::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
  ::                                                              ::
  ::                     - WHAT'S RATTLIN' ? -                    ::
  ::       The Weekly Digest for Canterbury Music Addicts         ::
  ::                         Issue # 127                          ::
  ::                   Thursday, May 13th, 1999                   ::
  ::                                                              ::
  ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

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                      AN INTERVIEW WITH PIP PYLE
                  on the occasion of the reissue of
                       DELIVERY "FOOLS MEETING"
                        on Cuneiform Records


One of the last major albums from the Canterbury scene, and one that actually predates the involvement of former Delivery members in the scene, "Fools Meeting" is finally coming out on CD, thanks to the US label Cuneiform. The original album, with has benefitted from dramatic sonic enhancement, has been enriched with loads of bonus material - both sides from the ultra-rare "Harry Lucky" single, a couple of live performances, and the track "One For You" which is the first-ever recording by the pre-Hatfield line-up of Phil Miller, Steve Miller, Richard Sinclair and Pip Pyle.

The album itself not only features Pyle and the Miller brothers - they are joined by none other than Roy Babbington, future Soft Machine bassist, and saxophone player Lol Coxhill, later a member of Kevin Ayers' Whole World. Yet the star of the show is none of them - it's singer Carol Grimes, an excellent blues/jazz vocalist. The compositions are written mostly by Phil Miller (both music and lyrics!), with the addition of a Keith Jarrett cover.

While certainly different from the later efforts by Hatfield and the North and the like, this album already had a distinctive edge. The music can be described as progressive blues-rock, and although most songs have vocals, there is a high level of instrumental interplay. In any case, this is undoubtedly a must-buy for all fans of these players.

I will conclude by praising the late Steve Miller's piano playing on the album. His highly individual style was featured prominently on the Caravan album "Waterloo Lily" and is very recognisable here as well. This reissue is a tribute to Steve, who left us last December, and while reissues of his other work (most notably the two duo LPs he made with Lol Coxhill) would be welcome, "Fools Meeting" is a fine testament to this great musician.

A few weeks ago I met up with Pip Pyle in his Paris home for an interview about his days with Delivery. Here is the transcription of our conversation.

* * * * * *

Q: Have you heard the Delivery album recently ?

A: I haven't, no. I heard it about ten years ago. What I remember of it is in fact more what Phil says about it, that it's a good record of Steve's playing. It's the last blues record that Steve ever made. That was already beginning to fall apart, it had been a quite straight rhythm'n'blues, if not fairly purist blues band, for quite a while, and Steve was a very accomplished boogie-woogie piano player. When the group was based around him, nothing was ever recorded. I think he plays really good on that. Also Lol, as far as I remember, he does some nice stuff on that, Lol Coxhill. And Roy Babbington... But I'd actually had an accident, I'd got a bit of metal in my tendon and all that, so I'd had to learn how to hold the stick this way rather than that way... So I wasn't very comfortable drummingwise. And Phil, he sort of cringes with embarrassment about his playing on it. But hey, we were really young... I'd be quite interested in hearing it again, though!

Q: Was it in any way the starting point of what you did later on ?

A: I suppose there was some kind of inklings... It gives some idea of what we'd do. But I really don't think Phil was really serious about composing. He was more serious about learning to play guitar at the time. So he came up with a few things more based on riffs and modal things, rather than the kind of stuff he does now. I don't think Phil really got his kind of composing chops, really, until the end of National Health in a way, and the beginning of In Cahoots, then he really started getting into it. Although of course he wrote some good stuff before that, "Nan True's Hole" for instance was a really good riff, but I don't think he really got seriously into this mad harmony stuff that he does now, that sort of effort - or rather lack of effort, cause it comes pouring out of him! But I think that's what his work's been like more in the last twenty years, should we say.

Q: Would you say Delivery had an original style or was it just another blues band in the British blues-boom of the Sixties ?

A: Oh, completely, yeah. I think we wanted to be a group just like all the rest of the blues-boom, that's what came first. And then when we started taking lots of drugs, and listening more to Coltrane and jazz things... And we began to wonder, why were we, white middle-class musicians, trying to do that anyway ? But we actually did a lot of interesting tours with American blues artists, and when I think about it, it's fantastic. We worked a lot for a while, backing people like Lowell Fulson, BB King, Eddie Boyd, Jack Dupree and all that, great musicians. Cause we were kind of cheap backing group, and I had a van. I remember Otis Spann, who was Muddy Waters' piano player, we did a tour with him, and I can still remember the look of shock on his face when I rolled up to pick him up at his hotel in my green Weaver van... This was what he was going to be driving in for the next three weeks ! (laughs) We were paid about five quid a day for the gigs, including the van.

