The Life of a Song: I’m a Believer

The Life of a Song: ‘I’m a Believer’
David Cheal
Financial Times
27 February 2014

"Wyatt’s version was a triumph, and showed that it was not always essential to have written a song for it to be authentic, personal and emotional".


Added 1 March after comment on access problems:

It seems like you have to sign up to be able to read 3 articles for free pr month.

The Beautiful Cosmos of Ivor Cutler in Brighton

The Beautiful Cosmos of Ivor Cutler from Vanishing Point on Vimeo.

Vanishing Point and National Theatre of Scotland present
"The Beautiful Cosmos of Ivor Cutler"
13 - 17 May 2015
Brighton Festival

And after you have ordered tickets watch this gem from 1981 where Ivor Cutler performs "Counting Song" at Anti-War poetry event, Chelsea, London.

(I got a bit scared off by that "license this clip" message, so run all the way over to YouTube folks).

Global release day

Do we see the end of different local and international record release days?

See news over at IFPI - The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry

"Global release day to go ahead following international consultation

26th February 2015

Following consultation with artists, musicians unions, record companies and retailers, it was confirmed today that the release day for new music will be aligned internationally on a Friday."

Skydive Trio and Monkey Plot

Two new albums from the magnificent Hubro label coming!

First out is Skydive Trio´s album "Sun Moee", with Thomas T. Dahl (guitar), Olavi Louhivuori (drums) and Mats Eilertsen (bass).

Norwegian release: 20.02.2015
International release: 17.04.2015




The next one is Monkey Plot with the album "Angående omstendigheter som ikke lar seg nedtegne".

The band:Christian Winther (acoustic guitar), Magnus Nergaard (double bass) and Jan Martin Gismervik (drums).

The title of the album is borrowed from the Swedish sound artist and poet Pär Thörn, and in English should be something like "Regarding circumstances that can not be recorded/written down".

Norwegian release: 06.03.2015
International release: 24.04.2015

And if you are still irritated by the different local and international release dates on records, see the next blog post!

Richard Dawson

If this isn´t something special I don´t know what to say!

Richard Dawson with "The Vile Stuff" from his latest album "Nothing Important" (Weird World 2014).

His European tour also brings him to Norway, playing Oslo´s club Blå 9 March and at the Bergen Borealis Festival 12 March.

BMX: Rozel Point

I know I´m getting older and slower, but it will be hard to find a good excuse to have totally missed out on the Bergen band BMX´s great second album "Rozel Point" (Øyvind Jazzforum) that was released almost exactly one year ago!

BMX is Njål Ølnes (sax), Thomas T. Dahl (g) (with Mats Eilertsen), Øyvind Skarbø (dr) (with 1982) and Per Jørgensen (tp, voc) (with Jøkleba).

You get seven improvised pieces and two composed, the composed ones being a beautiful version of Carla Bley´s "Jesus Maria" and Njål Ølnes´ "Joey´s Spring" that is supposed to be loosely based on a composition by Olivier Messiaen. I´ll just take their word for that.

I might hear a touch of Miles and a nod to Jøkleba, but most of all BMX music. And that´s fine!
Seek this one out! I haven´t got the CD yet, but the album is at least on iTunes, eMusic and Spotify.

Recorded by Jan Erik Kongshaug.

Taking The Dog For A Walk

"Taking The Dog For A Walk" (2014) a documentary by Antoine Prum, mapping the scene of British Improvised Music, past and present.

"With Steve Beresford, Adam Bohman, Eileen Boyes, Karen Brookman-Bailey, Sarah Gail Brand, John Butcher, Lol Coxhill, Rhodri Davies, Max Eastley, John Edwards, Alexander Hawkins, Caroline Kraabel, Dominic Lash, Phil Minton, Thurston Moore, Maggie Nicols, Steve Noble, Eddie Prévost, John Russell, Mark Sanders, Victor Schonfield, Alan Tomlinson, Roger Turner, Alex Ward, Trevor Watts, Veryan Weston, Alan Wilkinson, Richard Williams, and many others".

I sure hope I get a chance to see this one!

In April 2013 we had a blog post on the Sunny Murray documentary "Sunny´s Time Now" by Antoine Prum.

Taking The Dog For A Walk - Teaser from PTD World Sales on Vimeo.

Traité de guitares triolectiques

Soft Machine´s "Why Are We Sleeping?" (M. Ratledge, K. Ayers, R. Wyatt) is covered on the album "Traité de guitares triolectiques (à l usage des portugaises ensablées)" (Because Music 2015) by Pascal Comelade and Les Liminanas

Cool instrumental version!

You may also be interested in the track "Yesterday Man" (C. Andrews), also covered by Robert Wyatt.

Birds, Bugs and Decapodes

Let´s hear it for the animals!!

- Native Instrument "Wipper Snipper".
Stine Janvin Motland and Felicity Mangan. Austrailan bug and animal adaptations.

