Saturday, October 31, 2020

An unexpected win is always a good thing...

Playlist
Tangents - Timeslips
David Finckel, Wu Han - The Art of the Cello (BBC Music)
Various - Cloudland Blue Eclectic Selection 2020
Laura Cantrell - When The Roses Bloom Again
Laura Cantrell - Humming By the Flowered Vine
Avishai Cohen (Trumpet) - Seven
Robert Fripp - Music For Quiet Moments
Jacaszek - Gardenia
Joni Mitchell - Archives - Volume 1 (The Early Years 1963–1967)
The Flower Kings - Islands
Cloudland Blue Quartet - Disquietmusik (Remixes)
Die Ärzte - Hell
Avishai Cohen (Trumpet) - Flood
Mott the Hoople - The Essential Yiung Dudes Live
Sleepingdog - With Our HEads in the Clouds
Arve Henriksen - Strjon
Glass - Jane OST
Various Composers - New Music Collections Electronic
The Damned - Smash It Up : Anthology
Building Instrument - Mangelen Min
The Entrepreneurs - Noise and Romance

October, the eighth weird month in a row (with many more to come I think), gone...


Up and readying the podcast and sorting out all the downloads of jazz over the last couple of days and enjoying the Laura Cantrell discs...

And downloading more new things released in October - Flower Kings, Jacaszek, and the Joni Mitchell box set...


Halloween...


Used to be a big day, when I was wee...

Now, not so much...

Scenes...



Podcast up...


Outside, it was stormy...



I popped down to the 24 hour Tesco and got some new flowers for Anne and a couple of croissants for breakfast...

For lunch, I prepped a tuna and bean salad...


In the afternoon, as Queens lost yet again (no points so far) 3-2 to Dunfermline, Anne was off to her mum's to defrost her fridge and take her to brother Keith's to watch Hearts' postponed Scottish Cup semi final derby against Hibernian at an empty Hampden Park...

Meanwhile, I worked out chords for the five new pieces and quickly recorded acoustic guitar and added that to the mix, taking out the soundscapes, thus producing a "third EP", this time vocals, acoustic guitar and acoustic drums - I also played bass along to it but did not record...

On Anne's return, we watched the game - I popped for a Chinese takeaway at half time...

Hearts took the lead, were quickly pulled back but, eventually, won (surprisingly) 2-1, after extra time, by a penalty, after Hibs had missed a penalty, neither of which penalties should have been a penalty but Hibs' goal was also offside...

So, you know, justice was served, kind of...

An evening of nothing really as, post match, "Strictly" came on...

The scene...


A "Goldbergs" was, however, enjoyed, along with some music in my ears...

Lights out around 11:30...

Saturday over...

Highlight of the Day : An unexpected win for the JTs...

Friday, October 30, 2020

Swift writing can move a project on but may, eventually, call for revisions...

Playlist
Cloudland Blue Quartet - German Field Recordings 2019
John Martyn - Sweet Little Mysteries: The Island Anthology
Kelly Clarkson - My December
David Finckel, Wu Han - The Art of the Cello (BBC Music)
CB3 - Aeons
Paul McCartney - Give My Regards to Broad Street
Nita Strauss - Controlled Chaos
Beasto Blanco - We Are
Tommy Henriksen - StarStruck
Ryan Roxie - Me Generation
Laura Pausini - Io Si (Seen) [Single]
Bobrowicz - Polish Guitar Music
Various - Supa Funky
Various - Instant Karma
Lindi Ortega - Cigarettes & Truckstops
Various - Motown Sings The Beatles
Maciej Meller - Zenith
Flying Colors - Third Stage: Live In London
Big Big Train - Summer's Lease
Colin Bass & Daniel Biro - Still
I Hear Sirens - Stella Mori
Mariana Semkina - Sleepwalking
Metallica - S&M2
Various - The Old Grey Whistle Test - Jetboys and Ladytrons
Joe Bonamassa - A New Day Now (20th Anniversary Edition)
Djabe - The Magic Stag
The Backstage - Isolation
Neil Young - Homegrown
Lonely Robot - Feelings Are Good (Bonus Tracks Edition)
Jon Gomm - The Faintest Idea
Ayreon - Electric Castle Live and Other Tales
Airbag - A Day At The Beach
Tears For Fears - The Seeds Of Love - Super Deluxe
Jakko M. Jakszyk - Secrets & Lies
Yes - The Royal Affair Tour
Derek Sherinian - The Phoenix
Gazpacho - Fireworker
John Lennon - Gimme Some Truth
Various - Blue Note Re:Imagined
Terrace Martin, Robert Glasper, 9th Wonder, Kamasi Washington - Dinner Party
Wobbler - Dwellers of the Deep
Die Ärzte - Hell
Schwefelgelb - Der Puls Durch Die Schläfen
Jeff Tweedy - Love is the King
BlackPink - The Album
Jónsi - Shiver
Fareed Haque - Deja Vu
Charlie Hunter Quartet - Natty Dread
George Howard - There's A Riot Goin' On
Bob Belden - Tapestry
Everette Harp - What's Going On
Ronnie Laws - Harvest For the World
The Lie Detectors - Part III: Secret Unit
Avishai Cohen (Bass) - From Darkness
Avishai Cohen (Trumpet) - Dark Nights
Laura Cantrell - When The Roses Bloom Again
Cloudland Blue Quartet - Disquietmusik (Remixes)

Up reasonably early and to writing lyrics for the new pieces created yesterday...


