Invisible audience...

Playlist
Brian Eno - Discreet Music
Cloudland Blue Quartet - Blend: Best of 1996-2009
Piano Circus - Fitkin/Nyman etc
John Coltrane - Traneing In
Cloudland Blue Quartet - Souvenir XVIII: Splinterheart Live Set

And another month comes to an end...

Up reasonably early and some updating of the various websites re tonight's gig and the unforeseen time change re California not putting clocks forward as here in Scotland...

Over breakfast with Birgit and Norrie, it came to light that a designer who may work on the Atlantic Islands Exhibition Centre they are working on for Luing, designed part of the new buidling at the botanical gardens..

So we drove along and enjoyed the building (including an exhibition on funghi), the trees and the skies...

Back home around noon for Anne to head off to the 3-0 drubbing at home to Kilmarnock for Hearts and for our visitors to bid us farewell and drive back up North...

Some rehearsing for Mr CBQ before the short trip to Anne's mum's for tea...

I left early to drive over to Lasswade for tonight's Second Life gig - brother-in-law Bobby headed home early to catch the broadcast on his I-Pad - a strange situation...

The performance went well and I think I earned around twice as much as for the first gig...

I am coming to enjoy this way of performing...

A quick drive back to Anne's mum's to pick Anne up and we were back home for 9pm...

"Match of the Day 2" ended an enjoyable weekend...

Highlight of the Day : Performing to an appreciative audience, albeit one I couldn't actually see...

Not discreet...

Playlist
The Beatles - Revolver
John Coltrane - Ascension
The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground & Nico
The Beatles – Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts’ Club Band
Miles Davis – Miles in the Sky
Various – Top Ten Albums 1959-2008 (Shuffleplay)
Cloudland Blue Quartet – Splinterheart
Bryan Ferry – Olympia
Bruford Borstlap – Every Step a Dance, Every Word a Song
UK – UK
Piano Circus – Fitkin/Nyman/Seddon/Rackham
Brian Eno – Discreet Music

Up at 5:15 and to the back room for some music listening with Meg the Black Cat...

John Coltrane’s “Ascension” continues to be rediscovered...

Onto the net and, following yesterday’s invite to play Second Life again tomorrow, info was issued to the mailing list – the fact that people can listen in from around the world, makes this type of performance ideal...

Post an early breakfast, it was off to the vet with Meg and a reasonably upbeat message was obtained...

We will continue with the medication for the next three weeks, reporting back re any “incidences”...

Next, a quick rehearsal of the “Splinterheart” set for tomorrow's and Wednesday’s gigs...

Uptown on this beautiful morning...

...to meet Dr Prog at the music library, where I partook of two discs by fave French chanteuse Françoise Hardy along with two books, Bill Bruford’s autobiography and a critique of Eno’s “Another Green World”...

I was amazed to find that you don’t have to pay to borrow books...

Post the library, we sought sustenance, with Dr Prog opining re Subway that he can’t be bothered with all the questions regarding what he’d like on his sandwich and is always tempted to say “just give me a fucking panini!”...

Here he is vocalising said line...

Returned to the car, noting this chap enjoying the Autumn sunshine...

Home to an episode of “New Tricks” followed by a quick re-jig of the set, changing round the running order, and another rehearsal...

Then to prepping the back room, including the inflating of the inflatable mattress, re the impending overnight stay of chums Birgit and Norrie who are in Edinburgh for a GeoPoetics meeting and AGM today...

A leaf through the Bruford and Eno books, the latter leading me to create two new versions of Eno’s “Discreet Music” – a half speed version and a double speed version, the second of these apparently being the recording playing at its original speed...

I like them...

Birgit and Norrie arrived and we enjoyed Anne’s Red Thai Chicken Curry and a couple of bottles of vino before walking down the hill for the bus and heading into town to the Barony Bar on Broughton St to meet up with Count Brodski and the lovely Penny...

Despite arriving late for the 8pm meet, we were outdone completely by an over an hour late Alan and Penny – Alan already the worse for wear having been out celebrating the confirmation that today, after four years of hard work, he has a degree in Social Work...

Well done the Count...

Needless to say, a good time was had by all and mucho alcholio was consumed, to the detriment of our reasoning powers and the making of very probably unkeepable promises re house-swapping, joint holidays and Penny and I becoming "gym-buddies"...

Said detriment of reasoning powers found us wandering the streets of Stockbridge
around 2am (old time) trying to secure taxis home...

