30 aprile 2020


Per la riedizione dell'incredibile omaggio audiovisivo al concerto di Robert Wyatt (e amici) l'8 settembre 1974 al Theatre Royal Drury Lane di Covent Garden a Londra si è ancora una volta superato Shlomo Polonsky, aggiungendo al suo Little Red Concert documenti e ulteriori dettagli, affinando suoni, animazioni, elementi narrativi e personali allusioni nella ricostruzione pressoché integrale dell'evento. E Wyatt se ne è detto commosso...

https://my.mail.ru//mail/shin-pey/video
https://tinyurl.com/y7m28oo9
https://www.hibou-anemone-bear.com/shlomo

29 aprile 2020


Phil Howitt va a ripescare Him Through Me, il libro di Pamela Windo pubblicato in proprio qualche anno fa, e lo consiglia caldamente a nuovi lettori dal suo spazio web The Canterbury scene(zine) continued...: "This is not particularly a book for the nitpicking Canterbury purist, it is instead a compelling read which I raced through in less than 24 hours – its real framework is the ultimately tragic story of two interlinked individuals set against wider larger cultural references such as the moon landings, the deaths of the three J’s (Morrison, Joplin and Hendrix), the exit from Vietnam, the Silver Jubilee and the punk phenomenon, whilst quotes are pulled from various wider literary contexts to embellish the points made. Ultimately this is a riveting, refreshingly personal read, with so much to commend it. And an essential addition to your bookshelf."

Disse Pamela a suo tempo: "Him through Me is a portrait and a love story, set in the days when we “made love, not war.” It is a celebration of the energy and innocence of the late sixties and seventies, and, because he died too young, ends as an elegy. Though he was a minor player in the rock-star hierarchy, Gary lived life in a major key, and made an indelible impression on everyone he met. He was a hard taskmaster but a good husband and a caring and inspiring father. He had an unstoppable urge to teach and encourage, and was both a man of the times, and ahead of them."

http://www.pamelawindo.com
https://www.facebook.com/pamela.windo
https://www.hibou-anemone-bear.com/pamela+windo
https://canterburyscene.com/2020/04/27/him-through-me-pamela-windo

28 aprile 2020


Ed è sempre Klanggalerie a promuovere affettuosamente il ricordo dello scomparso Hardy Fox, producendo una delle raccolte espressamente indicate dall'autore per essere pubblicate dopo la morte: Killing Time.

Hardy Fox was the primary composer of The Residents. He created an incredible body of work, using all kinds of names other than The Residents, amongst them Combo De Mechanico, Sonidas De La Noche, Dead Eye Dick, Charles Bobuck or Black Tar And The Cry Babies. Hardy first stopped touring with The Residents due to health issues. Soon afterwards, he left the group completely to concentrate on his solo work. After several albums as Charles Bobuck (later only Bobuck), the name given to him when still a member of The Residents, he later dropped all pseudonyms to work as Hardy Fox. His first self-titled solo recording was an album full of minimal love songs, a portrait of the young Hardy Fox. The second, Nachtzug was about his last days touring with The Residents. It was followed by Rilla Contemplates Love, a concept album about the thoughts and feelings of a gorilla. A week before his death, Hardy recorded the very touching farewell recording to his fans, 25 Minus Minutes. During the last months of his life, Hardy submitted several recordings to be released after his death. Killing Time is one of them.

http://www.klanggalerie.com/gg329
https://klanggalerie.bandcamp.com/album/killing-time

27 aprile 2020


Per lodevole iniziativa di Klanggalerie esce per la prima volta in cd, restaurato e ampliato, l'album di Officer! dall'irresoluto titolo Yes Yes No No Yes No Yes, assemblato tra Francia e Inghilterra nel cuore degli anni Ottanta da Mick Hobbs con l'aiuto di Bill Gilonis, Claudia Schmid, Antoine Gindt, Daniel Koskowitz, Felix Fiedorowicz e Keisuke Matsui.

https://mickhobbs.com
https://mickhobbs.com/discography/yes-yes-no-no-yes-no-yes
http://www.klanggalerie.com/gg316

26 aprile 2020


Bigiotteria, accessori, lustrini, spillette & conchigliette, perfino qualche gioiello autentico: Family Fodder riapre i suoi scrigni...

