RT

We've had some Richard Thompson postings here, but I'm so looking forward to the concert in Bergen in May, that I also have to suggest that you borrow or buy the 5CD-box "RT. The life and music of Richard Thompson" (Free Reed 2006). Are you counting 6 CDs? That's right, you could also write in and get an extra CD with material from here there and everywhere.This box is so good, with lots of great live versions, and one of the CDs is a collection of songs RT fans consider essential (and should be a great one for preparing for the sing-along):
I feel so good
Push and shove
Time to ring some changes
Cooksferry queen
Walzing's for dreamers
I want to see the bright lights tonight
I misunderstood
Meet on the ledge
Down where the drunkards roll
Gethsemane
Tear-stained letter
Wall of death
1952 Vincent Black Lightning
From Galway to Graceland
Crazy man Michael
Dimming of the day
Beeswing

Festivals and links

The programme for The Molde International Jazz Festivaljazz is taking it's shape, although several of the artists finally on the festival site have been outed in this blog already (Charles Lloyd, Shining + Enslaved and others). I'm happy to see that ”artist in residence” Marilyn Mazur opens up with Nils Petter Molvær, Dhafer Youssef and Eivind Aarset. And Ornette Coleman visits Norway again! Kongsberg last year, Molde this year.

Bergenfest serves a new Patti Smith concert (4 May), in more intimate environments than the first concert (which takes place in front of a sitting concert hall audience). I was not too impressed with the programme at first, but have realised that a ”small part of Led Zeppelin” is coming, since John Paul Jones plays with Robyn Hitchcock 30 April. Danish "Savage Rose" is still around too! I saw them in the early seventies in Molde, and the vocalist Anisette was almost too much for a shy young boy.

You may have noticed that I have been working on my links. I have made own lists for Norwegian festivals and just a few favorite artists, where you now find the Robert Wyatt links.

Cow in The Wire

In The Wire (no 290, April 2008), there are 8 pages on Henry Cow ("The Primer"). As usual you also get thousands of reviews and pieces on bands you've never ever heard of. This time everybody (not only subscribers) get the "free" CD "The Wire Tapper 19". Several of the tunes are "Wire Tapper exclusive edit", a.o. "Echoes of Duneden" with GF Fitzgerald & Lol Coxhill (Reel Recordings).
If you don't own any Henry Cow, albums, why not start with "Concerts"? Some of this is recorded in Oslo, and Robert Wyatt is on it too!

Shoplifters

Ivor Cutler describes "Shoplifters" a bit different than most others prefer. This song was on "Ludo" (originally issued in 1967), and that may just be the best album to start with, If I should have some readers who don't own records by Mr.Cutler.

Postcard

I got a very nice postcard the other day, and all of you (of course!) recognise the detail from the cover of "Dondestan".

Encyclopedica Wyattica

Check out the new Robert Wyatt Encyclopedia! You look for information in only the best sources (blush, blush "and Stuff").

Sugarcane's got the blues

Don Sugarcane Harris' "Sugarcane's Got the Blues" (1972) is on the market again, on German Promising Music (info from "What's rattlin'"). The band is Don "Sugarcane" Harris (viol), Volker Kriegel (g) (Terje Rypdal on one track), Wolfgang Dauner (keyb), Neville Whitehead (b) and Robert Wyatt (dr). More on this album on AllAboutJazz.
And there we made one more Norwegian connection!

Cutler's last record

Ivor Cutler's " A flat man" is in the shops now (or at least it should be!). It has been out on Creation earlier (1989), but is reissued and already playing on my CD-player. It's hard to dislike a man who writes poetry on very strange animals, the underside of park benches and why you shouldn't smack snow in your own face. This is minimalistic with a bit of harmonium and xylophone, and the usual mix of reading and singing. Mr Cutler's universe is absurd, fun and grotesque. This last record is perhaps a bit more mellow than the others? What an artist!

"Who's that not knocking at my door?
Nobody's not knockin' at your door"

MBW

Alfreda Benge and Jean-Michel Marchetti's new book "MBW - Songs for Robert Wyatt", is out on Æncrages. The book contains lyrics from Dondestan, Shleep and Cuckooland (in English and French), and illustrations. There are two versions, one "ordinary" (if you can say such a thing about a fine book as this) and one luxury edition in only 45 copies. Order the books here.
This is book number five in the MW project, and you may read more here in French, or look back on what Robert Wyatt and Stuff said.

