Eighty Four and Eighteen Twelve...

Playlist
Various Artists - 2014 Weekly Playlists
Frank Zappa - Strictly Commercial - The Best Of Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa - Läther [Disc 1]
Arve Henriksen - The Nature Of Connections
Shahin Novrasli - Bayati
Tarantula Hawk - Untitled
Moskus - Mestertyven
Yes - Heaven & Earth
The Helix Nebula - Meridian
Samo Salamon & The Slovene Philharmonic String Chamber Orchestra - Free Strings: Orchestrology

As we breakfasted this morning, we had a visitor in the front garden....



A colourful wee beastie...

And so, August away...



Thirty five weeks gone...

Today was my mum's 84th birthday- here she is through the life of the blog, 2005-2014...

Out to the Howgate on a beautiful Sunday...

Nephews Andy and Ali in attendance...

...and mum of course...

Enjoying the banter...

Also here kind of niece in law Julie and sister Sheila

...and grand nephew Kerr...

Yummy food enjoyed, your correspondent stretched to a cheeky wee rhubarb creme brulee...

Strawbs, meringue and ice cream (as ever) for the birthday girl...



Cheese for Andy and fruits of the forest sorbet for Ali...

Anne was the only person at the table not to partake of a sweet - her body is a temple...

As we were leaving, I tried on the cap of one of my nephews (there seemed to be a dispute as to who actually owned it)...

Hmmm...

The crew, back out in the sun...

Where chums Shiv and Lisa had come to pick some of the party up...

Back home for us before heading into Edinburgh for the Fireworks Concert, our first since 2010, sister Pam having been taken unwell on the day of the concert in 2011 and our having been on holiday in 2012 and 2013..

We had an excellent vantage point..

As darkness fell the scene was set...

And away we went, music comprised Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries", Beethoven's "Egmont Overture", marches by Mendelssohn and Debussy and, for the finale, Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture"...

The gaps in the crowd on the street below were due to unsighted areas blocked by the trees in Princes St Gardens...

Here's a collage of my kept pics (over 100 were ruthlessly deleted)...

...and here's all of them superimposed...

...and heatmapped...

Home and to bed around midnight...

That's it for now...

Highlight of the day : Birthday and Fireworks...

Clouding, flying, sorting and miniaturising...

Playlist
Zoot Woman - Star Climbing
Vera Kappeler & Peter Conradin Zumthor - Babylon-Suite
Kris Davis Trio - Waiting For You To Grow
Musée Mécanique - From Shores of Sleep
Motorhead - Aftershock Tour Edition CD2
ProjeKct One - Live at the Jazz Cafe Dec 4
Thomas Savy - Bleu
Cloudland Blue Quartet - Walkout
J C Bach - Symphonies
Laura Pausini - 20: The Greatest Hits
The Revillos - Attack Of The Giant Revillos
David Sylvian - Gone To Earth
Elgar - Nimrod
Dave King Trucking Company - Adopted Highway
Valgeir Sigurðsson - Architecture Of Loss
Kronos Quartet - Winter Was Hard
Bidiniband - The Motherland
Ben Frost & Daníel Bjarnason - Sólaris

I did not leave the house today...

This was my view for most of the day...



Initially re the weekly podcast and writing the notes before sending it out into the void...

And some new downloads - I have sucked in 150 albums in August while purchasing "only" around 30 CDs...

Late morning, a break was taken and we enjoyed the 1978 Edgar Ritz film "The Tailor from Ulm", the true story of Albrecht Ludwig Berblinger...

...one of the first men to fly...



He effectively invented the hang-glider...

Entertaining and informative...

In the afternoon, Anne was off to Tynecastle to watch a rampant Hearts maintain their 100% record at the top of the league, thrashing Falkirk 4-1..

Meanwhile Queens visited Castle Greyskull, home of The Rangers and managed to win the first half 2-1 but lost the game itself 4-2 - down to fourth...

Music was listened to and classical CDs were kind of sorted out...

In the evening a tasty chicken based home made Mexican meal was enjoyed as was the second in the new series of "Dr Who", "Into the Dalek", which continued to suggest that the new doctor is going to be a success...

Other than that, back to the computer re much planning re the upcoming trip...



That was it...

Lights out...

Highlight of the Day : Dr Who...

Weekly Playlist No 35

Welcome to the Cloudland Blue Weekly Playlist No 35...

You can join 700 others and follow these on Mixcloud using the button over to the right...