We left Alan and Penny stotting around on the pavement and headed back to Crispycat Towers for a relatively early night (Alan and Penny stayed up till 5am listening to music apparently)...

A good day...

Highlight of the Day : Vet opinion on Meg, meet up with the doc, visit from Birgit & Norrie, night out with the Brodskis

Strong back catalogue...

Playlist
Various – Albums of 2010 on Shuffleplay
King Crimson – In the Court of the Crimson King
Cloudland Blue Quartet – Second Life 21/10/10
David Reilly – Anthology 1977-2007: A Selection
Miles Davis – ESP
John Coltrane – A Love Supreme

Eye-wateringly expensive insoles purchased today re yesterday’s flat feet revelations...

A change in posture duly noted when using...

Autumn continues apace...

Some classic Crimso entertained...

Complimentary description in Jim Igoe’s mailshot re Wednesday night’s gig – “CBQ is a prolific music producer with one of the strongest back catalogues of any local artist.” – thanks Jim...

Anne cooked this evening – a new take on her Lamb Shank recipe – abandoning the initial chick pea and subsequent barlotti bean accompaniments for a longer cook on a bed of veg and a bottle of red wine...

A tasty success...

Meg doing reasonably fine touch wood – back to the vet tomorrow...

Goggle box ruled with a Tivo’d and a live “New Tricks” followed by “Graham Norton”, the latter with recent releases on the headphones...

Stayed up to watch “Halloween : Resurrection” – probably a mistake...

An e-mail invite to perform again on 2nd Life this Sunday - accepted...

You can tune in from 6:50pm - http://www.cultx.com/livestream.html starts at 7...

Highlight of the Day : Kind words for a music buddy and an unexpected invite...

Oh my sweet pain...

Playlist
Lee Morgan - The Sidewinder
Miles Davis - ESP
Various - 2010 Albums of the Year Nominations

The trail of a plane crossing the sky this morning...

To the physiotherapist re the ongoing pain in my knees and, lately, my left thigh/groin/lower back...

Turns out I have flat feet and this might be the cause of the knee pain - special insoles may help to change my "bio-mechanics"...

Re the other pain, well she wants to see me again next week once I am properly managing the pain i.e. taking the drugs prescribed for me...

Watched three episodes of "Reggie Perrin" tonight - hardly raised a smile to be honest...

Arranging a meet up at the weekend with Count Brodski and the Pennster plus Birgit and Norrie, who are venturing down to the big city from the Isle of Luing...

Albums released in 2010 soundtracked that part of the evening not spent viewing the gogglebox - "Question Time" and "This Week" did their usual finishing off of a Thursday...

Must start rehearsing again for next week's gig...

Highlight of the Day : Possible pain solutions...

Creaking...

Playlist
Various - Top 10 Albums Monthly Oct 09-Oct 10 (Shuffleplay)
Alice Cooper - Theatre of Death
Brian Eno - Small Craft on a Milk Sea
Creek - 2010

Awoke to the sound of Meg's poor wee claws digging into the window sill above our bed...

I think from now, suffice to say, if I don't mention the fact that she's not had an episode, she will have had one...

Seem to have done my back in slightly today, although I have no idea how...

With Anne out at Keep Fit with Lynn, Meg and I enjoyed the rest of Alice Cooper's amazing show - before it fell to me to prepare the evening meal...

Post meal, the dishes required attention and what better soundtrack than the new Eno album...

A good two thirds or possibly more of this tasty disc is delightful, while the remainder is off the wall - but in an interesting, Eno-esque, way...

Many of the tracks remind me of items from his back catalogue, almost quoting albums such as "Music for Films", "Thursday Afternoon", "Another Green World" and "Apollo"...

Excellent!

Post dishes, with Anne involved in a prolongued phone call, it was upstairs to do this, whilst listening to the new Creek stuff - prior to an evening ending "Law & Order : Criminal Intent"...

Highlight of the Day : New Eno...

A sea of milk (uncensored version - hopefully)...

Playlist
Dexter Gordon – Go
Bob Dylan – The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan
Jackie McLean – Destination Out
Joe Henderson – Page One
Eric Dolphy – Out to Lunch
Cloudland Blue Quartet – Second Life 21/10/10
Alice Cooper – Theatre of Death
Bryan Ferry – Olympia
Influential Ex-Member of Roxy Music – New LP

Another attack for Meg this morning – a call to the vet – he wants to wait till she’s been taking her medicine for a week – so back on Saturday morning with a report in on Friday...