Q: Was there a musical environment in the late 60s that encouraged you to look for a more original approach ?

A: Mostly, it was getting very stoned and listening to music, and nothing else, for about a year, so apart from getting really smashed and listening to music all the time... We'd always done that a lot, but I suppose... meeting people like Roy Babbington, Robert Wyatt, Lol Coxhill, automatically forced us into different things. Even Lol played in soul bands like The Gass and things like that, but I mean... Don't forget that in the late 60s there was a huge improvised jazz scene in England. It was almost more forceful than it was in America, and certainly more so than over here [France]. If you listen to some of those records now like... I was in New York last year, I found that record called "Things We Like" by Jack Bruce, and there's like, Dick Heckstall-Smith, McLaughlin and Jon Hiseman on that record. And I mean, I don't even think of Jon Hiseman as a drummer now, but he plays fucking great on it. I'll tell you - it sounds quite like what Robert was playing with Soft Machine. It's very busy, really tense, exciting drumming. It's pretty free, I mean, you couldn't put out records like that anymore, people don't. But that school kind of still exists, but it's completely shunned. Anyway, we were running into some of that, as well.

Q: Did you listen to the early jazz-rock stuff, like "In A Silent Way"... ?

A: That was a bit later. I thought the first Mahavishnu record was great too. "In A Silent Way", certainly, yeah. But at that point we were already doing something more like jazz-rock, even way before that, or round about that time, I suppose, yeah. After the second Mahavishnu record I thought it started to get very dull, though, and similarly, so did Chick Corea, and so did Soft Machine, and so did Lifetime. So did all those bands that looked like, you know, it can only get bigger and bigger... And it didn't, unfortunately not, no. And I wonder whether Hendrix would have just carried on getting more and more extroardinary... Probably. So I don't know, it's just a sort of completely natural thing. I suppose when we eventually got Hatfield together in the end, Dave Stewart put more the brakes on the kind of improvised sort of thing, and pulled it more into structured things; and Richard was much more into a song sort of thing. Otherwise I think Phil and I would have got much more extreme, much more of a marginal thing than it was.

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From: Mark Hewins <gong-tourbus>
Subject: GONGTOUR-BUS
Date: Wed, 5 May 1999 12:29:22 +0000

Hi A and the Rattlers

Here's the first part of Daevid's tour journal for the European leg of the tour. The rest will be available on MUSART's GONG page <http://www.musart.co.uk/gong1.htm>
So people can keep up with what's happening as we tootle round Europe. This is a 'real time' journal actually from In the bus and waving hello as I speak to you on e-m are....

Daevid Allen, Gilli Smyth, Mike Howlett, Theo Travis, Jonny Green, David Id (sound). Keith Missile and Robert the driver.
Pierre is in his car, but I'm sure he's waving too......
Man of the match in Verviers-Theo Travis
Man of the match in Hamburg-Pierre Moerlen
Berin tonight!

Here's Daevid!--------

 'DAEVID'S NEAR DAILY TOUR DIARY -  EUROPEAN TOUR'

first two gigs yo ho ho
i am writing this from the band bus en route for berlin. First gig in belgiyum was a rocket shape. Last nite was a gig in the belly of an industrial brain factory supervised by the mothers grimm who gave precise orders in galloping  voices of cracked wheat. Singing in this psychic windtunnel was like aiming an accurate note into a harmonic shredder & then attemting to walk on melting ice. Well yoo know..the boys done good...nightmare conditions..survived the adulation by contemplating the undressing room walls whereupon was writ: Q: wot is the difference between a musician and a large pizza? A:......a large pizza can feed a family of four!
Apart from stumbling all over my own  nervous wreckage at the end i  waltzed briefly with the white widow & subsequently piloted the surrealist seascapes of social signatures with aplomberie.
Pehaps i was alive but today. after a night of difficult dreams in a hospital for wounded chords i am all of bushy tail wombat & ready for fun with lily marleine tonite.

meanwholes we eat kilometers below the mustachio
thinking not waving
yoiks and a blarney
tootle pip
dingbat

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOend

P&>M

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From: "Jury Alexander Jania" <jjania@hotmail.com>
Subject: Gong
Date: Thu, 29 Apr 1999 16:22:42 CEST

Dear Aymeric,

Thank you very much for your wonderful site and e-mail-list devoted to Canterbury music. Because of them I learned about the Gong-concert in Wuppertal, Germany, at the 5th of May - a band that I got to know some 15 years ago as 15 year-old. I never believed that I would ever see them on stage!

