A Lark Ascending

I read somewhere - in either the Drake or Thompson bios - that Thompson was fairly cool about his role in the Drake records. Both Drake and Thompson were rising Island singers/guitarists/songwriters. The writer suggested a bit of jealousy from Thompson in the way Drake was lionised.

The BBC broadcast an interesting documentary about this great alto player who was a major force on the UK scene in the 1960s and 1970s. Anyone interested can hear it over the next week at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/jazz/jazzfile.shtml

Give your concentration to 'Things Behind the Sun' on Pink Moon. I think it's my favourite Drake track. I agree that Pink Moon is a much harder disc to make sense of.

Martin Carthy is a demi-god in these parts. Treat yourself to 'The Carthy Chronicles' 4 CD compilation and go to some very unusual places. I finally got round to buying the last Waterson-Carthy disc yesterday - believe me, this band are now on a par with the much loved 'Watersons.' Eliza Carthy is turning into something very special.

Is that 'the' 'Ferry Cross the Mersey'?

Here's a thumbs up for the Jim Hall issue in this series 'Live.' Gorgeous guitar trio jazz. I remember this disc when it was orginally out c.1976. I nearly bought it on a number of occasions, having been smitten by another Hall disc in that A&M series, 'Commitments.' Being a poor student at the time it never happened and I've been looking for it ever since. I hope they get round to 'Commitments' - a much more 'arranged' disc but quite magical.

Nick Drake's recordings have some very jazzy moments. Several jazzers have picked this up on 'River Man'...I'd like to see them try a few more!

I play 'Hodie' at Christmas - its a bit gallumphing VW! I dearly love the man's music but some of his choral pieces in particular do tend to sound like Falstaff trying to dance the cygnets in Swan Lake! I'd heartily recommend some of the less well know early 20th C English composers for that 'spring feeling.' In particular try and get a recording of George Butterworth's short orchestral pieces - 'The Banks of Green Willow', 'Two English Idyll's' and, best of all, the magisterial 'A Shropshire Lad' (be careful, there is also a very nice song cycle with the same name by Butterworth). Butterworth's music is especially poignant because he'd only composed a small number of pieces before he was killed on the Somme in 1916. Delius is interesting - I too find him quintessentially English. Yet he grew up in industrial Yorkshire, an area with its own beautiful countryside but much more rugged than the usual depictions of England. He also spent most of his life and wrote most of his best known music in France. In some ways he ought to be bracketed with Ravel and Debussy. Talking of which I also like the Ravel/Debussy Quartets as Spring music. *********** I'll also vote for Ry Cooder and Manual Galban - heard it in a record shop and it made me think of Mark Ribot. I think this could become one of my summer records!!!

We 'covered' most people pretty well on the old board; I'm not sure that means that discussion is exhausted. There are also people here who were not there! I agree with you entirely about his play on The North Star Grassman, one of my favourite records. His short solo on 'The Sea Captain' is a model of taste and restraint - quite beautiful. (There's a similarly magical short solo on 'Withered and Died' on I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight') I'm glad you mentioned TNG&TR. There are a number of recordings from that era, that source that typify for me how I like records to sound. There's a plainess in the recording - also true of 'Full House', 'Angel Delight', 'Fotheringay', 'Henry the Human Fly' - that suits this music down to the ground. You really notice the change on Sandy Denny's follow up, 'Sandy.' Much more glitzy, too many musicians piled on. Sadly each subsequent Denny release went further in that direction. I suspect the loss of that 'Witchseason' sound has as much to do with the rapid improvements in studio technology and the natural desire of musicians to explore them as it has to do with any specific artistic decision. Thompson's subsequent catalogue seems to vary between the extremes. The Mitchell Froom years in particular saw an unnecessary studio production feel with some pretty nasty keyboards. I favour the plainer sounds of recordings like 'Hand of Kindness' or his last two.

Here's a man who used to frequently get a mention on the old BNBB. John Martyn has his own thread and he's not really been creatively active for a long time; how about a bit of time for someone who is still creating new material. My favourite songwriter over the last 30+ years and a great guitar player to boot. He's recently issued a new CD in the UK - 'The Old Kit Bag' - which, along with the previous release 'Mock Tudor', strikes me as his most consistent recording since the early 90s. If you want to sample just try and hear 'Outside of the Inside', a great Thompson song and performance. How can you fail to be intrigued by an opening line like 'God never listened to Charlie Parker...' Any thoughts on RT?

