Stian Westerhus & Pekka Stokke

Stian Westerhus & Pekka Stokke, Saga Inderøy. from pekka on Vimeo.

Stian Westerhus: Great music!
Pekka Stokke: Great lights!

Inderøy Jazzforum (Norway) 20 September 2012.

1982 + BJ Cole

Hubro has uploaded a taste from the forthcoming album from 1982 (Øyvind Skarbø, Sigbjørn Apeland, Nils Økland) and BJ Cole on Soundcloud, and it´s sounding good!

Album launch concert to be held at Hubro Label Night, Kings Place (London) 20 October, together with young Norwegian band Moskus.

1982 and BJ Cole played at the Nattjazz festival in Bergen in May.

A Soul of a City

CLIP from "A soul of a City" from Liselotte Wajstedt on Vimeo.

Lise Lotte Wajsted´s film "A Soul of a City" is screened at Bildmuseet (Umeå University) to the end of October 2012, in connection with the project "Kirunatopia / In the Shadow of the Future".

Music: Maja Ratkje
Animation: Maja Fjällbäck

Fracture Mechanics

You better watch out for Fracture Mechanics (warning:Norwegian link) if you like - oh, so quiet improv!

Fracture Mechanics is Burkhard Beins (percussion), Lucio Capece (soprano saxophone, bass clarinet, electronics), Paul Vogel (electronics, clarinet) and Martin Küchen (saxophones, radios).

I heard them in Bergen on Wednesday, in a small room together with around 15 other people, and really enjoyed their slow, quiet and beautiful improvisation. For some minutes there, the only sounds came from one of the musicians fanning himself, with one of those feminine hand fans (pardon my English here, if this does not make sense, or sounds rude!).

It was too dark (and too much red lights) for my camera, but check out the flowers in one of the corners!
A nice concert poster here.

This band has not recorded yet, but I bought a couple of albums made by some of the musicians, and they will probably pop up here in a day or two.

Born Again Cretin (Robert Wyatt) - Cover version

I´ve been told that my copy of Field Music´s cover CD is in the mail, but I just can´t wait! Here you have the band´s great version of Robert Wyatt´s "Born again cretin".

See a list of all the tracks below, and visit SoundCloud to listen to some of them. I wonder how they cover John Cale´s "Fear is a man´s best friend"!

1. Terrapin (Syd Barrett)
2. Born Again Cretin (Robert Wyatt)
3. Heart (Pet Shop Boys)
4. If There Is Something (Roxy Music)
5. Suzanne (Leonard Cohen)
6. Don't Pass Me By (The Beatles)
7. Fear is a Man's Best Friend (John Cale)
8. Rent (Pet Shop Boys)

September Wyattandstuff Festival

- Mats Gustafsson, Peter Evans, Agustí Fernández (Unterfahrt 20/09/2012).

- Peter Brötzmann, Mats Gustafsson, Ken Vandermark (25/09/08 Brötzfest, Tokyo).

- Thurston Moore and Mats Gustafsson (Live @ Strand, Stockholm, 21/09/2012)

- Peter Brötzmann, Paal Nilssen-Love, Michiyo Yagi (25/09/08 Brötzfest, Tokyo).

- Lean Left Rassegna musica extra-ordinaria C/O AREA SISMICA Forlì.
Ken Vandermark, Andy Moor, Terrie Hessels, Paal Nilssen-Love (22/09/2012).

- Paal Nilssen-Love and Ken Vandermark (Inage Candy, Chiba (Japan) 05/09/2012).

- Ken Vandermark and Tamaya Honda (Shinjuku Pit Inn 11/09/2012).

Lo´Jo: Cinéma el Mundo

I already posted a teaser for this release, but Lo´Jo´s album "Cinéma el Mundo" (World Village 2012) is now available.
Robert Wyatt reads a French poem on the opening track "Tout est fragile", and is scat singing on the title track, really nice too!

I only downloaded the two mentioned tracks from iTunes, and have not heard the rest of the album.
You better read The Guardian´s review.

In memory of Lol Coxhill

19 September would have been Lol Coxhil´s 80th birthday, and a concert in his memory was held at the Cecil Sharp House.

First out here is a marching band with John Fox, Phil Minton, Chris Biscoe, Gail Brand and Roger Turner before John Fox´s speech on Lol Coxhill and Welfare State International. Then Maggie Nichols sings "Loverman", with Veryan Weston (piano), Art Theman (sax) and lots of strings.

Video: Helen Petts.

Songwriter Session: Richard Thompson

One hour with Richard Thompson, playing, singing and talking, at the Country Music Hall of Fame. Recorded recently I guess.

