A Lark Ascending

Disc 2 of the Telemann; Disc 2 of the Byrd - 'The Great Service' and some of his 45s. The symph. Completing a two year trip through the symphonies and concertos in chronological order with the aid of a Baedeker guide to get into them a bit further. Deliberately delayed the 15th as I saw a spellbinding live performance back in February - listening on record so soon afterwards would have deadened the impact. Needless to say, this sounded glorious yesterday. Special mention for the last four minutes where he returns to the opening theme of the movement (a spin-off from the first couple of bars of the Tristan Prelude) and slowly winds it down until you just have this ghostly percussive clicking and faint strings. According to the programme notes back in February this was partly inspired by one of his late hospitalisations, lying awake at night hearing all the electric medical equipment in the ward ticking and whirring. Gives the piece an even stranger dimension. A second volume from these forces of contemporary Christmas songs.

Oh good. A new Towner. Wish he'd come over here for a full tour. I did catch him playing a few things with Norma Winstone at the Kenny Wheeler tribute in London last year. But it's a long time since I've seen him do a full concert.

Froots have just put out their records of the year list - compiled from nominations from a wide list of their writers and associates: 1. Shirley Collins Lodestar (From Here) 2. Kristi Stassinopoulou & Stathis Kalyviotis Nyn (Riverboat) 3. Jim Moray Upcetera (NIAG) 4. Aziza Brahim Abbar El Hamada (Glitterbeat) 5. The Gloaming The Gloaming 2 (Real World) 6. Josienne Clarke & Ben Walker Overnight (Rough Trade) 7.= Maarja Nuut Une Meeles (Maarja Nuut) Refugees For Refugees Amerli (Muziekpublique) 9. The Furrow Collective Wild Hog (Hudson) 10. Leyla McCalla A Day For The Hunter, A Day For The Prey (Jazz Village) 11. Elza Soares A Mulher Do Fim Do Mundo (Mais Um Discos) 12. Calypso Rose Far From Home (Because) 13.= Leveret In The Round (RootBeat) Noura Mint Seymali Arbina (Glitterbeat) 15. Afro Celt Sound System The Source (ECC) 16. Bombino Azel (Knitting Factory) 17.= Lady Maisery Cycle (RootBeat); Lakou Mizik Wa Di Yo (Cumbancha) 19.= Kris Drever If Wishes Were Horses (Reveal) Orkesta Mendoza ¡Vamos A Guarachar! (Glitterbeat) Runners Up (alphabetically): 9Bach Anian (Real World); Bellowhead Live: The Farewell Tour (Navigator); The Breath Carry Your Kin (Real World); Bush Gothic The Natural Selection Australian Songbook (Fydle); Jim Causley Forgotten Kingdom (Hands On Music); Daoiri Farrell True Born Irishman (Daoiri); Martin Green Flit (Reveal); Derek Gripper Libraries On Fire (Derek Gripper); Harp & A Monkey War Stories (Harp & A Monkey/Moonraker); Fay Hield Old Adam (Soundpost); Kayhan Kalhor, Aynur, Cemil Qocgiri & Salman Gambarov Hawniyaz (Harmonia Mundi); Nancy Kerr Instar (Little Dish); Konono No 1 Konono Meets Batida (Crammed); Las Hermanas Caronni Navega Mundos (Les Grands Fleuves); Mekons Existentialism (Bloodshot); Moussu T E Lei Jovents Navega! (Manivette); Julie Murphy Every Bird That Flies (Shells In The Ocean); Rant Reverie (Make Believe); Kaela Rowan The Fruited Thorn (Shoogle); Kate Rusby Life In A Paper Boat (Pure); Hannah Sanders & Ben Savage Before The Sun (Sungrazing); Anoushka Shankar Land Of Gold (Deutsche Grammophon); Songs Of Separation Songs Of Separation (Navigator); Ruth Theodore Cactacus (Aveline); Yorkston – Thorne – Khan Everything Sacred (Domino). Details here along with their reissue picks and best packaging choices. http://www.frootsmag.com/content/critpoll/ Red ones are records I've enjoyed (all English - I'm clearly more Brexit than I like to think!). Songs of Separation would be my top choice...but I've yet to hear the Shirley Collins. I'd throw in Maz O'Connor's 'The Longing Kind' and the just released Methera disc 'Vortex' - have a feeling Maz doesn't fit Froots definition of cool. They tend to disapprove of singer songwriters....except for singer songwriters they approve of.

