Happy 70th Birthday Robert Wyatt

A very happy 70th birthday to Robert Wyatt born on this day in 1945.

It was nice to see that BBC Radio 3's 'Jazz Line' celebrated the event last week with a feature on Wyatt. Also included were four pieces of his music, 'Shipbuilding' followed by the three tracks that make up side one of the superb, 'Rock Bottom'.

You can listen to the programme  for the next 26 days by following this link.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0505jhy

Also I see that his biographer Marcus O'Dair contributed a piece to The Guardian yesterday.
That can also be read online via this link.
http://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2015/jan/27/robert-wyatt-at-70-happy-birthday-old-rottenhat

Wyatt may have ceased making music but what a legacy he has left for us to enjoy. Today I'll raise a glass to him and give 'Comicopera' a spin.

Happy birthday Old Rottenhat.

Jonathan Yeo Portraits Exhibition at the Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle

Yesterday I paid a visit to Newcastle's Laing Art Gallery to see the Jonathan Yeo Portrait Exhibition and how pleased I am that I did. Although I have seen a few of his works reproduced in magazines and on posters, nothing quite prepared me for how stunning they are 'face to face'.

 



What particularly struck me was the range of different styles and techniques that Yeo utilises. 

Compare for example the portrait of Michael Parkinson which uses bold blocks of colour to recreate those familiar features, 










......and then study the wonderful smooth flesh tones on the portrait of his daughter Tabitha.

Also featured are several of Yeo's notebook sketches and a very good breakdown of how his portrait of Damien Hirst was created. Fascinating stuff.

The exhibition is running at the Laing until 15th February so if you happen to be in Newcastle I strongly recommend a visit.

The Magic of the FA Cup

The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly referred to as the English FA Cup, has been in existence since 1871 and during it's history it has become synonymous with so called 'giant killing' acts when the minnows of non-league or lower division teams take on and beat the so called big-boys of English football.

Every year seems to bring it's share of such shocks but I don't think I can ever recall a weekend like this one. After second division Cambridge United gained a very creditable draw with Manchester United on Friday evening, earning them a well deserved and profitable replay at Old Trafford, we then saw a host of even more surprising results on Saturday.

Premier League Swansea  were beaten by Championship side Blackburn Rovers, and were reduced to 9 men in the process. Sunderland also lost to a lower division side, Fulham and Liverpool were held to a draw by Bolton Wanderers, who are also languishing in a mid table Championship position. An even greater surprise came in the form of the 2-0 defeat suffered by Premier League Champions, Manchester City to Championship high fliers Middlesbrough. And that defeat came at City's home ground.

The greatest surprise of the afternoon came however at Stamford Bridge where Chelsea were beaten 4-2 by Bradford City, a team who are two divisions below Chelsea - a total of 49 league places. The result was all the more surprising for the fact that Chelsea are currently looking unbeatable and are clearly firm favourites to win the Premier League title this season. This was a major shock indeed.

Yet it is not the above facts that make this in my view the greatest ever giant killing act in FA Cup history. Those facts do not reveal the undeniable truth that 38 minutes into the match, Chelsea were leading comfortably 2-0. One can only imagine the kind of determination and grit that enabled the eleven players of Bradford to pull themselves back into the game and then rather than defend a drawn position to allow them a replay back on home turf, but to actually take the game to Chelsea and secure an historic win. It was a performance of staggering proportions and will go down as probably the greatest fete in the long illustrious history of this competition.

The magic of the FA Cup is surely alive and well and long may it continue.

POSTSCRIPT
As a lifelong supporter of Manchester United I should add that with Chelsea, Manchester City and numerous other top teams out of the competition, rarely in recent times have United had a better chance to win the trophy. But first they have to overcome Cambridge in a replay. Much as I love to see giant killing acts I can only hope that Cambridge have had their moment of glory and that United prevail. Perhaps they should get some tips from Bradford City - and then of course avoid Bradford in the next round..

