A Lark Ascending

No you didn't. You can see the sticky back plastic! They were obviously made next door in the Blue Peter studio. Sorry, non-Brits won't have a clue what I'm talking about (as usual!).

Another sign from the past: performed by: Demis Roussos (bass, vocals) Lucas Sideras (drums, vocals) Silver Koulouris (guitars) Vangelis Papathanassiou (multi-instrumentalist) Now here's real evil:

I knew it was a mistake to post that picture!!!! It never did Bing Crosby any harm. Why in Britain you can even become heir to the throne with such appendages!!!! I led a blues-less youth. When I started listening to music attentively c.1969 the UK was awash with endless blues-rock group...normally heavy handed ones who took their example from Cream's more excessive moments. I was much happier with prog-rock, folk-rock, jazz-rock...anything without the blues in it. Clapton just stood for all I disliked. Then I caught jazz and from there I sort of came backward into the blues. And the Layla album was one of the discs that woke me up. So I've got a pretty driftless blues collection - lots of good things from all over (picked up the 1928 Mississippi John Hurt sessions only last week). But I don't really have an overall handle on it. I accept that Clapton may be well down the pecking order for those to whom pecking orders matter. But over the years I've found lots of stuff by him that I really enjoy...and lots that I don't care for (he should have done time for 'Wonderful Tonight'!). This one sounds like I might like it. Had a look online for some references to that Paul Geremia record and I very much like the look of it. I've never even heard of him! Many thanks for the recommendation.

The Jazzwise site mentions that John Mayer of Indo-Jazz Fusions fame has died. A car accident. Very sad. Guardian obituary: http://www.guardian.co.uk/obituaries/story...1168372,00.html

Oh, it could go either way. And the odds are not in his favour. And yet...there's been a fair few 'return from the grave' successes by these old rockers. He's on home ground with this. I'm mindful to give it a go. Not expecting a revelation...but it might just be fun. One to keep an ear to the radio for.

Just make sure he sticks to painting. Don't trust him with a blow-torch.

Heard a track off this forthcoming release which sounded good - 'If I had Possession Over Judgement Day'. 1. When You Got A Good Friend 2. Little Queen Of Spades 3. They're Red Hot 4. Me And The Devil Blues 5. Traveling Riverside Blues 6. Last Fair Deal Gone Down 7. Stop Breakin' Down Blues 8. Milkcow's Calf Blues 9. Kind Hearted Woman Blues 10. Come On In My Kitchen 11. If I Had Possession Over Judgement Day 12. Love In Vain 13. 32-20 Blues 14. Hell Hound On My Trail Personnel: Eric Clapton (vocals, guitar); Andy Fairweather Low, Doyle Bramhall II (guitar); Jerry Portnoy (harmonica); Billy Preston (keyboards); Nathan East (bass); Steve Gadd (drums) I know this will be anathema to some. But I've always enjoyed Clapton when doing his bluesy thing. Potentially his best recording since 'From The Cradle'.

Could be leakage from the 60s rock group thread: "I am the god of hell fire..."

Well, I recall a big article in Mojo a few issues back to rehabilitate him. I'd hardly say he's there all the time. My experience of reading about Crosby has been largely derogatory articles. Partly a result of the general reaction against CSN&Y from the mid-70s from which only Young came out unscathed; partly because he just was so distant from the post-punk sensibility...the archetypal hippy that everyone loved to hate in the 80s; and partly because he comes across as not a very nice person in his heyday - spoilt, arrogant, pushy. Regardless of all of that I think you can trace a line from The Byrds and through the several versions of CSN&Y and find a totally distinct way of writing songs. And it lies in those chords. It was only recently that I became aware of just how keen he'd been on jazz which might explain alot. The tracks that jump out on the very so-so CS&N album of the mid 70s are Crosby's. And the generally hopeless American Dream has an absolute sparkler in Crosby's 'Compass'. I've not heard any of his music beyond that. He's not a consistent talent - he can't produce the gems like Young could, again and again. His extra-curricular activities resulted in lots of dross along the way where he clearly was not paying attention. But when he was focussed - 'Renaissance Fair', 'Everybody's been Burned', 'Deja Vu', 'Laughing, 'In My Dreams', 'Compass' - then I'd say he has the distinctiveness of Joni Mitchell. He was no virtuoso - in fact I doubt if I could point to a single track and say 'That's Crosby's guitar.' But he seemed to have an ear for, an interest in unusual progressions. I'm not making a claim for him as 'the best Byrd'. That would be silly. But he's the one whose music has constantly touched me over the years. Possibly because I knew his music well before I really got to know the Byrds properly.

