Anja Garbarek

Robert Wayatt sings on one track on Anja Garbarek's "Smiling & waving" (2001). Listen to some songs on her MySpace site. I just came from a show at the Bergenfest, where she gave a great performance.

Bergen Nattjazz

Bergen (Norway) has a nice Jazz festival in May, called Nattjazz. This year we may even make a Canterbury link, since Allan Holdsworth and Bill Bruford are visiting. Bruford was in National Health and Holdsworth in Soft Machine, both of them were in U.K., Bruford and even Gong!

Cuneiform

Two new (at least for me) and one upcoming from Cuneiform:
Soft Machine: "Middle Earth Masters" - recorded at Middle Earth club 1967 and 1968. The sound is far from HiFi, but it has got it's moments.
Soft Machine: "Grides" - CD recorded in Amsterdam 1970 and DVD recorded in Bremen 1971. Nice package, good sound and pretty nice filming.
Steve Miller/Lol Coxhill: "The story so far/Oh really" is being released in may.

Mecano

Tago Mago issued a casette by Mecano in 1981. Robert Wyatt illustrated the "cover".

Facelift

Do some of you remember the old Canterbury fanzine ”Facelift”? I have the paper issues 1-19, and just found out that issue 20 is published on the Facelift homepage. Thanks to Phil Howitt.

V.

Finally I'm going to read Thomas Pynchon, and even here we can make a Wyatt connection! The suite "Esther's nose job", from the second Soft Machine album, is inspired by chapter 4 in Thomas Pynchon's book "V.". Some other artists, also inspred by Pynchon, may be found here.

Extreme sports

How about a combination of extreme sports and reggae? Check out the festival Ekstremsportvekå at Voss, Norway, starting 24/6. You get Horace Andy, Sly and Robbie, Beenie Man and more!

Early Canterbury

Are you interested in the early sounds of Canterbury? There are several records with bands later turning into Soft Machine (among others). Brian Hopper collected 4 CDs with Canterbury Sounds, and there are records by both Wilde Flowers and Daevid Allen Trio, if you really need everything. The sound quality is not up to date, but there are lots of interesting tracks for completists. Some avant garde jazz, some rock and roll and even Jimi Hendrix on bass.

Put a Slapp Happy platter on the gramophone!

A wet easter holiday, made perfect conditions for a dive in the record collection. Three bands, that may have a Robert Wyatt connection: Slapp Happy, Henry Cow and Art Bears. Most of the suspects: Peter Blegvad, John Greaves, Anthony More, Dagmar Krause, Fred Frith, Lindsay Cooper, Chris Cutler and Tim Hodgkinson.
The connection? Wyatt is on Henry Cow's "Concerts", joined the band on several occations and he sings on two of John Greaves' records. Fred Frith plays on "Rock Bottom" and "Ruth is stranger...", and John Greaves joins on the latter.

Beyond image?

Soft Machine live in London late april? Almost! Film with live Soft Machine music at ICA.

Rune

Please check out the quality label Rune for Norwegian artists. These artists are difficult to classify, but think electronica with a touch of jazz and free improvising, or the other way around!
My selection: Spunk, Arve Henriksen, Supersilent, Scorch Trio and Susanna and the Magical Orchestra.

Plague Songs

Robert Wyatt makes nice insect sounds on Artangel's concept album "Plague Songs"! Among other artists are Laurie Anderson, Brian Eno, Scott Walker and Rufus Wainwright.