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- WHAT'S RATTLIN'?
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:: The "Periodical" Digest
for Canterbury Music Addicts ::
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Issue #
196
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Tuesday, August 27th,
2002
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Dear Rattlers,
This issue is mainly devoted to the first half of a
two-part review of the recent "Progman Cometh" festival. I thought
it would be a little too much to digest in one go, and I also
needed a little breather since this is quite "heavy" to write
down... Anyway, issue #197 should follow very quickly with the
second part, and hopefully other reviews of this memorable event.
Before I begin, I would just like to pay homage to a major
figure of the Canterbury scene who sadly left us last month. Jacky
Barbier was the owner of a legendary club, A L'Ouest de la Grosne,
in rural Burgundy, and thanks to a long-standing friendship with
this family of musicians, many bands played there and a lot of
them also used the venue's studio facilities. To name just a few
albums which were partly or entirely recorded at Jacky's - Soft
Head "Rogue Element", National Health "Play Time", Hugh Hopper
& Richard Sinclair "Somewhere In France", Soft Heap "A
Veritable Centaur", Short Wave "Live", Gong "Shapeshifter" etc.
etc.
Jacky died of illness on July 15th, the day after his 66th
birthday. I met him just a handful of times, but they were all
memorable. We will miss you, Jacky.
Aymeric
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"PROGMAN COMETH" IN SEATTLE - A REVIEW (PART ONE)
As I’m typing these words [Saturday 24th], the Canterbury
Festival is taking place a few miles outside the town where it all
started. Many great bands were slated to perform there over the
weekend, but very few of them can actually claim any relation to
what is known as the «Canterbury scene» - especially since Caravan
cancelled their appearance a few weeks ago, leaving Kevin Ayers as
the only (reluctant) representative of the family performing at
the festival (I could add Jakko Jakszyk, but he’s appearing as
part of a band consisting of ex-King Crimson members).
A few days before the Canterbury Festival, another
festival was taking place, several thousand miles away, bearing
the name «Progman Cometh». In a way, this was the reverse
situation - this one, for this first edition at least, turned out
to be a Canterbury Festival in all but name. Sure, a number of
bands performed that did fit under the «progressive» umbrella
(which is rather wide, anyway), but most of the headliners were
«Canterbury» acts; and the number of musicians from the Canterbury
scene appearing in one capacity or another (or several) made this
the closest thing to a family reunion as is likely to ever happen.
I understand even Robert Wyatt and Mike Ratledge were asked to be
present, but both - rather predictably - declined.
The opportunity to attend the festival came as a last
minute surprise to me. Obviously, travelling to Seattle isn’t the
easiest or cheapest trip one could think of. Still, thanks to a
lucky turn of events (uninteresting to detail here), I was able to
make it. And I certainly don’t regret it ! Before I go into the
details of what happened, I must mention first that the event was
superbly organised, which made it possible for me to experience
the festival without any stress or practical uncertainties (and
this was certainly a first for me as far as music festivals go).
Massive thanks to festival mastermind Jerry Cook, his wife Lorrie
and their superb team, including hotel roommate Erik Poulsen, who
took literally hundreds of photos during the weekend which I can’t
wait to see.
The festival opened in the early evening of Friday August
16th with a one-hour performance by Glass, the band of which Jerry
Cook is the drummer (and a bigger drumkit I never saw in my life -
and I saw Carl Palmer twice!). Joining him were the Sherman
brothers, Greg on keyboards and Jeff on bass and additional
keyboards. They are not newcomers in any way - the band was formed
as long ago as 1968 (!), and I understand a good deal of the
impetus to do so was provided by a concert they attended a short
time before, with Soft Machine and Jimi Hendrix sharing the bill.
This having been said, Glass sound nothing like Soft Machine -
they have a more polished, occasionally symphonic, progressive
rock sound, which occasionally brings to mind an early,
instrumental ELP. The compositions themselves, however, with the
constant use of shifting time signatures, does show the influence
of Mike Ratledge in particular. The trio’s set consisted of three
numbers, two of them over twenty minutes in length, with a short,
more intimistic interlude by Jeff in the middle. They were joined
by several guests, including guitarist Pete Perdras, the rhythm
section from Kopecky, and, last but certainly not least, Elton
Dean. Elton was his usual brilliant self, whether wailing in
«free» mode on the alto, or delivering heartbreaking melodies on
his saxello. Sadly, this otherwise excellent set was marred by
terrible mixing work from the desk, with little outside the low
end audible. Apparently, the engineer was used to working with
grunge bands and didn’t see any reason to operate differently.