From Germ To Gem

Here you have "From germ to gem", another video for a track from Peter Blegvad and Andy Partridge´s new album "Gonwards".

Watch "Sacred objects" too.

Video: Stu Rowe and Andy Partridge
Lyrics and vocals: Peter Blegvad.
Music: Andy Partridge and Stu Rowe.
Flute: Frank Abrams.

Neneh Cerry & The Thing remixes

Smalltown posted two remixes from the Neneh Cherry & The Thing album on Soundcloud.
Working on a full remix album?

First one out here is Lindstrøm and Prince Thomas with their remix of "Cashback", followed by Kim Hiorthøy´s "What Reason Could I Give".





Added 22 September:
A remix EP is on the way! See Pitchfork, and here is the track list

01 What Reason Could I Give (Kim Hiorthøy remix)
02 Dream Baby Dream (Four Tet remix)
03 Accordion (Hortlax Cobra remix)
04 What Reason Could I Give (Carmen Villain remix)
05 Accordion (Jim O'Rourke remix)
06 Cashback (Lindstrøm & Prins Thomas remix)
07 Sudden Moment (Merzbow remix)
08 Golden Heart (Nymph remix)
09 Dirt (Kurzmann remix)
10 Golden Heart (Poole Blount Legacy Dub) (Lasse Marhaug remix)

Uncommon Deities

Look out for the album "Uncommon Deities" (Samadhisound), to be released 24 September. This is music based on David Sylvian´s audiovisual installation at the Punkt festival in Kristiansand (Norway) in 2011, with lyrics by Paal-Helge Haugen (the god poems - "The God of....") and Nils Christian Moe-Repstad ("I swallowed earth for this").

These musicians are named on the cover: David Sylvian (reading English versions of the Norwegian poems), Jan Bang, Erik Honoré, Sidsel Endresen and Arve Henriksen, and let´s mention the rest of them too: Ingar Zach, John Tilbury, Philip Jeck, Eivind Aarset, Dai Fujikura and Margalit Oved.

I had a great time at the concert in the installation at Punkt last year, and it sounds good on record too!
I have to admit that I tend to let David Sylvian´s warm voice just float around my ears, and not concentrate too much on the poetry, and I guess that just how much you will like this album, will depend on how much you enjoy the texts.

Video: Marc Atkins and Chris Bigg.


And since we are back to Punkt in this blog post, you may just as well read John Kelman´s report from this year´s Eno curated festival too, published in All About Jazz, right here.
Kelman does not write short blog posts, like some of us do!

Flashback Caruso

Flashback Caruso is the Norwegian artist Anders Bjermeland. He recently released an album called "Volume 1" (more to come I guess), with alternative freak folk prog psychedelia, or thereabouts.

What made me interested in this record, was a piece in the Norwegian newspaper Adresseavisen, where they ask if we (Norwegians) have got our own Robert Wyatt now?!
I think we will stick to the English version of Robert Wyatt for a bit longer, thank you very much, but I understand why the music makes the reviewer think of Wyatt.
Listen to the vocals on "Butterfly Blood". See?

Hanne Kolstø

If you want to check out some Norwegian pop music, make sure you don´t miss Hanne Kolstø! I have finally listened to her two solo albums, and have to agree with the good reviews she has gotten here!

The description of her music on her own site is probably as OK as any ones: "As a solo artist, Hanne Kolstø’s performances are anything but conventional. Her sound is composed of a mixture cold Casio synths, home-made beats, acoustic guitar and layer upon layer of voice. Her music is rooted in the 90s, with references to PJ Harvey, Depeche Mode and Björk".

And the songs are not only la-la-la-lovesongs I guess? At least Erik Pirolt´s cover pictures with Hanne´s black eye on "Riot Break" (2011) and sawing off an arm on "Flashblack" (2012), and the intense fighting video for "La-la-la-la Lovesong", is making me a bit insecure!?

Video: Vibeke Heide (Sentimeterfilm).
Actors: Alma Kirsti Skolmen Kaafjeld and Hanne Kolstø.

Peter Blegvad and Andy Partridge: Gonwards

Then you may start pre-ordering: Peter Blegvad and Andy Partridge´s album "Gonwards" is scheduled for release 22 October.

Oh, and you don´t have to settle for a single CD, but even go for one of the 2000 copies of the box set. I´m stealing some info on the box set from Ape House:

* Each copy of the limited edition features a certificate hand signed by Peter Blegvad, Andy Partridge and Stuart Rowe

* The DVD-A includes the full album in hi-res stereo, two exclusive audio tracks, films for five of the album's songs, and three full song mix kits (accessible from any computer drive).