...with four new items entering the canon, via random sampling of Ernest Hemmingway short stories - and a re-working of this, from the summer of 2019...


Almost the end of October...


...already...

Coffee assisted the writing...


Out for breakfast as, once again, I was on holiday today...


Along the road from the nice wee cafe, three Laura Cantrell discs picked up for a quid each at the Cancer Research shop...




I also dropped two pairs of boots into the cobbler's - he surprised me by saying they'd be ready by 4...

We'd walked down the hill from Crispycat Towers...

And so, and we walked back up...



Here's a view I used to take almost everyday but haven't done so for a good while - as I don't go out that much anymore...


Today we started two new programmes on our stupidly kind of accidentally subscribed to subscription channels - "Dead to Me" which I willabandon after two episodes) and "Emily in Paris" (which is good and which I wills tick with)...

Just after lunchtime, Anne was off for a meet up with chum Lynn, followed by a hairdressing appointment...

I took the opportunity to record draft vocals on the five new tracks re the lyrics written this morning and last summer...

At 3:40, I walked down to pick up the boots - taking the bus back up to the top of the hill...


Excellent work...


Practically two new pairs of boots...


The cobbler man's great grandfather (from Poland), his grandfather and his father were all cobblers - and his son is a.....cobbler...

He has been at his shop since 1982...

He has just turned 70...

He advised he will work on until he dies...

Hmmm...

Around 6, the EP returned with a lovely new hair do...


By this time, I'd commenced a mammoth podcast recording session - almost 3 hours, featuring 56 new entries into the collection over the last two weeks...

While doing so, I got up to date with the Tweeting of new physical acquisitions in 2020...


And that was about it for an enjoyable Friday holiday for Mr CBQ...

Lights out with the finished podcast in the cans...

Highlight of the Day : Creating...

Thursday, October 29, 2020

Acoustic drums and soundscapes can be a thing...

Playlist
Richie Havens - Richard P. Havens, 1983
Avishai Cohen (Bass) - Continuo
Avishai Cohen (Bass) - At Home
Cloudland Blue Quartet - Disquietmusik III
Cloudland Blue Quartet - Disquietmusik (Remixes)

Good treated skies today...




Up at 7...


...and into stuff...


The anniversary flowers remain reasonable, a week in...


Breakfast...


Relaxing pre WFH...


Later on, some work today on a new out of the blue project...

Asked Edward Spark if he could provide some "acoustic drums"...

He did so, and, out of nothing, this was eventually created...


...comprising edits from "Disquietmusik III" and said acoustic drums from Mr Spark...

Liking it...

Also, a plethora of new jazz was downloaded by two, different, Avishai Cohens - the bassist and the trumpeter - the latter having been seen by Mr CBQ and his EP in, I think, Krakow, way back, in his excellent combo, the Lemon Juice Quartet...

So that was nice...

No doubt some TV was also watched - yes, "The Goldbergs" new series is entertaining us and, I think, tonight, there was a "Taskmaster"...

Lights out with new creations in the cans...

Highlight of the day : Creating...

Wednesday, October 28, 2020

No need for morpheus...

Playlist
Cloudland Blue Quartet - Sparklemusik
Cloudland Blue Quartet - Sparklemusik (8CD Box Set)
Ronnie Laws - Harvest For the World
Fareed Haque - Deja Vu
Charlie Hunter Quartet - Natty Dread
George Howard - There's A Riot Goin' On
Bob Belden - Tapestry
Everette Harp - What's Going On
Jakko M. Jakszyk - Secrets & Lies
The Velvet Underground - The Best Of The Velvet Underground & Lou Reed

Up early and a day spent WFH but also listening to the, currently, 7CDs of the proposed 8CD "Sparklemusik" set... 


Scenes...





Breakfast...


Discussions with Edward Spark on various items...

The upshot is, he will, as well as working on remixes for the 8th CD, cook up a version of the song "The Traffic in the Distance" which was written up North last summer but has never been fully recorded other than with vocal and acoustic guitar...

He is also going to work on some acoustic drum tracks for possible future use...

At lunchtime "The Tick" continued...

In the evening, an interesting documentary on the fall of the Berlin Wall was fallen asleep to - the early mornings and late nights taking their toll...

So much so that I was able to retire with nothing in the cans...

Highlight of the Day : Progressing...

Tuesday, October 27, 2020

Getting the new LP organised...