- “The Noisiest Guys on the Planet” were recorded by Jana Winderen and is an ongoing investigation into the use and production of sound by decapods (shrimps and such creatures).

- Soundscape Røst Vol. 1.
"Soundscape Røst is an ongoing sound art project, that investigates and documents the changing soundscapes of the Røst archipelago in Nordland, northern Norway, and it´s struggling and endangered pelagic seabird populations, as well as the living coastal culture. Soundscape Røst traces the sound history of a truly unique environment".

More on the project here.

The album: Soundscape Røst ‎– Spaces And Species Vol. 1 (Leynar Rec. 2012).


So you think it´s pretty strange to have a post on a lot of animal sounds in a blog dedicated to Robert Wyatt? Check out Brian Eno and Robert Wyatt in "Flies".

Robert Wyatt on Sputnik

Robert Wyatt was on Sputnik with George Galloway 13 February 2015.

He´s on after 13 minutes.

Grasscut: Richardson Road (Shadow Version)

Listen to a "Shadow version" of the beautiful Grasscut track "Richardson Road" with Robert Wyatt. The original track is from Grasscut´s "Unearth" album (2012).

Here is what they say on their home page (warning: music is autostarting over there!):

"A shadow version of every track on this album has been recorded on a unique cassette.
Each has been hidden with a walkman and headphones across England and Wales. Click the track name to reveal the cassette's location. We are releasing one location a week over the next ten weeks. To receive a signed CD copy of the shadow album, simply send us a photo of yourself listening to a shadow track in situ".

Anla Courtis and Bergen Impro Storband

Saturday evening I attended a concert at the Bergen Kjøtt venue, where Anla Courtis and the "Bergen Impro Big Band" did a "guitar special" inside an art exhibition.

I love to listen to music this way. Audiences walking around watching pieces of art, and still concentrating on the music.

This night the musicians where placed far from each other in the the big industrial rooms, taking turns playing solos, duos and trios (noise, ambient, rock). The last piece was called "Tutti Feed" on the setlist, and it sure was massive!

Sorry I don´t know the names of all the musicians here (some quite young guys too) but it´s John Hegre and Anla Courtis on the two first photos.

And since Saturday was Valentine´s Day, some even had equipment perfect for this romantic day (last photo).


Added 21 February:

Lucky Fish: Maria Due (RRM 2015)

In December we had a blog post on the Norwegian singer Maria Due and her version of Van der Graaf Generator´s "My Room, My Waiting For Wonderland".

Today i finally got my vinyl version of the album, and it seems like the band is called Lucky Fish and the title of the album is "Maria Due"!

As if it matters! This is a great collection and a strange mix of cover songs. How about songs by (among others) The Cure ("Fire in Cairo" here), Young Rascals, Canned Heat and Roger Whitaker (!) appearing on the same platter?
And starting the whole party; a fine version of Robert Wyatt´s "Alliance".

The band is: Maria Due (voc), Martin Viktor Langlie (dr, perc), Marita Vårdal Igelkjønn (keyb), Eirik Øyen (b), Hans Petter Gundersen (g, prod.) and Bård Ingebrigtsen (g, prod.), with Tore Bereczky playing harmonica on two Canned Heat songs.

The album is on Amazon and iTunes, and probably in some good record shops.

The Unthanks Launch 'Mount The Air' in London

Lots of background noise here, but come on it´s from The Unthanks´ album launch, with guests including Robert Wyatt and Paul Morley, at Brilliant Corners in East London (YouTube).

I want the 180g Double Vinyl with etched 4th side version of "Mount The Air".

And The Unthanks unveil a track a day (with chat) on SoundCloud!

SPUNK & Joëlle Léandre at Henie Onstad Kunstsenter

Only five minutes of the SPUNK & Joëlle Léandre All Ears concert at Henie Onstad Kunstsenter in January, but enough to make me wish I was there!

You probably want to check out their "Live in Molde" album from 2014.

Borealis 2015

In one month (11 - 15 March) the Borealis Festival for experimental music is happening in Bergen again!

Here is the programme, and it seems like they are promising more artists to be announced.

The following info is stolen from the Borealis newsletter:

"We’ll be exploring gender power dynamics, hip-hop and experimental singing with Lithuanian composer Lina Lapelyte; making music with typewriters thanks to South Korea’s A. Typist; watching the world premiere of an opera about madness and electricity from British composer Emily Hall; and discovering extended instrumental textures alongside Danish composer Christian Winther Christensen.

There’ll be a raft of world premieres from Bergen based composers; a new commission for cello and electronics arriving from the landscape and buildings of the far North East of Norway in the hands of Lucy Railton and Russell Haswell; immersive 3D sound work from Thorolf Thuestad; and you can drop in to listen to part wild horses mane on both sides build their cassette library of Bergen field recordings for a whole month.

We also have an automatic instrument crafted from ice, porcelain and hydrophones by Tomoko Sauvage; the stratospheric vocal stylings of Newcastle's Richard Dawson; Norwegian premieres of works for sinfonietta by Larry Goves and Johannes Kreidler; an all night sleeping performance hosted by Peter Lenaerts; Sons of Kemet a band with two drummers and tuba for bassline; talks and films and more…!"

