Blue Jasmine - New Woody Allen movie

Last night I ventured out to catch the new movie written and directed by Woody Allen.

'Blue Jasmine' tells the story of a failed socialite who has fallen on hard times following the unfaithfulness and financial failure of her husband. She moves in temporarily with her less well to do sister and clearly struggles coming to terms with her change in fortunes.

The title character is brilliantly played by Cate Blanchett who must surely gain some sort of award for this superb portrayal of a woman on the edge. It is one of the best performances I have seen in quite some time, yet the supporting cast must also take some credit. As for Allen himself, well my opinion is that with this script and direction, he has shown that at 77 years of age, he can still produce the goods. Perhaps his best work is yet to come.

I strongly recommend that you see 'Blue Jasmine' if you can.

The White Room Playlist #2

For much of this week I have been laid low with what I am told is a heavy head cold. Personally I think it is a virulent form of 'man-flu'.

Anyway every cloud..... as they say. The time has given me the opportunity to catch up on some of the outstanding books I referred to recently. Also, I have as always been listening to music.

This week the playlist has been mainly:

VII by Blitzen Trapper of which more later.

Live at The Academy of Music 1971 by The Band and what a fine band they were.

Nothing Can Hurt Me (Movie Soundtrack) by Big Star

Wise Up Ghost & Other Stories by Elvis Costello & The Roots

Another Self Portrait by Bob Dylan (The Bootleg Series Vol 10). Self Portrait is still a pretty duff album but the takes on the first two CDs of this collection demonstrate that Dylan may just have started Americana way ahead of its time.


All very enjoyable. Consequently my pain and suffering have been eased considerably.

Breaking Bad

In previous posts I have made reference to a couple of TV dramas which I thought might reach the dizzy heights set by the likes of 'The West Wing' and 'The Wire'. I soon lived to regret my words which were to say the least, premature. One of these was 'Arne Dahl' which I abandoned after two episodes. Another was the first season of the French drama, 'The Returned' which I stuck with to the end and quite enjoyed, but it was not in the same league as the aforementioned US dramas.

I erred on the side of caution therefore when I began watching 'Breaking Bad' on the recommendation of my eldest son. I was impressed but thought better of making such rash statements as I had uttered regarding 'The Returned'. Now I am nearing the conclusion of the third season and I am blown away by it.

If you are not familiar with it or have not begun watching then I don't wish to give anything away but the storyline concerns a chemistry teacher (Walter White, superbly played by Bryan Cranston) who is diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. Realising he has little time remaining in which to raise money to support his family, he embarks on the manufacture and sale of methamphetamine.

Needless to say things do not go entirely according to plan but I shall reveal no more.

The series was created by Vince Gilligan and is set in Alberquerque, New Mexico. The settings and soundtrack are atmospheric, the story lines are strong and the scripts and acting are superb. I wonder then why no one I speak with has watched it - or, in many cases, even heard of it. Perhaps this is to do with the fact that it is broadcast on the AMC Cable Network.

Whatever the reason, it appears that word is spreading fast and my views (and those of my son) are vindicated by the fact that the show won the award for best TV drama at the 65th Emmy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles.

If you are a fan of great dramas I suggest you catch it soon. You can thank me later.

Books#5 - Riding Some Kind of Unusual Skull Sleigh by W.C Bamberger

Despite being published in 1999, it is only fairly recently that I became aware of the existence of this book which documents the career of the late great Don Van Vliet, otherwise known as Captain Beefheart. Obviously the book therefore covers much of the same ground as works by John 'Drumbo' French and Mike Barnes.

Where this book differs is that it not only deals with the musical legacy of Captain Beefheart, but also goes on to discuss the later artistic work of Van Vliet. Despite the fact that this is what sets the book apart from its contemporaries, in my view it also diminishes the book somewhat.  Although the author attempts to give some detailed information about the drawings and paintings, this is no substitute for actually being able to see the works and sadly they are not included here. Perhaps this was due to copyright constraints or to keep publication costs down. Whatever the reason, it resulted in me finding the latter third of the book less interesting.



That aside, I found the book to be well written and the early sections about the life and work of Captain Beefheart were well researched and well presented. Now I'm about to move on to 'Lunar Notes' by Bill Harkleroad (Zoot Horn Rollo). I will report on that in due course.

Waiting To Be Read

The stack of books waiting to be read is slowly rising. I really need to find more time for such things but despite my wishes there are still only 24 hours in a day.

As you will see, the stack includes two books on the subject of Captain Beefheart and 'Harvest' which is one of the books shortlisted for the 2013 Man Booker prize.

It's raining today so I think I'll switch the coffee machine on and dive in.

Red Squirrels Drive Slowly

While walking in the North Pennines yesterday I spotted this roadside sign.

And there was me in my ignorance, not knowing that they could drive at all.