Other than that, bought the new albums by Bryan Ferry and Alice Cooper (live CD & DVD of last year’s tour) while top albums from the early 60's soundtracked...

Back home a package from Creek Craig – the WAV of my internet gig last week plus a (presumably illegal - since this post in its original form was censored by Blogger re their anti-copyright infringement policy - despite them hosting hundreds of MP3 download blogs) copy of the new album by one of my favourite artists which I will buy when it comes out...

Spent part of the evening sorting a few dropouts in the WAV file and burning a master CD (in mono sadly but, hey, mono’s the new stereo – and the occasionally dodgy tuning on the vocal front)...

Plus fulfilling orders for "Splinterheart"...

The Coop entertained on TV while “Harry & Paul” disappointed...

A further attack for the pie in the evening and, of course, we don’t know what’s happening when we’re out – now having to block her “perches” in case one comes on when she’s up there...

She is fine and dandy and just like her old self apart from during and immediately after each episode...

The pie...

Highlight of the Day : New music from old favourites...

The beauty of chance...

Playlist
Dave Brubeck - Time Out
Miles Davis - Kind Of Blue
John Coltrane - Giant Steps
Creek - 2010
Jackie McLean - Jackie's Bag
Sonny Clark - Leapin’ and Lopin’
Hank Mobley - Work Out

Well now, a good day today, after a not great weekend...

Another lovely moon this morning...

Followed by lovely Autumn colours...

I was soundtracked by the albums from 1959 through to 1961 off of my new list of top two LPs of the year from 1959 to 2010...

Meg made it through the whole day without any further attacks...

In the evening, post the gym, working on an initial mix of a Creek track – I threw it together without actually listening to the track as a whole – more a question of treating Stuart’s input from yesterday...

I wasn’t particularly confident when mailing the MP3 to the guys but the feedback was extremely positive and, when I listened back to the track for the first time last thing, I too was impressed...

The beauty of chance...

Elsewhere this evening, “Spooks” produced another cracker...

So, yes, a good day today...

Highlight of the Day : Meg making it through untouched...

Post Script : Another seizure Tuesday morning just after I wrote this...poor wee beastie...

Music, muffins and Meg...

Playlist
Various – 104 Good Albums 1959-2010 on Shuffleplay

Lovely full moon first thing...

Meg seemed a lot better today – as if nothing had happened yesterday in fact...

Breakfast at home and keeping an eye...

I’d originally cancelled the Creek session today with Stuart but, with Anne calling off her visit to Fife to watch the Old Firm game, I reinstated it...

Stu arrived around 12 and, by 2, we had keyboard tracks and even some guitar tracks down for all five pieces...

The real work starts now though, with the chopping and mixing...

Anne didn’t advise me during Stu’s visit but Meg had another episode while we were ensconced in the music room...

The only one of the day though...

In the afternoon, Anne decided to make blueberry muffins...

Very tasty indeed...

Meanwhile, Meg was outside confronting feline neighbour, Rory Custard (the white blob in the distance)...

It’s funny how she seems completely unaffected by this situation, other than when it strikes her for a few minutes...

Chicken for tea, with leftovers providing Meg with a wee treat...

Coffee and muffins for supper as we ended a stressful weekend with “Match of the Day 2”...

Highlight of the Day : Music and Muffins and Meg the Black Cat...

Bad Saturday...

Playlist
Various – Last 12 Months on Shuffleplay
Norman Lamont – Waveforms
Rautavaara – Works for Piano
Laurie Anderson – Big Science
Sombre Reptiles - Poppies
Robert Fripp – A Blessing of Tears
Various – 104 Good Albums 1959-2010 on Shuffleplay

Bad day today – poor wee Meg, after an uneventful day yesterday, had three more attacks today...

I was about to head to the gym this morning when Anne shouted on me from the living room advising Meg was having a seizure...

We immediately phoned the vet to have her seen as quickly as possible...

By the time we were ready to leave, she was almost completely back to normal, running up the stairs and leaping onto the window ledge in the back room...

A couple of hours later we were back home – the vet advised there wasn’t really all that much which could be done but he did give us pills to help the circulation in her brain – we were to monitor her over the coming days...

The first pill was duly administered and Meg seemed bright and active again and we returned to “normal”, with Anne preparing to visit Tynecastle for the football and me back working on the PC - but both keeping an eye out...

Then another attack...

This time on the stairs – heartbreaking to watch but nothing we could do except hope she’d be ok...

After this one she could hardly walk and made her way unsurely to an empty old shoe box under our bed...