Fortunately, things quickly got better as the evening progressed.
Hughscore came next. This is only the second-ever live
performance by Hugh Hopper’s American project since Hugh began
working with the Seattle-based group Caveman Shoestore in 1995. So
far they have made three albums together, with a fourth on the way
(to be released next year). Alongside Hugh, the main members of
the band are Elaine diFalco (vocals and electric piano) and
Fred Chalenor (bass), joined for the occasion by drummer Tucker
Martine, who had also (rather brilliantly) produced their latest
effort «Delta Flora» (Cuneiform Records 1999), and newcomer Steve
Moore on Wurlitzer piano and trombone. The set was rather short,
clocking in at just 45 minutes, but provided a good representation
of the band’s approach and sound. The obsessive, almost
trance-inducing, repetitive riffs, the duelling bass lines (with
Hugh, and occasionally Fred, taking solos - oh, that fuzz pedal
!!) and the unique sound of electric pianos, are the most
noticeable constants. Parcimonious vocals by Elaine diFalco, who
is a really fine singer (her rendition of «Was A Friend» rivals
Robert Wyatt’s in my opinion), and trombone flourishes from Steve
Moore were more occasional pleasures. The set began with three new
tunes which should appear on the next album : «Septal/Biker Riff
Squad», which combines a theme by Hugh and one by former Caveman
Hughscore drummer Henry Franzoni, and two Hopper/Chalenor
collaborations, «0808» and «Disappearing Karl/Big Bombay/Sevmitch»
- note that these are working titles. More familiar ground was
then trodden with «Was A Friend», followed by a softer,
piano-based song by Elaine diFalco, «Tokitae», before the gig
suitably ended with one of the ultimate Hopper classics, «Sliding
Dogs», in a rather ‘straight’ version. All in all, too brief of
course but very convincing. Too bad this band can’t play live more
often !
This first evening concluded with a truly outstanding
group - Pip Pyle’s Bash. Indeed, this project stands out as one of
the truly NEW Canterbury scene bands, which has become a rarity
these days - long gone seem the days when there seemed to be one
new group every week or so !! Anyway, this is something Pip has
been hard at work on for a long time now, and not just the
consequence of his recent departure from In Cahoots. In fact, I
remember Pip telling me about his plan to form a band with Patrice
Meyer and Fred Baker as long ago as 1999, shortly after his solo
album «Seven Year Itch» had come out. After the endless
overdubbing sessions and countless guest appearances, Pip wanted
to go back to a band approach for his next «solo» project. There
are echoes of several of Pip’s previous groups in Bash - the final
incarnation of Equip’Out (1994-95), which already had Patrice
Meyer on guitar rather than a keyboard player; and another
unrecorded project, the trio Tertio (1994-96), again with Meyer,
and organist Emmanuel Bex. In recent times, for practical reasons,
Pip had thought of trying to find French players to make it a more
viable venture, but finding it impossible to find a better bass
player than Fred Baker (I can easily see why), he turned to
another Brit for the keyboard position - Alex Maguire, a longtime
collaborator of Elton Dean’s 1990s projects, who first came to
attention as a pianist, but literally exploded as a Hammond
organist on Elton’s latest album «Moorsong» (Cuneiform Records
2001), as part of a superb quartet which included Fred Baker and
drummer Liam Genockey.
Apart from a few (not so) old numbers, Bash played mostly
new material, written by Pip over the last couple of years or so.