Whilst I accept the 'I don't buy many reissues, I support new music' argument as a matter of personal preference I think it's pretty shaky as a moral stance. A society that just buys reissues is asking for musical stagnation; but equally one that ignores the rich and varied heritage of the past is just turning its back on some incredible nutrition. Again and again you find contemporary music getting into a cul-de-sac; and often the way forward turns out to be by taking a step back. Younger musicians discovering for themselves a way of doing things very different from what is common to their own times. Think the Byrds or Gram Parsons/Emmylou or Fairport or the Young Lions of the early 80s or the blues rockers of the 60s or the way Italian jazz musicians have rediscovered their own folk culture. A strong reissue programme and the emergence of vibrant new music are not mutually exclusive situations; I'd actually suggest they are vitally connected. And I say that as one who buys far more new music than reissues. It's one reason why I find it impossible to shed tears for corporations who bleat about their music being pirated and then keep it locked away.

Three new ones due - one Johnny Hodges, one Mildred Bailey and an intriguining compilation of jazz recorded under the Nazis, despite the official condemnation.

May sees two of the UKs more adventurous festivals. Any locals who have never experienced them should give them a try; any non-Brits in the country at the time might like to put them on their itinerary. Both are in beautiful towns in the gorgeous West Country: 30th April - 5th May, 2003: Cheltenham Festival A centre to left field festival, with a programme of promoting newer artists. Established artists include: Jazz Jamaica All Stars, Esbjorn Svensson, Uri Caine (in various concerts doing Bedrock, Mahler, Bach and other things), Michael Brecker, Dave Douglas, Mike Gibbs, Patricia Barber, Tomasz Stanko and Guy Barker. 23rd - 25th May: Bath Festival Tending to focus on the left-field. Artist include: Midnight Sun (a collection of the nu-Scandanavian jazz), Iain Ballamy, Misha Alperin, Julien Lorau, Andrew Hill Big Band, Irene Schweizer and Pierre Favre, Trio AAB, Matthew Bourne, Guy Barker and Gianluigi Trovesi. Bath is part of the much wider festival that sprawls across late May with mainly classical music. I've done Cheltenham about seven times and can thoroughly recommend it. I've only been to the Bath once but had a great time there too. Both use venues inside the cities - no struggling around tents trying to find a portaloo that isn't filthy. You can walk out of a concert into a normal shopping day or just go sight seeing! P.S. I don't work for either festival!

There is a different way of looking at this. The US is currently pressurising Europe to raise the copyright to 75 years. Now who really benefits from this? The artists? No, it's the companies. I doubt if much of the money from a 50s reissue goes into the pockets of the original artist or their dependents. Yes, I feel for smaller labels who have survived and rely on this revenue for their continued success (though I wonder how many are left; I suspect most have been bought out by the big boys). But in general when RCA puts out its Ellingon reissues we all know where any profit goes. No, I'd suggest that rather than boycotting European issues you start putting pressure on your own government to bring the copyright laws down to 50 years. That strikes me as plenty of time for artists, labels etc to recoup their investment and benefit from them. I can see the argument for the performer to profit from his creations; I can see the point of them also helping to support the immediate dependents for a time. But after that...do the Coltrane or Hendrix or whoever families really deserve to enjoy the profits coming from the wave of reissues now that any immediate spouses/children have had plenty of time to stand on their own two feet? There is the big issue of the difference between those companies that meticulously remaster; and those who copy and bang out cheap retreads. It is an issue, its one that gets harder as digital copying makes it easier for the latter to use the former. I can't see an easy solution there and suspect that it will ultimately come down to consumer morality. I don't think you can really legislate against Disconforme and their like. I did buy a couple of Disconforme sets until I realised what was happening. I'm more guarded now, only buying items that have been approved by the musicians themselves (e,g, the Graham Collier reissues). *********** Yes, US reissue labels could be in trouble in the next ten years if the differential remains. Expect big legal fights to come, not so much on jazz recordings. It's when Elvis goes out of copyright here that the action will really hot up. And imagine what it's going to be like when they get to The Beatles. My view is that extending the copyright laws to 75 years in Europe will generally benefit one group of people...those who are already very, very rich. Opening up 50 year old recordings to the widest possible distribution will introduce more people to the glories of older music. The record companies might lose out; but the diversity of music and the possibility of that diversity feeding into current music will win.