https://familyfodder.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/familyfodder
https://thequietus.com/family-fodder-interview

25 aprile 2020


Tutti a sentire Bob Drake stasera, canterà e suonerà in diretta FB dal suo studio a La Borde Basse, Caudeval (Francia) per amici e ammiratori ovunque: "I'll play a bunch of songs live in my studio for all my friends wherever you may be. Not quite the same as playing for friends around the fire in the garden, or at a nice little pub, but we do what we must!"

https://www.facebook.com/events/519629712059707

24 aprile 2020


Quando lo scrittore si affida alla musica: "Couldn’t write anything today so made some music instead. Not exactly Beethoven but it captures my current mood." Jonathan Coe, Lockdown.

https://soundcloud.com/user-112781549/lockdown

23 aprile 2020


A mantenere caro il ricordo delle vicende Soft Heap, se ce ne fosse bisogno, ci pensa uno dei protagonisti stessi, Mark Hewins, ripescando tra audiocassette d'epoca due concerti del 1982 e riproponendoli tramite Bandcamp: "Body, mind and soul all become ridiculously stretched in the rarefied world of touring with a band. Every person who has ever been 'on the road' has fantastic stories to tell of outrageous happenings and weird occurrences that couldn't possibly be thought of by even the most skilled of storytellers. There are many stories associated with Soft Heap, a living branch of Soft Machine. Although I cannot (due to the obscenity and libel laws) relate many of the things we got up to, I can tell you it was fun." Con Hewins c'erano Elton Dean, John Greaves e Pip Pyle. A rigore, Soft Jemp.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soft_Heap
https://markhewins.bandcamp.com/soft-heap-lives-dunois-paris-1982
https://markhewins.bandcamp.com/soft-heap-lives-ferme-nord-1982

22 aprile 2020


A mantenere alto l'umore ora e sempre - anche da morto, sottolinea il titolo - ci pensa il benamato Ivor Cutler, con un breve ep di inediti di gioventù curato da Hoorgi House: Singing While Dead. "Dwelling in death I can do what I want, so I have decided to offer some songs in my immortal younger voice."

https://offthetracks.co.nz/ivor-cutler-singing-while-dead
https://www.discogs.com/Ivor-Cutler-Singing-While-Dead
https://hoorgihouse/ivor-cutler-singing-while-dead

21 aprile 2020


A mantenere vivo l'interesse di curiosi e appassionati di musica di ricerca e improvvisazione provvedono da Chicago anche John Corbett e Jim Dempsey, associandosi all'Experimental Sound Studio per promuovere a distanza una serie di performance diffuse online quasi giornalmente (The Quarantine Concerts) o raggruppate in sequenza come in forma di festival (Sequesterfest). Tra i partecipanti finora Ken Vandermark, Arto Lindsay, Ikue Mori, Joe McPhee, David Grubbs, Chris Corsano, Tyondai Braxton, Ab Baars & Ig Henneman, Andy Slater, Nick Fraser, Zeena Parkins, Mats Gustafsson, Susana Santos Silva e Thurston Moore.

http://www.corbettvsdempsey.com/2020/04/01/sequesterfest-vol-1
http://www.corbettvsdempsey.com/2020/04/13/sequesterfest-vol-2
https://ess.org/the-quarantine-concerts

20 aprile 2020


Doveva uscire in tutt'altra forma l'edizione di quest'anno, la decima, di Amplify, la serie di concerti che Jon Abbey di Erstwhile Records organizza a intermittenza in varie sedi internazionali fin dal 2001. Invece si trasferisce sul web, facendo di necessità virtù: "On March 12, 2020, as the world was increasingly forced into isolation, we began planning the online Amplify 2020: quarantine festival. On March 20, 2020, we began posting newly recorded pieces from sound artists around the world and we plan to continue to do so until the world situation has taken a decided turn for the better, no matter how long that may take. Here is a list of the pieces published so far along with direct links to send musicians money, in the hopes that this will make it easier for listeners to help musicians directly. Please use the Wetransfer links if you can as the Bandcamp ones cost us a few pennies each time." Tra i partecipanti della prima ora ci sono Will Guthrie, Mazen Kerbaj, Mike Cooper, Leo Okagawa, Vanessa Rossetto, David Grubbs, Jason Lescalleet, Lucio Capece, Keith Rowe, Burkhard Beins, Graham Lambkin, Sean Meehan e Taku Unami.