Oh, Yes. The Byrds have had an impact on a wide range of English pop and rock. They somehow took that technicolour sound of the Beatles records and took it somewhere else. There's more 'lift' on the Byrds records and the country/bluegrass element just makes it all so distinctive. For me Crosby is the unsung hero. Clark, McGuinn, Parsons, Hillman all get frequent critical applause. Crosby is still potrayed as a silly stoned hippy, a spoilt rich boy who lacked the talents of his peers. Yet I love the strange chords he used in his songs both in the Byrds and later in CSN&Y. It all culminated in 'If I Could Only Remember My Name', one of my favourite solo albums. Due for a sonic upgrade fairly soon I believe. We're nearly 40 years down the line from the great Byrds tracks and they still thrill me. Regular Saturday night music.

A more recent photo:

The box was a god buy before the reissues. After that, well...

No, it's patchy after Sweetheart. But up to then I just find it so life-enhancing. Some of my favourite music.

The recent thread on 60s pop/rock groups had me playing "Younger than Yesterday" again. Inspired by the Beatles? Undoubtedly. But what they did with that, linking it with any number of US musics. And Crosby's jazz sensibility. Still underappreciated! I remember hearing 'Mr Tambourine Man' in the mid 60s on the radio, 'Chesnut Mare' much much later. But the 80s opened this music to me. Reading how much it inspired the likes of Fairport Convention drew me right in. Some of the moist affecting music of the latter half of thev 20thC. Let's hear it for The Byrds! (Sorry...in my enthusiasm I spelt 'hear' wrong in the title. But then the Byrds spelt their name wrong too!)

Thanks, Claude. I recall hearing a track off Lookout Farm back in early 1978 but have never tracked down the album. I very much like Beirach's recent violin/bass/piano recordings based round Bartok and Monteverdi; and some late 90s Liebman discs.

Can anyone comment on 'Drum Ode', a Liebman disc with Beirach that ECM has reissued?

Yes, I think that Liebman/Beirach looks excellent. And maybe it will finally jog ECM into releasing the 'Lookout Farm' album.

Kind of Blue still sounds perfect to me. Silent Way and My Funny Valentine are my runners up.

Hall was the first 'real' jazz guitarist I came to love back in the 70s. What really won me over was the Commitment disc mentioned above: A very arranged disc with deliberately varied tracks with different musicians but compelling from start to finish. With the Live A&M disc appearing recently there's hope this will get out too. I've seen Hall a couple of times in trio settings and he's always been totally absorbing. It's great to see a player so far into his career still taking risks and being open to different ways of doing things.

You'll find it on page ten!!!

I am not...nor have I ever been...a guy. I'm a bloke!

I once saw The Move....get out of a limo in Newquay, Cornwall and walk into the nightclub they were performing in. I was way to young for nightclubs (I'm way too old now). They'd just 'gone heavy' and had a hit with 'Brontasaurus'. Must have been 1970.

From the list 'The Byrds'. I only knew them at the time via the singles on the radio. But I discovered them on disc in the 80s. I think I return to them more than any other of the listed bands. I'd also suggest they were the closest to jazz on the list! Off list...well scores of examples. I love so many of the groups from that time and the start of the 70s. But my personal choice would be: Fairport Convention.

Tracked this down after much searching to CD Baby: Excellent disc.

Brian Morton must be a very busy man at present. What with the new Penguin and a forthcoming book due in August: From OUP site: http://www.oup.co.uk/isbn/0-19-284092-4 Plenty Plenty Rhythm Brian Morton (Presenter of Radio Scotland's arts programmes The Usual Suspects and The Brian Morton Show) Price: £14.99 (Hardback) 0-19-284092-4 Publication date: August 2004 176 pages, 216mm x 135mm A novel and stimulating introduction to the subject Avoids orthodox chronologies by homing in on key moments in jazz's past Morton is a leading international name in the jazz world with a proven track record - author of the very successful Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD Explores jazz's origins, its ethnic identity, and its social and political nature Description: Brian Morton looks at the history of the 20th century's one entirely new musical form, jazz - and asks, what has jazz become? and what does jazz do? rather than try to define what jazz is. Readership: General readers interested in jazz - its origins, its ethnic identity, and its social and political nature Since his major falling out with the BBC in Scotland a year or so back I'd imagine he's had more time on his hands. One of my favourite broadcasters - this volume might well surprise some readers. His personality seems to get a bit lost in the "Cook and Morton" mix.