, ,

SUMMER PAGE-TURNERS: books for the beach

And I will read, and probably leave until last to do so, a book called Naomi Judd, a book that has perhaps been published in haste, talking about the recent death of Naomi Judd, the mother half of my favourite country female duo The Judds. We reported on this in an article called on 25th May in The Judds: A Tragedy Of Our Times, which you can find in our easy to negotiate archives containing more than 650 arts related features.
,

END OF TERM CONCERTS AND REPORTS + bits and pieces

Whether a few, some, many or all of the students we have seen at these concerts will go onto become professional players all those who do so will have had the best possible care and preparation shown to them. That the musicians were able to relax and play well with their teachers in attendance and leading them speaks loudly of the rapport between them.
,

OF ITS TIME,…AND TIMELESS ! Sail Away by Randy Newman is fifty years old this year + Bits And Pieces

Another quality that makes Newman’s songwriting so fascinating to so many—outside of the compositional characteristics—is how easily he is able to toe the line between offensive and profound.
,

A SALUTE TO THE SONG-WRITERS

And also a song I wrote with a Nashville friend of mine called "Bob Dylan Whiskey." You know how Bob Dylan has his own brand of whiskey? It's called Heaven's Door. He made a $10 million deal with whiskey manufacturers and he has his own brand of whiskey. So my friend and I were thinking that somebody needs to write some Bob Dylan songs to help change the world. We're in a lot of trouble right now - maybe if I drink this whiskey, I can write a Bob Dylan song.
,

DARK ENOUGH TO SEE THE STARS

I tend to go to the desert every year, down on the border by Terralingua, and just sort of make a big deal out of being under the stars and experiencing It wholeheartedly. I think the idea is that we can’t see the stars in our normal day-to-day experiences, because we’re not looking. But when something knocks us off our regular life—and oftentimes that is some kind of a struggle or a painful event—we begin to get more introspective. I think it’s a metaphor for that. 
,

DIAMONDS IN THE ROUGH: the gemology of Shawn Colvin

Colvin was recognized for her career accomplishments when she was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Trailblazer Award at the 2016 Americana Honors and Awards Show. Presenting her with this prestigious award was Bonnie Raitt, who said Said Raitt, ´She’s simply one of the best singers I’ve ever heard — and a truly gifted and deep songwriter and guitarist… She was ground-breaking when she emerged and continues to inspire me and the legions of fans and other singer/songwriters coming up in her wake´.

Steve Earle: RESPECTING THE SONG and its practitioners

long after he broke into the alt-country business with his definitive Guitar Town debut from 1986, Steve Earle went on to pay dutiful tribute via collections of covers that tipped the hat to his crucial tutors, who look barely out of their teens themselves

UNDER MILK WOOD there are words beyond language

Blake returned to, and abandoned, the project multiple times until the 1990s, before embarking on the series in earnest: "As soon as I decided to illustrate Under Milk Wood, I researched it, read it and listened to it again and again. I still play it a couple of times a week and read it once a month. I've always treated it as a separate piece of work. I work on Under Milk Wood at home in the evening. It's almost like a 'separate me' doing it."

the return of GLASGOW JAZZ FESTIVAL

The 36th Glasgow Jazz Festival brings its annual supply of world class musicians and upcoming superstars to the city’s already vibrant jazz scene. Glasgow will be transformed with a wealth of home-grown and international jazz talent from Thursday 16th until Sunday 19th June 2022.
,

MARLENE BEWICK; meanders down Memory Lane

The voluntary sector was very strong in Rochdale and they too deserve massive credit for they work they did, of course