith's Apocalypse LP 1971 ARGO ZAGF 1 (UK) Michael GARRICK [organ]; Don RENDELL [flute, saxophones]; Art THEMEN [flute, clarinet, saxophones]; Henry LOWTHER [trumpet, flugelhorn]; Coleridge GOODE [bass]; Trevor TOMKINS [drums], Norma WINSTONE [vocals]; John SMITH & George MURCELL & Betty MULCAHY [speech]; CHORUS Home Stretch Blues LP 07 Apr 1972 ARGO ZDA 154 (UK) Michael GARRICK [piano]; Art THEMEN & Don RENDELL [reeds]; Henry LOWTHER [trumpet, flugelhorn]; Dave GREEN [bass]; Trevor TOMKINS [drums]; Norma WINSTONE [vocals] Cold Mountain LP 6-7 Apr 1972 ARGO ZDA 153 (UK) Michael GARRICK [piano]; Dave GREEN [bass]; Trevor TOMKINS [drums] Troppo LP 13, 25 & 26 Oct 1973 ARGO ZDA 163 (UK) Michael GARRICK [piano]; Norma WINSTONE [vocals]; Henry LOWTHER [trumpet, flugelhorn]; Don RENDELL [flute, sax]; Dave GREEN & Coleridge GOODE [bass]; Trevor TOMKINS [drums]; Art THEMEN [flute, sax] You've Changed LP 19 May 1978 HEP 2011 (UK) Michael GARRICK [piano]; Chris LAURENCE [bass]; Alan JACKSON [drums]; Don WELLER [ten sax] (From http://www.jazzscript.co.uk/extra/garricklps.htm) ************* I'd imagine ordering Impressed direct from the UK might be cheaper. Amazon UK has Impressed II at £8.99 (about $16...believe me that's cheap here! I paid £13.99 in the shops...about $25!) with a £3 air mail charge. Which I suppose is about the same price as Dusty Groove!

...or... John Marshall. Drummer who at various times has played with... Soft Machine Nucleus John Surman Barney Kessel Vassillis Tsabropoulos Arild Andersen Alexis Korners Blues Incorporated Graham Collier Sextet John Mc Laughlin Dave Holland Mike Westbrook Graham Bond Joe Harriott Indo-Jazz Fusions Keith Tippet Centipede Alan Skidmore Mike Gibbs Jack Bruce Karl Jenkins Larry Corryell Gary Burton Mary Lou Williams Ronnie Scott Tubby Hayes Ben Webster Milt Jackson Roy Eldridge John Taylor Voler Kriegel Gordon Beck George Gruntz Charlie Mariano Jasper van't Hof Philip Catherine Eberhard Weber's Colours Gil Evans Orchestra Ian Carr Kenny Wheeler Uli Beckerhoff Anthony Braxton Manfred Schoof Joachim Kuhn Michel Portal Alan Holdsworth John Abercrombie Matrix Sarah Vaughan Leon Thomas Annie Ross Elaine Delmar Karin Krog Michael Gibbs Joe Sachse Theo Travis Mark Wood Arild Andersen Barney Kessel Georgie Fame Lloyd Webber Pork Pie Towering Inferno Michael D'Abo Hugh Hopper Alan Skidmore Elton Dean

