recent discoveries in the world of alice coltrane ('... and bathed in the ganges river...')
Alice Coltrane Live At The Berkeley Community Theatre 1972
featuring alice coltrane (mostly on wurlitzer), ben riley on drums, charlie haden on bass, aashish khan on sarod, pranesh khan on tabla and bobby w. on tamboura.
'I don’t know any more than you what you are about to read’ - gustave flaubert, memoirs of a madman (part of his juvenalia, which he referred to as opuscules historiques ), chapter 1.
and so it is with horsemouth, he gets up, gets a cup of coffee and starts typing.
he consults his diary so that he doesn’t forget to include any useful material from the day before.
sometimes he will move things around, but he doesn’t make a plan first.
memoirs of a madman comes with a short story bibliomania - in the one we have a madman writing a book, in the other, a man mad about books (a bookseller). bibliomania is set in a thinly imagined barcelona.
yesterday horsemouth went back through his blogposts trying to find the ‘poems’ he had compiled together commonplace book style - he wrote them into his notebook for the upcoming musicians of bremen album (perhaps he will make use of them there).
‘here my memoirs really begin’ - gustave flaubert, memoirs of a madman, chapter 9.
Friday, 19 July 2019
Thursday, 18 July 2019
Johnny Clegg RIP
for horsemouth there's two tunes by Johnny Clegg that really reach him.
'third world child' appears in 'saturday night at the palace' a 1987 film by robert davies featuring bill flynn, john kani, and paul slabolepszy. it's apartheid south Africa, two white trash dudes show up at roadside dinner late at night as it is closing and demand to be fed, the black dude working there just wants to go home, confrontation ensues.
you know it's not going to end well.
in an earlier scene bill's character has been thrown out of his house for not paying the rent, this tune plays as he walks off up the road because it's the dilemma of afrikaans youngsters also 'learn to speak a little english'.
(thanks to luzette and richard for taking horsemouth to the movie)
the other is from the apartheid days when johnny clegg and sipho mchunu couldn't play payed gigs together only private invite parties in people's homes - and even doing this risked attacks from the state and random racists. horsemouth always found the acoustic guitar that opens a lot of zulu jive tunes amazing (insane and a little bit frightening), this one in particular blows his mind.
'third world child' appears in 'saturday night at the palace' a 1987 film by robert davies featuring bill flynn, john kani, and paul slabolepszy. it's apartheid south Africa, two white trash dudes show up at roadside dinner late at night as it is closing and demand to be fed, the black dude working there just wants to go home, confrontation ensues.
you know it's not going to end well.
in an earlier scene bill's character has been thrown out of his house for not paying the rent, this tune plays as he walks off up the road because it's the dilemma of afrikaans youngsters also 'learn to speak a little english'.
(thanks to luzette and richard for taking horsemouth to the movie)
the other is from the apartheid days when johnny clegg and sipho mchunu couldn't play payed gigs together only private invite parties in people's homes - and even doing this risked attacks from the state and random racists. horsemouth always found the acoustic guitar that opens a lot of zulu jive tunes amazing (insane and a little bit frightening), this one in particular blows his mind.
Sunday, 14 July 2019
'all we have is what we remember'
horsemouth has acquired a copy of flaubert’s juvenalia memoirs of a madman from outside a charity shop in a remarkably efficient kidnapping operation. (‘may I?’ ‘thank you.’ gone)
he was on his way to see stick in the wheel at the union chapel (together on two tracks with the britten sinfonia)
the britten sinfonia first - young people playing classical music respect, in this case classical music inspired by folk themes- first off milhaud (pronounced me-O not mill-hoed as horsemouth would have imagined) and an excerpt from le bœuf sur le toit, a brazillian flavoured thing (nice and lively - horsemouth’s favourite) originally intended for a jean genet cabaret , next two movements from pelléas et mélisande (fauré) which perfectly made the argument of why romantic impressionistic french music had to die. there were other things but horsemouth forgets them - a piece based on a sea shanty which people sang when they weren’t playing. a piece by percy grainger (mock morris? no relation) and later a newly comissioned piece from josephine stephenson (horsemouth and howard, philistines that they are, bailed before this).
and the two tracks of stick in the wheel with orchestral arrangements - counted off (perhaps a little approximately) by ian from stick in the wheel - (for it was just an ian and nicola gig) these (roving blade and over again -or is horsemouth’s memory failing him) were nice enough but didn’t add that much to what was there.
horsemuth has listened to roving blade through - someone has put up a clip on facebook - and it improves on subsequent listenings.