I was privileged to hear some of these at the Midi file stage and
they really sounded good. Five were played during the gig, but I
remember there were more than that, at least ten - an
unprecedented productivity for Pip !! The opening piece, «For
Adiba», was a brilliant introduction to the style of the new band
- less ostensibly jazzy than Equip’Out, but more open and
improvisational than Pip’s previous groups with similar
instrumentation. Let’s be clear : Bash doesn’t sound much like
Hatfield or National Health. Actually, it sounds very little like
anything I’ve heard, and that’s a good thing. Based on a simple
and effective chord structure, stated first by the organ alone,
«For Adiba» allowed the quartet to slowly come into its own as a
collective unit. Subtlety and contrast prevailed, emphasizing the
melodic writing, until the concluding polyrhythmic section, which
came as a pleasant and effective surprise. Next came the oldest
number played that night, «Cauliflower Ears», written by Pip in
1989 and premiered by Hatfield on their reunion TV gig the
following year. For years this was Equip’Out’s opening number and
a showcase for Elton Dean. Bash’s version has Maguire and Baker
stating the theme, with Meyer only coming to the forefront for a
solo towards the very end. Baker also played a monstrous fuzz bass
solo. This is possibly my favourite composition of Pip’s, so I was
pleased to hear it performed.
I was less enthused by the following number, «Vas-Y Dotty»
(what this title is supposed to mean I’m not sure), a funkier,
jam-oriented number which saw Maguire switching to Fender Rhodes.
I found this one a bit lacking in melodic content coming after the
superb «Cauliflower Ears». More ‘old’ material came next in the
form of a bizarre (but effective) medley of Patrice Meyer’s
«Carousel» (first recorded by Hugh Hopper’s Band and regularly
played by Patrice’s various projects) and Alex Maguire’s «John’s
Fragment», from Elton Dean’s «Moorsong» CD. «Carousel» began with
a drum solo, leading to collective mayhem until the theme appeared
in time for the transition to Alex’s theme, which of course
showcased his organ playing, alas somewhat low in the mix. Alex is
not an experimental Hammond player in the Canterbury tradition,
preferring to use the instrument’s inherent sound (including the
Leslie cabinet, of course). This brings the general atmosphere
closer to older jazz trends, while retaining a contemporary style.
But I was more than once reminded of the sound of Tony Williams’
Lifetime trio with organ giant Larry Young. The next number,
«Biffo», another Pyle original, probably came closest to
suggesting that particular influence, although Maguire switched to
Rhodes halfway through for an inspired solo.
I haven’t really said much about Fred Thelonious Baker so
far. Now, if there was a player performing at the festival who
deserves much more fame than he has received so far, it’s him.
This man can play literally anything, and actually does to an
extent, since he has a busy career outside this scene with various
folk-based projects, not to mention his own solo ventures, either
as bass or guitar player. Fred’s bass playing is effortless and
consistently tasteful, and why he hasn’t been featured on
countless ‘all-star’ projects eludes me. Perhaps he’s turned major
offers down ? I don’t know. Anyway, his own composition «Beautiful
Thing» came next, a gorgeous ballad which was consisted largely of
a long bass solo over a chord progression. No self-indulgence at
work here - at the end, we were all begging for more of the same.
Back to a jazzy organ-led vein for «Pastis Present», with
Pip’s cymbal work particularly standing out. Again, this music is
hard to categorise and very different to anything Pip has ever
done. Pip’s last new composition for the night, «Spoutnik», was,
for me, the most moving, beginning with beautiful soloing from
Fred over Alex’s liquid Rhodes arpeggios, into a romantic, lyrical
theme, building up to a more lively section (Alex alternating
between Hammond and Rhodes) with a long, elegant solo by Patrice.
I’ve seen Patrice play many times, most frequently last year with
John Greaves, and he can be a true ‘guitar hero’ if he wants to,
but nothing I heard him play that night could be accused of being
‘flashy’ or vacuous. His solos build up fluidly from minimalistic
lines to fast cascades of notes, with constant attention to
melodic impact. This was even the case on his own «Horny Brownie»,
a regular inclusion in Hugh Hopper gigs over the last few years.
Actually I saw Patrice perform this with Hugh’s band three months
ago, and Bash’s version was significantly different - this was the
full version of the piece, rarely performed, with more contrast
between the loud and quiet sections, and a jazzier approach in
general - there was in particular a Rhodes solo over a fast
walking bass line with Patrice’s very effective rhythm work
providing the ideal support. «Horny Brownie» was an ideal,
energetic conclusion for Bash’s performance, which received a
well-deserved standing ovation. Alas, no encore, as would be the
case during the whole festival. Doesn’t really matter - I often
find encores an hypocritical ritual.