* The full package comes in a clamshell box including a pack of Loteria - a Mexican game of chance similar to bingo but using images on a deck of cards, drawn by Peter Blegvad - wherein each object depicted can be found in the song lyrics. This comes complete with a set of boards to play the game on, a set of rules and a lyric booklet.

FIRE! with Jim O'Rourke @ Shibuya Lush

Oh my, this is so good! We get Mats Gustafsson (sax), Johan Berthling (b) and Andreas Werliin (dr) of FIRE!, with Jim O'Rourke (g) at Shibuya Lush (Tokyo) 11th May 2012.

Find records to buy over at Rune Grammofon!

Cristina Donà featuring Robert Wyatt - Goccia

Robert Wyatt featured on the track "Goccia" on Cristina Donà´s album "Nido" (1999). "Goccia" is also on a best of album by Cristina Donà from 2004.

But have you all seen the nice video?
I posted it several years ago, but it disappeared from YouTube.

Lucky then we still have good (?) old MySpace!

&nbsp; And now you know where to find records where Robert Wyatt is guesting artist? Yes, that´s right, over at <a href="http://www.disco-robertwyatt.com/images/with_friends/index.htm">Une Discographie De Robert Wyatt</a>?

JohnXC

I hope you are not fed up with my street art postings, because here you have one more!
JohnXC is a street artist living in the Bergen area, and he is working mostly with pasteups.
He really has been working hard this weekend, and here are the ones I found (so far).

Click on the photos for larger versions, or visit my JohnXC Flickr set.


And once more: If you visit mainly to get Robert Wyatt news and views, this is the link you need: wyattandstuff.blogspot.no/search/label/Robert%20Wyatt!

Nuart 2012

If you happen to be in Norway this autumn, please note that the street art festival Nuart 2012 is happening in Stavanger from September 29th.
News on exhibitions and conference right here.

I visited Stavanger a couple of hours last weekend, and took some pictures of remnants from old Nuart happenings. The pictures (top to bottom) show works by: Vhils, Herakut (detail), Know Hope and David Choe (I believe), and you may find more in my Stavanger Flickr set.

NUART FESTIVAL 2012. "OUT OF THE DARKNESS" from NUART on Vimeo.

Different Every Time: The Authorised Biography of Robert Wyatt

"You look different every time
you come from the foam-crested brine
It's your skin shining softly in the
moonlight
Partly fish, partly porpoise, partly
baby sperm whale
Am I yours? Are you mine
to play with?"

(Robert Wyatt: "Sea Song")

Marcus O´Dair´s biography "Different Every Time: The Authorised Biography of Robert Wyatt" is scheduled for release on Waterstones 6 June 2013.

We steal this from the publisher´s web site:

"This is the first and definitive biography of Robert Wyatt, Britain's greatest cult musician. Robert Wyatt started out as the drummer and singer for Soft Machine, who shared a residency at Middle Earth with the Pink Floyd and toured America with Jimi Hendrix. He brought a Bohemian and jazz outlook to the 1960s rock scene, having honed his drumming skills in a shed at the end of Robert Graves' garden in Mallorca. His life took an abrupt turn after he fell from a fourth floor window at a party and was paralysed from the waist down. He reinvented himself as a singer and composer with the extraordinary album Rock Bottom that has brought him a loyal following not just in Britain but in France, Italy and Germany. Today, Wyatt remains perennially hip, guesting with artists such as Bjork, Brian Eno, Scritti Politti, David Gilmour and Hot Chip. Marcus O'Dair has talked to all of them - indeed to just about everyone who has shaped, or been shaped by, Wyatt over five decades of music history".

Peter Blegvad and Andy Partridge

Enjoy "Sacred Objects", the first video from "Gonwards", the new Peter Blegvad and Andy Partridge album. Out on Ape House in October.

Both this video and the music on "Gonwards" is made by Andy Partridge and Stu Rowe, while Peter Blegvad wrote the lyrics and sings (and speaks I guess)

While you are waiting, see if you can find "Orpheus. The Lowdown" (2003) someplace where they sell or stream music.

Arve Henriksen & Teun Verbruggen

You might want to hurry up if you want to get hold of a copy of "Black Swan" (Rat Records 2012).
Arve Henriksen recorded his trumpet, Hardanger Fiddle, vocals, samples, keyboards and snare drums in February 2010 and Teun Verbruggen recorded his electronics and drums in September the same year.

After Erik Honore mixed it and Helge Sten mastered it, we got a nice album (sounding like a mix between a Henriksen solo album and a Supersilent record?), and only 300 vinyl copies and 500 CDs are being released.