Last week's edition made into their top 100 under each of their Rock, Pop and Jazz categories so I must be doing something right (for once!) - still not hit the heights re Classical though...

I've put together thirty seven cracking tracks including yet another shed load of new music in this week's two hour cloudcast summary of my last seven days...

...during which time this...

...was also created by light entering the CBQ camera......

And so we have rock, pop, jazz, classical and eclectic sounds from Bend Sinister, Shelby Baldock, Crow'sclaw, McGill/Liebman/Abercrombie/Mraz, J C Bach, Beneath The Watchful Eyes, Marco Machera, Pigeon Lake, Julian Arguelles, Beethoven, Maybeshewill, Opeth, P.Y. Marani, Laurent Coulondre Trio, Brahms, Priscilla Ahn, Coulthard, Dowland, Mary Halvorson Septet, Neil Cowley Trio, Half Makeshift, Sebastian Zawadzki, Fauré, Stanton Moore, Shostakovich, Substaat, Sarah Jaffe, Ace Frehley, Vivaldi, Dan Michaelson and the Coastguards, Herman Van Veen, Spock's Beard with Neal Morse and, of course, some ambience from Cloudland Blue Quartet..

I've added some lazy, one-liner notes plus links for further info...

Press play and away we go...

Cloudland Blue Weekly Playlist 2014 No 35 by Cloudland Blue Quartet on Mixcloud

Bend Sinister - It Will Never End 4:40
from "Animals"
You can't beat opening a show with a mellotron...

Shelby Baldock - Hereafter 3:33
from "Butch Americana"
Sounds a bit like Eels - a wonderful mixed up album, written whilst awaiting life-saving surgery...

Crow'sclaw - Viper 3:26
from "Loudness War"
Japanese instrumental heavy metal - yowsah!

Guillermo McGill, Dave Liebman, John Abercrombie & George Mraz - Cielo 3:32
from "The Art Of Respect"
Tasty jazz, despite the annoying use of what sounds like a child's recorder...

Bach, J C - Symphonie in C, opus 3 nr. 2: 3. Allegro assai 2:14
from "Johann Christian Bach Symphonies"
Beautiful music from Johann Sebastian's youngest son...

Beneath The Watchful Eyes - At The End Of The Pier 3:05
from "We Held Our Breath Until Our Hearts Exploded"
Post rock quiet loud scenario from Blackpool, Lancashire...

Marco Machera - Sing for You (feat. Francesco Zampi & Pat Mastelotto) 3:22
from "Dime Novels"
Kind of prog rock from an Italian songwriter with a King Crimson connection...

Pigeon Lake - Event Horizon 2:05
from "Tales of a Madman"
Named after a lake in Alberta Canada, Pigeon Lake is yet another band from Norway which has impressed Mr CBQ so far this year...

Julian Arguelles - Wilderness Lane 5:34
from "Circularity"
Ex Loose Tubes Arguelles is joined on this new album by legendary jazz drummer Dave Holland, ex-Earthworks bassist, Martin France and Mr John Taylor on piano - and they do make rather a good sound, don't you think?

Beethoven - Klaviersonate Nr. 25 G-Dur op. 79: II. Andante 1:59
from "Wilhelm Backhaus Beethoven Sonaten"
Directed to the work of Wilhelm Backhaus by The Bad Plus' Ethan Iverson's writings on his playing, I picked up this disc of an historic live Beethoven recital - nice...

Maybeshewill - Volga 3:45
from "Fair Youth"
Saw these Leicester rockers at Denovali Swingfest 2013 and they were pretty damn good - this from their latest LP...

Opeth - Goblin 4:35
from "Pale Communion"
..and haven't Opeth taken a turn for the better since abandoning their growling vocals?

P.Y. Marani - Solaris 3:45
from "Outline"
This French guitarist made his name on Youtube and is pretty damn good it must be said - take a listen...

Laurent Coulondre Trio - Last Seven 2:02
from "Opus II"
I must admit to having chosen the track from this LP at random - and I kind of regret it for, as every right thinking person knows, there is no place in jazz for vocals...

Brahms - Trio In A Minor, Op. 114 - 3. Andantino Grazioso 4:30
from "Brahms: Complete Clarinet Music, Vol. 1"
Another recent classical bargain which popped through the Crispycat letterbox last week - I'm not a huge fan of the clarinet but this is petty impressive stuff from the big beardy fellow...

