Roots by Vincent Van Gogh Many years ago now there was a regular light entertainment program on the radio†. It included a series of comedy sketches, one of which purported to answer listeners' questions on just about any subject relevant to contemporary living. There might be questions on important issues in art or politics, for…Read more Roots
jazz
Straight Path
Save every tree as if it's the last Let's go travelling today. We'll take the Straight Path all the way to Lahore in Pakistan. There we will meet a band called Jaubi that amalgamates Indian classical music with western jazz. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0K_h1K0T2s This track sounds very much like something by Alice Coltrane. The scales and the…Read more Straight Path
Isolation
Fed up with Covid restrictions? Longing to get back to the old normal? Well, here's an album that will put a spring in your step and banish those isolation blues to the musty pages of the history books. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_laIbzhC50SwNk5dui0F639xGE9D0jpy2c The Backstage is a band born in adversity. When Steve Hackett's U.S. tour was cancelled last…Read more Isolation
Spice, Gold and Tales Untold
Undeciphered eyes of amber ... A few days ago an email dropped into my inbox from Ana Patan offering a free download of her recently released album, Spice, Gold and Tales Untold. There was no mention of that artist in the Crotchety Vaults and she offered no description of her music, just the briefest of…Read more Spice, Gold and Tales Untold
Ocelot of Salvation
2021 has started on a high note. This blog has already mentioned three artists who were new to me until this year (Siv Jacobsen, The Staves and Noisy Diners). This week's Release Radar has continued the trend, introducing the Old Man to two more (Lau, Yasmin Williams), while Burning Shed has added Lifesigns to the…Read more Ocelot of Salvation
Answer Me
This week Spotify offered to tell me what I have missed this year. They had already done all the work for me; there on the home page was a playlist titled Missed Hits. My search for a track-of-the-week would be easy this time - there were bound to be one or two worthy candidates lurking…Read more Answer Me
Order! Order!
Looking through my recent 'likes' I see several pieces worthy of a mention in these pages. So it's time for another playlist, methinks. But how do you choose the order of the tunes? Are there any rules? Or does it just come down to personal preference? And what happens if you get them horribly out…Read more Order! Order!
Stimela
National Railways of Zimbabwe class 15A 4-6-4+4-6-4 'Garratt' steam locomotive no. 410 'Inkolomi' (built by Beyer Peacock in 1950) at Heany Junction, Zimbabwe, with a coal train, 29th July 1992. Never use two words where one will do. That's what they tell aspiring writers. So let's use the South African word for "coal train" -…Read more Stimela
The Rite of Strings
When we talk about a string trio we usually mean violin, viola and cello: acoustic instruments playing chamber music in a broadly classical style. But substitute a guitar for the viola and a double bass for the cello and you get a stringy creature with a rather different complexion. Then, if you electrify the violin…Read more The Rite of Strings
Mediterranean Sundance
For some of us the social distancing rules that Covid-19 has brought about are torture and the self-isolation rules are a prison. The virus itself is a black cloud that dampens our spirits and darkens our moods, a devilish presence that constantly haunts our souls. But there is a silver lining. We have had to…Read more Mediterranean Sundance
