Ron Geesin: An Improvised Life

This one went below my radar; a documentary on Ron Geesin called "An Improvised Life" (premiered in October 2015). It features contributions from Pete Townshend, Peter Gabriel, David Gilmour, Robert Wyatt and Bridget St. John.

The film is going to be shown at Filmic in Bristol on May 8, with a Q & A with Ron Geesin.

Words take the place of meaning

Richard Elliot has written a chapter called "Words take the place of meaning: sound, sense and politics in the music of Robert Wyatt" in the book "The Singer-Songwriter in Europe.
Paradigms, Politics and Place" (Edited by Isabelle Marc, Stuart Green) (Routledge 2016).

See also a previous blog post on the book "Litpop: Writing and Popular Music", with Elliot´s chapter "You can’t just say “words”’: Literature and Nonsense in the Work of Robert Wyatt".

Soft Machine - Third (Transparent vinyl)

Music on Vinyl released a 180 gram audiophile vinyl edition of Soft Machine "Third" 2016-03-21. Limited pressing of 1000 numbered copies on transparent vinyl.

Robert Wyatt's '68 - Stream

Cuneiform Records just tweeted this (@cuneiformrecord):
"Robert Wyatt's '68 is now available as a full-length stream for you to fully preview the album before you buy it!"

Well, if you don´t have it already, stream it and buy it!

The Progect 2nd International Conference on Progressive Rock

An international progressive rock conference is going to be held at University of Edinburgh on the 25th, 26th and 27th May 2016.

You will soon be able to find the full programme here.

Paul Carr is presenting a paper on Matching Mole at the conference, and has posted the abstract in his blog.

The Calais Music Caravan Benefit Show

The Calais Music Caravan Benefit Show is happening at Cafe Oto Saturday 12 March (info on Cafe Oto´s site):

A fundraiser for The Calais Music Caravan, including the world premiere of LAST by Caroline Kraabel, featuring pre-recorded vocals by Robert Wyatt.

“All of us are migrants or the descendants of migrants – people who moved to find something and to get away from something (the two ideas are just a switch of perspective apart).

A while ago I wrote a song about some aspects of being a migrant, in order to make of it a longer piece for pre-recorded voice and improvising orchestra; Robert Wyatt agreed to record this short but very heartfelt song, which appears several times in various ways through the piece.

Tonight’s performance will include a first version of LAST, played by these most exceptional of improvising musicians and directed by myself".

Ivor Cutler (15 January 1923 – 3 March 2006)

Here is a blog post in memory of Ivor Cutler who died 3 March ten years ago.

I think this world needs his music and writings more than ever. Beautiful, serious and witty as it is.

Since it is also the World Book Day in UK and Ireland today, a wish: Let´s have some kind of anthology, collected writings or a biography in not too long. Anyone?

Fish

Fish
are not
very bright
not
by my standards.
They
never had any
reason to grow
brains. For
one thing
it´s hard
to read
under water and
the paper gets too wet
to handle and
there isn´t the light and
fins let books slip and you´d
have to hold the
pen in your mouth.

People
who say
"A school of fish"
are
taking
advantage of
their limited
intelligence to poke cruel
fun.

You let
fish be.

Or eat them.

From Ivor Cutler: A Flat Man. With drawings by Phyllis April King (Trigram 1977).


In one of my books I found a copy of an interview with Mr. Cutler from New Statesman (30 May 1997) called "Influences".
Here is one of the Q & A´s:
- On important matters, whose opinion - other than your own - do you trust most?
- Phyllis King and Robert Wyatt.