Au revoir!
Jury

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From: Gary Davis <artshop@artist-shop.com>
Subject: Impending Cuneiform releases
Date: Sat, 08 May 1999 23:37:10 -0400

Hi folks:

The latest Artist Shop newsletter is out and you'll find it in its entirety
at <http://www.artist-shop.com/news.htm>.  Here's some snippets that might
be of interest to Canterbury fans.

At the end of May we're expecting five new releases from Cuneiform
<http://www.artist-shop.com/cuniform> !

Delivery/Fools Meeting - Delivery was founded in late 1966.  By the time Fools Meeting was released in 1970, the band consisted of Steve Miller (piano), Phil Miller (guitar), Roy Babbington (bass), Pip Pyle (drums), Carol Grimes (vocals) and guest Lol Coxhill (saxes).  Stylistically, their music was an unusual blend of bluesrock and psychedelia, with underlying traces of future Canterbury-style.  This CD is the first reissue of Fools Meeting, out of print for close to 30 years.  It also boasts greatly improved sound, never before heard bonus tracks (including one with Richard Sinclair that was a precursor to Hatfield and the North!), rare photographs from Steve Miller's personal archives, and liner notes by historian Mike King!

Hughscore/Delta Flora - Hugh Hopper (Soft Machine, Wilde Flowers, and many other Canterbury conglomerations) co-founded Hughscore in 1995 with Seattle musicians Fred Chalenor and Elaine diFalco. Delta Flora is Hughscore's 3rd release (the first for Cuneiform) and features, besides Hopper, Chalenor and diFalco, new Hughscore member Tucker Martine, a Seattle-based drummer. Delta Flora is an appealing mix of beautifully sung songs and the more experimental structures that Hopper is ususally associated with.  It marks Hopper's return to collaborating with singer/songwriters in the tradition of his early work with Robert Wyatt on Soft Machine Vol. Two.

Djam Karet/Live at Orion - In 1998 Djam Karet were invited by Baltimore's Orion Sound Studios to perform for two consecutive nights at the Progressive Rock Showcase Series.  The concerts in Baltimore on September 25th and 26th, 1998, were the band's first ever East Coast shows.  Live at Orion presents the best of the band's performances from those nights.  Recorded live without overdubs on Orion's 24 track equipment, the CD features Djam Karet performing reworked material from four of their previous albums as well as long improvisations.  Released on the band's 15th anniversary, Live at Orion is a celebratory overview of Djam Karet's music past and present.  This is Djam Karet's second album for Cuneiform and 10th release overall.

Philharmonie/The Last Word - Shortly after Rage's release, the band went through personnel changes.  It evolved into a trio composed of foundimg members Frederic L'Epee (guitar) and Bernard Ros (Warr guitar) and a new member, Volodia Brice (drums), which wrote and rehearsed all material on The Last Word.  In October 1997, after 10 years of work, Philharmonie disbanded. The band and Cuneiform are pleased to release The Last Word as the fifth and final CD by this widely loved guitar ensemble.

Fred Frith and Henry Kaiser/Friends & Enemies - Avant-guitarists Fred Frith and Henry Kaiser have collaborated over the years on three albums - With Friends Like These, Who Needs Enemies (both originally released on vinyl by Metalanguage), and an unreleased live album.  This 2-CD Cuneiform release, Friends and Enemies, collects two decades of their collaborative work and includes all three of those albums in their entirety as well as 30 mintues of new material recorded in 1999.  Friends & Enemies is an essential document for those interested in the work of either Frith or Kaiser, two highly respected and stylistically distinct contemporary guitarists reknowned for pushing the boundaries of their chosen instrument.

We have some new releases from Thirsty Ear <http://www.artist-shop.com/thirsty>.  Among them is Matthew Ship Duo/DNA - After appearing on 32 albums since 1992 (and again in a duo setting with double bassist William Parker), pianist Matthew Shipp, who won Jazziz 1998 Reader's Poll's "Best Acoustic Pianist" ahead of Keith Jarrett, has recorded what he has called the cornerstone of his pyramid of work.  DNA is his sixteenth album as a leader, and as such, he has completed what he feels is the primary body of his vision.  Shipp is operating at the peak of his powers as a composer on this album, unveiling with new clarity his unique approach of submerging texture into form.

Now strictly speaking, there is nothing Canterbury about Matthew Shipp.  The reason I decided to mention him is that in the IRC Chat we recently had with Robert Wyatt he was asked who he might be listening to lately that intrigued him.  Among those he listed, he gave very high praise to Matthew Shipp.  So I thought some of you might find that worth checking out.