How could you omit... William Marshall, later earl of Pembroke and Lord of Leinster, was born c1146, and following family tradition, became a knight. In 1170 William was appointed head of the military household of young Prince Henry, son of Henry II of England. When young Henry died, William Marshall received permission from Henry II to take his cross to Jerusalem. He spent two years here fighting wars as a knight Templar. It is here he is believed to have learned some of the castle building techniques he later used in Ireland and Wales. On his return William served Henry II as advisor and ambassador until the king died in 1188. He was appointed to a similar position to the new king, Richard I. In 1189, Richard I gave Marshall Isobel de Clare and all her lands in marriage, Isobel was Strongbow’s Daughter and granddaughter of Dermot MacMurrough, the last undisputed Irish King of Leinster. Isobel brought to her husband the lands of Leinster that had been granted to Strongbow by Henry II; also Pembroke and Striguil in Wales. Marshall also held lands in Buckinghamshire, Lancashire and Oxfordshire, as well as lands in Normandy. King John created William Earl of Pembroke on his coronation day May 27th 1199, in return for his support against Arthur of Normandy, another claimant to the throne. John proved a difficult ruler who alienated many great barons. He deprived Marshall of his lands in England, Wales and Normandy, and took two of Marshall’s sons as hostages. William Marshall withdrew to his Irish lands in 1207 and was to remain there almost continuously until 1213. He showed his great diplomacy and loyalty to the crown by resisting John’s attempts to seize Leinster, while at the same time refusing to side with the King’s enemies, the barons. William left Ireland for the last time in 1213, recalled by King John to fend off a threatened invasion from France. Marshall acted as mediator for the crown during the Baronial rebellion; John eventually signed the Magna Carta in 1215. On John’s death in 1216, Marshall was chosen as Regent for the nine year old Henry III. He defeated Philip II of France in 1217 and ensured the future of the English monarchy. Between 1207 and 1213 in Ireland, William maintained the interests of the Crown in the face of many changes being forced upon both the Norman lords and native chieftains by King John and his secular and clerical appointees. In 1208 King John appointed bishop John de Grey of Norwich as his chief official in Ireland. De Grey rigorously enforced Crown and Church land rights. There was a continuing settlement of lands in Ireland with emigrants from England and Wales which pushed the native Irish to boiling point. Henry II had granted the city of Dublin to “the men of Bristol” to run it as they ran their native city. In 1209 the O’Toole clan slaughtered 200 “citizens of Bristol” at Cullen’s Wood near Dublin. Clearly the shirring of their native Kildare and the interference in their home-in-exile, Wicklow, by John de Grey was a considerable provocation to this uncompromising clan. While the Irish ultimately are forced to accept the new situation, a stick and carrot approach from Marshall is evident from the surviving records. In the same year, 1209, Gillapatrick O’Toole receives title to lands under the seal of William Marshall. It is also interesting to note that the same Gillapatrick is most likely a cousin of Marshall’s wife, Isobel de Clare. Dermot MacMurrough’s wife, Isabel’s grandmother, was Mor O’ Toole, a princess of South Kildare. William Marshall left a legacy of great castles throughout his fiefdom. He held eight great castles in Wales and England alone, including Pembroke, Chepstow and Goodrich. He was a great castle builder. in Ireland he rebuilt Kilkenny castle, Ferns castle and Trim Castle.

Yes, when you throw in the recent reissue of five Rendell/Carr LPs it is indeed a great time. The Westbrook you hear on Celebration, Late, is only part of a long and varied career. I'd say his recordings up to the mid-70s follow a similar path (with a brief foray into jazz-rock or even rock-jazz with Solid Gold Cadillac). From the late 70s his music gets an increasingly theatrical element with increasing use of song (often ranging over many European languages). If you're interested in following Westbrook a bit further you might be able to track down 'Marching Song' and 'Release' which are similar to 'Celebration' - both got reissues in the late 90s but have been discontinued. Westbrook's masterpiece - and to my mind one of the great jazz albums - is 'The Cortege'. A mammoth two hour piece with superb arrangements and wonderful soloing. Another great one is 'Bright as Fire', and album of his William Blake arrangements. He re-recorded this in extended form on an Enja disc called 'Glad Day' which unusually is equally as good as the original! And I'd also talk up his most recent large scale piece, 'Chanson Irresponsable'. I've found some of his recent theatrical pieces a bit heavy going but 'Chanson' is a much more colourful piece. ********* I'm quite optimistic that the recent Universal interest in UK jazz might well take off in a way that the Redial series didn't. It seems to have been well promoted, lots of articles in the UK jazz magzines (and at the time of Redial there only 3, possibly two!) and lots of discussion and alerting via the net. Another thing that will play in their favour in the UK is a series due for broadcast in February 2005 - three hour long films about the growth of jazz in the UK. Tony Higgins, the man behind Impressed, is central to the series. I'm not suggesting this will get the general public running out for 'Impressed' but it might just get the existing jazz public in the UK at least buying some of these discs. I'm fully expecting to hear an item on the Radio 4 'Today' programme about this one Saturday. They love these 'rediscovery' stories! You can read a couple of articles about the Rendall-Carrs and Higgins work in Adobe format by clicking on the JazzUK icon at the top of this page: http://www.jazzservices.org.uk/

'Concert in the Garden' has sent me back to listen to both 'Coming About' and 'Allegresse' TWICE this week! I know exactly what people are talking about when they say they are made wet-eyed by points in the music. I also hear the references to the Miles/Evans Spanish orchestrations mentioned above. 'Nocturne' on Allegresse also set off a quite different association - De Falla's piano and orchestra piece, 'Nights in the Gardens of Spain.' Again another beautifully still piece. One of the things I love in this music is the way Schneider will create a delicious melody early on and then move away from it but then you start to hear it slowed right down in the orchestration supporting the foreground movement later on. This happens to glorious effect on 'Hang Gliding.' Another strange comparison - one of the beauties of this music is the unusual, luminous harmonies. I think the fact that there are frequent slow or still moments allows these to be relished. They remind me of the sound world of what I've heard of Takemitsu. Apologies for my clumsiness of expression but I've no technical understanding of music - Michael explains it so much better. Which is why I need to resort to comparisons with other music. No intent to suggest anything derivative at all. Maria Schneider strikes me as a musician who has drawn on a wide range of music and used it to produce a quite unique voice.