My Easter walk in the Streets of Stavanger, hunting for street art, is documented in a new Flickr set.

Mona Lisa´s bum

Walking the sunny streets of Stavanger on Easter Saturday, Mona Lisa suddenly showed me her bum. The stencil is made by Nick Walker, and on the video you may see him making this one during the NuArt festival in 2006.

Call me in, Piccard

Fantastic Man

In the blog FullDetail.net I found some information on the magazine "Fantastic Man". In the latest issue (#7) there is a piece on Robert Wyatt, "The great Mr. Robert Wyatt and how he came to sing with such a tender voice". Of course he fits in "Fantastic Man". See some of it (at least a cool picture) here.

Oops! I did it again

I don´t think Richard Thompson jokes around with Britney. He recognises a good song, and makes it even better. You´ll find "Oops!" together with a lot of other popular music on "1000 years of popular music". Just buy it!

Pratchett and Alzheimer

Read an interview with Terry Pratchett in The Guardian. The author also supports Alzheimer research , and points out that the number of people suffering from Alzheimer relly should get research in this field higher up on the priority list.
Let´s also salute Arthur C. Clarke, who died this week, 90 years old. He was one of the true visionaries in the field of science fiction. Pratchett on Clarke.

Kept Boy

Marc Almond and Agnes Bernelle. There´s a couple for you.

Old Rottenhat

I once did suggest "Old Rottenhat" as one of the good Robert Wyatt albums to start buying, but I want to wave it in front of you once more. Now you've listened to "Comic Opera" and hopefully worked your way a bit back in the Wyatt catalog. I see no reason to stop, and please get "Old Rottenhat" from 1985. It may sound modest, but it's beautiful, the lyrics are a bit harsh (that may be the wrong word, but for a Norwegian it sounds pretty cool!), the cover is yellow "and it's Eastertime too"!

My I-Pod - 1 year old!

Finally, a list! My I-Pod is one year old these days. A lot of the songs I fed the I-Pod in the beginning of my ownership were played a lot of times, and some of them are still there. Anyway here's "The top of the pod", jubilee list!

Neutral Milk Hotel: Holland, 1945
Robert Wyatt: Just as you are
The Shins: Gone for good
Richard Thompson: Dad’s gonna kill me
Richard Thompson: I’ll never give up
Robert Wyatt: Stay tuned
Malcolm Middleton:W’re all going to die
Richard Thompson: Johnny’s far away
Coco Rosie: Japan
The Shins: New slang
Sissy Wish: Float
Sissy Wish: Music on the radio
Two Bands and a Legend: Loui Loui
Emily Haines: Mostly waving
Kevin Ayers: Run Run Run
Robert Wyatt: A beautiful war
The Shins: Kissing the lipless
Ai Phoenix: A country life in the autumn
Bertrand Burgalat & Robert Wyatt: This summer night
Candi Staton: I’m just a prisoner
David Bowie: Life on Mars
Feist: Brandy Alexander
Herman Dune: This summer
Kevin Ayers: Baby come home
Robert Wyatt: Be serious

Peter Blegvad on The Verb

Peter Blegvad is performing in a live version of the Radio 3 show "The Verb" 28 March. Info and tickets here! A bit far from Bergen, but we're happy to bring you the info!
And how about "Bad Alchemy" recorded in 2007, even if Blegvad is a bit far to the right. Watch it here. Lineup John Greaves, Peter Blegvad, Jeanne Added, Jef Morin and David Lewis.

Exited!

I’m going to earn some money on you folks. At least, I’m wondering why not? When I think about all the good music I suggest you buy, and you HAVE bought it I guess (whaaat?). Those times are over, I’m going all artistxited on you. Buy through my blog, and money will go MY way. But hey, I better start writing about some other artists then? Now hands up, how many of you bought this fat album?
No, just kidding. I think being half broke suits me just fine.

Alfreda Benge interviewed

Resonance FM have talked to Alfreda Benge, and they seem to have made a program in two parts. The first one is out 18 March. Damn, I should not tell you this, because I can get no sound at all out of this rotten computer. I'll have to listen a bit later then, after you have finished.
"In this show Alfie is talking about her artistic training ,the music she likes and London in the late 1960’s/ early 1970’s."

