It seems to me that progressive rock and its close cousin, jazz-rock fusion, have undergone a welcome renaissance over the past two decades or so. Or is it just that modern technology has made it so much easier to find art that rises above the bland, the mediocre and the ugly? It's hard to be…Read more Vimana
fusion
Life Goes On
Musicians may die but their music lives on. Pekka Pohjola was a Finnish multi-instrumentalist and composer born in the same month as the Crotchety Man blogger. He studied piano and violin at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki and, in 1970, joined the progressive rock band, Wigwam on bass. He left to embark on a solo career…Read more Life Goes On
Soften the Glare
A Couple of Unrelated Things Before We Start ... Robert Fripp posted a very moving tribute to Bill Rieflin on his Facebook page this week. Bill was a drummer and keyboard player who became part of the wider King Crimson family. He succumbed to cancer on Tuesday. Burning Shed is offering a free download of…Read more Soften the Glare
Some Things Must Last
The Crotchety A.I. Engine™ is not quite sure what to make of the phrase "some things must last". Clearly, some things do last longer than others. Even in this modern age of fleeting sound bites and disposable goods the mother-in-law's visit drags on much longer than any son-in-law can be expected to endure. Diamonds, of…Read more Some Things Must Last
Duel of the Jester & the Tyrant
It was tempting to put photos of Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn at the top of this post but I couldn't decide which of them was the jester and which the tyrant. So, after the disaster of last Thursday's General Election in the UK, Crotchety Man is withdrawing from politics until such time as the…Read more Duel of the Jester & the Tyrant
The Sad Story of Lead and Astatine
Lead is the stable end-product of three major nuclear decay chains. In fact, it has the highest atomic number (82) of all the non-radioactive elements. Astatine, on the other hand, is so unstable that it is the rarest naturally-occurring element in the Earth's crust. Its nucleus is so fragile that only microscopic quantities of the…Read more The Sad Story of Lead and Astatine
Flow
By definition, fluids flow. Steam rises from a boiling kettle, spring water spontaneously cascades down the mountainside. And when you hear a particularly fluid jazz lick you can be sure the band has achieved that indefinable quality of musical 'flow'. It's what all musicians strive for, when the notes spill out without bidding, floating in…Read more Flow
But Wait … There’s More!
For this Album of the Month I was tempted to say simply, "see last month's post". You see, this is another review of a progressive rock live album by a band that has been around for more than 40 years and has recently found an astonishing new vitality. This time the band in question is…Read more But Wait … There’s More!
Earthworks/All Heaven …
Sit up straight and pay attention, everyone, because if you don't what follows will be terribly confusing. For this Album of the Month piece I'm going to review two albums by Bill Bruford's Earthworks. Yes, Smithers minor, this is cheating but it provides a partial solution to a difficult problem. You see, I am very…Read more Earthworks/All Heaven …
Tears in Heaven
While idly browsing the Web the other day, with my Release Radar playing in the background, my thoughts were hijacked by a bluesy bass solo. I knew immediately that it was something by Colin Hodgkinson. It had to be him because nobody plays bass like Colin Hodgkinson. Switching to the Spotify window I saw the…Read more Tears in Heaven
