Thursday, March 21, 2024

The phoenix like Wisdom rises again, kind of...

Playlist
Crazy Wisdom - The Reptile Tapes
Cloudland Blue Quartet - 2024-03-07 Out of the Bedroom

Up late...


21st of March...


10 years ago today we lost my musicking chum Mr Jamieson Frain...

Here he is on 9 February 2014 as we celebrated, with a Mexican and far too big beers, having booked the venue for the Capital Models Easter Extravaganza - at which the band was due to play the original canon from 1980, which we'd rehearsed in full just two days before Jamie succumbed to a heart attack on the golf course, completely out of the blue...


God damn it...

Anyway, by way of some kind of remembrance, I once again spent the entire day musicking...

But with the goal of performing tonight with another old sparring partner, Malcolm Logan, as we allowed Crazy Wisdom to rise like a phoen...  

You get the idea...

I worked out chords for around 15 of our old songs and we chose three to play at tonight's Out of the Bedroom - "Primal", "Crowned Themselves king" and "Unseen"...

I sent lyric sheets and recordings of me playing the tunes to Malcolm...

It was only in the late afternoon that it dawned on him that there would be no backing tapes - it would be him and an acoustic guitar...

He was, to put it lightly, rather worried by this prospect...

Meanwhile, at Crispycat Towers, I rehearsed the 3 songs plus 3 of my own "standards for a CBQ set...

A tasty tea from Anne...


...then, off out into the night...

I picked Malcolm up from his mum's - I did not have time to go in but we had a conversation via her 3rd floor window...

Then, over to the Safari Lounge - becoming a home from home these days...

We booked our slots then went back to the car for our only rehearsal...

Strange looks were rightfully received from passers by for the man in the front passenger seat and other man in the back with an acoustic guitar..

Due to this short "rehearsal", I missed the debut of one Daniel Wilson but hopefully will catch him next time...

I also missed the start of the Overton & McCann but they were good and involved a trumpet (Malcolm has already been in touch with said trumpeter re a collab)...


Then, one Emily Jayne impressed with her angstful songs accompanied firstly on piano then guitar...


Then, Crazy Widsom took to the stage at 8:45 and proceeded to provide a pretty good display despite only having decided to play today and only having relearned the songs, not played for around 30 years or more, today too...

A small triumph then, which Malcolm, I think, actually enjoyed...

Photos courtesy of Jim Igoe and, soundman, Alyx Dickson






We were followed by the excellent Grant B Robertson...


...and Ross Nielzen...


...and 20 year old Elsie MacDonald...


..and, just before the second break, Mr CBQ with "Twenty Twenty Vision", "The End of Everything" and "I Re-Arranged the House", following a very complimentary intro from Mr Scott Renton...

Hmmm, I look so utterly old...


Finally, two more classic acts brought the night to a close, Jim Igoe with his fine clear voice, playing songs from his upcoming EP...


...and Scott himself, including his classic pigeon fancying song, "Ya But Da Bought Doos"...


A lift back out to Balerno for Malcolm and home around midnight...

A good day...

Highlight of the Day : Performing...

Today's New Music:-

2 comments:

Renton said...

Hi Dave, I didn’t realise the significance of the date last week. I can’t believe that’s ten years without Jamie, he’s very much missed.

Scott

Cloudland Blue Quartet said...

Hi Scott - I was very much aware of it in the weeks and days leading up to it and then, on the actual day, got a bit caught up with the whole resurrecting Crazy Wisdom thing... However, I have a few recordings in the pipeline which I hope to put out on Bandcamp alongside his ONLY LP - I can't believe he actually wrote so few songs but he as a law unto himself!