Van Morrison - Scandinavia

Van Morrison's Instrumental Music.

Next week I’m looking forward to hearing Van Morrison’s new album which is called Beyond Words. A collection of 17 previously unreleased instrumental tracks from the archives. Although I haven’t heard any of the tracks yet, I think hopefully it might turn out to be Van’s most satisfying album since Three Chords & The Truth in 2019. The news of the impending release seems to have been welcomed positively by most fans, but I have noticed that some people have reacted by saying things like, “If there are no vocals I’m not interested, it isn’t Van if he doesn’t sing”, and things like that. That surprised me because I think they are forgetting that Van has released some wonderful instrumental music in the past.

This was most true in the 1980s when Van’s spiritual quest was at its height and he became interested in ‘New Age’ music and didn’t see music as mere entertainment, but more as a way of raising consciousness in the listener. We got the first hint of where Van’s music was heading with such tracks as When Heart Is Open on the Common One album. Although it isn’t an instrumental, the sparse lyrics and the music were aimed at creating a meditative mood. This was continued in 1982 when Beautiful Vision was released. The song Across The Bridge Where Angels Dwell gently leads the listener into the meditation of Scandinavia. Van was so keen on this instrumental track himself it was actually issued as a single. How many other great singers with distinctive voices have released instrumental singles?

Inarticulate Speech of the Heart was released in 1983, and Van said he arrived at the title from a Shavian saying: "that idea of communicating with as little articulation as possible, at the same time being emotionally articulate".  As he explained in 1984, "Sometimes when I'm playing something, I'm just sort of humming along with it, and that's got a different vibration than an actual song. So, the instrumentals just come from trying to get that form of expression, which is not the same as writing a song”. Instrumental tracks included Connswater, Celtic Swing, and Inarticulate Speech of the Heart No. 2 which isn’t really a song at all but repetitive simple phrases which lull the listener into September Night. Let’s not forget also that Van is a multi-instrumentalist himself, so its not surprising that he likes to show off his skills on saxophone and many other instruments. A Sense Of Wonder in 1985 contained Evening Meditation and Boffyblow & Spike.

When Poetic Champions Compose was released in 1987 Van originally intended the album to consist wholly of jazz instrumental works, but later said that "when I did three numbers I thought, 'No, I don't wanna do that,' and changed my mind." The three tracks are Spanish Steps, Celtic Excavation, and Allow Me. There is no way that these three tracks could be described as ‘filler’. They are an integral part of the overall feeling of peace and stillness which the album conveys. As we entered the 90s this feeling continues on tracks such as the hypnotic Hymns to the silence which isn’t a song in the conventional sense, and I think of it as almost instrumental. Another great almost instrumental track I would recommend is Instrumental/ Tell Me What You Want from Too Long In Exile which has some wonderful vibraphone playing by Teena Lyle. Close Enough For Jazz also began life as an instrumental. Caledonia Soul Music an early outtake from the Street Choir album is basically a wonderful improvised instrumental jam session. If you haven’t heard it before I also recommend you go on youtube and listen to Daring Night 1 from Beautiful Vision Outtakes which includes about ten minutes of instrumental bliss.

Although I haven’t heard any track from the new album yet, some of the titles intrigue me, such as Driving On A Country Road, Parisian Walkabout, Celtic Voices, Mountains, Fields, Rivers & Streams, and Far North. If a few of these tracks turn out to be as good as Scandinavia, Allow Me or Spanish Steps then I will be well pleased. I’ll let you know what I think in about nine days’ time. If you know any great instrumental tracks by Van that I have overlooked let me know and I'll add them in. Cheers.

 

Van Morrison - Celtic Ray - Instrumental

Review: Petrichor by The Lost Trades.

I won’t be going out anywhere today, so I thought I’d pass the time by telling you about an album I bought recently. It is called Petrichor by The Lost Trades. I saw this group play at The Laverton Hall in Westbury  and was so impressed that I bought their CD. Also, I like to support local musicians if I can. They are a three-piece acoustic folk band from Wiltshire consisting of Tamsin Quin, Phil Cooper and Jamie R Hawkins. You might recall that I saw Tamsin a few years ago when she supported Beth Orton at The Cheese & Grain in Frome and I wrote a review of her album Gypsy Blood. It’s good to see how her career has progressed since she teamed up with Phil and Jamie. What I really like about this group is their wonderful harmonies. A lot of the songs I would describe as Americana, and I think on some songs I can detect the influence of bands such as Crosby, Stills & Nash or The Eagles in their sound. I didn’t know the meaning of the albums title Petrichor so I looked it up on the internet. It said Petrichor is a distinctive, earthy, usually pleasant odour that is associated with rainfall especially when following a warm, dry period and that arises from a combination of volatile plant oils and geosmin released from the soil into the air and by ozone carried by downdrafts. That seems very appropriate to this rainy summer we have been having, and this album is certainly a breath of fresh air.

