Benefit concert for Wyatt

Elastic Rock is posting a Rick Wright sampler called "The Great Rick In The Sky". Here you get Pink Floyd's "Obscured By Clouds (Part1 -Part3)" from The Benefit Concert for Robert Wyatt, Rainbow Theater, London, 4 November 1973.

If you are jumping from joy, and feel a little embarrassed because of that, try Bohren & Der Club of Gore. This music will get you down to earth. It runs slowly, like a deep and dark river. Quite nice really! The last album is called "Dolores" (Pias 2008), and the band is Thorstein Benning, Christoph Clöser, Morten Gass and Robin Rodenberg.
I borrowed both "Dolores" and "Geisterfaust" (2005) from a friend, and have to say "Geisterfaust" is even darker (but the titles are a nice course in German: Zeigefinger, Daumen, Ringfinger, Mittelfinger og Kleiner Finger). This is perhaps not the best music if you are already depressed.

Free Will & Testament

Robert Wyatt |MTV Music

MTV will make all (?) their videos available on the net. I had to check if Robert Wyatt was there, and yes we get "Free Will and Testament" from "Shleep" (1997), with a memory album video by Alfreda Benge. This is a fine and sad tune, I just love it! It's written by Robert Wyatt and Kramer and was first on Hugh Hopper and Kramer's "A Remark Hugh Made" (Shimmydisc 1996).

SOFT MACHINE : Anatomy Of Pop '70

Soft Machine documentary from 1970 here.

Soft Machine in Norway in 1971 (again!)

I've mentioned Lasse Marhaug's commissioned work for The Henie Onstad Arts Center a couple of times, and here we go again. I found an old article (5 April 2008) on Marhaug's work in the paper version of the Norwegian newspaper "Dagsavisen" today, and of course it lists a lot of the interesting recordings Marhaug could use (Reich, Cage, Stockhausen and more), among them Soft Machine's concert from 1971. I'll translate as best I can what Lars Finborud from the Henie Onstad Center says:"Several times every month we get mails from fans and collectors who want the recording of the Soft Machine concert with Robert Wyatt" (well, he calls it Robert Wyatt's band, but let's not push it!). The answer unfortunately is that they can not help at all. I guess copyright holders may do something after long fights, but the museum are "not even allowed to bring the tapes outside the house". So stop bothering the man.

AllEarsAboutAtomicJazzHopper

all.about.jazz reviews Atomic's box "Retrograde". Some box!

The Norwegian Noise Winter Games, better known as All Ears 2009, is to be held in Oslo 15 - 18 January.

14 Decemeber there is a benefit concert for Canterbury bass man Hugh Hopper at the 100 Club in London. Hopper is treated for leukemia, and you may support him by buying his records. Reel Recordings double-up royalties for Hopper for the Soft Heap record "Al Dente". Check out "What's Rattlin'" for news.

Svein Finnerud Trio

Plastic Strip is still digging in archives with old Norwegian jazz. 3 November is the release date for Svein Finnerud Trio ”The Complete Released Works 1968-1999”. In this box you get 3 CDs and 1 DVD covering old television shows, radio recordings, a 40 page booklet and these records:
Svein Finnerud Trio: Svein Finnerud Trio (1968)
Svein Finnerud Trio: Plastic Sun (1970)
T.Botnen/S.Finnerud Trio/C.Neumann: MULTIMAL (1971)
Svein Finnerud Trio: Thoughts (1984)
Svein Finnerud Trio: Travel Pillow (1994)
B. Andresen/S. Finnerud/P. Nilssen-Love: Egne Hoder (1999).