The second day of the festival began in the early
afternoon on Saturday 17th, with an absolutely magnificent
performance by Hamster Theatre, an offshoot of Colorado-based
RIO/avant-prog masters Thinking Plague, but much more than that
actually, and very different. Hugh Hopper walked out of this gig
saying this was the best gig he’d seen in years, which I think is
an appropriately succinct way of urging you to check out their
stuff. I won’t go into more detail myself as I don’t want to spend
another week on this review. Anyway, Gordon Beck was supposed to
follow with a solo piano set, but having hurt his knee, he was
forced to cancel his appearance, and Richard Sinclair replaced him
on the spot for a solo set. This proved a rather ragged affair,
but still rather pleasant, especially when Pip Pyle joined in on
congas (!) for similarly unrehearsed renditions of «Binoculars»
(just vocals and congas) and «Share It». Other songs played
included the usual Caravan classics, a brief attempt at Camel’s
«Breathless» (almost but not totally forgotten by Richard, and
dedicated to the late Peter Bardens, its main author), and a
beautiful, if also approximate, rendition of «Out Of The Shadows»
from RSVP, now with (embryonic) lyrics. The afternoon finished
with hard-rockers Phreeworld (I left after three or four songs, I
just wasn’t in the mood for this kind of music, not really my cup
of tea anyway), and the evening began with Kopecky, a power trio
made up of three brothers of that name. At first I thought they
were taking themselves a bit seriously, taking poses and stuff,
but they eventually proved a talented and endearing bunch. And
fortunately their material was all-instrumental !
Richard Sinclair came back, this time with Canterbury
pianist David Rees-Williams, for a much better rehearsed set. I
had witnessed the early days of that partnership a few years back
when Richard led a jazz-orientated version of RSVP with Patrice
Meyer on guitar and Tony Coe on clarinet. I found Rees-Williams a
fine pianist, but lacking on the ‘electric keyboards’ side. With
Richard’s decision to dispense with drums for the foreseeable
future (that’s what I caught him saying sometime during the
week-end anyway), their piano/bass duet I think works very well.
It was great to see Richard concentrate on bass for most of the
gig, as although he is a competent guitarist, you can’t beat him
as a fretless bass guitarist... and vocalist of course. The
setlist trode familiar ground with Caravan classics such as «In
The Land Of Grey And Pink» and the finale from «Nine Feet
Underground», but focussed mainly on material from his two albums
of the 1990s. Two exceptions though : the opening number was
Hatfield and the North’s «Licks For The Ladies», which I’d never
heard Richard perform, and another welcome surprise was a
rendition of Hugh Hopper’s «Long Lingers Autumn Time» (from
Richard and Hugh’s 1983 duo project, later re-done by Robert Wyatt
with new lyrics as «PC Jeebies») which was simply magnificent,
much much superior to the original. The rest of the set consisted
of «What’s Rattlin’?» (although Richard never actually said those
words), the instrumentals «Barefoot» and «Felafel Shuffle»
(originally an early In Cahoots number then known as «Final
Call»), «Keep On Caring» and «What In The World». The whole thing
was gorgeous, although I find most songs tend to go on a bit too
long, with multiple solos and ad-libs, repeated verses, etc. A
little more discipline would be welcome, especially since
Richard’s handwritten setlist mentioned «Memories» as a possible
encore, but we didn’t get to hear it as he’d overran. Instead, the
set ended with another reunion, as Phil Miller joined Richard and
Dave for a brief Hatfield medley of «Halfway Between Heaven And
Earth» and «Didn’t Matter Anyway». Not an unforgettable musical
high but a joyful sight to behold, and possibly the promise of
future collaborations, who knows ?
In the second instalment of this review I will tell you
about the last three main performances of the festival - Soft
Ware, In Cahoots and Daevid Allen's University Of Errors with
special guest Kevin Ayers.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: adg@bayarea.net
Subject: Progman Cometh: Two Fans' Perspective
Date: Wed, 21 Aug 2002 15:05:24 -0700
Progman Cometh: Two Fans' Perspective
My wife and I flew from San Jose to Seattle to attend this
three-day event. Amidst a backdrop of blue skies, fresh air,
ocean water, large stands of evergreen trees, and nearby
snow-covered peaks, it's tough to beat Seattle/the Pacific
Northwest in sunny weather.