https://amplify2020.blogspot.com
https://www.facebook.com/groups/545321229469172
https://tuskisbetter.substack.com/p/interview-jon-abbey

19 aprile 2020


Doveva uscire in un album allegoricamente dedicato alle fatiche di Eracle, assieme ai contributi di undici altri gruppi o singoli tutti sotto mentite spoglie. Ma visto che non se ne farà niente, Andy Partridge ne consegna al mondo almeno la versione provvisoria: Cavegirl, da attribuire eventualmente a The Candy Coat Hook.

https://burningshed.com/store/ape

18 aprile 2020


Doveva uscire oggi in vinile in occasione della giornata mondiale per la salvaguardia dei negozi di dischi, ma questa è stata rinviata al 20 giugno. Intanto si può seguirne in video le fasi di produzione: è la collaborazione tra Magma e Christophe Chassol, con un'esuberante ripresa di una sezione di un celebre brano vanderiano, Zombies.

https://www.facebook.com/DisquaireDay
https://www.facebook.com/groups/252189641550411
https://www.facebook.com/fipradio/videos/641737866373886

17 aprile 2020


La berlinese Staubgold ristampa in vinile il celebre singolo Launderette di Vivien Goldman, prodotto nell'infuocata estate dub del 1981 da John Lydon e Keith Levene, con Adrian Sherwood a prendersi invece cura del lato B, Private Armies, brano anch'esso piuttosto noto negli anni del Rock Against Racism. Alla riuscita di Launderette, in parte erede dell'esperienza Flying Lizards, diedero un contributo anche Steve BeresfordVicky Aspinall e Robert Wyatt.

https://www.viviengoldman.com
https://www.viviengoldman.com/music-3
https://staubgold.bandcamp.com/album/launderette
http://www.staubgold.com/en/album/154/resolutionary-songs-1979-1982

16 aprile 2020


E' disponibile solo in digitale il nuovo album di Chris Biscoe in quintetto con Pete Hurt, Liam Noble, Steve Watts e Jon Scott: Wobbly Rail Five. E' accompagnato da un dipinto di Kate Westbrook. Lo si acquista tramite Bandcamp e buona parte del ricavato va a sostegno di un'associazione britannica che si prende cura di donne e bambini vittime di violenza domestica.

https://www.chrisbiscoe.co.uk
https://chrisbiscoe.bandcamp.com/album/wobbly-rail-five
https://www.refuge.org.uk

15 aprile 2020


Una serata al Peanuts Club londinese, a metà anni Settanta, con Mike Osborne e amici: Elton Dean, Alan Skidmore, Harry Beckett, Marc Charig, Harry Miller e Louis Moholo. Permette di riviverla Jazz in Britain: "Hopefully, you'll appreciate it not as a historical musical document from 45 years ago, but as music that sounds as fresh and exciting - and just as much fun - as it did back then. Welcome to a Friday night jam session of the avant garde!"

https://jazzinbritain1.bandcamp.com/album/live-at-the-peanuts-club

14 aprile 2020


Un concerto che ne prevedeva la partecipazione, ma che si è invece trasformato a sostegno di Louis Moholo-Moholo in un momento difficile per la sua salute. Era il 9 marzo 2020, poco prima del lockdown, al Vortex londinese: c'erano Foxes Fox (Evan Parker, John Edwards, Steve Beresford e Mark Sanders); Caroline Kraabel in duo con Pat Thomas e 5 Blokes (Jason Yarde, John Edwards, Alex Hawkins e Mark Sanders). Lo si ascolta tramite Bandcamp.

https://vortexjazzclub.bandcamp.com
https://vortexjazzclub.bandcamp.com/foxes-fox
https://vortexjazzclub.bandcamp.com/caroline-kraabel-pat-thomas-duo
https://vortexjazzclub.bandcamp.com/album/5blokes

13 aprile 2020


Le copie in cd sono ormai tutte esaurite, ma se ne trova la versione in digitale tramite Bandcamp: è l'album che Confront Recordings ha prodotto del concerto al Cafe Oto londinese di Julie Tippetts e Mark Wastell. Era il 17 gennaio 2017: Unraveling the Waterfall.