Cover : Rob Musters and Peter Verbruggen.

Rat Records promise a download code with the vinyl, but I sure couldn´t find one with my copy.

The only way is up when you've hit rock bottom

Just so you don't forget that this is in fact a Robert Wyatt blog, please read this interview from Independent in 1997:
Interview: Robert Wyatt The only way is up when you've hit rock bottom.

"..Wyatt looks back on the hippie politics of the Sixties with disdain. "A mass narcissism that allowed people to forget the whole thing. The personal is political therefore if I'm nice... it just shades off into Barbara Cartland really.""

The interview was done when Robert Wyatt released "Shleep", one of the albums you really need in your collection!

Also take a look at Marc Marnie's fine portraits on Flickr.

Neneh Cherry & The Thing "A Tribute to Don Cherry"

Please check out Neneh Cherry & The Thing at the 47th Heineken Jazzaldia - Festival de Jazz de San Sebastián 2012!

And don´t forget "The Cherry Thing" (Smalltown Supersound 2012).

Punkt Festival 2012 - Day 3

The Brian Eno curated Punkt 2012 is over, and here is my version of day number 3.

Both the live remixes and the festival seminars make Punkt a special festival, and Saturday´s seminar was among the best ever (during my three festivals, that is).

Jon Wozencroft (of Touch fame) (top photo) was the first speaker, and he did a presentation of the project "Landscape and Perception", that he is doing together with Paul Devereux. Let´s hear it for "archaeoacoustics", rocks and stones as instruments, sacred places, Stonehenge and more. Far out rock and roll? Check it out: right here.

Per Martinsen (Mental Overdrive) (second picture) told us about his DIY life, and the project "Earthbound - Surfing the apocalypse". A very funny PPT presentation too, yes it´s possible!
See if you get any wiser over at My Blurry Window.

Cathy Milliken spoke about her instrument, the oboe, and played absolutely beautiful music by Giacinto Scelsi, Bruno Maderna, Cathy Berberian and Milliken her self. All of it new to me, but I just might go back to check out this kind of music!

In the evening, some of us got a bit scared! The Australian (now living in Iceland) Ben Frost played so loud, that quite a few just had to leave the concert, and later on Guimba Kouyaté with band (Mali) (third picture) got lots of (Norwegian!) people dancing in the concert hall. An absolutely scary sight, and I´m not sure I will ever come back to Punkt again!

I have to admit that I met three persons who absolutely loved the Ben Frost concert, just to put the record straight.

I love Owen Pallett´s album "Heartland" (2010) and the live version of Pallett was just as great! Catchy tunes, great sound and beautiful lights. The way to pop!V
Owen Pallett´s concert was remixed by the Punkt family: Jan Bang, Erik Honoré, Arve Henriksen and Eivind Aarset. Very nice indeed!

PUNKT Festival 2012 - Day 2

It´s pretty hard work being at the PUNKT festival (no, I´m not complaining). Seminars at 10:00 in the morning, afternoon concert at 13:00 and concerts and remixes from 18:00 to 24:00!
All happening in the new Kilden concert and theatre house (top photo).

Smalltown´s Joakim Haugland did a great speech on Friday, on working with music since being around 14 years old, and refusing to look upon his records as products, rather than pieces of art. He was supposed to have a discussion with Kim Hiorthøy, but he could not come.
Haugland did well on his own, and it´s great to hear people talk about their interests and goals in life, without using too big words!

The Estonian Weekend Guitar Trio played the free afternoon concert. I won´t try to classify their music, or put them in any known genre, but they were really great! Both impressing and entertaining.

The only evening concert I will mention is Mum´s! Fantastic floating Icelandic pop music, with beautiful lights on stage, and perfect sound! Magic!

And Marconi Union won the remix contest of the evening again (just kidding, no contest of course). This time they did a perfect live remix of Cyclobe. Ready made to issue as a record, if you ask me.

I also enjoyed Vladislav Delay´s remix of the Mum concert, and thinking about it, I realize I enjoyed the live remixes that really cooled down the original concerts (as Marconi Union did with S.C.U.M. and Cyclobe), or fed it lots of energy and kicked it around a bit (like Vladislav Delay with Mum).

Punkt Festival 2012 - Day 1

The Punkt festival 2012 started on Thursday, with concerts and live remixes at the new venue Kilden in Kristiansand (Norway). Curator: Brian Eno.

The first band on stage was S.C.U.M. (UK), invited by Eno after he heard a catchy song on the radio while he was cooking breakfast (my version of Eno´s story!)
I had trouble getting to the music because of the loud volume (and sound mix?) during S.C.U.M.´concert, but everything was fine when Three Trapped Tigers (UK) played. A fine concert from a powerful trio!

