Klara and The Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro.

Thank you, Faber. I was delighted last Saturday morning when the postman delivered a package which contained a signed copy of the brand-new novel by the Nobel Prize laureate Kazuo Ishiguro called Klara and The Sun. A few months ago, one of my Facebook friends who knows I like books told me about an upcoming online discussion with Kazuo Ishiguro organised by The Guardian.  I thought that would be an interesting event to look forward to, so I bought a ticket which included a signed copy of his new book. Previously I have read The Remains of The Day, When We Were Orphans and two Faber mini books Come Rain or Come Shine and The Nobel Lecture. I also started The Buried Giant but did not finish it. I would say that Klara and The Sun is as moving and thought provoking as anything I have read by this author.

I will not give away any secrets of the plot in case you are reading it yourself, except to say that the narrator Klara is an AF or Artificial Friend. (The author uses the word Robot very sparingly in this book) Klara and her friend Rosa get to spend time in the shop window where they can see the sun and observe the humans going by. Eventually Klara is bought by a lady to be a companion to her sick daughter Josie. Klara is so intelligent that she begins to realise that there is to be a lot more asked of her than just being a friend. I will not say any more about the plot.

I do not think I have been so moved by non-human characters in a book since childhood when I read Black Beauty by Anna Sewell. One of the reasons Kazuo Ishiguro is such a wonderful writer is that when you have finished the book you ponder about the issues raised in it. You begin to ask yourself about what kind of a world we are creating, what is the future for artificial intelligence? Will robots start creating art, music, books, or deciding government policies? Maybe they already are! Another moral question in the book is about genetic engineering. Do we want gene-editing in order to produce superior people? It is bad enough already with all the divisions in the world. These questions will have to be faced by society very soon. Another issue raised in the book is carbon emissions and pollution which also need to be urgently addressed. You can read the book on lots of different levels. It is also a love story between Josie and her boyfriend Rick. The author raises the ultimate question of, what is love? There is also some wry humour in the book. I like how he called the unpleasant housekeeper Melania. I will not say any more about this book, except to say It is the best book I have read in a long time and I think you should read it as well. If you do, I would love to know what you think.

The Devil's Son-In-Law

It is another cold, breezy, showery day, but I can sense that Spring is here. Looking out of the kitchen window I can see that the clematis is flowering and growing all over the world’s smallest shed. I have been listening to my new CD which arrived yesterday. It is called Peetie Wheatstraw, Complete Works In Chronological Order, Vol 5, 26 March 1937 to 18 October 1938. I will tell you how I came to buy this album. A couple of years ago I found a book in a charity shop titled The Devil’s Son-In Law by Paul Garon. It was published by Studio Vista in the UK in 1971. It was the story of Peetie Wheatstraw and his songs. I had never heard of him, but I was intrigued by the title, so I bought it. 

I think I was intending to sell it in my online bookshop. The bookshop doesn’t exist at the moment because the charity shops where I found my books have been closed for a year. Also, during the pandemic I haven’t liked queuing in Post Offices. Anyway, I forgot all about the book until the other day when during a rare tidying up session I came across it and started reading it. Peetie Wheatstraw was a popular American Blues singer of the 1930s. His real name was William Bunch and he was born in 1902, probably in Cotton Plant, Arkansas. There is only one photo of him known to exist. That is the photo on the front of the book. It shows him playing a guitar, but on the recording that I acquired he just plays piano. In the late 1920s he arrived in St Louis where he soon made a name for himself. 

His recording career began in 1930 and he was so popular that he recorded all though the Depression years when Blues recordings or ‘Race’ records as they were known were drastically cut because people simply couldn’t afford them. He acquired the sobriquets The Devil’s Son-In-Law or The High Sheriff Of Hell. Some of his lyrics were of a boastful, egotistical, chauvinistic nature which has led certain critics to compare him to some modern day rappers. This might have been just a persona he adopted, because some of his friends said he was a likeable, modest, easy going person. Peetie’s life came to a tragic end in 1941 at the age of 39 when a car in which he was travelling crashed into a stationary freight train. Two fellow passengers died instantly and Peetie a few hours later. His friend Big Joe Williams (who Van Morrison fans will know because he first recorded Baby Please Don’t Go) had a lucky escape because he had been dropped off from the car to get a tramcar home just minutes before the crash. The casual racism of the time can be seen in the Newspaper report. It doesn't say Three People Die, but Three Negroes Die.