Have just listened again and continue to be smitten by this gorgeous recording. Another related point to earlier discussions is how Schneider seems unafraid of stillness. So much large group jazz is constantly 'busy'. There are moments on this recording where the world seems to stop. I was especially struck by a point early in 'Buleria', just before that tremendous tenor solo, where the music seems to halt and darken and a lovely, hovering flute melody takes over the foreground. Any sense of movement is provided by the shifting harmonies behind in the orchestra. It reminded me a little of the moment in the slow movement of the Rodrigez Guitar Concerto where the music goes into a very dark, shaded area allowing for a short cadenza. The second 'Romance' really caught me this time. There were points where it recalled a recording from a few months back by Scottish trumpet player, Colin Steele. I could just imagine this movement as a ballet. Another disc that came to mind whilst listening was a very old Mike Westbrook LP from 1976 - 'Love/Dream Variations'. Quite unusual in Westbrook's output it was neither as wild as his earlier music nor as theatrical as the later pieces. Exclusively instrumental with a similar pastel feel to the Schneider. It always evokes to me the feelings you have when someone you care for disappears from your life - that bittersweet mix of memory and loss. Another disc unafraid to explore the gentler possibilities of jazz. Oh, and I'd support the general enthusiasm for the piano throughout the recording. Beautifully played.

Someone broke into my car in the school carpark a few months back - a screwdriver in the door to prise the lock. They found nothing inside but left a clear hole by the lock. Cost for repair? £351 (about $620)!

If you can find a copy 'over there' I'd recommend casting an ear to: Colin Towns speaks with his own accent but shares with Schneider a willingness to take jazz arranging to some very different places, again using the full range of orchestral possibilities. Like Schneider you hear the classical influences alongside the jazz. 'Nighthawks', based on the Hopper painting, and the gamelan influenced "Shining a light on god's footprints" are especially impressive. He's a film composer who has poured money from that area into establishing a large jazz orchestra - The MasK Orchestra - and a record label that focuses on mainly UK jazz. There are some samples on the Provocateur website: http://www.provocateurrecords.co.uk/artist...ase=dreamingman

Yes, I put that a bit crudely. Kenny Wheeler's music has a similar grace though a very different accent! I suppose I'm thinking in a generalistic way. I was listening to her much earlier 'Coming About' disc today and it was noticeable that on one track the music was more aggressive, funky, jazz-rocky. Her recent releases seem to have dispensed with that. She seems comfortable to write without resorting to crowd-pleasing up-beat moments. Most blokes would feel the need to show at some point that they really were lively lads!

Try here: https://www.cdon.com/main.phtml?navroot=906 I've used this Scandanavian site a couple of times successfully.

Anyone familiar with pianist Béla Szakcsi Lakatos from Hungary? I think this is his latest disc which I have my eye on: He's currently working in the UK with bass player Arnie Somogyi as part of a large Anglo-Hungarian group the latter has put together. When I saw him a couple of months back he was superb, shifting between straight jazz, classical and Hungarian folk styles and his contributions to the 'Improvokation' CD that I've raved over elsewhere are marvellous. I'm keen to hear more of him.

Grace! That's the word that comes to mind on first hearing of this remarkable recording. A real sense of delicacy and poise. The dance references made by Michael and commented on in the liner notes are clear to hear across the album. Am I being fanciful in hearing a particularly feminine approach to writing on this record? I don't know if it's the title - 'Concert in the Garden' - but the album reminded me of one of those large, complex gardens where you can move from one part to another and experience totally different colours, shades, sounds and smells. The music seems to do this within the space of a few bars. One minute you're in the glaring sunlight, then in a darker, minor-key shaded area. Debussy and De Falla came to mind on a number of occasions. Oh, and if you want passion make straight for Donny McCaslin's stunning extended tenor solo on the final piece, a solo made all the more effective by the backdrop Schneider's orchestration provides, reaching a marvellous crescendo (I'm sure there's a waterfall there!!!). This is an album I'm going to love sinking into. I'm off to the Moorish bits of Spain in a couple of weeks and this will definately be coming with me. Just the thing to listen to when taking a rest in the Alhambra.