I am stepping in the toes of Joni Mitchell‘s Matala experience in 1969 or 70, with a little problem. She wrote here first famous „Carey“ lines: „The wind is in from Africa. Last night i couldn‘t sleep“ . My „little insomnia“ is possibly not related to winds crossing the Lybian Sea, and not to any die hard problems. And it is very probably not coming from my melancholic episode last night when strolling the Matala Hippie Boulevard Of Dreams. One moment alone, staring at the black colour of the sea, sounds wrapped me up from behind, i turned around cause my ears were caught by a sweet magic melody from a totally empty Merino Bar. Only the girl who makes the drinks sent me a smile for being her guest, i kindly resisted, and for a moment the saxophone in that song i loved in the days that were the days, rang a bell: oh, these famous sax lines in „Baker Street“. Mellow me! How deep down it went, this song, anyway (if you read the lines of Mr. Rafferty‘s song). I was transported into a time where music was pure presence and dream and adventure and a look for elevations to come. Even reflecting losses, had a shining facade. This acoustic trigger of future feelings and dances is somehow diminished and lost by age where 69 is not your regular thrill, but a number of age, of days growing shorter. So that special song that wrapped me up, burned itself inside with tenderness, a time travel machine to Würzburg in those mid-seventies, was „Year Of The Cat“. „She doesn’t give you time for questions as she locks up your arm in hers. And you follow ‚till your sense of which direction completely disappears“. I think I will give this song another quiet shot tonite making it my dream path to sleep sleep sleep sheep sleep… I hope the scent of patchouli (in that song) doesn’t completely kill me.

Today Alabaster DePlume – saxophonist, songwriter, poet, orator, activist,  shares Prologue To A Blade, a series of creative statements setting the stage for a larger project arriving next year.

The Prologue includes a beautiful new digital EP – featuring two tracks recorded in Palestine with local musicians, pianist Sami El Enani and Qanoun player Laith Albandak, and a third track inspired by the experience of living in solidarity with the people of Palestine – which is out now on all digital music platforms.

This body of work lays the foundation for his evolving artistic journey, as he explores the role of dignity in healing and its impact on community, society, and humanity. 

was für ein Lied, so traurig, so herzzerreissend. Robert Wyatt liebt es, das weiss ich.

Im Hotel.

• Du, ich muss dich was fragen. Ich bin Didier aus Graz.
• Michael.
• Ich habe der Nicole das schon gesagt. Nun frag ich mal.
• Nur zu.
• Bist du in der Musikbranche?
• Ja. Also, auf der anderen Seite. Im Radio
• Ich wusste es! Ich mach seit Jahrzehnten Musik.
• Was?
• Hardrock und Stoner. Circle Creek.
• Wir haben uns was zu erzählen.

In einem ausführlichen Interview etwas älteren Datums (2008) – HIER in TheQuietus – spricht Robert Wyatt mit Jonny Mugwump über sein Leben und seine politischen Überzeugungen, seine Nervosität bei Aufnahmen mit Bjork und die Bedeutung von Unvollkommenheit in der Musik. By the way, he‘s still alive and kicking. Read about Richard Williams‘ visit at Robert‘s home recently in „The Blue Moment“!

I travelled three times to London to interview Robert and Alfe on „Dondestan“, „Shleep“ and „Cuckooland“ in the times of their release. Unforgettable, when, on the hottest day of that summer of 2003 , we were lead to the empty Purcell Room, that excellent concert hall, and then moved though every track of „Cuckooland“.  At one pont Robert told me how Brian Eno sang his part of the uncanny „Forest“ with opulent arm gestures of an opera singer. (And what a deeply moving song that is, from two of my favourite singers ever!) Many of his stories blurring the lines between the private and the political. And such a great humour, too. He‘s life‘s company, always has been! (m.e.)