The Decemberists - What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World

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Books #18 Remembered for a While (an authorised companion to the music of Nick Drake)

This substantial (over 400 pages) hard back book came my way at Christmas but I am only now beginning to find the time to sample its many delights, beginning with the wonderfully solid cloth bound covers and the reassuringly glossy pages.

It is not a biography of Nick Drake (for that I suggest the work by Patrick Humphries, despite it containing some inaccuracies) but rather an attempt to cast light on the short life and work of Nick. This is done by initially reproducing correspondence between Nick and his family and friends. While others may have delved into periods of Nick's life by speaking with people who were there at the time, this correspondence captures the very essence of Nick in that time and place. And what comes across is a family loving boy/man with a great sense of humour and an unshakable faith in his own musical ability. In short, it is not the shy, insecure depressive that he was later to become.

He writes to family of his 1966 travels to France, Spain and Morocco and the letters read like a modern day travel log full of interesting descriptions and insights into the places he visited and people he met. This correspondence has been provided by Nick's sister, Gabrielle who adds her own personal reminiscences of Nick, as do numerous other friends, acquaintances, musicians and critics. Together they provide a far better insight into the early life of this young man than anything else I have read on the subject.

 
Later there are details of his songwriting and recording as well as some detailed analysis of his music. Add to all of this some truly wonderful previously unseen photos and one begins to get an insight into just what a great book this is.

Currently I am only about 90 pages into the book but I am totally absorbed. It is going to take me some time to get through the whole work but thankfully it is the kind of book one can delve into in parts, serving as a wonderful companion to his musical legacy.

As I make my way through the book and discover new things, it may be a subject I return to from time to time.

Charlie Hedbo

If only this was true

Slowlight Quartet and Not Now Charlie at The Cluny, Newcastle

I was eagerly anticipating my trip to Newcastle's Cluny 2 on Thursday evening to see again the wonderful Slowlight Quartet, having discovered them in June last year. On this occasion £5 got me not only my ticket but a download of a four track live EP. Now that's what I call value for money.

For the uninitiated, the Slowlight Quartet comprise of Paul Lorraine on piano, Jonathan Marriott on drums, Ian 'dodge' Paterson on standup bass and Tom Quilliam on saxophone and they play jazz. But forget the long self indulgent solos you may be used to, as this locally based combo perform their own melodic compositions. I personally liken them to the Neil Cowley Trio but with the added bonus of saxophone. True, Paul Lorraine may not be as extrovert as Cowley and Ian Paterson's beard does not rival that of his counterpart Rex Horan (whose does?) but musically to my ear they match the more famous and successful trio note for note. 

So, we were treated to a collection of tunes both old and new including 'Shifting Ground', 'Iris', 'I Want To Live Long' and a superb 'Walking Spanish'. Then came the crunch when it was revealed that composer Paul Lorraine would be relocating to Bristol. No more Slowlight Quartet I thought! However the good news is that they plan to continue performing together and additionally a new project called Slowlight will feature the other three plus occasional guest vocalists. 

To demonstrate how this might work they invited their first support act, local singer/songwriter Laurie Shepherd on stage to sing a couple of numbers with them. I have to say that the sound they produced bodes well for the future.

Finally they reverted to the usual quartet for an encore which ended with their 'greatest hit', the wonderful 'In Flight', a track which made it onto my best of 2014 compilation CD. I'm already eagerly looking forward to their appearance at the Jazz Cafe in May.











Besides Laurie Shepherd who gained extra brownie points for playing a self penned song 'Two Moons' inspired by Haruki Murakami's superb novel, '1Q84', the band were also supported by another melodic jazz outfit. In the wake of the tragic events in Paris this week, their name Not Now Charlie was curiously apt. I suspect however that it has more to do with Charlie Parker than Charlie Hebdo. Or it might just be to do with Thomas the Tank Engine.