Jens Carelius

Some Devendra Banhart, some Bert Jansch, a pinch of Donovan and a huge plate of Nick Drake. Norwegian guy Jens Carelius is out with his first album called "First songs". It might be unfair to list his influences first of all, but they are so obvious, that it must be OK. I think he's quite good, making songs for "all the sad young men".

The Hollies

Just to show you the first LP I ever bought! The Hollies were a nice pop band back then, and "Evolution" came in 1967 (without any major hits). I guess I bought it in 1968 (in stereo, no less!), and it cost what felt like loads of money. You are so lucky, to get all this info!

Shopping list

If you want to complete your collection of Robert Wyatt records, please remember these ones:
Monica Vasconcelos: Hih (Movas 2008)
Bertrand Burgalat: Chéri B.B. (Tricatel 2007)
Daniel Darc: Amours Suprêmes (Mercury 2008).
And this week (finally!) Kevin Ayers' "Unfairground" is out in the USA. A bit slow there, but a nice one to shop for you!

Norwegian festival news

The Nattjazz (Nightjazz) programme (Bergen 21 May-31 May) looks pretty complete now (but they have no English version yet). I've plans for John Hassell, Sex Mob, Tinariwen, Ray Anderson (with Lew Soloff) and All Ears All Scars with Lasse Marhaug, Maja Ratkje og Paal Nilssen-Love (let's talk money and time later, OK?).

My local paper (Bergens Tidende) is in Texas interviewing Enslaved during the South By Southwest Festival. Here they claim that Enslaved and Shining are going to make the commissioned work at the Molde International Jazz Festival this summer (14-19 July)! We might get "21st Century's Schizoid Man" there! (Still only a Norwegian site here).
It seems like they try to keep their artists secret for a while, but a look at the tour info at ECM, give away these artists for the festival:
Marcin Wasilewski Trio (16 July)
Charles Lloyd Quartet (Jason Moran, Reuben Rogers, Eric Harland)(17 July)
Christian Wallumrød Ensemble (18 July, church concert)
Manu Katché Group (15 july).

Sound Off!

Read an interview with Robert Wyatt in Sound Off! today. Sound Off! claim to be the "ultimate information source on musicians who work for political, social, and economic change". Not much music in that interview, but USA and UK politics. Still red riding Wyatt!

Coco Rosie - Hairnet Paradise

Video festival

Hope For Happiness - Soft Machine
Uploaded by seidrik

Soft Machine "10.30 Returns To The Bedroom"
Uploaded by nantrue

Videorama: Two recordings of Soft Machine ("Hope for happiness" and "10:30 returns to the bedroom") found on DailyMotion and Kevin Ayers' "Strange Blue Coloured Moon" from YouTube (audience recording 2004).

Mike Mainieri

Mike Mainieri (vibraphone, marimba) has worked with a bunch of Norway's finest ("The Norwegian posse") to make "Northern Lights". Let's name them: Bugge Wesseltoft, Jan Bang, Paolo Vinaccia, Anders Engen, DJ Strangefruit, Bendik Hofseth, Eivind Aarset, Lars Danielsson (ooops, Swedish!) and not to forget Nils Petter Molvær. This is a cool, relaxing album, full of good vibes (you got that one?). On the cover it says P and C in 2006, but I think this one is fresh on the market.
The titles are full of movie references, and "Ive seen it all" (Björk, Sjon, Von Trier), from "Dancer in the dark", is oh, so nice.

A Flat Man

Ivor Cutler's family are now releasing records that have been unavailable for a while. Now is the time for you out there, who don't know Mr. Cutler, to start buying. First you get "A flat man" (also a book title), that was originally issued by Creation in 1998. I put in my order at Amazon (release date 17 March), but you might just as well buy it at Hoorgi House.

Maijazz 2008

The Maijazz jazz festival in Stavanger is scheduled for 6-11 May. They have a lot of great artists coming, like Jan Garbarek, Andy Sheppard, Wayne Shorter, John Scofield and more, but what surprised me was that Oregon was still going strong (and obviously have for a long time!). I liked this band a lot in the 70s (that's the 1970s!), and my vinyl albums may have been exposed to some red wine (they sound like it at least). I found my Winter Consort album too (no mess around here!), the band where the guys played before Oregon. Will anybody get angry if I call this hippie jazz? The band is now Ralph Towner - guitar, Paul McCandless – oboe and saxophone, Glen Moore – bass and Mark Walker - drums. Original percussion player was Colin Walcott, who died in 1984.