A third episode followed mid-afternoon after Anne had left and Meg was lying on my lap – the seizures seem to leave her unable to move and completely limp, as if all her nerves and muscles have shut down...

And so today was spent almost in its entirety just watching the wee pie and waiting for another attack to take hold...

But, thankfully, another never came...

And, once again she was back almost to her old self – taking over the PC chair, as she is wont to do...

In the early evening, I enjoyed some quality time with her in the back room listening to Robert Fripp...

I think she probably likes Mr Fripp’s Soundscapes...

By mid evening she was back to her old self – she even went out the cat-flap in the front door to explore her usual haunts – and turned up at the back door a good while later – just like the Meg we know and love...

But I fear we must accept Meg is going to keep having these attacks and there’s nothing we can do about it, other than keep her as comfortable as possible...

To bed, but not sleeping...

Highlight of the Day : Watching Meg return to as near to "normal" as we can hope for...

Midnight special...

Playlist
Various – Last 12 Months on Shuffleplay
Jimmy Smith – Cool Blues
Cloudland Blue Quartet – Splinterheart Live
Jimmy Smith – Midnight Special

To FOPP today for the first time in a while and purchased a Jimmy Smith album not yet in the collection...

Back home, to the gym for a run...

This evening, Anne had prepared a very tasty tea comprising lamb shank with barlotti bean and chorizo stew, carrots and mash...

Mmmm, mmm (but no pics)...

And a tasty bottle of French red...

Meg seemed back to normal after yesterday’s episode...

Spent the evening in the living room watching TV – 2 x Corrie plus a Chopin Piano Concerto on BBC4, “No Tricks” and “The Graham Norton Show” – a big improvement on Jonathon Ross...

As Anne sloped off to bed, Meg and I took to the back room and enjoyed the music of Mr Smith before turning in, appropriately, just after midnight...

I see the gym is having an effect on my belly...

Or perhaps not...

Highlight of the Day : Quality time with the family...

All around the world...

Playlist
Cloudland Blue Quartet – Splinterheart Live Set
Edward Spark & CBQ - Krebs Went to War (Remix)
Creek - 2010

A couple of significant happenings today...

Firstly, this is the boiler which, off and on, has been annoying me immensely for the last three or four years...

What a delight to see it ripped out, dismantled and lying in our neighbours’ garden...

I am (hopefully reliably) informed by the plumber/gas fitter carrying out the job, that I will not hear the new boiler as it is a “silent” type...

Secondly, wee Meg the Black Cat had a strange turn tonight just before I was leaving for Lasswade for the internet gig...

She seemed to keel over slowly and then be unable to move for a couple of minutes...

She was ok again by the time I, reluctantly, left...

I am (again hopefully reliably) informed during a chance meeting with a veterinary pathologist, that this may have been a “vascular episode” i.e. a small stroke...

Apparently though, this can be quite common in older cats and, as long as it doesn’t happen again within the next month or so, there is nothing for us to be too worried about...

Of course Meg is on her own a few days a week, for up to eight or nine hours, so we have no idea if this was a one off...

And so to the gig itself...

My second Life avatar has been souped up into goth style slim young chap with a tiny beard...

...even less like I’ve ever looked in my life – the version from last week bore at least a slight resemblance to how I looked in my late teens...

A successful debut by CBQ Coba (as I am known in the virtual world) followed an excellent opening set from Pol Arida...

The “bar” we played was packed with people’s avatars – one I noticed was dressed in full medieval knight’s armour and carried a huge broadsword...

Never had an audient like that in a “real" gig...

In addition, there was a good turn out to the audio-only internet link for listeners not registered on Second Life...

It was blast...

After the performance I received a text relating the reaction of my six year old niece, Kitty...

That made the night for me...

Back home to big cuddles for Meg the Black Cat, “Question Time” and “This Week” plus the finished Edward Spark version of "Krebs Went to War" and confirmation of a Creek session to take place at Crispycat this Sunday...

Tasty...

Lights out...

Highlight of the Day : Playing live to the world wide web...

Stupid speeder...

Playlist
Tangerine Dream – Ricochet
Ornette Coleman – Live at the Golden Circle
Joan Sutherland – The Art of the Prima Donna
Various composers – The Art of the Countertenor

A good and bad day for wildlife...

In the morning this little bird cheered me up...

In the evening I was saddened to see a wee squirrel squished on the road – who drives so fast on these quiet streets (which are fitted with speedbumps) that they could possibly run over a squirrel?