Paul Motian’s nice Cindy McGuirl maintains her uncle’s archive (Uncle Paul’s Jazz Closet Radio) and runs a revealing podcast with interesting, surprising, astonishing material from that extensive archive. This time material is presented on the occasion of Indigenous People’s Day related to Motian’s fellow musician Jim Pepper (1941-1992), a Kaw Muskogee Creek native. Yes right, the one and only Jim Pepper of the famous WITCHI-TAI-TO, that Peyote cult song. Besides Pepper there are more Native American influences in jazz and popular music e.g. Don Pullen, Don Cherry, Robbie Robertson and Jimi Hendrix.

here is THE BLOGSPOT and here is THE PODCAST

Brian Eno und Yanis Varoufakis fordern in offenem Brief – HIER – an den Internationalen Strafgerichtshof sofortiges Handeln gegen Kriegsverbrechen der israelischen Regierung.

He was a country maverick, and his famous 1979 song hit me hard and out of nowhere in a bavarian café in October 82 with full punch. Listen HERE. When Iistened there, it smashed me, ripped me into pieces and kindly rebuilt me, so that it could at least, too. „When I first started to write songs I was hanging out with Glenn and Jackson [Browne] and Don [Henley],” he told  in 2006. “It was an acoustic guitar environment. We all made each other better musicians and songwriters.”

// albums: erik honoré / underworld / kit downes // film: die fotografin (the female photographer) // prose: michael connelly‘s desert star // talk: thomas strônen or thomas morgan or … // poetry: romalyn ante: agimat // binge: slow horses (4) //archive: bo hansson (everything) / csn&y at fillmore east 1969

All „revelations“ will be installed close to the end of October. Nothing is guaranteed. Look at the list: some usual suspects, some surprises. And to be very clear from the start: Erik Honoré’s TRIAGE is one of my few five star albums of the year. Normally a running label for „literary“ crime novels from Scandinavia, TRIAGE is another, special kind of „Nordic Noir“. And my enthusiasm is by no way influenced by the fact I‘ve met Erik many times and seen him so often on stage during two decades of Kristiansand‘s Punktfestival. You can see the album as the third part of a trilogy of Erik Honoré albums, but it is a standalone that, for all the good reasons, should not fall prey to the section of „Buried Treasures“ in a Mojo edition from 2075.

Some people asked me about my encounter with Beth Gibbons in Bruxelles knowing she doesn’t give interviews for ages. And they cannot imagine that would happen an a small blog deliberately running under the radar. So time is ready to spread one’s wings and be blown away. Think of Christmas. (m.e.)

Back to the 60’s, and with the words of Graham Nash: „Hearing the newly discovered tapes that comprise Live At The Fillmore East, 1969 was something of a revelation. When you listen to the acoustic tracks particularly, you can really tell how much we loved each other and the music we were making. This was only weeks after Woodstock, which was only our second time appearing in front of people. It was so early in our career and we were still trying to figure it all out. CSNY is a much different band than CSN. The addition of Neil really kicked us in the ass.”

We could easily add the reissue of „An Electric Storm“ by White Noise, from 1969 again, but let‘s do a little hommage to Phil Aston instead, who recently reviewed the vinyl reissue. Nearly half of us flowworkers know this album, so HERE is Phil remembering the beauty amd madness of a very strange work of early days’ electronica.

2024 is a year full of fantastic albums with female voices, from Beth Gibbons to Sidsel Endresen. And there is „Camelot“ from Canadian singer / songwriter Jennifer Castle HERE her song „Blowing Kisses“. A quote from Rob Hughes from Uncut:

„Released to soundtrack an episode of hit TV comedy-drama The Bear (Castle used to work in a Toronto restaurant with the show’s co-producer and cast member Matty Matheson), it’s an eloquent tune that pushes the value of basking in the moment (that immediately rings a Beth Gibbons bell), driven by jazz-ballad piano and a sumptuous string arrangement from Owen Pallett for Macedonia’s FAMES Skopje Studio Orchestra. There’s all the grace of a spiritual hymn, but it sounds like a fresh vow. “Don’t get it twisted”, sings Castle, gliding around the melody and rising into a soft rapture, “My heart’s still in it / My dedication’s a star”.