I found his story quite fascinating and thought I ought to listen to the music. I looked on eBay and found there wasn’t a lot of choice unless I wanted to buy an expensive import from the USA, which I didn’t. The only UK CD I could find at a price I liked was one volume of a six-volume box set. That is the CD which arrived yesterday. I was pleased that the sound quality was better than I feared. I quite like it. His piano playing is rudimentary at best. He is no Jerry Lee Lewis that is for sure. There are 24 tracks here. It is the last 12 or so that I like the most, where he is accompanied by guitarist Lonnie Johnson. He is the man who Lonnie Donegan named himself after. I find the guitar adds variety and stops the CD sounding samey. I found some of the lyrics quite humorous, such as in Miss Lucille where he praises his girlfriend’s gold teeth. I have listened to it all twice, so I must quite like it. I am quite relieved I didn’t buy the whole six volumes though. I am sure there are many die-hard Blues fans who will love this album and I have enjoyed being educated about the story of Peetie Wheatstraw the Devil’s Son-In -Law.

 

The Beauty Of Trees.

After the nice weather of the past two days, it is back to being a wild and windy rainy day today. It is no day for being abroad on the Queen’s highway, that is for sure. I am going to stay by the fire, listen to my new music and try and finish one of the books that I have started. I will tell you all about that in the next few days. Firstly though, I want to tell you about my walk on Monday afternoon, because I took some nice photos, and it would be a shame to waste them. It was a beautiful afternoon without a cloud in the sky as I set off up Alfred Street, then headed straight up Newtown. When I reached the open countryside, hang-gliders could be seen in the distance floating above the White Horse, but I wanted a different route for a change, and I knew there would be dozens of people at the White Horse. I wanted to be far from the madding crowd. 

Once I passed the Equestrian Centre, instead of turning left I headed straight up a steep path which I had been curious about for a while. I am glad I made the effort because although it was very strenuous you were rewarded with a fantastic panoramic view from the top of the hill. Also, on each side of the steep incline there were some amazing trees. Because the branches were still bare of leaves, some of them had a kind of wraith-like form, like tree spirits or dryads with long thin arms extended upwards. Others stood in groups looking towards the sun beaming down its energy. Recently, I have become more aware of the beauty of trees. You can feel that they have their own consciousness, and they are very photogenic.

 It is a crime to cut down ancient woodland, which is happening all the time, not only in places like Brazil and Indonesia, but right here in Britain with the new HS2 rail-link they are building in the name of so-called progress. Save The Ancient Woodland! is my motto. I will say no more about that for now or this will become a rant. It felt great to survey the scene from up there on the brow of the hill. I could see Westbury down below and thought how lucky we are to live close to such nice countryside. I decided to head along the top of the ridge by the edge of Salisbury Plain. I passed the quarry which hopefully is slowly being reclaimed by nature, and I heeded the warnings to stay out of the army firing range.

 Eventually I reached a footpath that led back down the hill and through the woods. I met a few other walkers along the way. They are always very friendly and say hello. It seems to be the walkers code to greet each other. People do not say hello to strangers in town streets, do they. I emerged from the woods at the waterworks pumping station which I recognised from previous walks and then headed towards the main road and back to boring civilisation. I had only been out for about two hours but had thoroughly enjoyed the exercise and being in the prescence of nature. The next time we have a sunny day I will take some water and food and venture even further afield.

The Trackless Woods.

A Period Of Transition by Van Morrison, Revisited

It has been a nice day today. I have been pottering around in my garden and then sitting in the kitchen, looking out of the back door and listening to A Period Of Transition by Van Morrison. I feel quite bad, because when I wrote my book Vanatic six years ago I gave this album a negative review. I only wrote about a page and did not say anything nice about it. I think the reason was because when it came out in 1977 I compared it unfavourably with albums such as Astral Weeks and Moondance and did not listen to it much after that. I should have listened to it again before writing my book because although I still do not rate it as one of his greatest albums, it has stood the test of time and compares very favourably with a lot of his subsequent albums. I thought I would try and make amends by revisiting my review and improve it if I can.

