Andrew D'Angelo

I don't know much about Andrew D'Angelo, but still post this, because he needs support after brain surgery and lack of medical insurance. I found the news on Norwegian music site groove.no, and D'Angelo has played with several Norwegian musicians like Anders Hana, Kjetil Møster, Morten Olsen and Øyvind Storesund.

Matching Mole x 2

First you get a live recording of Matching Mole from Paris in 1972 (including a Robert Wyatt interview), and then a strange (but quite nice) video to one of the world's best songs ever (O Caroline). Enjoy! Some more on Matcing Mole here.

Suede:Shipbuilding

Robert Wyatt and Elvis Costello both did fantastic versions of the song Shipbuilding, and I think Suede are just as good. Brett Anderson's vocal is great here. Suede's version was on the album "Help: Artists for War Child" (1995), and this is a cover version, or what?

Piston LTD

Towards the end of 2007 Piston LTD released the CD "Domestic Engine" (Hecca/Division), and yes of course, a boat motor (Marna) is a central instrument here. This music is more relaxed than I feared/hoped for beforehand, and it's varied too. You even get a lot of pedal steel playing here, and several tracks have a taste of Brian Eno's Apollo music. According to Ballade the motor weighs 200 kg, has 1 cylinder and the horsepower is 5, and I am very happy to bring you this information. So far I have just borrowed the CD at the library, but these guys must have serious expenses just to keep the motor running, so I guess I'll support them with a CD of my own. The band is presented like this:
Jens Petter Nilsen - jump starts, cabling, grease and maintenance.
Hallvard W. Hagen - mechanics and hydropneumatic tank systems.
Erland Dahlen - pumps, power sprayers and centrifugal pump units.
Bjørn Charles Dreyer - plunger, power hosts and drainage point systems.

I Keep Faith

Billy Bragg’s new album will be out in march, on Cooking Vinyl, and Robert Wyatt’s voice may be heard on the track “I keep Faith”. It’s on Bragg’s MySpace page, and you may read some more at Pitchfork.

Shipbuilding

Robert Wyatt's version of Elvis Costello's "Shipbuilding" often do pop up in discussions about the best cover versions ever. Lately I've seen it in an article on cover songs in The Irish Times, where Jim Carroll chooses his favorites (it is that Jim Carroll?). "Shipbuilding" is one of the best songs ever, but Wyatt's version is not a cover, is it? Elvis Costello gave it to Robert Wyatt, who recorded it on Rough Trade in 1982. Costello recorded a beautiful version on "Punch the clock" in 1983, with Chet Baker on trumpet.

Spring

Yesterday Bergen Jazzforum offered a free concert at Landmark with the Danish band Spring. The band is Torben Snekkestad (ts, ss), Anders Banke (ts, clar), Jonas Westergaard (b) and Peter Bruun (b), and yesterday they brought along American Andrea Parkins on accordion and electronics. 25 people in the audience (!) got a nice serving of jazz mixed with contemporary classic (or something like that). Springs new CD (Ilk, 2007) is more jazzy, with the contemporary stuff more sprinkled on top (Jesus it's hard to describe music). Read a more proper album review at all.about.jazz.