Strikingly sparse and meditative percussive duo from esteemed vocalist Julie Tippetts and Mark Wastell. Both equipped with a wealth of percussion but perfectly restrained, the pair are near-still, bright and clear at first, until the surface of their glistening sound begins to prickle and rush with an unseen current. Tippett's voice effortlessly matches the bellows of the Wastell’s shruti box, and its gentle drone highlights her natural vocal warmth. Intimate, explorative and intuitive, each note struck or sung is turned over gently, explored, and put back down to rest - like a rare find in a rock pool.

https://www.confrontrecordings.com/tippetts-wastell
https://confrontrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/unraveling-the-waterfall-2
https://www.hibou-anemone-bear.com/Unraveling+the+Waterfall

11 aprile 2020


Un filmato di Westbrook lo pubblica al suo nuovo canale YT anche l'Artchipel Orchestra, a ricordare l'incredibile versione di A Bigger Show prodotta insieme a Milano il 30 giugno 2016: con l'euforica Orchestra diretta da Mike - e Ferdinando Faraò in postazione batteristica - c'erano Kate Westbrook e Pete Whyman. Physical bodies and lovers galore, friends!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Z5TFui9oM4
http://area-m.it/event/mike-westbrook-companys-a-bigger-show
https://www.westbrookjazz.co.uk/sai/flowpaper/SAI104

10 aprile 2020


Un antidoto alla crisi. Prende il via oggi presso il WestbrookJazz Notice Board la pubblicazione di rari e inediti filmati che ritraggono Mike Westbrook con le varie formazioni della Band o dell'Orchestra avvicendatesi sotto la sua guida nel corso dei decenni: The WestbrookJazz Moving Picture Show.

In an attempt to fill the gap left by the cancellation of ‘live’ performances during the current crisis and to keep in touch with friends and supporters in many countries, we will be screening films from the WestbrookJazz archive. These will include films of concerts, theatre and TV shows and documentaries, many of them rarely, if ever made public before. From the Brass Band of the 1970s to the Uncommon Orchestra of the present day, Moving Pictures will build up a picture of the musical adventures and many configurations of the Westbrook Band over four decades. The first screening will be on Friday April 10th from 11.30am (U.K. time) on the WestbrookJazz Notice Board. Each new item will remain on the site indefinitely.

https://www.westbrookjazz.co.uk
https://www.westbrookjazz.co.uk/smithsboard/index.shtml
https://vimeo.com/user39335043

09 aprile 2020


(Hal Willner, 1956-2020)



08 aprile 2020


Torna disponibile in edizione rivista ed ampliata l'album che Piero Chianura e Luciano Margorani - ovvero La 1919 - composero nel 1994 per Materiali Sonori radunando brani registrati in varie occasioni assieme a Chris Cutler, Charles Hayward Roberto Zorzi (e anche con Angelo Avogadri, presente in questa nuova selezione): Jouer. Spielen. To Play (reloaded).

https://www.discogs.com/La-1919-Jouer-Spielen-To-Play
https://la1919-jouer-spielen-to-play-reloaded

07 aprile 2020

06 aprile 2020


Mai in oltre vent'anni aveva mancato l'appuntamento, quello della prima domenica del mese, per ritrovarsi a suonare in concerto. Oggi che le circostanze lo impediscono la London Improvisers Orchestra si fa viva in altro modo, producendo sotto la guida di Caroline Kraabel un brano collettivo, We Stay Apart Because We Love Each Other. Love Is Stronger Than Greed, costituito dai contributi individuali di molti suoi componenti. Ciascun intervento dura venti secondi, più o meno il tempo consigliato per svolgere l'azione più sensata del momento assieme a quella di socializzare a distanza: lavarsi bene le mani.

