The Afterword

Musings on the byways of popular culture

Menu

Navigation

The Greg Foat thread

by 39 Comments

I know there are at least a couple of Greg Foat fans among the Afterword, so I thought that an appreciation thread might be nice. Especially since a new album is in the pipeline, this time a collaboration with a techno-orientated chap called Linkwood. Greg is an instant purchase for me, and it’ll be interesting to see what he’s come up with this time. He put out a staggering four albums last year, all very different and all great.

I see that there’s also just been a reissue of one of his Greg Foat Group albums too, Girl & Robot With Flowers (from 2012). I’ve not delved into this purer jazz side of his career much yet, but I get the feeling it’s going to get all of my pocket money.

Any other Foat fans here?

https://aotns.bandcamp.com/album/linkwood-foat

Whosampled’s “Six Degrees of Musical Separation”

by 81 Comments

The website Whosampled has a fun new feature. Enter the names of two musical acts and it’ll tell you how many degrees of separation there are between them, and more interestingly, exactly what those links are. It’s quite addictive as you challenge it by trying to find a pair with four or more degrees; it turns out that only two separate James Last and Five Star, for instance. The only glitch is when you suggest an artist not in the database, but you can get pretty obscure for the most part. Tip: avoid artists that did a lot of covers, or stuff that’s been heavily sampled.

Disclaimer: This feature may take up a lot of your time. Bring snacks.

https://www.whosampled.com/six-degrees/

Albums that leave you prune-like

by 56 Comments

Every day in the tub I like to listen to music, usually a CD via the player on the landing, and less often from a USB stick plugged into the front of it. With some albums I can be in and out in a few minutes, but there are some that I can’t bear to cut short, so will wallow for the entire duration. The big fave this year has been Janelle Monae’s Dirty Computer; flawless from the opening strains of the title track to the closing “Please sign your name on the dotted line” of Americans, it’s an album I have to listen to in full, no skipping, editing or rearranging required.

What album do you just *have* to listen to in full, soup to nuts? What’s the record that currently leaves you prune-like from the tub? Do tell.

A question of jazz

by 155 Comments

If an alien were to land on planet Earth, knock on my door and ask me, “PUNY HUMAN, WHAT IS JAZZ?”, first I would temporarily pass out, then once recovered I’d play him Saxophone Colossus by Sonny Rollins, and more specifically the opening track St. Thomas. For me it’s the very definition of jazz; a recognisable standard with just the right amount of improvisation, nothing too abstract, and with faultless interplay between the four musicians (which of course is the perfect amount). Finger-clickingly cool and swinging as heck too, it does something to me that no other music seems to.

Speaking as a relative jazz newb, I reckon that the average Joe would also want to suggest something similar. I believe that hard bop is the sound that a lot of folks would most associate with the word ‘jazz’, even if they’d never heard the term and thought that hard bop is something you might do at the disco.

So, what piece of music to you is the very definition, the epitome, of jazz? And why?

https://youtu.be/UA2XIWZxMKM

Matt Berry – Television Themes album

by 53 Comments

*rubs thighs vigorously*

“The full track-listing for Television Themes is:

Are You Being Served? (1972-1985)

The Good Life (1975-1978)

LWT (1968 – 1972)

Blankety Blank (1979 – 1990)

Top Of The Pops (1963 – 20050

Picture Box (1966-1990)

The Liver Birds (1969 – 1979)

Thames Television (1968 – 1992)

Rainbow (1972-1997)

Doctor Who (1963- present)

Wildtrak (1979-1984)

World In Action (1963-1998)

Sorry (1981 – 1988)

Open University”

http://www.acidjazz.co.uk/pre-order-matt-berrys-new-album-television-themes/

Your last three online purchases

by 207 Comments

I invite you all to share with us your last three online purchases. It may give us a tantalising glimpse into your glamorous lifestyle, or, you know… not.

Here are mine:

1) Saline nasal spray. 2) 3V lithium button batteries for in-ear thermometer. 3) Headphones extension cable (3.5mm female to 6.5mm male).

Jazz vinyl bargain

by 46 Comments

The cover image has come on for a bit* of stick since it was first announced (and rightly so – the utter state of them), but the Martin Freeman/Eddie Piller-compilled Jazz On The Corner comp looks very good, and the double vinyl version is currently up for pre-order for £9.99 on you know where, as opposed to the CD version at over £15, which only boasts an additional three tracks.

As you were.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Martin-Freeman-Piller-Present-Corner/dp/B077ZCV7RK/ref=tmm_vnl_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1521204571&sr=8-1

God help me I’m enjoying Elbow

by 127 Comments

Behind an old shoe rack, hidden underneath a rail of clothing, and at the very back of a box of the usual Bygraves et al, yesterday in a charity shop I found three modern records on vinyl; something by a guy going under the name Sohn (sparse indie electronica I believe, although I haven’t heard it yet), the debut album by Glasvegas (destined for eBay, ker-ching!), and lastly The Seldom Seen Kid by Elbow.

Maybe it’s my new system, perhaps it’s because the Elbow album is spread over two 45rpm LPs, maybe I’m just coming down with something, but I’m really, really enjoying it, despite being very Elbow-averse until now. I always had them down as bland pap at best, annoying anthem writers at best. Too bad I’ve promised it to my brother in law.

Has anyone here experienced such an instant turnabout in their opinion of an artist by y’know, actually listening to them? I’m sure we’d all love to hear about it.

Derek Griffiths Twitter scam

by 28 Comments

I’m seeing from various Twitter posts that the Derek Griffiths account – complete with Blue Tick verification – has now been closed due to it being not the great man himself, but an imposter, a fake, a scammer. It looks like many people might have been conned out of money via bidding for charity lunches, plus celebs and artists have been persuaded to hand over goods and services for ‘charitable causes’. Fake Facebook and Insta accounts have also been suspended, it seems.

It’s not yet clear how far the damage goes, but possibly worst of all for AWers is the fact that the real Derek may not be the D. Griffiths credited with backing vocals on I Am The Walrus, something that was ‘confirmed’ by the Twitter account holder in July.

Goodness me.