A Lark Ascending

As a rock listener moving into jazz (alongside other things) in the late 70s I was struck by a paradox. The 'inside' jazz I was listening too was so much freer, more spontaneous and willing to change things on the spur of the moment than most rock. Too many rock themes were made up of a phrase, phrase repeated, another phrase, that phrase repeated. One of the great attractions of jazz was listening to the avoidance of such repetition, the way that tunes might be radically abstracted or bent out of shape...and then twisted again. And yet... The actual structure of jazz recordings and performances could actually be highly formulaic - a head, sequence of solos, a drum solo, trading fours and back to the head. The sort of rock music I was used to was far more structurally creative. Now I'm sure this was just different musics operating to different operational methods - I always assumed that with the jazz the structure was just a frame to allow the real thing...the improvisation...to take off. But I can recall getting very weary in some concerts when it was not just the standard structure that was in use but all the soloists soloed in exactly the same order on every tune.

Thanks, Sidewinder. I'll buy my ticket with confidence. I have CD from a few years back so look forward to hearing this live. Another intriguing one I've just booked into - Evan Christopher at the Marsden Jazz Festival near Huddersfield (about an hour away from me). New Orleans brought to darkest Yorkshire!

Still sailing round the world with the British navy, imposing our will on everyone and nicking anything that comes to hand - just got to the American War of Independence. Alongside: Which is fascinating. I'm not sure how it was written but the style gives the impression of Richards yakking and ghost writer James Fox putting it together - I might be doing Richards a disservice there. Very good on the childhood years - the strength of family and the disappointments at school (some astonishing successes as a choir boy and boy scout patrol leader!!!!). Captures the change from the 50s into to the 60s very well. Have just got to 1963 + and the point where the madness kicked in.

We all have these tics...look at posts on this board and see how we all have standard phrases and words we use regularly in specific contexts. When you come across music that appears to avoid repetition it's all the more wonderful (there's one of my tics); but that doesn't stop the ordinary, recreational listener from gaining immense pleasure from music that might contain all manner of habits. There are other things going on that provide the pleasure (sometimes just the sheer tone of the player). And of course there are a number of styles of music that make a virtue of repetition. One of the things I find appealing about free music is the attempt to avoid such repetition; the trouble is it's a place I only want to go every now and then. I rather like to hear conventional harmony, rhythms and melodic phrases present. Gives me something to hold on to.

That Kenny evening looks very nice. Unfortunately the curse of the festival programme means I've a ticket for David Virelles that night. I did get one of the last tickets for Schneider - never heard an album but read many good things about her and the band. Good luck finding the December gig! (have you officially cast off the chains now?) Hopefully get a chance for a chat before that or at intermission. Schneider is like a lusher form of Gil Evans or late period Bob Brookmeyer (both influences). I find her music spellbinding - she does wonderfully subtle things with Latin rhythms in places. Some people find it a bit 'pretty' but it works for me. Evan Parker is listed on the Wheeler concert and up at the Vortex on the same night. I'm assuming he'll do a bit at the start of the Wheeler at Cadogan Hall and then jog up to The Vortex (hopefully playing the mother of all circular breathing solos on the way). December looks fine - Chris Biscoe/Toni Kofi/Henry Lowther/Kate Williams doing Mingus in Sheffield; Led Bib in Nottingham (not so sure about that one...a bit too 'right-on' for me). And I should find a Messiah somewhere (I've been searchin'....). Yes, as of the end of next Monday I am officially one of Dave and George's favourite people. Expecting my peerage any day. Then I'll start on that moat.

Marvellous disc. As mentioned elsewhere I attended a concert of Welsh Brazilian music last night and the solo piano Pixinguinha number really caught my ears. Luckily this was lying waiting on e-music. Will now have to find a suitable overview of the man himself.

Huw Warren Trio Brasil in Nottingham. Huw (piano), Dudley Phillips (bass), Zoot Warren (Huw's son) (drums). A wonderful evening of arrangements of music from Brasil and none of the usual bossa nova (not that there's anything wrong with that) - dominated by Hermeto Pascoal's music (Warren released an a excellent CD of his music a few years back) but also tune by Guinga, Joyce, Jobim, Chico Buraque and a tremendous piano solo joining of two Pixinguinha pieces. Warren clearly knows this music well, introducing each piece with a brief description of the different styles and sounding as if he could pronounce the names with ease (I don't think I've ever heard the name Pixinguinha spoken aloud before). I'd be intrigued to know how these chaps got so immersed in Brazilian music. Warren and Dudley are part of the wave of musicians that appeared in the 80s with Loose Tubes (though I don't recall either being members). A lot of those players have made up the orchestra for Hermeto Pascoal's visits here (I saw a superb one of those at Cheltenham about 15 years back). I wonder if the influence started with those visits? Great start to the Nottingham Jazzsteps series - I should be able to attend a lot more of these now I'm able to stay awake after 9.00! In fact I'm just four months away from achieving a long held ambition that I've never previously managed - at least one live music concert a month. Just need to get December sorted, even if it's only a carol concert! *********************** Advanced warning of a very nice little concert at the London Jazz Festival on No 19th: EFG London Jazz Festival presents Kenny Wheeler – An Evocation http://www.cadoganhall.com/event/kenny-wheeler-151119/ I'm already down for the Maria Schneider on 17th so couldn't resist this. Have thrown in the rather bizarre Eddie Gomez and the London Sinfonietta on 18th - everything from Frank Zappa to newly written pieces by contemporary composers. A nice little break when the winter is starting to cut in.