Barter Books - Keep Calm and Carry On

Having written recently about the delights of Barter Books in Alnwick, I was fascinated by this interesting video which tells the story of the World War Two propaganda slogan Keep Calm And Carry On, and it's association with Barter Books.

Besides telling the story of the Keep Calm campaign, the video features some stunning shots of Barter Books.

Have a look and you will see why I adore the place.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrHkKXFRbCI

Books#4 - The Alan Bown Set - Before and Beyond by Alan Bown & Jeff Bannister

After leaving his position as trumpeter with The John Barry Seven early in 1965, Alan Bown went on to form The Alan Bown Set in May of that year.

Originally operating as a six piece band with organist Jeff Bannister taking most of the vocal duties, they played clubs and colleges up and down the country. For the most part, their repertoire was made up of jazz, blues and soul covers and they attracted a similar audience to their contemporaries, Georgie Fame & The Blue Flames and Cliff Bennett & The Rebel Rousers.

Impressed by a young singer from the Midlands who sang with The Shakedown Sound, Bown decided that he was the best white soul singer he had ever heard. His name was Jess Roden and he was quickly recruited to the Alan Bown Set making them a seven piece band.

It was at around this time that I became aware of the band either through seeing them live at Newcastle's Club-A-Gogo or through hearing an album which featured them performing live at London's famous Marquee Club on 25 September 1966. The album was called 'London Swings' and featured Jimmy James & The Vagabonds on the first side and The Alan Bown Set on the second.

I was hooked!

Over the next six years the band made a handful of albums for various record labels. The name was changed to The Alan Bown! and during this time Jess Roden departed and was replaced by another fine young singer named Robert Palmer. Eventually the band broke up in July 1972.

This excellent book was written by Jeff Bannister in collaboration with Alan Bown himself. It covers all of Bown's career and gives a fascinating insight into life in a band in the 1960's. Published in 2007 by Banland Publishing Ltd, the book is in hardback and is printed on very good quality glossy paper. It is perhaps aimed at those who are already fans of the band and features some interesting anecdotes including how Jess Roden came to leave the band. Nevertheless I'm sure many of the contents will appeal to all music fans of that era.

Spanish Rainbow

The sunshine and walks in Spain were brought to an abrupt end on our penultimate day when we were treated to some rare rain. A full day of it to be precise. Nevertheless we occupied ourselves in other ways and when we ventured out for a meal on our last evening, I was able to capture these rather splendid views of a rainbow over the newly refurbished church in San Miguel.

Forthcoming Albums - Blitzen Trapper and Midlake

During a year in which we have experienced some wonderful new albums, news has reached me here in Spain that there are another two to look forward to in the next couple of months. Or, am I being overly optimistic?

In the case of Midlake, I fear this may be the case. I consider their 2006 album, 'The Trials of Van Occupanther' to be one of the finest albums of the last 10 years. However the 2010 follow-up, 'The Courage of Others' in my view failed to reach quite the same heights.

Following some internal struggles, main singer (and songwriter) Tim Smith has departed and November will see the first release with the newly diminished lineup. The album is to be called 'Antiphon' and the title track is available to stream on a number of websites and to download for free on the band's own site. http://www.midlake.net/

On the basis of that one track, I suspect this could be a return to form, but we shall wait and see.

I don't recall how I became interested in Blitzen Trapper but it must have been at around the time of their eponymous debut album in 2003. Since then I have followed their progress avidly and I have the view that they quite possibly get better with each release. The quality of their output is certainly not  diminished by their high productivity - six albums in eight years!

Late September sees the release of their 7th album, appropriately but unimaginatively titled, 'VII'. They have also chosen to preview the album by streaming a track 'Ever Loved Once', a contemplation of small town romance set against a backing of pedal steel guitar, banjo and plaintive harmonica. Check out their website here.  http://www.blitzentrapper.net/

Yet another pair of albums to look forward to in a year which keeps getting better and better.

What Are The Chances of That??? - Steven Wilson clashes with These New Puritans

I'm currently enjoying sunshine, walks, fine scenery and the occasional ice cold cerveza in Spain but thought I'd share this little item with you.

As you will know if you have read earlier posts, I have been particularly impressed by two albums this year. They are 'The Raven That Refused To Sing and Other Stories' by Steven Wilson and 'Field of Reeds' by These New Puritans.

Back in March I learned that Wilson was playing at one of my all time favourite venues, Newcastle City Hall on Friday 18 October. I wasted no time in purchasing my ticket.

Now, I have discovered that These New Puritans are commencing a UK tour and will be playing The Sage in Gateshead on......
Yes, you guessed it - Friday 18 October!

I mean what are the chances of that?

They are also playing in Leeds on Wednesday 16 October so I may just have to hop in the car and drive there. The things we do eh?

Anyway as they say here in Spain, hasta luego.