After checking in to the hotel where many of the bands
were staying, we made the short walk to the Moore Theatre. A
nondescript brick exterior housed three tiers of fixed seating and
a 20-meter-high, ornate ceiling. Intimate and elegant, event
organizers did well in the selection of this venue.
Presumably in response to lack of ticket sales, venue
personnel endeavored to close the two balconies and channel
attendees to the main floor, which was OK as long as one secured a
seat in front of the balcony that cut the ceiling height from 20
meters to maybe three or four.
For the most part, the venue staff was accommodating and
polite. We found one individual--who appeared to be overseeing the
venue--to be on the uptight side, refusing to allow attendees to
bring in their own water and forcing folks in the balcony to move
to the more crowded main floor. Poor air circulation was another
venue shortcoming. The hot and stuffy air made it hard to stay
alert for hours on end, particularly in the face of soft and
melodious acoustic performances.
While the theater had good acoustics, the
amplification/speaker arrangement made for sound that some found
to be too loud on the main floor. The use of speakers directed at
the two upper balconies may have improved the sound imbalance that
was apparent to these ears.
And now for the performances. I'll qualify my comments by
pointing out that, given the endurance-contest nature of these
events, we gambled and chose to attend selected performances. The
plus side of the gamble is that we got to see a bit more of the
surrounding area and had more energy to appreciate the bands that
we came to see. The downside is that we missed some worthwhile
performances (Glass, Hamster Theatre, and all but two songs from
Stinkhorn).
Another qualification of my comments is that, while I'm
indeed a fan of the Canterbury sound as expressed by the likes of
Soft Machine, Caravan, and Gong, I'm not terribly familiar with
the output of all the players and their various spin-off efforts.
Consequently, I'll defer the details of such aspects as song
titles, source recordings, etc. to Aymeric. My comments are more a
collection of impressions than a formal review. I'll do my best to
walk the tightrope between an honest assessment and the desire not
to offend anyone.
I conclude each comment with a purely subjective rating
(PSR) from one to five stars (*).
Day 1 (16 Aug 2002): Glass, Hughscore, Pip Pyle's Bash
======================================================
[Glass: missed]
* * * * *
Hughscore:
I found Hugh's live style evocative and I appreciated the
use of trombone.
PSR: ***
* * * * *
Pip Pyle's Bash:
Our favorite performance of the evening. Patrice Meyer's
guitar work was fluid and expressive. Indeed impressive on bass, I
watched with fascination as Fred Baker artfully and forcefully
drew sounds from his instrument. However, I must admit that, due
to limitations with the house system, I couldn't feel the
instrument's presence as much as I would have liked. I could see
that he was laying down some crazy bass lines, but I was hoping to
feel them resonating through my chest cavity. (Regrettably, this
comment about the bass/sound system applies equally to all
performances over the weekend. It also applies to some keyboard
performances as well.)
PSR: ****
* * * * *
Day 2 (17 Aug 2002): Hamster Theatre, Richard Sinclair
solo, Phreeworld,
Kopecky, Richard Sinclair & David Rees-Williams,
Software
========================================================================
[Hamster Theatre: missed]
* * * * *
[Richard Sinclair (solo): missed]
* * * * *
Phreeworld:
(I'll qualify my comments by stating that we missed the
beginning of this performance.) As was the case with all musicians
over the course of the weekend, I found Phreeworld to feature
competent playing of complex material. However, as I heard it, the
performance was hampered by sub-par vocals.
PSR: **1/2
* * * * *
Kopecky:
While perhaps not based in Canterbury roots, the brothers
Kopecky proffered complex music and tight playing. I found the
result to be energetic and engaging, especially in light of the
absence of vocal guidance.
PSR: ****
* * * * *
Richard Sinclair & David Rees-Williams:
David Rees-Williams is an accomplished pianist whose music
is relaxing and pleasing to the ear. A legendary figure in the
annals of the Canterbury sound, Richard Sinclair's current musical
offerings, from my perspective, lack focus. It's my opinion that
he's capable of much more if he'd simply put a band together and
write and rehearse new music. Easier said than done, I know.