Gary

**************************************************************
                          Gary Davis
The Artist Shop                              The Other Road
http://www.artist-shop.com          artshop@artist-shop.com
phone: 330-929-2056               fax:330-945-4923
              SUPPORT THE INDEPENDENT ARTIST!!!
**************************************************************
       Check out the latest Artist Shop newsletter at
            http://www.artist-shop.com/news.htm

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Mon, 3 May 1999 19:11:24 +0100 (BST)
From: Brett Laniosh <brett@g4nzk.demon.co.uk>
Subject: Quiet Sun

[Jean-Marc.Dubrulle wrote:]
> I'm looking for QUIET  SUN album MAINSTREAM. I can't find it anywhere.
> have anyone heard where I could find it on CD

Good luck in your search. One of my favourite records of all time. I have the vinyl version. There are a few versions of the Mainstream songs scattered about. eg Eno sang a version of Rongwrong on the 1st June 1974 album.                

Good luck.

I note that Charles Heyward spent a lot of time with "This Heat". A band I know nothing about. Any one tell me what their stuff is like?

--
Brett Laniosh

[The Quiet Sun album was reissued in Japan a few years ago, but that reissue is now deleted. Last year, Voiceprint reissued it, but for some reason it was withdrawn apart from a few promo copies. I understand a new reissue is intended as part of the Phil Manzanera reissue programme - AL]

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From: philT <pturnbul@bigpond.com>
Subject: Wyatt's EPs
Date: Thu, 06 May 1999 17:22:16 +1000

I posted a message very like this to rec.music.progressive a week or so ago but have had little response and so I thought I'd ask the same question in this forum :

Is anyone else dissapointed in the Wyatt EPs box?

Although it contains some fantastic material ("I'm a Believer", "Yesterday Man", "Shipbuilding", "Yolanda", etc) here's what I have problems with :

1) There's 5 CDs when 2 would have easily contained all of the material : This has inflated the price of the set above what I'd normally pay for something like this (in Australia it's another 50% more expensive than a new 2CD release). But, ofcourse, I HAD to have the damned thing when I saw it in the shop. Now, I know the supposed reasoning behind the EP idea (small discreet batches of Wyatt) but I believe that's just marketing more than anything else.

2) Inferior packaging : NO real liner notes for what are reasonably rare items - unforgivable. Tight as a button cds in their holders - how may times can you leave fingermarks on cds before there is some effect?

3) All of the singles (+ Yolanda, etc) could quite readily be fitted onto "Nothing Can Stop Us". I realise that the cd re-issue of NCSU is replicating the vinyl but I personally believe it'd be better to have all of these together on one cd - especially "Shipbuilding" which should be on there anyway.

4) The Animals soundtrack is probably the worst piece of music that he's ever written. It works quite well when you actually see the film but the 'weird' synth sounds he uses are very basic and don't bear more than one listen.

5) The re-mixes are useless. I've heard many re-mixes of other artists and, whilst these aren't the worst (probably some of those found on Can's "Sacriledge" would fit this bill), they still don't add anything to the original "Shleep" tracks except, in most cases, that ubiquitous 'trip-hop' sampled drum sound.

All I can say is that, unlike in the past, I hope Robert Wyatt gets some of the money.

--
<philT>

"Gone into hiding, can't abide the latest tidings from the tribe.
It's reported hopes are thwarted, nothing of the wonderful survives.
It's resurrection is the purpose of our lives. But who can rise?
How thick the lids lie on my eyes."   ['Strayed' : Slapp Happy]

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From: "Terry Collins" <terryc@indosat.net.id>
Subject: Robert Wyatt tracks
Date: Mon, 10 May 1999 12:23:12 +0700

I've just bought Robert Wyatt's EPs ~ thru' Gema Records, who deserve a plug for their fine service to ex-pats who, like me, are far from a decent retailer. They're at http://www.demon.co.uk/gemarecords.

I last saw my vinyl collection 12 years ago. Luckily, my transportable cassettes had lots of Canterbury sounds. So I was looking forward to re-hearing Robert's interpretations of 'Strange Fruit', Chic's 'At Last I Am Free' and sundry others. 'Round Midnight'  is included on the EPs. So which CD must I purchase to 'complete' my collection?

And while on the subject of compulsive completism - has anyone complied a discography of Robert as contributor ?
eg. Nick Mason's Fictitious Sports
    Various ECM albums by Carla Bley and Michael Mantler
    Hatfield and The North
    Eno's 'Taking Tiger Mountain (by Strategy) etc.

Finally, is there anyone who can recall Eno and Kevin Ayers dropping into the Capital Radio studio late one night c.73/74 and giving it loads of alcoholic acousticness?

Any chance they made some releasable noises?

Terry Collins

PS. I'm still looking for other folks here in Indonesia for mutual musings.
And fellow Charlton supporters.

