Jazz singer, piano player, songwriter and a resident of Saffron Walden: for the hell of me, I can’t figure out why I’ve never seen Joanna Eden live, an oversight I am determined to correct. (Why, she even did perform at R A Butler School last year!) I came across her debut album, A Little Bird Told Me, in Saffron Walden library. It is a beautiful collection of standards (God Bless The Child, Night and Day) and originals, such as I Don’t Smoke and Father’s Day (this latter still gives me goose bumps). For me, her version of Sea Journey is even better than Chick Corea’s.
Monday 20 July 2009
A Little Bird Told Me
Saturday 18 July 2009
One Hundred Views of Mt. Fuji
A few years ago, I ordered the hardback edition of this book from the Amazon Marketplace. The book promptly arrived from America. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a paperback. I have contacted the seller who not only immediately ordered the refund from Amazon but, to my surprise, asked me to keep the book. Which was very nice.
From the age of six I had a penchant for copying the form of things, and from about fifty, my pictures were frequently published; but until the age of seventy, nothing that I drew was worthy of notice. At seventy-three years, I was somewhat able to fathom the growth of plants and trees, and the structure of birds, animals, insects, and fish. Thus when I reached eighty years, I hope to have made increasing progress, and at ninety to see further into the underlying principles of things, so that at one hundred years I will have achieved a divine state in my art, and at one hundred and ten, every dot and every stroke will be as though alive. Those of you who live long enough, bear witness that these words of mine prove not false. Told by Gakyō Rōjin Manji |
Friday 17 July 2009
Father Ted
Father Ted was aired on Channel 4 between April 1995 and May 1998. Incidentally, that was the time we were living in Leeds and actually had a TV set, but it was not until 1998 when I saw the show for the first time. It was the first episode of Series 3, Are You Right There, Father Ted?, shown a week later than planned out of respect to Dermot Morgan. The whole series is excellent but that particular episode is still one of my favourites.
Thursday 16 July 2009
Five Peace Band Live
Two of the jazz fusion pioneers, Chick Corea and John McLaughlin, in one band, captured live, and a psychedelic cover. Need I say more?
Perhaps I do. The musicians are of the highest calibre: Kenny Garrett on sax, Christian McBride on bass, and Vinnie Colaiuta on drums, plus a guest appearence of Herbie Hancock (In A Silent Way / It’s About That Time). It’s all highly enjoyable stuff, but I liked McLaughlin’s compositions, Raju, New Blues, Old Bruise and Señor C.S., the most. At times, they sound like The Mahavishnu Orchestra of thirtysomething years ago, but more wise and relaxed. Closing the double-CD set is a gentle surprise, Someday My Prince Will Come, the duo of electric guitar and acoustic piano.
Wednesday 15 July 2009
Beryl Cook: The Bumper Edition
Have a look inside: this is an undispensable book. Beryl Cook was a genius and this Bumper Edition has 300+ of her best paintings. Better still, each painting is accompanied by a humorous text of just right length. A lesson of style for all ye fellow bloggers.
Tuesday 14 July 2009
La Semilla Escondida
The first album of Sergent Garcia I ever got, and (imprinting and stuff) it remains my favourite. Not a single weak song here.
Monday 13 July 2009
Il y a longtemps que je t’aime
Yes, another French movie. It is very minimalistic. It develops slowly; there are no special effects, no flashbacks, no dramatic music. No sentimentality. ‘Only’ brilliant acting — of course, by Kristin Scott Thomas, but brilliant acting throughout. Lise Ségur is wonderful as P’tit Lys. A lot of sadness, but also quite a few humourous scenes. I would drop the end-credits song though.
Sunday 12 July 2009
The Big Weekend
Today was different. It was about 35 of us at the Main Stage on Parker’s Piece The Big Weekend thing. Sitting in front of the stage, Yuri and Timur looked thoroughly bored. So would be I, if I had to watch more or less the same show three times in a row. But this afternoon, while going to the playground, they had a discussion between themselves. Apparently, they appreciated our show(wo)manship after all, especially the bit when “they were waving the sticks above their heads”. (It was quieter a bit, for sure.) In any case, they had no choice but listen to us, so they could as well enjoy it.
Friday 10 July 2009
Night Lights
In mid-’80s, a friend of mine brought me a vinyl record of Gerry Mulligan from (then) East Germany. It remains my favourite album of Mulligan, and probably my favourite cool jazz record of all time. It has a beautiful interpretation of Chopin’s Prelude in E Minor; one of the best versions of Manhã de Carnaval ever; and Mulligan’s own masterpiece, Festive Minor.