the problem with folk songs as sources for classical pieces (opines horsemouth) is that they are strophic (if horsemouth has got the term correctly), they have a tune which is repeated with only small variations to accommodate the words, they tend to be modal rather than fitted with all the gears and gubbins of keys and key changes and the like. consequently they do not develop well, it is a real challenge to find an arrangement that does not drown the tune in soup nor simply repeat what is there indiscriminately. this, unless they are ballads with tons of lyrics, makes folk songs short - so a couple of these all in a row can become much of a muchness very quickly.
between these two tracks a stick in the wheel set (with just nicola and ian) - it ended with a piece with an electronic backing track (to no great avail sad to say), witch bottle was great (the best thing in H+H’s opinion, being that strange thing, a folk song about a material item), weaving song, the cruel ship’s captain, me n becky, the blind beggar of bethnal green. ian was making some use of violin bow on guitar (jimmy page style) which was good. horsemouth regrets not liking the electronic piece more but in truth he likes the band set up (though he does admire their attempts to find new things, new ways of doing it).
-----------------
thereafter horsemouth and howard adjourned to a nearby pub for two pints of expensive modern beer and then home. horsemouth walked there and back (so the exercise was good), later sean came round to visit, sean thinks theresa may should not be counted out yet - that she’s the narasimha rao of british politics (this is just a wonderfully contrarian opinion).
he was on his way to see stick in the wheel at the union chapel (together on two tracks with the britten sinfonia)
the britten sinfonia first - young people playing classical music respect, in this case classical music inspired by folk themes- first off milhaud (pronounced me-O not mill-hoed as horsemouth would have imagined) and an excerpt from le bœuf sur le toit, a brazillian flavoured thing (nice and lively - horsemouth’s favourite) originally intended for a jean genet cabaret , next two movements from pelléas et mélisande (fauré) which perfectly made the argument of why romantic impressionistic french music had to die. there were other things but horsemouth forgets them - a piece based on a sea shanty which people sang when they weren’t playing. a piece by percy grainger (mock morris? no relation) and later a newly comissioned piece from josephine stephenson (horsemouth and howard, philistines that they are, bailed before this).
and the two tracks of stick in the wheel with orchestral arrangements - counted off (perhaps a little approximately) by ian from stick in the wheel - (for it was just an ian and nicola gig) these (roving blade and over again -or is horsemouth’s memory failing him) were nice enough but didn’t add that much to what was there.
horsemuth has listened to roving blade through - someone has put up a clip on facebook - and it improves on subsequent listenings.
the problem with folk songs as sources for classical pieces (opines horsemouth) is that they are strophic (if horsemouth has got the term correctly), they have a tune which is repeated with only small variations to accommodate the words, they tend to be modal rather than fitted with all the gears and gubbins of keys and key changes and the like. consequently they do not develop well, it is a real challenge to find an arrangement that does not drown the tune in soup nor simply repeat what is there indiscriminately. this, unless they are ballads with tons of lyrics, makes folk songs short - so a couple of these all in a row can become much of a muchness very quickly.
between these two tracks a stick in the wheel set (with just nicola and ian) - it ended with a piece with an electronic backing track (to no great avail sad to say), witch bottle was great (the best thing in H+H’s opinion, being that strange thing, a folk song about a material item), weaving song, the cruel ship’s captain, me n becky, the blind beggar of bethnal green. ian was making some use of violin bow on guitar (jimmy page style) which was good. horsemouth regrets not liking the electronic piece more but in truth he likes the band set up (though he does admire their attempts to find new things, new ways of doing it).
-----------------
thereafter horsemouth and howard adjourned to a nearby pub for two pints of expensive modern beer and then home. horsemouth walked there and back (so the exercise was good), later sean came round to visit, sean thinks theresa may should not be counted out yet - that she’s the narasimha rao of british politics (this is just a wonderfully contrarian opinion).
Wednesday, 10 July 2019
please pardon horsemouth (he’s a little slow today)
please pardon horsemouth (he’s a little slow today). he was out drinking last night and so today he’s feeling a little fragile (and typing very badly). he’s had his coffee. he’s had his shower. he really has no excuse.
on the positive side horsemouth was up early and has spent the morning learning what he thinks of as the sequencer part on debussy’s pagodes (hopefully transposed correctly to a different key). it arcs up and down (in a 12/8 sort of way). he thinks he has a way of recording it to click by using the habanera like vamp of the first two bars and the offbeat/ onbeat? f-g cluster as a constant.
he’s got a non-standard tuning bflatfdggd than enables him to do this. he's playing it n the resonator at the moment.
