https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bRneoY4sYk A concert in tribute to Nina Simone. If you have a soul, you won't want to miss this 35-minute video.
jazz
Rising
Icarus Rising The stars must be perfectly aligned just now for London-based jazz saxophonist, Jasmine Myra. She released her second album earlier this month; she is currently on tour in the UK1; and (this is the clincher) one of my sources played an extract from the album for me a couple of weeks ago on…Read more Rising
Recently Released
We've had the snowdrops, the crocuses and the daffodils. Now the daisies and the dandelions are popping up in our lawns. And the beds in the sound gardens are blooming, too. No less than eight tracks from my Spotify Release Radar were added to my online library this week. So I think it's time for…Read more Recently Released
The Omnichord Real Book
Meshell Ndegeocello Hmm. Ominchord. What's that, I wonder? Just a minute, while I look it up ... ... Well, as far as I can make out, it's the electronic equivalent of the autoharp. It was invented by the Suzuki Musical Instrument Corporation in 1981 and was in production throughout the 1980s and 1990s. A new…Read more The Omnichord Real Book
Dormiveglia
Did you know there's a word for that state between sleep and wakefulness when you slip into the world of imagination, but you are not quite dreaming? In fact, there are two words in English: hypnagogia for the transition from awake to asleep, and hypnopompia for waking up. Italian has just the one (as far…Read more Dormiveglia
From a Fading World
There's a programme called "I'm Sorry, I Haven't a Clue" on the BBC's Radio 4 channel. It's a comedy show, described as "the antidote to panel games". In each episode, the host (currently Jack Dee) gives the four panellists silly things to do for no other purpose than to entertain the largely intellectual audience of…Read more From a Fading World
White Buses
White is the colour of innocence and purity. It was the colour of the Red Cross ambulances that brought Scandinavian prisoners of war from Nazi concentration camps to safety in Sweden at the end of World War II. The "White Buses" humanitarian operation rescued 15,345 internees during March and April 1945, including at least 425…Read more White Buses
Omission
Shh ... Don't say a word! This blog's mission is to fill in the gaps ... in your listening and mine. The unintended and unforgivable omissions from our collections must be purged. To that end, I would like to bring to your attention an acoustic guitar track by the jazz musician, Julian Lage. https://open.spotify.com/track/3k5DKMMsGADkmtIVa72D7p?si=88e0f6d4328c4321 A…Read more Omission
Black Classical Music
The lounge TV was tuned in to Later ... with Jools Holland. On the bill were some names I recognised (Róisin Murphy, Nitin Sawhney, Suggs) and some I didn't (Tom Walker, Yussef Dayes, English Teacher). When Jools announced the fourth act, the camera focused on the saxophone player in a 5- or 6-piece band. Taking…Read more Black Classical Music
Directions
Asking directions When you want to phone a friend, you could type their number into the phone and press the call button, but these days you're much more likely to find your friend's name in the Contacts app and click the button there. The phone will look up the number for you and make the…Read more Directions
Crotchety Man 