Today (BBC Radio 4)

Robert Wyatt, Tony Adams, David Hockney and PD James are among the people who will be guest editors of BBC Four´s "Today" for Christmas and New Year.
Robert Wyatt is on Friday 1st January, and "His programme will look at the music being made by amateur choirs around the country and at the people willing to stick up for politicians after the scandal surrounding MPs' expenses". Way to start 2010!

All Ears 2010

The program for the All Ears festival (Oslo, 14 - 17 January) is out!

THURSDAY 14 JANUARY, Fabrikken

• Projecting Surface (Dryer/Heule/Laastad/Volden)
• Anna Zaradny
• Lucio Capece / Werner Dafeldecker
• Han Bennink / Frode Gjerstad

FRIDAY 15 JANUARY, Fabrikken

• Basshaters
• Dag Magnus Narvesen / Stine Janvin Motland / Johannes Bauer
• Robert Piotrowicz
• Stian Westerhus / Zach Hill

DJs: Soft Bondage

SATURDAY 16 JANUARY, Fabrikken

• Kristin Andersen / Anna Zaradny / Inga Margrete Aas
• Cunt Rash
• Anla Courtis
• C. Spencer Yeh / Okkyung Lee
• Paul Lytton / Johannes Bauer / Jon Rune Strøm

DJs: Soft Bondage

SUNDAY 17 JANUARY, Henie Onstad Art Centre

• Paul Lytton (electronic set)
• John Tilbury

Soft Machine and lights

Just wishful thinking, but while waiting for somebody to locate a film of the Soft Machine concert at Henie Onstad (previous blog post), let´s enjoy the kind of light show they were using. Lights by Mark Boyle and Joan Hill. Psychedelic!

Live at Henie Onstad Art Center 1971

Finally it´s here: Soft Machine "Live at Henie Onstad Art Centre 1971" (Reel Recordings 2009)! Lots of people have been waiting for this one, and when it is here, it is close to perfect! Soft Machine played at Henie Onstad 27 and 28 February 1971, Mark Boyle and Joan Hills doing the lights. Here we get recordings from the second day on two CDs, and we also get one accompanying CD-R with information.
The band is Michael Ratledge, Elton Dean, Hugh Hopper and Robert Wyatt (soon to leave the band). They play material from the Soft Machine albums "3" (1970) and "4" (1971), with tunes like "Facelift", "Virtually", "Slightly all the time", "Fletcher´s Blemish", "Neo-Caliban Grides", "Out-Bloody-Rageous", "All White", "Kings and Queens", "Teeth", "Pigling Bland" and "Noisette" (with good help from the CD-R here). The band does not play the tunes as such, but two long sets as they used to do. And the sound is just great!
Live recordings with the same people may be found on "Grides" (Cuneiform 2006), "Virtually" (Cuneiform 1998), "In Europe" (Blueprint 1998) and "BBC Radio 1967-1971" (Hux 2003), and check out "Drop" (Moonjune 2008) too, but Phil Howard plays the drums on this one, in Robert´s place.
Start by buying Soft Machine "Live at Henie Onstad Art Center 1971". Great stuff!

Tom Waits

Today we celebrate Tom Waits´ 60th birthday, by going fishing with John Lurie! Click on for part2 and part 3.

The Hair Collection

Bergen performance artist Kurt Johannessen is working on an ambitious project called "The Hair Collection". He wants one strand of hair from every living person! So far 0,0000124% of the world´s population have participated, and their names are on this list.
If you have one strand of hair to spare, well you know what to do.
The picture is from a performance involving burnt matches, not hair.

Evan Parker og Sten Sandell

Here you see half of Townhouse Orchestra (my Moldejazz 2008 blog post), Sten Sandell and Evan Parker, doing a church concert at Hagenfesten, Dala Floda (July 2009).