he’s worked out a way of playing the sequencer part in two parts (but not yet a way of playing it all at once) and he’s worked out some pseudo-sudanese runs to go with it. that just leaves - well er... quite a bit really.
perhaps he can get it done and recorded for the next musicians of bremen album
Sunday, 7 July 2019
horsemouth (and howard) through the looking glass
after much effort (well none at all actually) horsemouth and howard made it through the looking glass and into the new london (down at the tides festival in north greenwich).
horsemouth arrived first (by tube) - there was a woman djing an african music selection at the first stage and some house music at the second stage. there were friendly helpful security people everywhere and pale ale vans with 50 uses and then recycleable plastic cups (one pound deposit - 5.50 a pint). there were crafts and food stalls (horsemouth assumed he was too poor for these and so had had breakfast and lunch before he came out).
the sun shone and people milled about wondering where the entertainment was. the festival was in honour of a new elevated walkway - horsemouth walked it - it was elevated.
by the time howard had arrived (by bus through a tunnel) it had all gone quiet again - they had a beer and wandered back and forth a bit. they sat in some deckchairs and watched some art videos and then a guy djing. humanity you were beautiful but, judging by the noise you made with the mass of djembes left out, you have no sense of rhythm. eventually they decided to go for a walk down the river towards the thames barrier and kill time until the main acts - they wandered through the last remaining bit of industry and then found the anchor and hope pub and had a pint of bitter and a packet of crisps there.
then they wandered back and saw a little of sudan archives (violin and backing tracks decent) and then a pause and then mulatu astatke - a venerable old ethiopian jazz musician (with lots of young dudes).
horsemouth dug it (and the crowd dug it), those horn chants are really memorable and there were some great 3 rhythms. the sound was quite spiky - horsemouth had to retreat from the speakers. in the end howard needed food - so they went and got some humous and bread at the tescos and then off to their various homes.
horsemouth’s friend jenna’s band (bad wives) were playing that night (but horsemouth was too knackered to go).
will horsemouth go back next week for oumou sangare? howard was saying no - horsemouth he’s not sure (the alternative is walthamstow garden party but the queues there are always horrendous).
saturday morning stick in the wheel are playing (that’l be good). howard had mentioned a film called the l-shaped room when horsemouth was in it was on telly so he watched it. today is cold and grey and rainy - there’s supposed to be a picnic (but horsemouth can’t see it really).
horsemouth arrived first (by tube) - there was a woman djing an african music selection at the first stage and some house music at the second stage. there were friendly helpful security people everywhere and pale ale vans with 50 uses and then recycleable plastic cups (one pound deposit - 5.50 a pint). there were crafts and food stalls (horsemouth assumed he was too poor for these and so had had breakfast and lunch before he came out).
the sun shone and people milled about wondering where the entertainment was. the festival was in honour of a new elevated walkway - horsemouth walked it - it was elevated.
by the time howard had arrived (by bus through a tunnel) it had all gone quiet again - they had a beer and wandered back and forth a bit. they sat in some deckchairs and watched some art videos and then a guy djing. humanity you were beautiful but, judging by the noise you made with the mass of djembes left out, you have no sense of rhythm. eventually they decided to go for a walk down the river towards the thames barrier and kill time until the main acts - they wandered through the last remaining bit of industry and then found the anchor and hope pub and had a pint of bitter and a packet of crisps there.
then they wandered back and saw a little of sudan archives (violin and backing tracks decent) and then a pause and then mulatu astatke - a venerable old ethiopian jazz musician (with lots of young dudes).
horsemouth dug it (and the crowd dug it), those horn chants are really memorable and there were some great 3 rhythms. the sound was quite spiky - horsemouth had to retreat from the speakers. in the end howard needed food - so they went and got some humous and bread at the tescos and then off to their various homes.
horsemouth’s friend jenna’s band (bad wives) were playing that night (but horsemouth was too knackered to go).
will horsemouth go back next week for oumou sangare? howard was saying no - horsemouth he’s not sure (the alternative is walthamstow garden party but the queues there are always horrendous).
saturday morning stick in the wheel are playing (that’l be good). howard had mentioned a film called the l-shaped room when horsemouth was in it was on telly so he watched it. today is cold and grey and rainy - there’s supposed to be a picnic (but horsemouth can’t see it really).