From 74 to 77 Van had a two- and half-year hiatus between Veedon Fleece and A Period Of Transition. This was the longest break between albums in his career and for most fans and critics who had waited for a new album it was a disappointment. There were only seven songs on the album, and it was short by today's standards, only 34 minutes. Veedon Fleece was ahead of its time with its pastoral Irish setting and folksy jazzy feel. The public and critics were not ready for it and so Van returned to the R & B soulful style of earlier years. This album was co-produced by Mac Rebennack aka Dr John, the Gris Gris Man or The Night Tripper. Apart from Dr John, Van had imported a great ensemble of American musicians. There was Reggie McBride on bass, Ollie Brown on drums, The late Marlo Henderson on guitar, Jerry Jumonville & Joel Peskin on sax, and Mark Underwood on trumpet. The excellent backing singers included three former members of The Ikettes, Robbie Montgomery, Carlena Williams & Paulette Parker.

The first track is You Gotta Make It Through The World which sounds like a jam to me, until the band get in the groove and then Van’s vocals join in. The insubstantial lyrics add to the feeling that it grew out of a jam session. It is quite funky though. It Fills You Up seems to be a celebration of music. Van has sung about music filling him up in other songs, such as Got To Go Back. It is all about the importance of adding some music to your day. I couldn't agree more. The Eternal Kansas City is the pivotal song on this album. In his book The Mystic’s Music the biographer Howard DeWitt believes that the song makes the listener feel as if in a church, because of the "mystical choir", featured at the beginning of the song: "Excuse me do you know the way to Kansas City?". "Then an almost jump arrangement makes The Eternal Kansas City an excellent rhythm and blues influenced song." I would agree with that. Van name-drops some of his favourite musicians Charlie Parker, Count Basie, Lester Young, Jimmy Witherspoon, Jay McShann, & Billie Holiday. Jay McShann was a resident of Kansas City and all the people Van mentioned played with his band as various times. That must explain the song’s title. Van was inspired to write this song while in the Cotswold's when he saw a place called Birdland near Boughton On The Water and it reminded him of Charlie Parker. That shows how the smallest thing can spark of the creative process.

Jay McShann of Kansas City.

Joyous Sound reminds me slightly of How Sweet It Is by Junior Walker & The All Stars that I used to have on the Motown Chartbusters album. I love the sax playing on this short track which to my ears is the most radio friendly and commercial song on offer here. Flamingo's Fly is my favourite song on the album, I also like the version on the Philosophers Stone album and the version by Jackie De Shannon that Van produced for her. I wonder if Van had heard a jazz number by Gil Evans with the same title and used it for his song. Heavy Connection is soulful. Land Of 1,000 Dances is mentioned. That song was recorded by Wilson Pickett who Van name-checks in Real Real Gone, so he must admire him. There is another heavy connection to Real Real Gone when he sings, I can't stop this rainbow in my soul which is from Rainbow 80 by Gene Chandler. Cold Wind In August is the final track. Van sings about Shivers up and down my spine, I was standin' standin' in your garden’. This was a song theme that would return ten years later in his song In The Garden. Lyrics often reoccur in Van’s songs years after being first used.

Despite the lukewarm reception this album received when first released, Van was soon back on top. It was his stunning performance in the film The Last Waltz which proved how great he was. Van was shortly afterwards to produce his most commercial album since Moondance, which was Wavelength and then go on to follow his instinct and produce a non-stop series of great albums for the next three decades.

 

Van Morrison & The Chieftains. Irish Heartbeat.

Van Morrison has collaborated with quite a few artists during his long career, such  as Lonnie Donegan, Mose Allison, and Linda Gail Lewis to name but three. The results have been mixed and often not popular with the fans.There is one collaboration though which was a triumph artistically and critically. Van's 1988 album with The Chieftains called Irish Heartbeat.
I remember clearly the day I bought this album on vinyl. It was one Saturday afternoon in June 1988. It was a complete departure for Van from the music that had preoccupied him during the 80's. I think Van just fancied a bit of a change and a bit of fun. The album came about through Van's friendship with the late Derek Bell the harp and piano player with the Chieftains.Van had met him due to a mutual interest in the healing power of music. It was the Chieftains who had been largely responsible for  putting Irish music on the world stage where it belongs. I had always liked their music since buying their Chieftains 5 album, so I was pleased when Van got together with them.