While Anne was out Zumba’ing with Lynn, I rehearsed the set again and then cooked dinner to be ready in time for her return...

“Grand Designs” and another excellent “Law & Order : Criminal Intent” entertained while correspondence from Mr Cobley suggested Creek may creak back into action this Sunday...

It’s all go...

Highlight of the Day : Law & Order...

Upload...

Playlist
Various – Mobile Phone MP3s on Shuffleplay

Spent much of the evening, post a rehearsal of Thursday night’s set, adding albums to my mobile phone, taking the total up from around 50 to around 180...

Other than that, a Tivo’d “Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow” and a first draft Edward Spark remix of “Krebs Went to War” entertained...

Highlight of the Day : Rehearsing...

Sleepy peepy...

Playlist
Various – Mobile Phone MP3s on Shuffleplay

A typical Monday with nothing done really apart from watching TV...

“Spooks” continued to entertain...

Late doors I fell asleep watching a programme entitled “Story of England” or some such – which chronicled the history of a single English village in Leicestershire from the Middle Ages to the present day...

Tonight’s programme dealt with the time just before and after the Norman Conquest...

Even though I fell asleep, it was still fascinating stuff...

Highlight of the Day : Still has to be “Spooks”...

Cloudland Blue Quartet - Splinterheart

The new Cloudland Blue Quartet album, "Splinterheart" is out now (released 31 August 2010)...



The eighth song-based album by David Reilly since 1997, it features twelve new tracks, including input from collaborators Peri Urban, Andy Wilson, Craig Sutherland, Sour Grapes Productions and Norman Lamont...

The LP is offered either as a free download or a Gatefold Sleeve CD Package priced £10 (P&P is free)...







Initial copies of the CD include an 80 minute disc of remixes, none of which is available for download...



To purchase the 2CD Package, or to download tracks or to listen to the album, please go to the dedicated "Splinterheart" website...



Catalogue Number : Crispycat 1001
Release Date 31/08/2010
Recorded 09/2009 - 06/2010

Cloudland Blue Quartet
Splinterheart

01 Splinterheart 3:10
02 The Apple of Your Eye (pt 1) 3:57
03 The Killers at the Counter 5:45
04 Here They Come With the New Machines 6:11
05 The Eternal Optimist 4:49
06 Krebs Went to War 5:48
07 The Foundling 3:25
08 The Cage of Expectation 5:46
09 I Walk to the Beat of a Cold Broken Heart 2:32
10 Black Earth and the City Falls 6:04
11 The Apple of Your Eye (pt 2) 3:07
12 Never or Now 3:21

Additional Disc (Non Download) (Initial Copies Only)
01 The Killers at the Counter (Instrumental Mix I) 13:34
02 The Cage of Expectation (Instrumental Mix) 10:45
03 The Eternal Optimist (Instrumental Mix) 30:01
04 The Killers at the Counter (Instrumental Mix II) 13:34
05 Black Earth and the City Falls (Long Mix) 11:41

Price £10.00
Free Delivery

Smoke and icing...

Playlist

Cloudland Blue Quartet - Juxtaposition

Brian Eno - Vocal Box

Brian Eno - Instrumental Box

Elliott Carter - String Quartets 1 & 5

Bobby Hutcherson - Stick Up!
Dohnanyi - Cello Works
Webern - Complete works
James - Laid

Beautiful crisp day...

To the gym at 10 after spending some time updating the Crispycat website and formulating a missive re the upcoming performances...

Tivo'd telly in the form of "Law & Order : Criminal Intent" and "Law & Order : UK"...

Some repairs in the bathroom...

A rehearsal of the set...

To Anne's mum's for tea, where Ollie and Kitty were making chocolate brownies...

...in celebration of step niece Abbie's upcoming 16th birthday...

Here she is having just blown out the candle and sent icing sugar into the air...

Back home for another rehearsal...

The weekend almost closed with some Webern string quartets from the complete works box set I have…


As I listened though, my eyes scanned the bookshelf and I was drawn to see what Brian Eno did on 17 October 1995 from his “Diary With Swollen Appendices”…

Not that much but, a couple of days later, he was cooking pancakes with his daughters and they listened to “Laid” by James…

With the Webern String Quartet finished I took my copy of “Laid” from the shelf and gave it a listen, whilst reading Eno’s re-master liner notes on the recording of said album and the accompanying set,. “Wah Wah”…

I was soon joined by Meg the Black Cat and then by Anne for a nice end to the weekend…

Highlight of the Day : Law and Order...