Antalya, Turkey - The TÜBİTAK national observatory is located 2,500 metres (8,200ft) up Mount Bakirlitepe in Saklıkent Photograph: TASS/Barcroft Images https://www.theguardian.com/news/gallery/2016/dec/12/best-photos-of-the-day-princes-cloud-guitar-and-molten-art-in-china

I thought Dylan's response was both gracious and wise.

Disc 1 - Mass for Five Voices, Mass for Four Voices, Mass for Three Voices, Ave Verum Corpus, Infelix Ego. Really need to listen to these one at a time rather than in one rush. Probably my classical recording of the year. Contemporary music that is tough, very much in the personal voice of the composer yet accessible to the general listener. Just the symph. One of my favourite Prokofiev pieces. Seems to lie hidden in the shadow of the popular (and equally marvellous) Fifth.

I watched all five and enjoyed them. I thought the 'police' storylines of each episode a bit predictable; but I really warmed to the characters as they developed. Really liked the "daughter much older than her mum" character. I think I saw this last in 1964. Most of my memories come from parodies, Miles Davis versions of the big tune and Tom Waits' disturbed take on the dwarves song. Still an impressive piece of animation. I have that recorded but after reading your comments am not sure I can manage it. I get scared by the queen in Snow White.

Martin Simpson at Firth Hall, Sheffield Hometown gig for the great man. Remember seeing him back in 1981 when he was the new, young guitarslinger in town, accompanying June Tabor. Younger than the Jones/Graham/Jansch/Renbourn axis of the 60s but very much out of that world of acoustic guitar wizardry. Beautiful mix of songs from across his extensive career, drawing off English and American traditions. He's been enjoying a real purple patch since he returned to England (after a time living in the USA) with a string of great records. Most notably, he's developed into a superb songwriter - a lovely one about the death of his mother last night that I'd never heard before. Hit a real high early on with a segue from 'St. James Infirmary' to Dylan's 'Blind Willie McTell'. He drew attention to one part of the latter as reflective of the events of 2016: "Well, God is in heaven And we all want what's his But power and greed and corruptible seed Seem to be all that there is." I cannot compute how he can sing irregular lines and simultaneously play irregular and complex melody lines. A lot of practice, I suppose. Nice range of instruments too - guitar, banjo, ukulele and Hawaiian guitar. His slide and note bending techniques are a sound to behear. Beautiful concert playing to an audience who were on his side from the off (most were probably relatives).

Aficionado? Bet it's a bunch of hoorays pronouncing on which 'readings' 'one' ought to be seen 'admiring' and 'appreciating'.

Disc 7 + 8 of latter - Lully's 'Armide'. No Libretto so I had to make up my own story (one about invading other countries on spurious legal grounds, an eternal theme). Wakes you up first thing in the morning. Melencolia, Meridian, Ritual Fragment....though not necessarily in that order.

I generally find jazz Xmas albums rather winsome (give me Yorkshire folkies singing the wrong tune through their noses any day) but like this one: Alto Saxophone – Jesse Davis; Bass – Christian McBride; Drums – Billy Drummond; Flugelhorn – Don Sickler; Guitar – Mark Whitfield; Piano – Stephen Scott; Tenor Saxophone – Ron Blake; Trumpet – Nicholas Payton; Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Roy Hargrove; Vocals – Abbey Lincoln, Betty Carter, Shirley Horn Rather subdued and 'joy' isn't the first word that comes to mind but worth it for the singers. I also like the Carla Bley. Otherwise the only ones I play every year are the Ella, a Nat King Cole compilation (not really jazz at all) and the Kenny Burrell. This is one for free improv fans: Lol Coxhill, Steve Beresford, Ray Warleigh, John Zorn, Fred Frith...... Joyeux indeed. https://www.discogs.com/Various-Joyeux-No%C3%ABl/release/1055747