There are no new Van songs on the album although there are excellent reworkings of Celtic Ray and the title track Irish Heartbeat. The opening track is Star Of The County Down which is about Rosie McCann from the banks of the Bann and it really is good fun. Then we have a version of Irish Heartbeat with the Chieftains effortlessly complementing Van's great song. Ta Mo Chleamhnas Deanta (My Match It Is Made) is a traditional song with Van translating the Irish words into English. It is a testament to Vans genius that somebody who is steeped in the R & B tradition can take on another totally different genre of music and make it his own, although Van would have heard this music a lot as a youngster in Belfast so it wasn't totally alien to him.

Derek Bell.

The next song On Raglan Road is one of my all time favourite Van songs. One fateful night in 1966 the great Irish poet Patrick Kavanagh met Luke Kelly of The Dubliners in a Dublin pub. Patrick asked Luke to turn one of his poems into a song. The next day Luke returned with the music, the traditional air Fainne Gael an Lae (The Dawning of the Day). and so a great song was born. This song will still be sung in hundreds of years time. I have heard many versions of this song, Luke's has to be the greatest version. Sinead O'Connor sings it really well, Mark Knopfler not so well, but Van's version accompanied by The Chieftains is sublime. You could be forgiven for thinking this song is a traditional song hundreds of years old. Although it is only 55 years old it's place in the great canon of Irish traditional songs is assured. She Moved Through The Fair is another great song that has been recorded by many different artists. I first heard it on the album What We Did On Our Holidays by Fairport Convention sung by Sandy Denny. 

I'll Tell Me Ma is a very jolly romp through another well known tune. Carrickfergus is a sad ballad which is set in Kilkenny. It was first recorded in 1965 by Dominic Behan after actor Peter O'Toole introduced it to him. Van's former band member Brian Kennedy also does a very good version of this song. Celtic Ray is a reworking of a song from Beautiful Vision, but the lyrics are changed slightly with Brittany replacing England. Marie's Wedding brings the album to a very lively close. I did meet Matt Molloy the Chieftains flute player in his pub in Westport County Mayo many years ago and said To Matt that it was high time we had a Irish Heartbeat volume 2 album. I think the Chieftains would do it but maybe Van just saw it as a one off.

Light My Fire, Van Morrison And The Doors in 66

Smash cut to the Whiskey-A-Go-Go. The headlines of our initial engagement week?  THEM!,Yes my friends,Van Morrison and Them!. Our favourite singer and perhaps our favourite band. Gloria and Mystic Eyes and John Lee Hooker's Boom Boom. What great songs, what a great band. And what a wild-man lead singer. Van was a possessed Celt. He was all over the stage. Manic.arms continually raised in a hallelujah salute to the energy. A ball of black Irish plasma reconstituted as the lead singer of a wandering band of minstrels that had set down beside us on the Sunset Strip of Los Angeles, California. Jim was transfixed by Van. He studied his every move. He put the eye on him and he absorbed.Van Morrison was-and-is the best of the white blues men. No one has that soul, that torment, that anguish. And he displayed it all at the Whiskey....and we watched, mezmerized. All of us. I especially loved the way Van would grab the mic stand, thrust it in the air, turn it on its head with the base pointing up to heaven and continue wailing into the Shure 47, "She got one, two,brown eyes...Hypnotize!".Goddamn, he was good.
And could he drink. I wish Jim hadn't seen that part of it. What with Felix imparting the drunken secrets of the race and Van the Celtic Christian blues man idol of Jim's downing copious drafts... well, Jim didn't stand a chance. He became enamored of alcohol. We all became friends,and the last night of our too-brief weeks engagement with the Irish crazies saw us all in a monster jam session. The Doors and Them on stage at the same time! and singing Gloria !, what a fucking night. The Morrisons were amazing. There was more power coming off the stage than had ever been generated at the corner of Sunset and San Vincente. We were rocking and I was at stage left,at the Vox. I'll never forget the picture I saw to my right of Van at the mic and Jim with a hand held mic sitting atop a large amplifier, his head above and slightly behind Van's, both of them bathed in a golden light. And they were gone !.They were both in another time and another place.They were in the music and they were wailing. We were all wailing!. It was 1966 and we were young and alive and rocking.The future was ours.

 

Taken from 'Light My Fire, My Life With The Doors' by Ray Manzarek.