Let me go out on a limb with: The Mike Westbrook Orchestra: The Cortege From the early 80s, originally 3 LPs, now 2 CDS. In my opinion the most successful large scale jazz piece I've heard. Based on a range of poems from across Europe, sung in a variety of languages by Kate Westbrook and Phil Minton. The range of the music is astonishing - short songs, long songs, brooding instrumentals, superb soloing. High points include Brian Godding's eerie electric guitar on 'Erme Estuary'; Malcolm Griffiths incredibly moving trombone solo on 'Lenador'; the tense, funereal 'Cordoba'; and the strange sense of release when the orchestra erupts into 'Jerusalem.' Believe me, this is a recording that anyone with an ear for jazz beyond the US mainstream will return to again and again. I saw it performed live and ordered an advanced copy at the gig (my name is on the sleeve as a 'patron' of the Westbrook band...sounds very posh!). I've lived with it for 20 years and still have heard nothing that can sustain the length of 'The Cortege' and continue to hold interest. Westbrook succeeds by the care of the composition, producing a vast but varied tapestry of music. The success of 'The Cortege' can be partially measured by his follow up large piece, 'London Bridge is Broken Down', a piece that has its moments but somehow doesn't convince and suffers from longeurs. 'The Cortege' did it perfectly.

Not really objections. Just an attempt to express a disquiet with a major part of the output of a musician I love in other contexts. But I'd be the first to admit that my disappointments are more a reflection of my tastes than any fault on Metheny's part.

I love Metheny before he got that machine which makes his guitar sound like a mouth organ!!!! In recent years it's been his sideman roles I've enjoyed most - and the quieter discs like Missouri Sky. The trio discs were nice too. For some reason the PMG records since the early 80s have disappointed me. My two favourite Methenys are 'Watercolours' (with Eberhard Weber in fine form) and, best of all, '80/81' with Dewey Redman, Michael Brecker, Charlie Haden and Jack de J. This new one looks interesting. I've always enjoyed his late 70s solo disc 'New Chautauqua' - had to sell off Secret Stories as it used to curdle the milk in the fridge! Moral...never make a record just after you've been dumped!!!!

I have to admit that although we have pretty defined seasons in the UK at times the weather gets very confused! It's been convinced its May for the last few weeks! I'm expecting blizzards in a couple of weeks.

Great ways to pick up an extensive sampling of pre-50s repetoire. I have the JSP Hot 5s/7s, Louis Jordon, the two Djangos and the Carter Family set. JSP tend to go for a 'complete masters' type approach. Proper tend to cherry pick but more extensively than your usual 1 or 2CD sampler - I find them very inexpensive ways to sample areas; if I want more then I've not spent too much on the sample. I have the Basie, Navarro, Hampton, Powell, Bechet and Herman sets plus the 'Hitting on all Six' guitar compilation and 'Bebop Spoken Here' bebop collection. Proper can be a bit careless - the 'Sweethearts on Parade' listed on the Hampton box is actually Armstrong! And one of the Sarah Vaughan tracks on the Powell has a jump where the needle on the master record hops back a few seconds. But in general marvellous introductions. And within European copyright laws!!!

Gosh! I can't imagine a year without seasons!

Caravanserai! (when is this going to get 'the treatment'...we were promised a Laswell job a few years back). I think King Crimson fit the bill in terms of improvisation; rhythmically they are many miles away. Richard Thompson can play some great Djangoish guitar when it suits him -his great version od 'Rockin in Rhythm'; and the many versions of 'Al Bowly's in Heaven.' Sixties UK folk guitarist Davy Graham had a jazzy style, often recording tunes by the likes of Blakey and Mingus.

Thanks all, I've ordered the Bartok disc being a great admirer of the latter's music. I'll let you know how I get on.

Two other strange and wonderful records of English Music, both by Shirley and Dolly Collins: Anthems in Eden Love, Death and the Lady Both take traditional tunes from Britain but put them into arrangements with some of the leading classical early music experts of the late 60s including David Munrow, one of the trailblazers of period instrument performance in the UK. It's like stepping back into a different world. Highly recommended to those with a taste for the odd and magical. Shirley Collins is something of an elder stateswoman of UK folk - she went collecting songs in the Appalachians with Alan Lomax in the 50s, had a successful solo career and duet career with her sister and got tied up with the electric folk thing (she's the main voice on No Roses) to the point of being married to Ashley Hutchings for a while (until, according to her comments in interviews, he discovered actresses on his various theatre projects!) I'm playing a great deal of this music at present with Spring coming on and can vouch for its ability to still move after 30 years.

I missed bluegrass for spring too! Bossa and Cuban tends to take hold as things hot up in June and July.

...well, a middle aged man... Though I listen to most music throughout the year, certain musics have a seasonal feel for me. Spring always sees the British folk and folk rock stuff hit the CD player/turntable (see other threads); early 20th C English classical music - Vaughan Williams, Delius, Holst, Moeran, Butterworth et al; and, for some reason I can't quite fathom, the music of XTC. With the British spring being very early and quite glorious this year - nearly a month of sunshine until yesterday's downpour (God's idea of an April Fool) - these have all been spinning of late. Anyone else got any spring favourites?