First of a two part doc on Walt Disney. Fascinating. Going to the cinema to see a Disney animated feature film in the 60s was the ultimate experience - nothing quite matched the colour of those films (and, except for new films, they appeared rarely. Recall seeing "Pinocchio" at about 8 and being scared out of my wits...have kept clear of amusement parts ever since). Lost touch after "The Jungle Book" and just have a mental image of Disney as a rapacious, union-bashing capitalist. So it was interesting to learn just how innovative he was in the 20s and 30s. Expect the nasty stuff will appear in part 2.

Disc 1

Tom Bridge - Sunrise at Pen y Fan, Brecon Beacons, on 4 December. http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/features/38238569 Add a few figures cowering in terror and this could be one of those giant John Martin canvasses.

Sensational opera recording. Second time I've watched this and it grips from start to finish. Nadja Michael is electrifying in the title role, alternatively alluring and utterly repellent. It's not hard to see why this opera (and the Wilde play it was based on) caused such outrage 100 + years ago. Ittttttttttttsssssss Christmasssssssss! Though over half of this is Easter.

They used to sell them (and cassettes) in petrol garages. My dad had a car that came with an 8 track - we had two or three of those cheepie ones which he bought on impulse on long journeys. I had an uncle and cousin who went for them in a big way but they were spivs - went for all the nouveaux bling as it appeared. Probably had a fondue set. Definitely had a set of knives in the kitchen sink plughole designed to shred your vegetables (and your fingers) and send them into the public waste system. Ah, the 70s! There were quite a few musicians who went on to fame who started out doing those cheapo cover LPs they used to sell in Woolworths. Elton John is probably the best known. Amazingly, his contributions have been catalogued....somewhat extensively!: http://www.eltonography.com/albums/sessions/index.html I suspect we'd find a few jazzers making ends meet on those sessions.

I saw that a couple of month's back and had a similar response. I thought it unravelled a bit at the end when it went a bit cartoon dictator - but that might have been down to limited funds. Reminded me of the set of the version of Richard III from the 80s with a Mosleyite theme. Also did the double take on the score - thought it very effective.

Wow! Krasnoye, Russia - Reindeer from a farm in the Nenets Autonomous Region Photograph: Anton Taibarei/TASS via Getty Images Lake District, England - Sailing boats at dawn on Windermere Photograph: Ashley Cooper/Barcroft Images https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2016/dec/10/the-20-photographs-of-the-week

Gosh! I'm a hipster! Cool! Awesome, even!

Another flurry of Guardian vinyl stories: Poor old music shops: Independent thinking: can music shops survive on today's high street? It's a new dawn!: Tables turned as vinyl sales overtake digital sales for first time in UK Hold on a minute: Vinyl indignity: record sales are up, but small labels don't see the benefit "Little wonder, then, that records have ended up on supermarket shelves alongside the Horlicks and the Werther’s Originals." This happens in my local Sainsbury's - a few dozen 'classic' pop/rock albums next to the exotic pastes and marinades. They know their market!

Great egrets take flight in a swamp in Hunagry in a picture placed in the action category by Zsolt Kudich - Photograph: Zsolt Kudich/2016 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year Some amazing pictures here from the National Geographic nature photographer of the year 2016 winners: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2016/dec/09/national-geographic-nature-photographer-of-the-year-2016 From elsewhere on the Guardian site, I think this is a lovely picture: Mus, Turkey - A Shepherdess walks with her flock after snowfall on a winter’s day in Mus, Turkey Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images Almost Biblical. https://www.theguardian.com/news/gallery/2016/dec/09/best-photos-of-the-day-a-border-crossing-a-rat-at-large

Latter is a record of contemporary Xmas songs. Guaranteed 'Little Donkey' free.

Good singer - I really enjoy his vocals on those first two KC records and the first ELP. And, of course, 'I Believe in Father Christmas' which will have an extra bit of poignancy this year. R.I.P.