Back From Holiday

It was an unduly stressful holiday. Not far... just to Dorset. But we do not travel much and are, it do appear, unduly stuck in our ways. This means that a thousand things have to be taken with us in order to maintain routine. For we is aging and apparently do value both our routine and things familiar.

The short of it is - we haven't screamed at each other so much for ever such a long time. Where to go and what to do and which exit to take at the roundabout. Self-catering brings its emotional and digestive costs also. I have never cooked on an Aga before. Slops and toast do seem to be the end result of my attempts ... and baked potatoes. With bad sleep and bad choices of lunch destinations, I have never been so exhausted by a holiday before.

The upshot is ... that both The Old Man and Moi are appalled at the psychological rigidity what do accompany our stiff legs and backs. There is only one thing to do.

Go on holiday again.
And so we shall.
Quite soon.

Electric Palace in Bridport

PS. Things to enjoy in Dorset in September: dragonflies and swallows, terrific coastal scenery, fossicking for fossils and - Bridport with great food at the Soulshine Cafe and for lovers of jazz, rock and collecting vinyl Clocktower Music.

The Doll Is Listening To - The Flames Of Hell

... her retro technology find of the vinyl kind.

The Old Man is hard at work washing the old 33s that I do find in Truro ... in the record shop in Pannier Market quite rightly called "Music Nostalgia".
I found some culture from Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau singing Schubert but, setting my feet thumping and my own voice howling along, perhaps even more joyful is the find of Swamp Music Vol 1 - Les Flemmes d'Enfer aka Flames of Hell. Being a collection of Cajun - Zydeco music from Louisiana released on a German label around 1989.
You can get a flavour with this video over on YouTube.

Bang those feet on the floor...

Vinyl Crazy

So it's not just The Old Man that is crazy for that black vinyl. It's me now. And I do mean the stuff that's flat and round and revolves at 33 rpm.
Cos we do go into Falmouth and the lovely Jam Records and I really just want to get downstairs where the records live... I just can't concentrate on the CD racks no more.

And I do go down stairs and stagger back with not one but two albums. Jazz... jazz... jazz. Thelonious Monk is my man these days.... and Monk's Dream has been remastered and re-released on 180gm vinyl.
And I also go out on a limb with a very early The Jazz Epistles  with Hugh Masekela  - "Verse 1", similarly re-released on vinyl. Indeed this is so early that The Old Man do pull a face and make cutting remarks.
But I don't care.

Record Store Day - Saturday 19th April 2014

Just reminding you... whilst they are still there to be visited and used... tomorrow (Saturday 19th April) be Record Store Day when you can celebrate the great tradition of independent record shops and see who has set up events, special releases, live music and so on. 
If you want some music outside "the charts"? Some coffee? A book? A dvd? A chance to chat about a new release, the music you want... or dogs.. or stuff? Forget Amazon and try out your local independent record shop...
There aren't many. So let's use 'em or.... lose 'em.

And I do say if you is in the West Country.... in the vicinity of Falmouth... visit Jam Records.  Totnes? Then Drift Record Shop...

By the way... I do pick up my copy of Liz Green's "Haul Away" from Jam only this week....

Grey Doll Be Listening To...

...."Studio One Sounds" from Soul Jazz Records.
Followin' a visit to Falmouth and the ever lovely Jam Records ...  

Record Store Day - Saturday 21st April

Yeah tis time to get down to your local record store and show it you love it.

Every year there's a celebration of these musical goody stores. For us it be the lovely Jam in Falmouth. But for you?

Check the Record Store Day site for locator for your nearest local participating shop and lists of events etc.

A Day Out: Totnes

So where do all the silver-haired hippies go when they head West? Well if they don't make it to down here (West Cornwall), my guess is - Totnes in Devon.

The Old Man and me goes there yesterday... trekking up that long old hill past all the second-hand, health food, ethnic clothing, crystal shops. We eat lunch in the Willow restaurant, we buy towels and stuff at Green Fibres and we discover the excellent Drift Record Shop. Where The Old Man buys an equally excellent record "Build with Erosion" (see previous post "Record Buying in Totnes") and I buy a CD by The Middle East, "I Want That You are Always Happy".

And what do you know? The Drift Record Shop lady is equally aware of our own "local" record store, the lovely "Jam Records" in Falmouth.

Then we trek downhill, glug tea, get in the car, and motor on further west ... back home for supper.

Sweet Potato and Jam: a trip to Falmouth

Yesterday, The Old Man and I went into Falmouth.

Falmouth is not a favourite of mine. I can't help it. My formative teen years were spent at school in Penzance and in and around the bald, bony "toe" of Cornwall - aka West Penwith. And therefore I am naturally distrustful of the lush, riverine bits of Cornwall. Just as the Old Man's family had a very crude term for Penzance, cos they were from nearer Truro. And tis all very local.

I digress. Here we were visiting Falmouth. And, first up, the Tuesday morning market on The Moor. We bought greens and sweet potato from the lady from Twelveheads on the TOP stall, and local-grown and milled flour from the Cornish Mill & Bakehouse stall. Then it's the treat of a mooch around Jam Records in High St, where there's a stock of indie, folk, jazz and world music; some cinema DVDs; and some books. All in a laid-back little place with armchairs and cups of coffee. Browsing the CDs, I found The Carolina Chocolate Drops' "Genuine Negro Jig" (very nice). And on a table in the basement I picked up "The Best American Comics 2006" by Anne Elizabeth Moore & Harvey Pekar. Then I ordered a CD: "The Living Road" by Lhasa.

Because, unless you like to stick to the Top 20 at Tesco or WH Smith, I think you've only got Jam Records as an independent record shop in West Cornwall, or - West Penwith Music, in Penzance. This last shop particularly for classical music - unless you're content with Kathryn Jenkins and Priest - in which case you're probably OK at Tesco and Smiths. And yes, if you want to visit Truro, you've got an HMV.
But I do like to shop as local as possible and to support the small independent shops. And hey - yes - I'll use the Internet as well.
( Crotchet.co.uk is good for classical recordings.)

Anyway, a happy doll, I left Jam Records clutching my music and my comic book. And thinking Comicky thoughts.

Charlie Gillett

So this is my first post.

And I am bereft.
I've lost my music man with the death of Charlie Gillett last week.

I bought and read his books, "Sound of the City" and "Making Tracks", in the early 1970s. Then I changed my postgraduate bibliography topic from Art History to the Literature of Rock & Blues.

I was listening to his show on Radio London, "Honky Tonk", every week. On Saturdays, the Old Man and I (more of him later) - would visit Hot Wax records in Kentish Town and spend our money on 1950s-60s Doo-Wop and Acapella recordings. The Old Man would jump around to Gabby Pahinui's Hawaiian songs. I jumped around to Cajun. We both jumped around to Doo-Wop.

Everything was brought to us by Charlie Gillett. Right up to his last broadcasts of World Music on Radio 3 and World Service. We listened to these and searched out recordings from Mali, Congo, Argentine, Ethiopia and Lebanon.

Over the years Charlie Gillett opened up so much music. He laid it out, talked about it, and shared it around. John Peel has gone. Now Charlie Gillett has gone.

I am bereft.