"Just bees, and things and flowers" Like a lot of formerly news-hungry journalists these days I can hardly bear to open the many journals I subscribe to. But today I read last week's FT Life of a Song. And Roy Ayers Sunshine blew Trump thunderstorms away. At the end of the piece, filled with enticing links and references, the author, Arwa Haider, invites readers to share … [Read more...] about Forget Trump: ‘Everybody loves the sunshine’
music
Peat Bog Soldiers: how a Scottish band contributes to a German concentration camp archive
Can a rock band make history? Not in the sense of releasing bestselling records, being garlanded with awards, or achieving notoriety through more controversial means. But rather, can a rock band actually make “History” with a capital H? Song has always been a medium through which popular tales of the past have been recounted. Scotland, for example, has a strong tradition of … [Read more...] about Peat Bog Soldiers: how a Scottish band contributes to a German concentration camp archive
Blow winds…rage, sing, make music
Breathe in. And out. Here, as Storm Arwen begins to blow over, comes a sonorous distraction from the airborne pestilence of Covid19 and its constantly evolving attacks. httpss://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmMVHFLXAVE&t=115s The sound of the storm makes a strangely haunting music – the wind whispers, whistles and shrieks above a deep but tuneful humming bass – broadcast … [Read more...] about Blow winds…rage, sing, make music
Poems for the dawn
I went out to the hazel wood, Because a fire was in my head. WB YeatsAnd what a fire it is in Ben Okri’s head. Luckily for us he’s set it down in this volume of poetry which takes you through the day from the unknown hour to invocation hour and ranges the continents to the very tip of the highest peak. Here is truth that we need to hear and confront in this viral age. First … [Read more...] about Poems for the dawn
You’ve changed: a playlist for life
When I was 16 a CD changed my life. The cover was a picture that had been ripped out of a magazine, you could see where it had been torn, and the tracklisting was written on the back in biro, artist then song, 1 to 23. Two words were written on the CD itself. You’ve Changed, this time in sharpie, underlined. This handcrafted mix had a profound impact on me. It was given to me … [Read more...] about You’ve changed: a playlist for life