Monday, 1 July 2019
books, gigs, films, events june 2019
books
- ministry of pain - dubravka ugresic
- birth of our power - victor serge
- nova swing - m.john harrison
- illuminations - walter benjamin, (introduction (hannah arendt), task of the translator, the storyteller, franz kafka, brod on kafka)
- bringing it all back home - ian clayton
- a voice in the chorus - abram tertz
- londinium - cameron bain/ max 'crow' reeves
- road to wigan pier - george orwell (not finished)
- kierkegaard (introductions and dips)
- masquerade (dips) and institute banjamenta (started)- robert walser
- my imprisonments -silvio pellico (started)
gigs
- 5th anniversary of the death of cameron bain poetry recital
- leigh folk festival saturday: leigh orpheus mae voice choir, the jones boys, mains'l haul, daisy bowlers, umbrella factory, masal, belinda kempster and fran foote, broomdasher, hoy shanty crew, sharron kraus and band.
record, visit parents, work training, jam with minty, much walking (leyton, stratford, walthamstow etc.)
Sunday, 30 June 2019
the orpheus of leigh-on-sea
so who did horsemouth and howard see?
well first they had to get there. and at west ham station they had their first mishap (accidentally buying an extra ticket there (don’t ask). it was a hot day - possibly the hottest of the year so far - a good day to be out of london and away to the seaside towns. the train traveled through the glories of essex - heavily subscribed with people off to southend.
howard and horsemouth got off at leigh-on-sea and wandered up the hill.
main stage - leigh orpheus male voice choir and a cup of tea to celebrate their arrival, then down to the lower library gardens for the jones boys (fields of athenry from the all ireland squeezebox accordion champion and a mandola player), then mains'l haul - the first shanty crew of the day, then back up to the main stage for daisy bowlers (double bass, guitar, triangle - la vie en rose, charlestons such like but very competently done and with a lot of charm. by this point they’d cracked and got some beer - back down to umbrella factory, a guitar and mandolin duo - great version of one more cup of coffee, then back up to see masal (you will remember horsemouth saw them last year), then back down to see a barbershop group (sorry gentlemen horsemouth has forgotten your name).
by this time horsemouth and howard were pretty much immobilised with the heat - despite their judicious acceptance of any shade available.
then three good acts on the trot.
first belinda kempster and fran foote - the stick in the wheel backing singer and her mum doing traditional essex songs - they tried to get the audience singing the refrains (but no joy) - a john barleycorn that they opened with was probably the best known, then broomdasher six voices excellent harmony work, then the hoy shanty crew (one of whom had to go and lie down mid-set) and horsemouth’s favourite rolling down the river. kitty macfarlane was setting up but horsemouth and howard awayed to sharron kraus and band which howard announced his favourite thing of the festival...
er. and that was pretty much them -
they departed in search of shade and food - finding pizza (decent) and then more shade in a weatherspoonsish pub. (and then back to the wen).
today at leigh it’s more folky (united bible studies etc.) but horsemouth is taking it quietly.
well first they had to get there. and at west ham station they had their first mishap (accidentally buying an extra ticket there (don’t ask). it was a hot day - possibly the hottest of the year so far - a good day to be out of london and away to the seaside towns. the train traveled through the glories of essex - heavily subscribed with people off to southend.
howard and horsemouth got off at leigh-on-sea and wandered up the hill.
main stage - leigh orpheus male voice choir and a cup of tea to celebrate their arrival, then down to the lower library gardens for the jones boys (fields of athenry from the all ireland squeezebox accordion champion and a mandola player), then mains'l haul - the first shanty crew of the day, then back up to the main stage for daisy bowlers (double bass, guitar, triangle - la vie en rose, charlestons such like but very competently done and with a lot of charm. by this point they’d cracked and got some beer - back down to umbrella factory, a guitar and mandolin duo - great version of one more cup of coffee, then back up to see masal (you will remember horsemouth saw them last year), then back down to see a barbershop group (sorry gentlemen horsemouth has forgotten your name).
by this time horsemouth and howard were pretty much immobilised with the heat - despite their judicious acceptance of any shade available.
then three good acts on the trot.
first belinda kempster and fran foote - the stick in the wheel backing singer and her mum doing traditional essex songs - they tried to get the audience singing the refrains (but no joy) - a john barleycorn that they opened with was probably the best known, then broomdasher six voices excellent harmony work, then the hoy shanty crew (one of whom had to go and lie down mid-set) and horsemouth’s favourite rolling down the river. kitty macfarlane was setting up but horsemouth and howard awayed to sharron kraus and band which howard announced his favourite thing of the festival...
er. and that was pretty much them -
they departed in search of shade and food - finding pizza (decent) and then more shade in a weatherspoonsish pub. (and then back to the wen).
today at leigh it’s more folky (united bible studies etc.) but horsemouth is taking it quietly.
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