I do not know what happened to that vinyl — most likely, it is still in Moscow. I had it on tape for a number of years until, couple of years ago, I bought the Japanese “vinyl replica” paper sleeve CD.
Thursday 9 July 2009
Bahamut
I first learned about the band called Hazmat Modine about three years ago from this review (complete with two songs!) in Rock Paper Scissors. So I got the album and introduced a few of my friends to it. It starts with blues and proceeds through variety of sounds and genres, and forms an unlikely harmonious whole. This live version of Bahamut was shown on Russian television. (Funnily, until I saw it, I pictured myself the singer as a big African-American guy, a bit like Howlin’ Wolf.)
Wednesday 8 July 2009
Diving Girls
I believe the sole purpose of the cover photo of this book by Jo Mazelis is to induce a male reader to buy this book. Or at least to borrow it from the library. In any case, the trick worked on me. Some of the stories are mildly disturbing, all are remarkable and none is like another. My favourites here are Flock, Too Perfect, The Diving Girls and Siriol. This last reads as a pure fiction, but apparently (as I just learned) both “Siriol, She-Devil of Naked Madness” and “Loelia, World’s Most Tattooed Lady” are the paintings by Peter Blake (who is never named in the story). A work of the master.
Tuesday 7 July 2009
The Commitments
A novel by Roddy Doyle, music by Wilson Pickett, directed by Alan Parker. What else could you wish for? I think The Commitments is the funniest — and the rudest — of all Parker’s movies. I suppose the only place you could look for ruder dialogue is the novel itself. The whole audition sequence is simply brilliant.
Monday 6 July 2009
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs 3-D
Yesterday, we went to see Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs with kids. I think Ice Age 2 was awful and feared that Ice Age 3 will be even worse, if that is possible at all. It turned out much better than I expected. It probably makes the best use of ‘3-D’ effect in animation I’ve seen so far. On more than one occasion, the plot gets too ridiculous to be funny, even for a sequel. But the dialogue is quite good, and the whole thing is very entertaining for both kids and adults alike. The new character, Buck the crazy weasel (Simon Pegg), is the best.
Saturday 4 July 2009
Arco Iris @ Harston
So... I think it went rather smoothly, considering that it was my first gig with Arco Iris. I am looking forward for more of that. Watch this space.
P.S. A dialogue at the drinks stall.
“A pint of beer, please.”
“Sure. One Pimm’s here!”
“I did not ask for a Pimm’s. Do I look like a bloody Pimm’s drinker?”
“Sorry, mate. It’s your hat.”
Friday 3 July 2009
Balancê
This was the first song and video of Sara Tavares I ever heard, and I loved it instantly — I think I ordered the album the very same day. The music is both catchy and gentle, even understated. It was not until last year when I saw the other side of Sara Tavares. We were on holidays in Figueira da Foz last August and, by some coincidence, she was playing in Casino da Figueira da Foz on 21 August. The concert started at 11 pm and went until 1 am or so. I thought I knew what to expect — I did expect it to be good. I did not expect it to be awesome. As the encore, the band played another (reggae!) version of Balancê. Somehow it was completely different song. There was no understatement any longer. Everybody was standing and swaying and singing and dancing. I had never seen so many happy people before.
Thursday 2 July 2009
Balanço
Early evening of 9 May 2008, as I was rather aimlessly wandering around Berlin, a dark-haired lady stepped in front of me and addressed me in English. Without much ado, she asked: “Are you free tonight?” As a matter of fact, I was. Not that she left me any time to respond. “Because, you see,” the leaflet was thrusted in my hand so I would see, “there is a jazz concert tonight, and I’d love you to come.” Wow. Was it written on my face that I would be interested? “It is not far from here,” she said, waving her hand somewhere in the behind-my-back direction. (Incidentally, the building just behind my back was Beate Uhse Erotik-Museum. But no, the gig actually was in Quasimodo, Berlin’s oldest jazz club.) “See you tonight at 10.”
That’s how I found myself at the concert of Deodato Siquir & Balanço which was a part of the Copenhagen in Berlin (!) Jazz Festival. “So, you did it after all.” The brunette sounded pleasantly surprised. Apparently, she did a great job: the cellar of Quasimodo was full. And deservedly so.
Balanço is the name of the band as well as Deodato Siquir’s debut album (good thing I bought it then and there: it does not seem to be available at Amazon), and the wonderful salsa-like title song.