Mixmaster Morris Robert Wyatt 70th Birthday mix

Mixmaster Morris Robert Wyatt 70th Birthday mix by Mixmaster Morris on Mixcloud

A beautiful Robert Wyatt 70th birthday mix here by Mixmaster Morris!

Please note track no. 12 - a "Gharbzadegi" unreleased mix (at 44:30 - 48:10).

Playa de Formentor

How about this one!? Daevid Allen & Robert Wyatt are extras in the Spanish film ‘Playa de Formentor’ (1964), directed by Germán Lorente! (YouTube).

They seem like cool guys and Daevid Allen even enjoys a dance (or do we expect some trouble coming up?).


Here is another clip (10 minutes), but without Allen and Wyatt.

Has anybody out there seen the full movie, and spotted our heroes in more scenes?


Added 10 February 2015:

And the full movie is up on YouTube today.

Hubro x 2

Two new albums on Hubro for you here! Write them on your shopping - or wish lists at once:

1: Labfield "Bucket of songs" (Hubro 2015). As always David Stackenäs (guitar) and Ingar Zach (percussion) are here, and 

Giuseppe Ielasi (guitar and electronics) is now full member. Mariam Wallentin (vocals) contributes on three tracks.

2: Huntsville: "Pond" (Hubro 2015). Ivar Grydeland (guitars, electronics), Ingar Zach (percussion) and Tonny Kluften (bass).

Robert Wyatt and John Greaves

Today a couple of tracks from John Greaves´ Soundcloud:

- "The Song" by John Greaves, from the album "The Song" (1995), vocals by Robert Wyatt.

- John Greaves and Élise Caron cover "Alifie" (with the North Sea Radio Orchestra) from "Rock Bottom" (unreleased I believe).

A message from Daevid Allen

I guess most of you already knew that Daevid Allen had cancer, and today I first saw sad messages popping up on Planet Gong´s Twitter concerning the development of the disease.

The news may be as sad as they come, but the full message on Planet Gong News from Daevid proves that he is still THE man!

(The picture is from an University Of Errors concert at Garage in Bergen (Norway) in May 2008).


"daevid allen - a message
[posted Thr 5 Feb]
Hello you Kookaburras,

OK so I have had my PET-CAT scans (which is essentially a full body viewing gallery for cancer specialists) and so it is now confirmed that the invading cancer has returned to successfully establish dominant residency in my neck. The original surgery took much of it out, but the cancer has now recreated itself with renewed vigor while also spreading to my lung.

The cancer is now so well established that I have now been given approximately six months to live.

So My view has Changed:
I am not interested in endless surgical operations and in fact it has come as a relief to know that the end is in sight.

I am a great believer in "The Will of the Way Things Are" and I also believe that the time has come to stop resisting and denying and to surrender to the way it is.

I can only hope that during this journey, I have somehow contributed to the happiness in the lives of a few other fellow humans.

I believe I have done my best to heal, dear friends and that you have been enormously helpful in supporting me through this time

So Thank you SO much for being there with me, for the Ocean of Love
and Now, importantly, Thankyou for starting the process of letting go of me, of mourning then transforming and celebrating this death coming up - this is how you can contribute, this would be a great gift from those emotionally and spiritually involved with me.

I love you and will be with you always - Daevid xxx -"

Manuel Bienvenu - Suspended There

After the post on Alfreda Benge´s London exhibition yesterday, I started searching a bit, and here is a song I must have missed:

"Suspended There" (track no 2) on Manuel Bienvenu´s "Elephant Home" (Wasbi Discs 2005) has lyrics by Alfie.

Listen and buy over on Bandcamp.

More Alfreda Benge on Discogs.

Soft Machine - Switzerland 1974

Today Cuneiform release the CD/DVD "Soft Machine - Switzerland 1974", recorded at the Montreux Jazz Festival, July 4 1974.

The band: Karl Jenkins, Mike Ratledge, Roy Babbington, John Marshall and Allan Holdsworth.

Alfreda Benge: P.L.A.

Alfreda Benge’s first exhibition in a UK institution is happening at "Space" in London 07 FEB - 05 APR 2015!

The exhibition "P.L.A." (named after the beautiful track on "Old Rottenhat") will show paintings, illustrations and lyrics, both from her collaboration with Robert Wyatt, as well as other projects.

Address and more right here.

The illustration above is the cover of the eponymous Rough Trade Italian sampler from 1981.

Ivor Cutler´s "Wooden Tree"

David Bramwell sings Ivor Cutler's Wooden Tree at the Ivor Cutler Night at Camden People's Theatre, hosted by the creators of 'The Beautiful Cosmos of Ivor Cutler', with singalong and all!
Fiddle by Nick Pynn. (YouTube)

"Wooden Tree" was originally on Ivor Cutler´s album "Jammy Smears" (Virgin 1976).