Playlist
Cloudland Blue Quartet - Sparklemusik
Cloudland Blue Quartet - Twentynineteen
Cloudland Blue Quartet - Glen Orchy 24 & 25 August 2019
Cloudland Blue Quartet - Twentyseventeen
Cloudland Blue Quartet - No Last Tilt [Single]
Cloudland Blue Quartet - Break the Ice Around Us
Cloudland Blue Quartet - Underground Like Doug McLure [Single]
Cloudland Blue Quartet - 2019-12-01
Cloudland Blue Quartet - Fly Across the World
Cloudland Blue Quartet - SXTY (Latest Mix)
John Martyn - Sweet Little Mysteries: The Island Anthology
Kelly Clarkson - My December
David Finckel, Wu Han - The Art of the Cello (BBC Music)
CB3 - Aeons
Nita Strauss - Controlled Chaos
Paul McCartney - Give My Regards to Broad Street
Beasto Blanco - We Are
Tommy Henriksen - StarStruck
Ryan Roxie - Me Generation
Laura Pausini - Io Si (Seen) [Single]
Marcin Dylla - Polish Guitar Music
Various Artists - Supa Funky
Various Artists - Instant Karma
Lindi Ortega - Cigarettes & Truckstops
Various Artists - Motown Sings The Beatles
Maciej Meller - Zenith
Flying Colors - Third Stage: Live In London
Big Big Train - Summer's Lease
Colin Bass & Daniel Biro - Still
I Hear Sirens - Stella Mori
Mariana Semkina - Sleepwalking
Metallica - S&M2
Jon Gomm - The Faintest Idea
Airbag - A Day At The Beach
John Lennon - Gimme Some Truth
Tears For Fears - The Seeds Of Love - Super Deluxe
Jakko M. Jakszyk - Secrets & Lies
Yes - The Royal Affair Tour
Derek Sherinian - The Phoenix
Gazpacho - Fireworker
Cloudland Blue Quartet - Attic Jams 2020
Various Artists - Blue Note Re:Imagined
Terrace Martin, Robert Glasper, 9th Wonder, Kamasi Washington - Dinner Party
Wobbler - Dwellers of the Deep
Die Ärzte - Hell
Schwefelgelb - Der Puls Durch Die Schläfen
Jeff Tweedy - Love is the King
BlackPink - The Album
Jónsi - Shiver
Cloudland Blue Quartet - Sparklemusik (8CD Box Set)
Richie Havens - Richard P. Havens, 1983
Earthworks - Earthworks Underground Orchestra
De Visée - La Musique De La Chambre Du Roi Vol 3
Ayreon - Transitus
Dar Williams - Emerald
Fareed Haque - Deja Vu
Charlie Hunter Quartet - Natty Dread
George Howard - There's A Riot Goin' On
Bob Belden - Tapestry
Everette Harp - What's Going On
Ronnie Laws - Harvest For the World

Up...


Coffee...


Twitterati horrified that I would use the microwave - but, sometimes, needs must...

The beast was listening to its new LP on the cans...


...under the morning skies...







Work today on exactly how this is going to pan out....

By the time I hit the sack, I had an 8CD box set - with the 8th disc comprising yet to be done Edward Spark remixes - and an agreed release date with Sparky of "early" 2021...


The format will be

CD 1 - The Original Album (12 Tracks) 53:55

CD 2 - Instrumental Versions (12 Tracks) 79:48

CD 3 - "Live" Version (10 Tracks) 73:44 - this will be an early set with guitar soundscapes, synths and bass guitar and singing, all done live to early BTs - so won't include all the songs, as some didn't exist at that point...

CD 4 - Long Version (12 Tracks) 72:41 - the songs as they were, before I remixed them in the summer, for what will now be the "original album"...

CD 5 - Live Edit Version (12 Tracks) 40:32 - this is the set I created to play at Club Nitty Gritty in October last year, which I ended up not being able to do...

CD 6 & 7 - Origins and the Ones That Got Away (26 Tracks) 134:05 - early demos, initial recordings plus, I think 3 or 4 pieces that didn't make it - these will include "Fly Across the World", which became "Wonderful Out Here" and a couple of band versions of "Underground Like Doug McClure" by Capital Models, when we were thinking of playing a set of CBQ songs at Club Nitty Gritty in January (we ended up doing a - very good - covers set). Most likley the 2 discs will be split between my original demos and recordings and initial Edward Spark work in progress stuff...

CD 8 - The Edward Spark Remixes (Tracks TBC) Timing TBC - Mr Spark has commenced work - let's see what happens...


Later, re the Twitter meme - "How it started; how it's going" - my first CD (which also meant having to buy a CD player)...

How it started...


How it's going...




Hmmm...

Also...

How it started...


How it's going...


Not changed that much - or, at least, it seems I may have reverted to type in my old age...

At lunchtime, we moved into the 2nd season of "The Tick"...

WFH was, late on, permeated by lovely aromas from the kitchen...

A very tasty curry from the EP...




Eschewing TV tonight, I listened to this by Earthworks...


...and the Random LP of the Day by Richie Havens - originally bought for Meg the Black Cat's mum Julia - but she was quite happy with a CD burn and left me the record...





Ended the day with a run through the 45 tracks for the weekend's podcast and downloading some previously unknown to me Blue Note titles...

A set of 6 cover LPs...

Nice...

To bed with those shuffling in the cans...

Highlight of the Day : Getting the new LP organised...