Stalinist angel?

It is a nice interview with Billy Bragg in The Guardian today, where he talks about love, politics and music. On meeting Robert Wyatt again it goes: "Rhubarb," he adds as an aside, "is the celery of the gods." Off Bragg went to Louth market. "And as I was parking in the town square, who should be sitting there with his missus, on a bench smoking a cigar, but the grand old man himself, Robert Wyatt! Who I hadn't really seen since Red Wedge, and who welcomed me like a long-lost son." Bragg handed him a demo and invited him into the studio. "For a Stalinist," he smiles, "he really knows how to sing like an angel." Come on, Wyatt's too nice to be a Stalinist?

Let me throw in an interview from The New Statesman too. I seem to have missed this one in October, waiting for Comicopera to be released. Looks like a wise guy to me. Here's one of the questions with answer: "Are we all doomed? You mean, are we all going to die? Given the evidence, it does seem so, yes. Sorry, Cliff."

Money for crime

Once again! Some guy in Bergen made millions on a couple of Banksy stencils, and the papers just love it. The usual discussion is happening too: Is it art, or are the so called artists bandits of the worst kind? Let's admit it, both sides are right (boring opinion!), but that's what makes it fun.
I have photographed a lot of the works in Bergen, and some in Oslo, and collected the photos on Flickr. Can anybody help me with this hidden gem? Who made the duck with the gun? Wings up!

Billy Bragg: I Keep Faith

Jazznytt PDF

The previous issue of Norwegian jazz magazine "Jazznytt", had a piece on Robert Wyatt, and his portrait was all over the cover! It is now available in PDF-format. There are also pieces on musicians like Jon Hassell and Paal Nilssen-Love. Hurry up if you want to see it, it looks like they have only one issue out for free.

University of errors

I'm looking forward to see Daevid Allen's University Of Errors at The Garage club in Bergen 14 May. A DVD called "Daevid Allen's University of Errors plays The Soft Machine" is on it's way on Voiceprint. This is a live recording from Amsterdam in 2006, and here are the songs (taken from Voiceprint):
1. That's How Much I Need You Now - Robert Wyatt 2. Save Yourself - Robert Wyatt 3. Hope For Happiness - Brian Hopper 4. She's Gone - Kevin Ayers 5. When I Don't Want You - Hugh Hopper 6. You Don't Remember - Robert Wyatt/Daevid Allen 7. I Should Have Known - Hugh Hopper 8. Shooting At The Moon - Kevin Ayers 9. Stoned Innocent Frankenstein - Daevid Allen 10. Fohat Digs Holes in Space - Daevid Allen/Gilli Smyth 11. Love Makes Sweet Music - Kevin Ayers.

This summer night (7")

Look for this 7" vinyl. It's a single from Bertrand Burgalat's album "Chéri B.B.". Robert Wyatt is singing on both sides, in an "ordinary version" and a "Solenzara Mix". 500 copies made.

Surfin' USSR

Farmers Market's new one is out on Mike Patton's Ipecac Rec. If you dig easy listening, country, surf, jazz, bulgarian choirs, dance tunes, folk and/or balkan boogie, you might like this one. Crazy guys! Farmers Market also know that good tunes have to have good titles. Here are just a few: "Traktor Tracks Across the Tundra", "Meanwhile Back at the Agricultural Workers Collective" and the heart breaking "The Dismantling of The Soviet Onion Made Us Cry".

Mr Love & Justice

Billy Bragg's album "Mr Love & Justice" is in the shops now. First song on the album is "I keep faith", with our man Robert Wyatt singing. Nice song. I like the rest of the album too, and please see to it that you get the double album with a band version and a solo version.
The first time I heard Billy Bragg live, was in a small club in Bergen just after he recorded "Life's a Riot with Spy Vs Spy", and got to like him on the spot. He must have been pretty young, but started off with a killer version of John Cale's "Fear is a man's best friend". The way to start a show!