[The ultimate source for information on Robert Wyatt's various collaborations is certainly Mike King's bio/chronology "Wrong Movements". It's generally available from good music shops, I would guess - AL]

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From: "Charlotte & Ulrik Stenberg & Fackmann" <facksten@get2net.dk>
Subject: Gong in Hamburg
Date: Sat, 8 May 1999 10:59:17 +0200

Dear Aymeric

I would like to thank you for your on line concert information, which made me have one of the great concert-experiences of my life.

Ever since I figurede out that Gong was going to play in Europe I started planning how to attend one of their performances. It succeded last monday when I took the train to Hamburg.

It was a fantastic (nothing less) concert and the Fabrik was a good place. And there were lots of people too.

The one and a half hour long set was based on the Camenbert and Flying teapot, Angels Egg & You albums - especialy Camenbert & You. When Allen walked to the stage he looked like some kinda wizzard - he & Gilli changed costumes several times through the concert.

It's hard to emphasize one musician alone Morleen is a world class drummer - probably the best I ever seen. He & Howlett somehow could make up the band all by themselves. They were extremely good. The young saxplayer Travis were also very prolific and played a major musical role.

Thats all for now. The internet is a good thing, sometimes it provides information & sometimes the information is usefull too!

Best regards.

Ulrik Fackmann

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From: "Gary & Vicki" <gvstring@email.msn.com>
Subject: GONG/ PORCUPINE TREE REMINDER & NEW DRUMMER
Date: Tue, 11 May 1999 20:36:30 -0400

A reminder:

GONG and PORCUPINE TREE perform at Phantasmagoria in Wheaton, Md.
WEDNESDAY MAY 26,1999

PANGEA MUSIC PRESENTS A DOUBLE BILL OF:
GONG
Featuring the CLASSIC 70's GONG LINE-UP:
DAEVID ALLEN * GILLI SMYTH * DIDIER MALHERBE * MIKE HOWLETT
with new members on drums and guitar CHRIS TAYLOR * MARK HEWINS

AND

PORCUPINE TREE
STEVE WILSON * CHRIS MAITLAND * RICHARD BARBIERI * COLIN EDWIN

PERFORMING AT:
PHANTASMAGORIA
Nightclub and Record Store
11319 Elkin Street, Wheaton, Md. 20902; 1-301-949-8886
PERFORMANCE BEGINS 8:00 P.M.

ADMISSION $18.00 AT THE DOOR, GENERAL ADMISSION
STRING OF THE SHOE INFORMATION: 1-410-521-4520

Chris Taylor replaces Pierre Moerlin on drums, who departed during the European tour due to fatigue.

PLEASE FORWARD THIS  MESSAGE TO OTHER PEOPLE YOU THINK MIGHT BE INTERESTED!!

THANKS

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From: richard-d@webtv.net (R D)
Subject: Gong in Los Angeles 6/2/99
Date: Mon, 10 May 1999 02:08:34 -0700 (PDT)

FYI - Gong is scheduled to play the House Of Blues in West Hollywood on
June 2, 1999.  Brand X is support act.  No date is listed for June 1.

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From: policy.office@mihra.org (Roger Bunn)
Subject: What's rattling
Date: Thu, 06 May 1999 23:58:52 +0100

This is a triple header for publication in What's Rattling, Along With details of this months Mihra London demonstration, and a great piece on UK Arts and double standards on human rights
Enjoy. And thank you.

* * * * *

The whole story : Laurie Allan.
John McLaughlin's (now famous) album EXTRAPOLATION.

True. Lol got a call in Jan 69. But the recording session?  It really "didn't happen". The bass drum pedal broke, which didn't help very much. "After all, Ginger Baker was the first choice, but he didn't show up at the studio. As this was both a problem for all concerned and a very unprofessional piece of Ginger's
professionalism I was called at 1 o/c in the afternoon. I had to hurredly sling my drums into a taxi and get to the studios where I had to make a valiant attempt at playing these very complicated tunes from scratch. (With no rehearsal). But for some reasons they decided to re-record things later again. I wonder whether this is really true. And if so I wonder why they decided to do that and what happened with the original recordings?
Alan Skidmore was the tenor player, and Giorgio Gomelsky (Yardbirds manager and involved with Gong at one time) was the producer and was also there. Then GG went to NY. Daevid A could tell about that. It was not a demo situation and they had booked a studio to do a full version of an album. I think Brian Odgers was on bass but it could have been Rick Laird. But i can't really remember. But as the session were not to the standard necessary, the album was rerecorded. The tapes? "I imagine that they got scrapped", says Lol Allen.
"So the original drummer didn't show. I go down there at the last minute. I can't even remember how long I was there. But let's face it. It was a very difficult project under such circumstances. When the record came out John  Surman was on the final tracks". "I must add that no one but Roger and Trevor Watts, has ever asked me about this period of my career".