But Reggie Watts was king of the evening, no doubt about that. I have never heard him before (yes, shame on me), but this was one of the best concerts I have attended in a long time! He did opera, reggae, soul, r&b, rap and even more I guess, singing both with a young girl´s voice and the deepest bass, and with great humor too! Ace!

As is the way of the Punkt festival, all concerts were remixed live, and my favorite remix of the evening (even if both Eno and Arve Henriksen were on stage later) was the cool, nodding rhythms of Marconi Union (UK), working on S.C.U.M.´s concert.

And let´s not forget the lights on Punkt! All concerts are treated to the most fabulous lights, making the concerts a joy to both listen to and watch.

The Punkt organizers strongly advice us amateurs to keep still, and let the credited photographers do the job. I will behave, but still I just might sneak my camera out a couple of times, and share here as usual. Hope they don´t throw me out.

Picture of Reggie Watts being interviewed before the concerts started.

Jan Garbarek Group 1969

How about some old Jan Garbarek?

They are discussing on YouTube, if this video really is from 1968 or 1969, and if it was recorded at the Molde jazz festival. According to history, this band with Jan Garbarek, Jon Christensen, Arild Andersen and Terje Bjørklund, never played at Moldejazz, so let´s just say that "Karin´s Mode" was recorded by Norway´s NRK in 1969, somewhere in Norway?

Please disagree, if you know better!

Ich Bin Nintendo & Mats Gustafsson

Be prepared! The record company Va Fongool, who gave us Wolfram earlier this year, is ready with another one, and that one is by Ich Bin Nintendo & Mats Gustafsson.

Ich Bin Nintendo is Christian Skår Winther (g), Magnus Skavhaug Nergaard (b) and Joakim Heibø Johansen (dr). Together with Mats Gustafsson (sax) they produce half an hour of the dirtiest noise jazz I have heard in along time.

The music was recorded live in Oslo in March 2012, and let me cite the record company here: "To fulfill the noise-soundscape to this record, Lasse Marhaug mixed and mastered it to perfection".

On October 5th it´s your turn. If this one does not make you aggressive, nothing ever will!

Trabant

You might want to check out a Norwegian band no one else knows?
The trio Trabant finally released their debut album "Sanger fra Fredensborg bibliotek" (Pine Productions 2012) (that is "Songs from the Fredensborg library").
Trabant is Svein Magnus Furu (sax, clar), Adrian Fiskum Myhr (b) and Audun Lunnan Hjort (dr).

These boys have played together for some time, and it´s almost three years since I heard them (Norwegian link). About time they released an album then, and what you get is pretty relaxed straight jazz, with some more energetic stuff thrown in.

The vinyl edition has five compositions by the band members and a cover of The Shins song "Sleeping Lessons", and I have to admit I got a bit irritated, when I had to go on iTunes to get the rest of it! On the mp3-version you will also find one of the toughest tracks "Fiskeboll", 21 seconds of "Trabant theme song" and covers of PJ Harvey´s "To talk to you" and The Band´s "Unfaithful servant". Why not have all of them on the LP?

Nice cover by Bendik Kaltenborn.

Archie Shepp introduced by Robert Wyatt

Archie Shepp introduced by Robert Wyatt from www.summerhall.tv on Vimeo.

Jazkamer and Bergen Impro Big Band

Some images for you today, from a one day tour of Bergen with Jazkamer and Bergen Impro Storband ("Bergen Impro Big Band"). They played (among other places) at the public library, at the cinema and among the famous Hanseatic buildings of Bryggen. I managed to attend five of a total of seven concerts in one day!

Even if Lasse Marhaug and John Hegre of Jazkamer instructed the big impro band, they played quiet and slow music for the most of the day, blending with the sounds of the environment in a really fine way, especially at the library and for the tourists at Bryggen.

Even more pictures on Flickr.

Field Music Play ...

Field Music are ready (October 1st) with their cover album "Field Music Play...".
They do a version of Robert Wyatt´s "Born again cretin", from "Nothing can stop us" (Rough Trade 1982).

"Field Music Play ..." will be released on CD only, and only 1000 copies are made. You have to buy it right here!

The track list:

1. Terrapin (Syd Barrett)
2. Born Again Cretin (Robert Wyatt)
3. Heart (Pet Shop Boys)
4. If There Is Something (Roxy Music)
5. Suzanne (Leonard Cohen)
6. Don't Pass Me By (The Beatles)
7. Fear is a Man's Best Friend (John Cale)
8. Rent (Pet Shop Boys)