Whatever the story is behind the name, this five piece band of young men could certainly play, belying the fact that this was only their second public engagement following their appearance at the Gateshead Jazz Festival last year. Featuring Jamie Toms on saxophone, Richard Campbell on piano, Liam Gaughan on electric bass, Dave McKeague on drums and Pawel Jedrzejewski on Fender Stratocaster guitar (not an instrument you usually associate with jazz music) they have, I believe, all graduated from Sage Gateshead's BMus Jazz Popular and Commercial Music Degree Programme. And it shows!

The great songs they performed included 'MCT', 'Five Degrees' and 'Russian Girl (Who Speaks No English)'. 

Now, thanks to the Slowlight Quartet, I have discovered another young group who I shall be avidly following in the future. It's fantastic to see that we have such talent on our doorstep. And all for little more than the price of a pint!

Caption Competition #1

In North Korea, Kim Jong Un gets his first mellotron lesson.











                             "And after this note, you sing 'Let me take you down cos I'm going to......'"



Sorry I just couldn't resist.

Amsterdam

I spent the early part of the new year enjoying the various delights that Amsterdam has to offer. 

Including of course some wonderful walks by the canals in beautiful winter sunshine.

The city has, as you will know, an abundance of cultural places to visit and high on my list was the house on Jodenbreestraat in which the painter Rembrandt resided for almost a decade from 1639. Thanks to an inventory taken in 1656, the custodians have been able to recreate the furnishings along the same lines as they would have been in Rembrandt's time. His studio has also been faithfully recreated.

It was a fascinating tour.

I am less of a fan of the work of Van Gogh yet when in Amsterdam, a visit to the Van Gogh Museum is an absolute must.

I confess that despite my reservations about his work, I found the experience very informative and I came away with a better understanding of how his work developed during his short lifetime.



The most moving part of our visit to Amsterdam was at the Anne Frank House, where we were allowed to wander through the rooms and hidden annexes occupied by Anne and her family from 1942 until their arrest in August 1944. Thanks to original photographs, multimedia presentations and extracts from Anne's diary, we were given a fascinating glimpse into the lives of the people in that house during those terrible times.

A more serene and peaceful atmosphere was experienced when we visited the Begijnhof which despite being in the centre of the city, offers a secluded calm atmosphere. Accessed through a narrow passageway, this secluded courtyard dates back to the 14th century. It was originally a sanctuary for a Catholic sisterhood who lived as nuns despite never taking monastic vows. Now these beautiful houses are still occupied by single women,

In the southern corner of the courtyard is the 15th century English Church which is still used as a Presbyterian church to this day.

Amid that peace and quiet, it was difficult for us to believe that were in the centre of a bustling and vibrant city.

Of course being Amsterdam, we saw thousands of bikes....

And of course, tulips and clogs. 
















The visit wouldn't have been complete without a canal cruise... 




















And seeing more of that wonderful architecture.

A beautiful and friendly city which I must return to soon.

Best Music of 2014 - The Compilation CD

I'm currently catching up on myself after having spent four very enjoyable days in Amsterdam. 

Rather belatedly here is my selection of tracks representing about 80 minutes of what I consider to be the best music of 2014.

1.  I'll Sing It - Tweedy
2. Out of Pawn - Anais Mitchell
3. Knock Knock Knock - Spoon
4. Irene - Pere Ubu
5. Lateness of Dancers - Hiss Golden Messenger
6. Grand Canyon - Drive-By Truckers
7. I Just Might - Ryan Adams
8. An Ocean in Between the Waves - The War on Drugs
9. In Flight - Slowlight Quartet
10. Temporary Ground - Jack White
11. Slow - Leonard Cohen
12. The Love You Save - Jolie Holland
13. Couch Slouch - Neil Cowley Trio
14. Dogs - Sun Kil Moon
15. Protection - Lucinda Williams.

I'm already looking forward to some great music in 2015 with word of forthcoming albums from The Decemberists and Steven Wilson.