Further, as I see it, the promoters placed the two
aforementioned acts in exactly the wrong order. Hard driving,
technical, ambitious, and loud, Kopecky was like a triple shot of
espresso. Twenty minutes later listeners were soothed by the
relaxing interplay of bass, piano, and voice. Twenty minutes after
this set, listeners were ramping back up to Software and Allan
Holdsworth's guitar
acrobatics.
PSR: **1/2
* * * * *
Software:
Solid musicianship and interesting interplay among
musicians. However, in my estimation, the performance was hampered
by the seeming lack of collective rehearsal. While Facelift was a
much-appreciated touch (to say the least), it suffered from
Holdsworth's lack of familiarity with the piece.
While Holdsworth's playing was technically sound, from my
perspective, it lacked the emotion that emanates from musicians
who share a common vision of the music that they create. His
presence that evening gave me the impression that he was a hired
gun there to fill the void of a lead instrument. In the case of
Facelift, he attempted to don the hefty loafers left vacant by
Mike Ratledge. Needless to say, the pioneering keyboardist's
presence was sorely missed as this particular tune rang out.
Further, while musicians such as Hugh Hopper, Elton Dean,
John Marshall, Pip Pyle, Richard Sinclair, and others eschewed
barriers and made themselves freely accessible to their audience
between performances and around the hotel, I found stark contrast
in the way that Holdsworth seemed to approach this gig. As I stood
in the lobby prior to Software's set, I watched as the tall and
lean guitarist sauntered authoritatively across the foyer and made
his way directly backstage. After the performance, it seemed like
he couldn't vacate the premises fast enough--he was nowhere to be
found; nor did I see him again at any point over the weekend. On
his behalf, perhaps he had other commitments of his time. From my
perspective, he seemed disinterested by the prospect of rubbing
elbows and sharing impressions of all things Canterbury with fans
who traveled significant distances to experience this event.
PSR: ***1/2
* * * * *
Day 2 (17 Aug 2002): Stinkhorn, David Rees-Williams
(solo), Azigza, Phil
Miller's In Cahoots, University of Errors w/ Kevin Ayers,
"All-star jam"
========================================================================
[Stinkhorn: missed]
* * * * *
[David Rees-Williams (solo): missed]
* * * * *
Azigza:
Having seen them once before in an impromptu performance
in the foyer at ProgFest 1999, I was not prepared for the Azigza
that took the stage on this day. Electric guitar and violin
exchanged and shared leads over the backdrop of an array of
percussive and string instruments. Seemingly fairly far removed
from the Canterbury sound as I've known it, Azigza came to play
and play they did. I appreciated the supplemental instrumentation
(African drums, congas, bongos, etc.) that they apparently
schlepped to Seattle. The small but potent drum held in the nook
of one player's arm produced a percussive sound that was most
engaging.
The band was hampered slightly by particular tones that
the vocalist employed during moments. The aforementioned
limitations of the house system made it difficult to determine
whether the vocalist was helping or hindering the overall sound.
PSR: ****1/2
* * * * *
Phil Miller's In Cahoots:
Somewhat reminiscent of Pip Pyle's Bash (to my ears
anyway). As with Patrice Meyer, I found Phil Miller's guitar work
to be fluid and expressive. Fred Baker also stood out as a master
of his instrument, despite limitations of the house system. I
enjoyed the horn playing afforded by Jim Dvorak on trumpet and
Elton Dean on saxello/alto.
PSR: ****
* * * * *
University of Errors w/ Kevin Ayers:
Solid musicianship and some tight interplay, but the
performance was hampered slightly because Daevid chose not to
engage the onstage charisma and energetic spark of previous
performances. Two broken guitar string episodes didn't help
matters either.
I also didn't terribly appreciate being teased with not
one but two powerful but short Crimson medleys (21st Century
Schizoid Man and a tune from Red/Starless whose title I don't
recall (can you bail me out here, Aymeric?)). Play 'em or don't,
but teasing me with snippets gave me "blue ears"!
PSR: ***
* * * * *
"All-star jam":
Short and unstructured but appreciated for the thought.
PSR: **
* * * * *
I spoke with one musician who made the comment that (some
of) the performers sounded like "guitar-shop teachers," that is,
technically adept but lacking "soul." While highly subjective and
colored by such factors as familiarity with the music,
nevertheless, I found myself relating to this sentiment.