Priscilla Ahn - I Don't Think So 2:18
from "A Good Day"

Priscilla Ahn - One, Two 2:18
from "In A Tree (EP)"

Priscilla Ahn - Pretty Dress 2:24
from "Just Know That I Love You"

Priscilla Ahn - Your Name 1:06
from "This Is Where We Are"
Four short tracks in a row from new discovery Priscilla Ahn who has been around for a while but never made it on to my radar - you can tell  by the fact that I've given her four tracks that I quite like her output...

Coulthard - Introduction and 3 Folksongs (after Canada Mosaic) - II. Mam'zelle Quebecoise 2:22
from "Tableau"
Classical music from Canada - another bargain disc picked up this week...

Dowland - Mistresse Nichols Almand 0:57
from "Lacrimae, Or Seaven Teares"
Amazing music from the 1600's written by the lutenist to James the 1st of England, 6th of Scotland, the man who first brought the two countries together...

Mary Halvorson Septet - Nairam 5:39
from "Illusionary Sea"
A bit of an "out there" album from guitarist Halvorson and her six merry collaborators who add to proceedings via a quartet of horns plus bass and drums...

Neil Cowley Trio - Winterlude 1:58
from "Touch And Flee"
A rather more conventional trio base doutfit but this is excellent jazz from the London outfit - superb beard too from bassist Rex Horan, which you can witness if you follow the link - it ma well be what graces the album cover...

Cloudland Blue Quartet - The Rosenquist Event (Short) 3:11
from "Morphinecodex (Short Details)"
First of two short details from my upcoming soundscape album...

Half Makeshift - Omen 3 11:02
from "Omen"
...which nicely sandwich this great piece of atmospheirc work from Half Makeshift aka Nathan Michael, who left the music business after recording this, convinced the world would end in 2011...

Cloudland Blue Quartet - The Razor Drone (Short) 3:07
from "Morphinecodex (Short Details)"
...and the second of my own two short pieces...

Sebastian Zawadzki - Free Movement 3:15
from "Luminescence"
Great piano work from Polish jazz wunderkind Zawadski, which comes from the debut solo LP by Tone Raw's tinkler of the ivories...

Fauré - Requiem, Op. 48 - Pie Jesu 3:12
from "Fauré Requiem"
Probably the most famous piece from Gabriel's religious epic...

Stanton Moore - Lauren Z 5:05
from "Conversations"
A brilliant drummer (check his tutorial vids on Youtube), Stanton Moore heads up his own outfit on this cracking disc...

Shostakovich - Five Preludes: 3-Allegro moderato 1:00
from "The Two Piano Sonatas and other works"
In lieu of missing some early morning Bach/Shostakovich recitals this week, I listened to some recordings...

Substaat - Macht 3:11
from "Macht"
Previously featured electronic pop trio from Norway once again entertain with ease...

Sarah Jaffe - Leaving the Planet 2:54
from "Don't Disconnect"
Young Texan Jaffe, born on the Exec Producer's birthday, impresses with her fine wordsmithery...

Ace Frehley - Space Invader (Radio Edit) 3:19
from "Space Invader"
It's Kiss but it's not Kiss but it's every bit as good as Kiss - recommended for Kiss fans everywhere...

Vivaldi - Guitar Concerto in D Major 1. Allegro 2:35
from "Classical Guitar Concertos Vol 1"
It pays to delve deeper into Vivaldi's work than the ubiquitous Four Seasons, great though they are...

Dan Michaelson and the Coastguards - Evening Light 3:09
from "Distance"
From the UK but the baritone of Mr M sounds American to me.  Possibly an acquired taste but worthy of your investigation...

Herman Van Veen - Alles Was Ich Hab 02:15
from "Zweitausendeins"
A short quiet piece from HVV - I was considering going to Amsterdam to see him this winter but all 33 of his shows there are already sold out...

Spock's Beard (with Neal Morse) - June (Live) 7:10
from "Live At Sea"

The final song from Spock's Beard's set on one of those prog rock cruises they do nowadays - this featuring the return of original member Neal Morse, who closes off our podcast for the second week running...

That's it for another week - I hope you've enjoyed this eclectic mix and will pop back next week for some more...

Back of a fag packet plans refuted...

Playlist
Wess Meets West - When The Structures Fail Us
Swansaw - Flight And Falling
BANKS - Goddess
Hecq - Conversions
Marco Machera - Dime Novels
Alice Cooper - Easy Action

An overcast, unpictured day...

Currency obtained at lunchtime...

Home, and Anne was off out with Lynn for pizza and wine...

I worked on the podcast...

