Back in the dim, distant days of my youth, the school made us play rugby in the autumn, cricket in the summer, and go on cross-country runs in the winter term. Now, the Crotchety Lad was a bit of a swot and not very sporty at all. Distance running, in particular, I hated. It would…Read more Running
classical crossover
Where Is Home (Hae Ke Kae)
Crotchety Man watched Later ... with Jools Holland on the TV the other night. There was the usual mix of styles, centred around pop singer/songwriter and pop/rock bands. But one artist stood out. A very black countenance in a sea of Anglo-Saxon faces. A classical cellist among massed electronic instruments. Traditional African dress among conventional…Read more Where Is Home (Hae Ke Kae)
Bloom
Roses bloom, algae may bloom, and musicians bloom sometimes, too. Yazz Ahmed, trumpeter and flügelhorn player, has been blooming since 2011, when she released her debut album, Finding My Way Home. This Track of the Week is from her second album release, La Saboteuse (2017). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHDayLZdPIY The general style of Yazz Ahmed's work is ambient…Read more Bloom
Potter’s Daughter
There's something mesmerising about a potter's wheel. In the 1950s, the BBC used a short film of a potter as an interlude (reputedly during breakdowns and when moving cameras from one studio to another). He didn't seem to be making anything in particular. His blob of clay rose from the turnable to become a tall…Read more Potter’s Daughter
Chalk and Coal
Here in the UK when we want to emphasise that two things are very different we might say, "They are like chalk and cheese". It's a snappy phrase but are chalk and cheese really so different? Wouldn't "chalk and coal" turn up the contrast in our mental imagery more effectively? Perhaps that's what they say…Read more Chalk and Coal
Crotchety Man 