Some touristy snaps from London: Three honeypots in one. The old and the new. Can't say I care much for the Albert Memorial but there's something appealing about its glitter contrasted against the blue and cloud of late afternoon. London Bridge Station - Hedge Fund London under construction.

Soup Cans & Superstars: How Pop Art Changed The World - BBC FourNice 90 minute survey for someone like me who knows very little about the subject. Probably a bit glib for those who know this area well.

Absolutely! Kamasi's sold out one of London's bigger concert halls in November. It's a double header with Go Go Penguin, a acoustic piano trio (just signed to Blue Note) who are making big waves here and drawing crowds from a young demographic crossing into dance music. They're a great live experience but one that would probably upset 'the purists' out there as being too popular and populist. That' s entertainment! 100% to both.

Oddball tribute discs number 5673... Son of English squeezebox supremo and folk-rock pioneer John Kirkpatrick takes on Hendrix: Benji Kirkpatrick has a career in various folk bands like Bellowhead (though they are about to disband) and Faustus. I saw him a few years back solo and it was a bit lacklustre - might have been the deadly early afternoon slot when everyone is ready for a nap. But a couple of weeks back with Faustus he was superb. So I'm intrigued by this. (Sorry to anyone who feels I've hi-jacked this thread from its Fairport/Pentangle origins but I'm a bit of an advocate for places the inspiration of those bands (and many other influences) have taken us to today. I love classic era Fairport in particular but feel there's a lot of music that has come after that could well interest admirers of those bands). And talking of John, his WWI/II album is due up soon too: I saw him do a fabulous one man show with this a couple of weeks back. Unfortunately the recording is unlikely to reflect his wonderful onstage wit or the way he recovers from mistakes.

Still doing this clear days and rain in the evening thing. A real monsoon yesterday evening - water butts sorted with lots to spare in various receptacles.

I'm not familiar with Godwin but those images are very striking. I see from linking to that last one it's from around Hebden Bridge. I like this one again from Wiltshire: And this one is iconic for that part of the world:

One of my favourite places - Wheal Coates near St. Agnes in Cornwall. And the amazing transformations of the sea there every fraction of a second:

Nice photos. I'm trying to work out which part of the horse is in the photo. The only curved bit on the Westbury is the tail: and that goes downhill rather than up. Could the photo be from the Eddington horse just over the border in Oxfordshire? Or one of the others. Puzzled as I can't get my head round where the photo fits on the Westbury. (Sorry, I'm a bit obsessed with those horses - memories of travelling to Cornwall in the early 60s when you'd see them on the journey.) At least she didn't do the Cerne Abbas giant! (Edit: now why didn't I just look it up on Google?...it is Uffington - http://www.younggallerysalisbury.co.uk/art-comes-in-many-shapes-and-sizes/) (Edit 2: Noticed you said you climbed up the Westbury, not that the photo was Westbury...just too eager to ramble on about white horses. I will not, however, mention the Andorran White Horse that Northerners have plagiarised in North Yorkshire)

Nice one - never seen that picture before but often checked out that view from there. There's an iron age hill fort (Bratton Castle) at that spot and the village of Eddington just below (plus a cement works creating smoke in place of the train) Where Alfred beat the Vikings! Ravilious seemed quite keen on those horses: There's also the really famous one viewed from inside the railway carriage. On a different subject I was really taken by this one: His paintings from his period as a war artist in WWII are fascinating too.

Fine book! I read that as a 15 year old...had a big impact on me.

Booker Ervin's "Facebook" is due for imminent reissue (or should that now be refreshing?).

"Take the high road … Loch Maree seen from the North Coast 500 route. Photograph: Steve Carter" This is lovely... "The northern lights over the coast of Caithness. Photograph: Graham Mackay" http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2015/aug/23/scotland-north-coast-500-road-trip Good article about a drive along the coast of Scotland. I once did a bit of this from Skye to Ullapool and it was spectacular.

Sort of weather I really like at present. Lots of sun in the day and very warm; then really heavy downpours in the evening (a bit like Singapore!). Forecast up here looks like lots of rain across the week. My water buts need replenishing so I'm OK with that.

This Friday: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01sbxqw Not sure if this has been shown before (it has a 2013 date). Don't recall seeing it. As usual with TV programmes about jazz it seems to take the 'pain' of the 'artist' angle. Dear, oh, dear.

I upgraded to Windows 10 yesterday. Took 20 - 30 mins. No issues whatsoever - everything working as normal, desktop icons all inside their fences. Not too sure what it does differently but it was free (I bought a new PC in April and the upgrade was part of the package).

It is...early evening near Polzeath in Cornwall (where Dave and Sam go for their second holiday of the summer...I kept an eye out for a solitary figure on a cliff edge contemplating dastardly plans but no luck).

Went to the Ravilious exhibition in London last weekend - quite wonderful. Particularly taken by this picture of one of my favourite parts of Britain (it shows the Westbury White Horse carved into the chalk dip slope on one of the beautifully curvaceous hills in Wiltshire).