Overall, the city, weather, venue, and performers made for
a most enjoyable and worthwhile musical odyssey. We also
appreciated the ability to purchase the music that was being
performed and, thanks to the laid-back and low-key environment,
have it signed by most players.
Our sincere thanks to everyone who made this event
possible, especially the musicians.
Anatole & Lydia Gordon
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Chris Muir <cbm@well.com>
Subject: Progman Cometh
Date: Thu, 22 Aug 2002 17:20:52 -0700
Sure there were some low points, but the high points were
transcendent. Pip Pyle's description was spot on: "an orgy of
marginal music".
Musical high points for me were:
- Phil Miller's In Cahoots
- Hamster Theatre
- Pip Pyle's Bash
- Richard Sinclair singing songs that carried us
away
There was good milling-around interaction too.
It was fun:
- Meeting some of the players
- Meeting Steve Feigenbaum from Wayside
- Catching up with old friends and meeting new
friends
I hope the promoter, Jerry Cook, came out of it OK
financially. He certainly had lots of well deserved thanks beamed
his way.
Chris
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: cuneiway@aol.com (Steve)
Subject: new Cuneiform releases - street date 9/17
Date: 23 Aug 2002 12:23:16 GMT
Forums: rec.music.progressive
Hi
If you drop by our website
http://www.cuneiformrecords.com
you can see info and photos about our latest five
releases, as well as hearing
streaming real audio files from them (and from their 170
brothers).
The five new releases are:
Matching Mole - March
Proto-Kaw (Kansas II) - Early Recordings from Kansas
1971-1973
Curlew - North America
Richard Pinhas - Event and Repetitions
Sotos - Platypus
btw - it looks like we'll be taking a vacation from doing
any releases in January, so that we can move to new offices and
set up there. Maybe this will give some of you folks a chance to
catch up on some past releases you haven't had a chance to get to,
due to our gattling gun-like release schedule....
Thank you for your interest and support.
Steve
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * *
*
FORTHCOMING CANTERBURY-RELATED
CONCERTS
*
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * *
[for more info
: check out the 'Concerts' page of CALYX]
http://perso.club-internet.fr/calyx/index/concerts.html
==> Daevid ALLEN & UNIVERSITY OF ERRORS
<================================
Aug 31 - SAN FRANCISCO, CA (USA), Hemlock Tavern [not UoE,
just Daevid Allen & The Acid Mothers Temple Trio] / Sep 03 -
BERKELEY, CA (USA), Starry Plough
Sep 09 - PARIS (France), Nouveau Casino / Sep 10 -
VERVIERS (Belgium), Spirit Of '66 / Sep 12 - KRISTIANSAND
(Norway), Vaskeriet / Sep 13 - KRISTIANSAND (Norway), Arts Night /
Sep 14 - STAVANGER (Norway), Checkpoint Charlie / Sep 15 - BERGEN
(Norway), Garage / Sep 17 - TRONDHEIM (Norway), tbc / Sep 18 -
OSLO (Norway), So What / Sep 20 - ODENSE (Denmark), Rytmeposten /
Sep 21 - COPENHAGEN (Denmark), Loppen / Sep 23-30 - UK dates (tbc)
/ Sep 28 - GLASTONBURY, Assembly Rooms / Oct 01 - BRISTOL, The
Fleece [also: The Electric Prunes] / Oct 02 - SOUTHAMPTON, The
Brook [also: The Electric Prunes] / Oct 04 - MANCHESTER,
University [also: The Electric Prunes] / Oct 05 - GLASGOW, King
Tut's Wah-Wah Hut [also: The Electric Prunes] / Oct 06 -
WOLVERHAMPTON, Robin 2 [also: The Electric Prunes] / Oct 07 -
BRIGHTON, Concorde 2 [also: The Electric Prunes] / Oct 08 -
LONDON, The Garage [also: Richard Sinclair]
==> Daevid ALLEN & Graham CLARK
<========================================
Nov 06 - BUXTON, Old Clubhouse [not UoE, just DA &
Graham Clark] / Nov 07 - MANCHESTER, Night & Day [not UoE,
just DA & Graham Clark] / Nov 08 - LEICESTER, International
Art Centre [not UoE, just DA & Graham Clark]
==> CARAVAN
<============================================================
"Due to unforeseen personal circumstances, Caravan will be
unable to appear at the Canterbury Fayre Festival on Friday August
23rd. However, the festival is still taking place as planned with
all other billed artists and any rumours to the contrary are
entirely without foundation. Caravan and their management
apologise for this disappointing news but are pleased to confirm
that winter UK dates to promote the forthcoming studio album will
be announced soon. Concerts in Germany, Holland and France are
also planned".
