1 – Just Ain’t Good Enough – Johnnie Taylor
2 – Abandoned Garden– Michael Franks
3 – Here’s to Life – Shirley Horn
4 – The Audience With – Betty Carter
5 – Love Remains – Bobby Watson
6 – We Live Her […]

The YSP is fantastic and a frequent stopping off point when I’m on my way to the North West to see my mother. There’s a great long running Damian Hirst exhibition on currently with vast pieces of work scattered […]

Blimey, think I saw that film when it came out – think it was about the “singles scene”?

One highlight – minor Teddy P classic as title track – featuring top quality squidgy bass.

Mojo editor @JohnRMulvey has regularly recommended the music of Tuluum Shimmering – spacey extended…sometimes over an hour…guitar-based mellow psychy noodling based around lesser known 60s/70s classics. […]

Agreed @duco1 on the “Americana” album – play it very regularly. I’d be tempted to give “Promontaire” a go. It isn’t spiky like Craig Taborn or Paul Bley quoted in the Amazon review – tending towards lyrical […]

Indeed. Some beautiful architecture in Preston and the whole area around Avenham Park and Winkley Square is a delight – but head further north and it gets a little more gritty. We used to go to a pub in amongst […]

SEEN:

“The Changing Times of Ike White” is worth a look on iPlayer – a tale with plenty of twists and turns of a convicted murderer who released an album of slinky blues soul while inside and his subse […]

There was a time when I thought I was creative. Decent enough art A level was enough to do a Foundation Course in Art and Design at Preston’s wonderful Harris School of Art – sadly currently empty and all you […]

Some other old jazzers still out there:

Charles Lloyd (82) and Carla Bley (84) both have well-reviewed ECM albums out recently.

Ran Blake – at 85 – is also pretty prolific. I think Kenny Burrell is still […]

Always preferred Nicolette Larson’s version of “Lotta Love” to Neil Young’s whiny original.

Sad news – but as said above 91 is some age to still be playing and he was in fine form on his album last year. Brush work is perhaps the most underestimated drumming skill – sometimes barely a whisper – but he […]

Favourite puppet? Marina from Stingray.

Favourite puppet song?

What a great album that “Moments from this theatre” was.

It’s going to have to be The Real Thing’s “You to me are everything.” Best #1 record ever.

1 – The Show Must Go On – Sam Dees
2 – It’s Too Late to Stop Now – Van Morrison
3 – I am – Earth Wind and Fire
4 – Eli and the 13th Confession – Laura Nyro
5 – Francis Alberto Sinatra meets Antonio Carlos Jobi […]

SEEN:

A steady diet of Talking Pictures TV and too much news coverage. Much as I loathe the man, I’ve enjoyed watching Piers Morgan skewering feeble Tory ministers on breakfast telly with some pertinent q […]

Gladys on fine form on an at the time unissued Sam Dees tune. She was a great supporter of the mighty soul songwriter/producer during the 80s with many fine performances – but hadn’t heard this until recently.

For that kind of money you could have 50 brand new sealed vinyl albums delivered to your door courtesy the great http://www.365games.co.uk clearance “combo deal” sale!

Pick any three items marked “combo deal” for a […]

Following a glowing review by Richard Williams on his consistently excellent “Blue Moment” blog, picked up my first ever piece of music from Bandcamp this past fortnight.

It’s by Bristol-based Pete Judge and […]

Here’s a link.

I can never work out with the Tories whether it’s all part of some Dominic Cummings’ “disaster capitalism” strategy or they’re just completely and utterly useless. Possibly both.

Interesting […]

SEEN:

A couple of classical music concerts before lockdown as a part of a series that brings top class international artists to play in small college venues in Cambridge. Hugely enjoyable – a string quartet p […]