>(besides Laurie) you also played in Gunter Hampel's group TIME IS NOW

(Roger's note: There was one gig at the Little Theatre Club  the three of us. Lol, Gunther and I that I remember. But maybe there was another that we did at the ICA . Lol then spent a year with Gunther. No albums. Again Giorgio had  moved to Paris and as Lol suggests, "made a lot of promises but nothing came through".

>Is that true? Also, do you know how Laurie got involved with Gunter?

Through Jon Stevens.

>I assume that Laurie was the one who brought John McLaughlin
>into this band later on.

"This is true", says Lol. "I gave him a call and asked John if he wanted to go to Antwerp. I have a piece from the NME where he talks about that. So John said "yes". (Roger note. If I remember correctly Gunther offered this gig to me on bass, but as I had some personal problems at the time, I turned it down). Lol may even have suggested using Dave Holland to Gunther... Who went to NY in the 70s. "He came out and played in that band for most of 1968 and then we both came back together at Christmas and in Jan the following year. Then I had the phone call about Ginger not turning up".
Both had played before together in Pete Brown's First Real Poetry Band. "Yes", says Lol. "I think that's where I met John. For John was never (not like Roger Bunn and I and such as the Spontanious Music Ensemble, Chris McGregor, John Surman, Trevor Watts, etc etc) part of the Free Jazz thing in London, the Little Theatre Club. We used to do the Middle Earth club with the Poetry Band".  

* * * * *

The "liberationist ambitions" of Arts in the UK

Further Degrading the UK arts :

>> The Big Story <<
Smith in China

No, it's not the new opera (a followup to "Nixon in China") but the latest jaunt by Culture Secretary Chris Smith, who led a delegation of British media executives on a trip to China last week.
The agenda was packed - BBC WorldWide Chief Executive Rupert Gavin wanted to sell the Chinese broadcasters 'Teletubbies', David Elstein of Channel 5 was no doubt looking for cheap material to fill his schedule, and Smith and his civil servants wanted to persuade the Chinese authorities to impose heavy penalties on copyright pirates. The widespread copying of Western CDs, videos and tapes is a major concern for the 'cultural industries' - or at least the global corporations who own most of our artistic copyright and want to make money out of the Chinese market.

<Jeez, great for the cartel, but nothing for the independents at all.)

However Smith apparently had neither the time nor the inclination to discuss - or object to - the fact that Chinese authorities routinely block broadcasts of the BBC World Service, harrass journalists and jail people who pass lists of email addresses to US-based human rights organisations. Evidently the repression of free speech and the censorship of TV, cinema and the Internet have nothing to do with the arts or culture in the minds of our media elite. After all, Rupert Murdoch's Star TV was only to happy to throw BBC World off its Asian satellite in order to pacify the Chinese government.

Presumably Rupert Gavin (who now runs BBC World) and David Elstein (who was working for BskyB at the time) had an extended opportunity to discuss whether selling sanitised and safe TV programmes to a government which attempts to control everything its citizens see and hear is more or less morally repugnant than colluding in the censorship by limiting the news provided to the country from outside.

This visit also demonstrates yet again that for the Blair Government arts and culture are primarily an industry, one which can improve our balance of payments and perhaps increase our international standing. Freedom of expression and the importance of the arts to the quality of life for everyone obviously don't figure in their calculations.

http://www.culture.gov.uk/
Calculate your own contribution to the national economy.

* * * * *

The Olympics 2000 = BURMA OUT

The Music Industry Human Rights Association has been highly critical of the states "war on drugs" in the past. It sees no reason, apart from a cessation of state ineptitude / treason on the subject,  not so to continue.

Australia must not invite Burma. But get "its own house in order" in regard to a treaty and the many problems of its disenfranchised native population.

The first demo times : 4.00 til 7pm.
MAY 14th and May 27th :
The 9th anniversary of the "lost" election.

Australian High Commission, Australia House, The Strand (on the corner of Fleet St, near the Law Courts), LONDON WC2. Nearest Tube : TEMPLE on the District Line / Nearest Mainlines : Waterloo and Charing Cross / Buses : 4, 9, 11, 15, 23, 26, 76, 91 and 171A

MIHRA
policy.office@mihra.org

The Free Burma Coalition : http://www.freeburmacoalition.org/
zarni@freeburmacoalition.org
Write to your parliamentarians.
Send them all an invitation. To your own national demos.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Niko.Paech@t-online.de (Niko Paech)
Subject: Re: WR#126
Date: Wed, 5 May 1999 14:13:22 +0200

Hi there

This information might be of interest for all rattlers:

*International New Jazz Festival Moers Germany 21.05. - 24.05.99

...some highlights from the program ...