Line-up: Pye Hastings, Dave Sinclair, Richard Coughlan,
Geoff Richardson,
Doug
Boyle, Jim Leverton, Simon Bentall
==> John GREAVES
<=======================================================
Sep 28 - LES LILAS [nr Paris] (France), Le Triton
Trio with Sophia Domancich & Vincent Courtois
==> Hugh HOPPER
<========================================================
Sep 13/14 - LES LILAS [nr Paris] (France), Le Triton
with POLYSOFT playing the classic Soft Machine repertoire
(featuring Emmanuel Bex, Pierre-Olivier Govin, Jean-Rémy Guédon,
Serge Adam & François Merville + special guest Elton Dean)
More info: http://www.letriton.com
=========================================================================
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * *
*
AND OTHER GOOD
GIGS...
*
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * *
==> HAPPY THE MAN
<======================================================
Aug 28 - BALTIMORE (MD), Orion Sound Studios / Aug 29 -
FALLS CHURCH (VA), State Theater / Aug 30 - NEWPORT NEWS (VA), Air
and Space Museum / Aug 31 - VIRGINIA BEACH (VA), venue tbc / Sep
01 - CHAPEL HILL (NC), Storybook Farm [ProgDay Festival]
Line-up: Stanley Whitaker, Frank Wyatt, Rick Kennell
Ron
Riddle & David Rosenthal
Note: The Orion Sound Studios concert will include the
forthcoming new album in its entirety.
==> MAGMA
<==============================================================
Oct 04 - CAEN (France), La Fonderie / Oct 11 - FRIBOURG
(Switzerland), Le Fri-Son / Oct 12 - GENEVA (Switzerland), Le Mad
/ Oct 14 - WARSAW (Poland), tbc / Oct 17 - TOULOUSE (France), tbc
/ Oct 18 - MONTAUBAN or BERGERAC (France), tbc / Oct 25 -
RIS-ORANGIS [nr Paris] (France), Le Plan / Oct 28 - TROYES
(France), Nuit Champagne (tbc) / Nov 05-06 - COUSTELET (France),
La Gare / Nov 07 - MONTPELLIER (France), Victoire 2 / Nov 08 -
TOULON (France), tbc / Nov 09 - NICE (France), Théatre Lino
Ventura / Nov 15 - MAGNY-LES-HAMEAUX (France), Estaminet / Nov 16
- ALENCON (France), La Luciole / Nov 22 - FESTIVAL DE LA COTE
D'OPALE (France) / Nov 23 - MAGNY-LE-HONGRE (France), File 7 / Nov
27 - PRAGUE (Czech Rep.), tbc / Dec 04 - ST.ETIENNE (France),
Halle C / Dec 05 - LYON (France), venue tba / Dec 06 - ANNECY
(France), Le Brise-Glace / Dec 08 - QUIMPER (France), Festival
Aprem Jazz (tbc) / Dec 20 - ST.NAZAIRE (France), venue tba / Dec
21 - RENNES (France), Salle de la Cité
Line-up: Christian Vander, Stella Vander, Emmanuel Borghi,
Philippe
Bussonnett, James McGaw, Isabelle Feuillebois,
Antoine
Paganotti, Himiko Paganotti
==> The MUFFINS
<========================================================
Sep 01 - CHAPEL HILL (NC), Storybook Farm [ProgDay
Festival] / Sep 14 - BALTIMORE (MD), Orion Sound Studios [also:
Uncle Gut]
Line-up: Dave Newhouse, Tom Scott, Billy Swann & Paul
Sears
=========================================================================
=========================================================================
END OF ISSUE 196
_________________________________________________________________________
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