Arve Henriksen and Terje Isungset

The students at the Norwegian School Of Economics And Business Administration organize an annual festival in Bergen (Uken 08). Yesterday they even had a concert with Arve Henriksen and Terje Isungset. 40 people showed up to see these fantastic musicians, and what a show we got. You get the feeling that these guys are serious, but really like to have fun too! What a good combination that is. They play trumpet (two at the same time, no problem), drums (hands and feet), wood, stone, mouth harp, toys and sure add some far out singing. I was smiling all the way home.

British jazz

Record Collector has pieces on collectable British jazz in their February and March issues. These are really teasers, and I find a lot of interesting stuff of course (John Surman, Ian Carr, Graham Collier, Mike Westbrook etc) , but I will not even try to go hunting for vinyl copies of some of these albums. Do you want Michael Garrick Trio´s 10" "Moonscape"? £ 1300 thank you.
I have got the two albums listed here, where Robert Wyatt´s playing:
Centipede: "Septober energy" (RCA Neon 1971) (£ 60 , first pressing, £ 20 second pressing).
Keith Tippet Group: "Dedicated to you, But you weren´t listening" (Vertigo 1971) (£ 75).

Borealis Day 5 The End

Here are some highlights from the last evening of The Borealis Festival.
Espen Sommer Eide from Alog has made his own music box (barrel organ) called Slåttberg from old Tandberg speakers. He uses this to play folk music, and it works just fine. Eide walked the whole venue, showing off the Slåttberg, and it was damned cool!
More folk music was on the way. Gamaltnymalt played Friday at the noise evening too, but here people gave them some attention! Nice trio, with good folky attitude, telling us about the music and the famous old players behind it.
Then came Erik Skodvin as Svarte Greiner (meaning "Black Branches"). The venue was quite dark, and we where flooded by spooky ambient made by fiddle, guitar and electronics. Nice! On MySpace Skodvin tells us he's inspired by David Lynch. I just knew it!

Borealis Day 5 Biblioludium

Saturday I had my regular trip to the music department of the public library. Today Borealis and the library had "Biblioludium" with Hansakvartetten (The Hansa Quartet), playing Jacob Blauw, Magne Hegdal, Toru Takemitsu and Geir Tveitt (three Norwegians and one Japanese there for you).
Later Anders Hana (of MoHa! and Ultralyd fame) and Jean Philippe Gross filled the library with what must be as close to noise as you are allowed to do in a place like this. Nice! On the the top picture (to the left) you also see festival composer Mathias Spahlinger checking them out.

Borealis Day 4

Friday The Borealis Festival occupied the club BIT Teatergarasjen. It all started off with Metal Music Machine (Jazkamer m Astro/Hiroshi Hasegawa), with Anders Hana and people from Manngard and Enslaved. They pumped out noise a la rock and roll, including some equipment wrecking, stone throwing and the rest of the package. It's not necessary to be that angry boys!
Then came Gamaltnymalt ("Old New Paint") on stage. They are three Norwegians playing Hardanger Fiddle, and doing it good! A pity the audience were bit noisy. Some people don't recognise good rock and roll until you throw it in their faces.
The last band on stage was Boris and Michio Kurihara. I think I'll call this prog-noise. They had a double necked guitar, a smoke machine on speed, a real rock drummer (devil signs all the way) and some beautiful psychedelia in between. Sugoi! I have to admit I kind of liked this and even bought an album of Boris and Sun o))), that sounded very promising after one hearing. Check out the Akuma no Uta, and the nice "Nick Drake cover"!
Let's hope I'll manage to put some more (and better!) pictures in myBorealis set on Flickr in a couple of days.

MW

Last week I wrote about a project Robert Wyatt had with Jean-Michel Marchetti, and mentioned that I had never seen the books they made. There are some incredibly nice persons in this world, and I am now the proud owner of two of them, "M2W" and "M4W". What beautiful books they are, perfect paper quality, lyrics in English and French, illustrations and CDs as inlays.
Robert Wyatt/Jean-Michel Marchetti "M2W" (Æncrages 1998)
Robert Wyatt/Jean-Michel Marchetti "M4W" (Æncrages 2003).
If you want to know what's on the CDs, just scroll down to the correct years at "Une Discographie De Robert Wyatt", still the best place to look for records associated with Robert Wyatt.