* * *

Saturday, 22.05

Fred Frith - Old Friends + New Heroes
(A projekt with many other musicians, among them FRED FRITH - guitar, TIM
HODGKINSON - reeds, CHRIS CUTLER - drums)

* * *

Sunday, 23.05.

Lindsay Cooper Song Projekt
(LINDSAY COOPER - comp, PHIL MINTON - vocals, MAGGIE NICHOLS - vocals, and
many others)

Massacre
(FRED FRITH - guitar, BILL LASWELL - bass, CHARLES HAYWARD - drums, Oz Fritz -
sound)

* * *

Monday, 24.05.

Fred Frith + Tens Serenity
(FRED FRITH - guitar, CHRIS CUTLER - drums, and many others)

Bye, Niko Paech (Oldenburg, Germany)

PS: Yesterday I attended the GONG concert in Hamburg. Wow, what a fantastic
evening!!!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
*               FORTHCOMING CANTERBURY-RELATED CONCERTS                 *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

        [for more info : check out the 'Concerts' page of CALYX]
             http://www.alpes-net.fr/~bigbang/concerts.html

==> CARAVAN <============================================================
                           [P.Hastings-G.Richardson-D.Sinclair-R.Coughlan
                                            J.Leverton-D.Boyle-S.Bentall]

Jun 12 - Diss (Norfolk), The Park Hotel

Info: Ron Keenes <mailto:sugarshack@netcom.co.uk>
Phone: (0)137 985 4206
    or (0)137 985 4513

==> GONG <===============================================================
        [D.Allen-G.Smyth-T.Travis/D.Malherbe-M.Hewins-M.Howlett-C.Taylor]

* EUROPE [with Theo Travis - sax/fl]
--------
May 13 - Udine (Italy) (tbc), Teatro Pasolini Cervignano del Friuli
May 14 - Northern Italy (tbc)
May 15 - Cavaillon (between Avignon/Marseille), Le Grenier a Sons [info: 04-90-06-44-20]
May 16 - La Voulte [near Valence] (France), Salle Des Fêtes [info: 04-75-52-11-12]
May 17 - Brainans (France), Le Moulin de Brainans [info: 03-84-37-56-15]
May 18 - Ris-Orangis [near Paris] (France), Le Plan [info: 01-69-43-03-03]
Aug 06 or 07 - Frieburg (Germany), Festival (tbc)

* U.S.A./MEXICO [with Didier Malherbe - sax/fl]
---------------
May 26 - Wheaton (MD), Phantasmagoria [info: 301-949-8826]
May 27 - New York City (NY), Knitting Factory [info: 212-219-3006]
May 29 - San Francisco (CA), Palace of Fine Arts [Progfest'99] [info: 831.425.0434]
Jun 01 - L.A. area (tbc)
Jun 02 - West Hollywood (CA), House Of Blues
Jun 03 - San Juan Capistrano (CA), Coach House [info: 949-496-8930]
Jun 05 - Mexico City, Teatro Bella Epoca [double header with Magma]
Jun 06 - Mexico City, Teatro Bella Epoca [double header with Magma]
Jun 08 - Milwaukee (WI), Shank Hall [info: 414-332-3061]
Jun 09 - Chicago (IL), House of Blues [info: 312-923-2029]
Jun 11 - Cleveland (OH), Phantasie Theatre [info: 216-229-0508]
Jun 12 - Philadelphia (PA), TLA [info: 831-425-0270]

==> GONG GLOBAL FAMILY <=================================================
                           GODDESS T [G.Smyth-D.Allen-O.Allen-T.Wandella]
                    GONG TRIO [ex-Brainville] [D.Allen-H.Hopper-C.Cutler]

Jun 23 - Tokyo, On Air West (tbc)
Jun 24 - Tokyo, On Air West (tbc)
Jun 26 - Kyoto, Taku Taku (tbc)
Jun 27 - Okayama, Pepperland (tbc)
Jun 28 - Osaka, Club Quattro (tbc)

The album "The Children’s Crusade" by Brainville (Daevid Allen, Mark Kramer, Hugh Hopper and Pip Pyle) will be released by Knitting Factory Records on May 18th.

==> MAGICK BROTHERS (D.ALLEN/G.CLARK/M.ROBSON) <=========================

Aug 11 -  Cornwall (tbc)
Aug 13 or 14 - Wimbourne, Gaunt's House Gathering
[more dates t.b.a.]

