In recent weeks I have bought a couple of really interesting albums. The first, John Coltrane’s “Both Directions at Once” is a ‘lost’ album from Coltrane recorded in 1963 during a time when he was in and out of the studio a lot. It has been hyped as a recording session that has coherence and … Read more
If I said to you that a performance comprising a string quartet plus a folk band with two sisters singing and clog dancing brought the audience to its feet with a massive cheer at the end of a ten minute song just before the interval – you might not believe me. Read on. It’s always … Read more
It’s been a while since I posted a quick summary of the music I am listening to. If you have been reading my blog for a few years (yes, you at the back with your eyes closed!) you will know that I am mad about music and have pretty diverse tastes. So, for what it’s … Read more
I mentioned in an earlier post about Speed Reading that I am trying to increase the speed at which I read and be much more focused about getting the most out of reading. So far this year I have read 18 books. The pace has gone up in the last few weeks. Of course, some … Read more
Subtitled, ‘Manafon Variations‘, this album takes tracks from David Sylvian’s last album and combines them with new ones. The songs are restructured from the voice upwards using two different approaches. For some of the songs, the composer Dai Fujikura has developed string pieces. Working with a string quartet, but using treatments and microtonal layers together … Read more
I spend a lot of time travelling by car. It’s not unusual for me to spend up to 20 hours a week in the car. That’s why I listen to lots of podcasts as well as music. One podcast I have been listening to for over a year now which shrinks journeys and has me … Read more
There’s this idea which I subscribe to that if we spend too much time looking at the TV, it saps our imagination. All the work on building images in our head is done for us by the image on the screen. So, we just go into passive mode. Well, if you want to reconnect with … Read more
Back in the mid-70s when I was at school, a friend of mine (hi, Peter) gave me a tape which had on it an album by Jan Garbarek and one by Keith Jarrett. This was the beginning of an obsession with the music to be found on the ECM label. I have continued to be … Read more
Do you ever buy tickets for something, think it’s a good idea at the time, then have serious second thoughts as the date looms? I saw this event recently – the Poet Laureate for the UK appearing at a reading in the Wirral. It seemed too good an opportunity to miss. But on the night, I was … Read more
Regular readers of my blog over the last few years will know that I love the music of David Sylvian and have been a big fan since the early days of Japan back in the 70s. His solo career has been an eclectic and diverse mix of albums with a stunning array of musicians from … Read more