...but was somewhat distracted by having to clarify some points on the economics of Scottish Independence to some of nephew Ali's chums, who were laying into him on Facebook for having the temerity to actually read up on and think about matters...

Quite enjoyable but probably not the best use of a Friday night...

Picked Anne and Lynn up around midnight and to bed around 1...

Highlight of the Day : Getting some points across...

Spiders, rooms and cloudcasts...

Playlist

The Bad Plus - Inevitable Western

This Will Destroy You - Another Language

Wess Meets West - When The Structures Fail Us

BANKS - Goddess

Tohpati - Tribal Dance

Snow Shards - Blind

Laura Jean - Laura Jean

Arve Henriksen - The Nature Of Connections

Earth - Primitive and Deadly

A picture today of the wee beastie which often annoys me of a morning as I walk to the back gate to exit the Crispycat garden...

The wee beastie will, on occasions, perhaps overstretched itself a little by attaching part of its web to the overhead washing line, in an ill thought out attempt to capture and eat an overweight human...

Once again, the wee beastie's plans were thwarted as I made it out into the world unscathed, other than having to remove its silk from my unstoppable-by-a-spider face...

Some time today spent with chums at the very swanky Prestonfield House Hotel...

Some time today too in fraught attempts to secure new accommodation for our upcoming trip to Berlin...

Eventual success...

Thunderbirds are, as they say "go!" (once again)...

In the evening, a celebratory re accommodation Chinese Takeaway and some "Big Bang" and further excellent episodes of both "Cuckoo" and "Siblings", the latter providing the best of the series thus far...

And commenced a wee project of producing some 30 minute cloudcasts of music by discoveries made thus far in 2014...

I know everyone likes a list, so here's a list of fifty new to me mainstream, leftfield, jazz and classical artists and composers who have impressed upon having been discovered over the last eight months...

Mainstream

Haken

Malojian

Max Jury

And One

Substaat

Bend Sinister

Kimbra

Glasperlenspiel

Priscilla Ahn

Dan Michaelson and the Coastguards

BANKS

Leftfield

Sleepmakeswaves

John Lemke

Piano Interrupted

Ulrich Schnauss

Origamibiro

Krokofant

The Samuel Jackson Five

Taketi Uloomu

Paul Corley

Alpha Male Tea Party

Mammoth

Audible Silence

Searchlights

TAUK

Bear the Mammoth

Ut Gret

Plymouth

Idlefon

Helmutt Lobby

Trioscapes

Beneath The Watchful Eyes

Half Makeshift

This Will Destroy You

Jazz

Trio Elf

Carsten Dahl

Matthew Bourne

Badbadnotgood

Mount Everest Trio

Stanton Moore

Sebastian Zawadski

Eivind Aarset

Tohpati

Classical

Haba

Rubbra

Reimann

Rochberg

Hartmann

Dohl

Lachenmann

Lights out...

Highlight of the day : Accommodation secured...

Unexpected carpet removal from beneath feet...

Playlist
Herman Van Veen - Herman van Veen 100
Priscilla Ahn - A Good Day
Priscilla Ahn - In A Tree (EP)
And One - Magnet (Trilogie Edition)
Laurent Coulondre Trio - Opus II
John Lemke - People Do
Ace Frehley - Space Invader
Substaat - Macht
Ronnie James Dio - Mightier Than The Sword
Shostakovich - The Two Piano Sonatas and other works
Fauré - Requiem
Building Instrument - Building Instrument
EMA - The Future's Void
Bly De Blyant - Hindsight Bias
Beneath The Watchful Eyes - We Held Our Breath Until Our Hearts Exploded
Ace Frehley - Space Invader
Idlefon - Intensive Collectivity Known As City
Tavener - Music Sales Film & TV
Coulthard - Tableau
The Bad Plus - Inevitable Western
BANKS - Goddess
Laura Jean - Laura Jean
The Bad Plus - Inevitable Western
Various - 2014 Weekly Playlist No 35

Disaster first thing due to an unexpectedly cancelled at the last minute accommodation scenario...

Much stress created and sorting required - in an extremely short space of time...

In Fife this afternoon...

In the evening, waiting to hear back from people - to no avail...

Meanwhile the Exec Producer was stung by a wasp - which she admirably then helped out the window into the garden rather than exercising any sort of retribution...

A Zumba session, while I musicked, was followed by very tasty prawn and chorizo spaghetti...

Late on more fretting but it's kind of out of our hands at present...

Worked on Saturday's podcast...

Lights out...

Lowlight of the Day : Cancelled apartment...