==> ANNIE WHITEHEAD / ROBERT WYATT PROJECT <=============================

Oct 10 - Nottingham / Nov 12, 13 or 14 - London, QEH (Jazz Festival)

This project will consist of Robert Wyatt compositions performed by a 10-piece band featuring Julie Tippetts (vocals), and Ian Maidman (vocals/bass), Didier Malherbe (sax/fl), George Khan (sax), Harry Beckett (tpt), Jeanette Mason (kb), Liam Genockey (d) and Gazy Azuks (pc). Please note that Robert Wyatt *will not* be appearing, although he will be attending various rehearsals to lend his ideas and direction.

==> BARBARA THOMPSON'S PARAPHERNALIA - UK TOUR <=========================
                         [B.Thompson/B.Thompson/P.Lemer/D.Ball/J.Hiseman]

May 26 - Taunton, Brewhouse Arts Centre (Coal Orchard) [7.45pm] / May 28 - Norwich, Arts Centre / May 29 - Brentwood, Hermit Club (plus drum workshop) / May 31 - Bridport, Arts Centre / Jun 02 - Hayward's Heath (West Sussex), Clair Hall (Perrymount Road) [8.00pm] / Jun 03 - Poole (Dorset), Arts Centre (Kingland Road) [8.00pm] / Jun 04 - Gravesend (Kent), Woodville Halls Theatre (Woodville Place) [8.00pm] / Jun 06 - London, Barbican Centre (Foyer concert) [12.30-2.30pm] / Jun 06 - Bracknell, Wilde Theatre [7.45pm] / Jun 08 - Cardiff? / Jun 09 - Exeter, Arts Centre / Jun 10 - Cardiff? / Jun 11 - Milton Keynes, Wavendon Arts Centre / Jun 12 - Colchester, Arts Centre plus drum workshop? / Jun 13 - Nottingham, Bonington Theatre (Jazz Club) [8.00pm] / Jun 15 - Newport, Corn Exchange? / Jun 16 - Camberley (Surrey), Arts Link (Knoll Road) [8.00pm] / Jun 18 - Kendal, Brewery Arts Centre / Jun 20 - Manchester, Royal Northern College of Music [afternoon concert] / Jun 24 - Cambridge, Eley? / Jun 25 - Halstead / Jun 27 - Lichfield Real, Jazz & Blues Festival [6pm] (2 sets)

==> INVISIBLE OPERA COMPANY OF TIBET <===================================

May 14 - Glastonbury, Backpackers (Crown Hotel) / May 22 - Bath, Hat and Feather (Walcot St) / May 27 - Exeter, The Bowling Green (Blackboy Rd.) / May 29 - Carhampton, Recreation Hall / Jun - Glastonbury Festival, Wise Crone Stage (Field of Avalon)

==> GLOBAL <=============================================================

Jul 10 - Salisbury, Lama Tree Festival / Aug 14 - Devon, Arlington Court Festival (near Barnstable) / Sep-Oct - small tour of Scotland/Ireland

=========================================================================

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
*                        AND OTHER GOOD GIGS...                         *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

==> BILL BRUFORD'S EARTHWORKS / UK TOUR <================================

May 20 - Poole (Dorset), Arts Centre / May 21 - Carlyon Bay (Cornwall), Waterfront / May 23 - Barnet (Herts.), Bull Theatre / May 25 - Newbury (Berks.), Corn Exchange / May 26 - Aldershot (Hants.), West End Centre / May 27 - Banbury (Oxon), Mill Arts Centre / May 28 - Brentford, Watermans Arts Centre / May 29 - London, Blackheath Concert Halls / May 30 - Heath (W.Sussex), Clair Hall Haywards / Jun 02 - Swindon, Arts Centre / Jun 03 - Southampton, Gantry Arts Centre / Jun 04 - Staffs, Lichfield Arts Centre / Jun 05 - Trowbridge (Wilts), Arc Theatre / Jun 06 - Wavendon (Bucks), The Stables

==> OZRIC TENTACLES / US TOUR <==========================================

May 13 -  Boston (MA), The Paradise Rock Club / May 14 - Baltimore (MD), Recher Theater / May 15 - Philadelphia (PA), Theater of Living Arts / May 21 - Cleveland (OH), Odeon / May 22 - Detroit (MI), Majestic Theater / May 26 - Boulder (CO), Fox Theater & Cafe

==> MAGMA / US TOUR <====================================================

May 28 - Chicago, Martyrs Club / May 30 - San Francisco, Palace of Fine Arts / Jun 01 - Los Angeles, House of Blues / Jun 04 - Mexico City, Teatro Angela Perarlta / Jun 06 - Mexico City, Teatro Angela Perarlta / Jun 08 - New York City, JVC/Bell Atlantic Jazz Festival

==> JAC LA GRECA [Holdsworth-style fusion] <=============================

Jun 03 - Peniche "Le Six-Huit"

=========================================================================
=========================================================================

                            END OF ISSUE 127

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