Scrive Caroline: "For over 21 years the London Improvisers Orchestra has been rehearsing and performing large-group free and conducted improvisations on the first Sunday of each month, working on a frayed shoestring and the goodwill of its illustrious improvising musicians and faithful old and new audiences. For the first time since 1998, the first Sunday of April this year will not see an LIO concert. Because we and you are in isolation, together. This piece has been devised, collected and collated from solicited 20-second (recommended handwash length) recordings by musicians from the London Improvisers Orchestra. Most of the segments are necessarily solos, but musicians who are in isolation together have also provided duos and (in one case) a trio. Where musicians have provided segments of a length other than 20 seconds, I have left them as sent, for a luxurious and varied handwashing experience." E aggiunge: "Our thoughts are with LIO members who have been ill, and with the family of LIO musician Carole Finer."

05 aprile 2020


Allievi d'età più giovane potranno invece impiegare il tempo cimentandosi con stile - e insieme compiere una buona azione - con le tavole da colorare che Andrew Swainson e Andy Partridge hanno appositamente tratto dalla collezione Psurroundabout Ride dei celebri Dukes of Stratosphear.

The current situation with the Covid-19 virus is affecting every single person on the planet. While many will struggle as a consequence, there are those who were already having difficulty putting food on the table before it all went crazy. With most of us currently sealed into our houses, some with children to try and keep entertained, Andy Partridge and I have put together a colouring book of the illustrations from the recent Dukes of Stratosphear Psurroundabout Ride collection. Each book features 8 images for you to colour in, is immediately downloadble in PDF format for you to print at home and costs just £1. In addition to that, each purchase will be entered into a raffle to win a rather splendid XTC/Dukes “care package” when this all blows over. All proceeds from the sale will be split equally between food banks in Swindon and the High Peak area of Derbyshire.

https://www.andrewswainson.com/store/dukesfundraiser

04 aprile 2020


In tempo di scuole chiuse e di lezioni a distanza gli allievi dell'University of East London hanno avuto occasione di dialogare in videoconferenza con i docenti Yumi Hara Cawkwell e Guy Harries approfondendo le dinamiche cooperative e le implicazioni di uno dei lavori già affrontati in passato e tuttora oggetto di loro studio, Conspiracies. In collegamento c'era anche l'autore, Chris Cutler, che a proposito di interpretazione, conduzione, istruzioni e partiture grafiche ha indicato tra gli esempi quelli di Cage, Cardew, Morris, Zorn e Frith.

https://www.uel.ac.uk/staff/c/yumi-cawkwell
https://www.uel.ac.uk/staff/h/guy-harries
https://www.uel.ac.uk/centre-for-performing-arts-development
https://youtu.be/mVBuGcQp1po
https://youtu.be/sIBNm3h_WUY

03 aprile 2020


Delle musiche di Phil Miller, oltre ai seminari condotti da Fred T Baker, si ha insegnamento diretto consultando le carte e le indicazioni che il chitarrista stesso ha lasciato di sue parecchie composizioni: Calyx, Second Sight, Green and Purple, Above and Below, Eastern Region, Truly Yours, Digging In, Your Root 2... Sono tutte in Phil Miller-The Legacy nella sezione The Dots. Consigli e riflessioni sul suo metodo compositivo si colgono anche da una conversazione con Henk Weltevreden.

https://philmillerthelegacy.com
https://philmillerthelegacy.com/fred-t-baker-master-class
https://philmillerthelegacy.com/the-dots
https://philmillerthelegacy.com/interviews/on-composing

02 aprile 2020


Il giovane gruppo friulano Iz - sigla che sta per Izchis Zorfena - cita soprattutto Snarky Puppy, Weather Report, Marcus Miller, Jamiroquai, Herbie Hancock, Miles Davis e Pat Metheny tra i propri ispiratori. Ma nel tirocinio sembrerebbero aver trovato posto anche gli insegnamenti di Phil Miller, stando almeno all'ottimo Il desto onironauta.

https://www.facebook.com/izband
https://www.facebook.com/izband/videos/564006507459160
https://www.facebook.com/izband/videos/936737976698632

01 aprile 2020


Hanno studiato ben bene i classici - Egg, Hatfields, National Health - e ne han mandato a memoria l'opera omnia... Con che risultato? Zopp!

https://zopp.bandcamp.com
https://canterburyscene.com/zopp