Dagmar Krause

Listen to an interview with Dagmar Krause about Robert Wyatt.
It was done 1 March this year, before the Comicoperando concert in Modena.
Dutch Radio 6 is broadcasting the Comicoperando concert 1 June!

Iron

As a part of the outdoors program of Bergen International Festival, Staffan Mossenmark had gathered bodybuilders from Bergen, and made them drag heavy iron through the streets to make music (or sounds if you prefer).
As the bodybuilders passed between the pubs and cafes on one side, and party boats along the harbor on the other, the guys received both envious shouts and looks of admiration, but most of all smiles.
It is not that often you see oiled muscles in the sunset of Bergen!
Great stunt!

Some muscle pictures on Flickr.

Nattjazz 28 May

Stian Westerhus is having a constant "bad hair day", but his concerts are perfect! In March I heard him doing short concerts in a private apartment during the Borealis festival, but at the Nattjazz festival (happening right now) had more time at hand, and didn´t have to try not to break somebody´s fine glasses or furniture.
He was alone on stage for about one hour, with two guitars and lots of electronics, delivering beautiful melodies and electric storms. For some moments i thought I heard some Frippertronics in there and even Hardanger fiddles, when he used the bow. As I said, close to perfect!

Westerhus is on two new albums too (both on CD and vinyl with free mp3 downlods). I have just had time to listen through them a couple of times, but i don´t think you should try to save any money by avoiding these! The albums are the solo effort "Pitch Black Star Spangled" and Puma´s "Half Nelson Courtship", both on Rune Grammofon, with Kim Hiorthøy covers.

My other Nattjazz concert this evening was with Motif. Atle Nymo (sax), Axel Dørner (tp), Ole Morten Vågan (b), Håkon Mjåset Johansen (dr) and Håvard Wiik (p) mixed some free jazz (or thereabouts) with hard swinging jazz, all delivered with some hot solos and even smiles (and I like smiling jazz musicians!). Thanks a lot!

Curlew

Cuneiform released a package with a reissue of Curlew´s album "A Beautiful Western Saddle" (1993) and the DVD "The Hardwood", being a recorded concert from The Knitting Factory in 1991.
Curlew is here: George Cartwright, Tom Cora, Ann Rupel, Davey Williams and Pippin Barnett.

"A Beautiful Western Saddle" is music set to poems by Paul Haines (who we have mentioned earlier, him being Emily Haines´dad), and the reason I noticed this release (even if Curlew is a band that has passed below my radar), is that one of the songs/poems is dedicated to Robert Wyatt ("What is Free to a Good Home?").

Atomic and The Thing

Just a couple of new videos from Norway and Sweden's finest for you. Atomic was recorded in Osaka and The Thing at SKIF 2010 in St Petersburg. There are more videos from The Thing's concert out there, but the sound quality is not too good. You'll find them yourselves, OK?.

Desibel

The Bergen International Festival ("Festspillene") is happening right now. We used to have the outdoor OiOi Festival at the same time as Festspillene, but now the main festival will have more concerts and other happenings outdoor (and yes, it is cold and it´s raining in Bergen these days).

After the opening ceremony, with the king and queen present, the portable noise project "Desibel" got going down by the sea. "Desibel" was originally made as a protest against a huge mining project in the valley Naustdal (2009), with music by Maja S.K. Ratkje. The music is thrown out of some huge green speakers (horns) (120 - 130 dB), and since we are here, we may choose to hear this as a protest against the environmental crimes of Bergen, or perhaps as shouts of joy to the nature around us.

And, let´s not forget, the Nattjazz festival is happening too.

Folk news

- I guess all of you are just waiting for the new 19 CD Sandy Denny box scheduled for October release? Read all about it in the Sandy Denny blog.
- I found the above info on the blog Electric Eden, started by Rob Young who has written the book "Electric Eden: Unearthing Britain's Visionary Music" (Faber & Faber 2010).According to the author it is the story of "folk, folk-rock, psychedelia and the 'British imagination in the music of the past 100 years or so".
Amazon´s release date is in August, but Young is hoping to see in the shops in june. OK, let´s agree on July then! (And I won´t link to his blog, because it seems like we get stuck there, with no possibility to get back to MY blog! Here is the address http://www.electriceden.net/)
- Richard Thompson´s new album "Dream Attic" will be releasead in the end of August. He is joined by the following musicians: Michael Jerome (drums), Taras Prodaniuk (bass), Pete Zorn (multi-instruments, background vocals) and Joel Zifkin (violin).