The opening track is called Old Man Of The Sea which reminds me of an Ernest Hemingway book with a similar title, but I think Jamie wrote the song inspired by the loss of his father. Coming to terms with the loss of a friend or family member seems to be the theme of at least three songs on this album. It is a great song to open the album with. Tamsin takes the lead vocals on Keep My Feet Dry, and I think it is Phil who is the lead vocalist on the jolly, catchy and sometimes humorous Atlas. Long Since Gone is a very personal poignant song by Phil and the others bring their voices to the table. Daffodils is a catchy upbeat life-affirming song about the joys of friendship. (See video below, which has some nice views of Bradford On Avon!) 

Under The Hornbeam sung by Tamsin is a nature inspired song. Reading the lyrics to these songs shows that this group is very close to nature which is another theme of the album. There are birds, insects, forests, trees, leaves and rivers in abundance. It might be because they live in rural Wiltshire. In case you don’t know what a hornbeam is, Hornbeams are hardwood trees in the plant genus Carpinus in the family Betulaceae. The 30–40 species occur across much of the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. (I just looked it up!) 

Fireflies is one of the standout tracks for me. As well as the vocal harmonies of this album I love the instrumentation, but I’m not sure who plays what instrument. The sleeve notes tell us that Lorna Fisher guests on mandolin on this song. Little Blackbird is another nature song. Ash trees appear here, oak trees and sycamores appear in other songs. Best Foot Forward is an optimistic positive song about overcoming adversity. The title track Petrichor follows and to my ears has the most English sound of all these songs. The sound of thunder tells us that rain is on the way. All the group share vocal duties on The Dark Forest before the final track Valhalla. In Norse mythology Valhalla is a majestic hall located in Asgard and presided over by the god Odin. It is where those who are slain in battle spend their time feasting. This was my favourite song when I saw them recently. A powerful song about loss and rebirth. Tamsin’s excellent vocals are accompanied by the eerie sound of a simple drumbeat. That brings this most enjoyable album to a close. Well done The Lost Trades. If you get the chance to see them live, I urge you to do so.

R.I.P. Robbie Robertson.

A Visit To The Royal Academy Summer Exhibition.

It has rained here nearly every day recently. It hasn’t felt much like summer, but we should be grateful I suppose to live in a green a pleasant land. I would find temperatures such as those endured around the Mediterranean almost unbearable. Anyway, due to the rain I haven’t got out and about much lately. Thursday was quite a pleasant day however when I set off on the train to London with my sister and her partner. The reason for the trip was to see the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition because my elder brother had an exhibit in it called The Stormy Sea. I believe it is the first time a stained-glass work has been accepted for this event.

 The Summer Exhibition is an open art exhibition held annually in Burlington House, Piccadilly during the months of June, July, and August. The exhibition includes paintings, prints, drawings, sculpture, architectural designs and models, and is the largest and most popular open exhibition in the United Kingdom. It is also the longest continuously staged exhibition of contemporary art in the world. The first Summer Exhibition took place in 1769; it has been held every year since without exception. I was relieved that our train was running on time because there were a lot of cancellations due to industrial action on some services. We arrived at Waterloo at 11.50 and decided to walk to the gallery as it was only about a mile away. Even so we managed to get lost because I made a mistake about which bridge we had crossed over the Thames. 

My sister asked a policeman for directions, and he pointed us towards Leicester Square and Piccadilly. I must say I find central London quite irritating at this time of the year. The streets are jammed with tourists and traffic. Also, the school holidays adds to the melee of madding crowds. Not to worry, we eventually turned right at Fortnum & Masons where we found the courtyard of Burlington House which seemed in comparison like an oasis of calm. I hadn’t been to the Summer Exhibition before. The last time I came to the R.A. was for the Monet exhibition in 1999. 

On entering the first room the immediate thing that struck me was the vibrant colours of the exhibits which covered the walls. It was a feast for the eyes. There were 1613 works of art on display, so it would be impossible to study every one of them in a couple of hours. I could only look at those that particularly caught my eye. There are about eighty members of the R.A. who are entitled to show their work every year, so as well as quite unknown artists there are also works by the likes of Tracey Emin, Antony Gormley, Norman Ackroyd, Eileen Cooper, Humphrey Ocean, Paula Rego and many other notable artists. 

I made a beeline to find my brothers work and was pleased to see a little red sticker on the plinth which showed it was sold. It seemed to me that at least half of the works in the exhibition appeared to be sold which is a great thing for the R.A. because it is the commission on sales which helps fund all its educational work. Then I had a look at as many other pieces as possible. There was one huge work by the late Paula Rego called Oratorio which is impossible to miss. A mixed media triptych of paintings and mannequins which I found quite disturbing, almost grotesque, but also very moving. 

Other works that I admired included Ship by Chris Orr. Sisters In Scarves Eating Pimlico Chips by David Stewart, Beam Me Up Scotty by Barry Wilson, Daydream Believer by Eileen Cooper, Natural Selection by Jock McFadyen, Interior At Oriel by Ken Howard, Gossip: Post-Covid by Laura Carey, and many others that I can’t remember the names of now. Looking back at what I liked, I think that what attracted me to certain pieces was bright colours, humour, emotions, and a strong message. After spending a couple of hours in the gallery we got on the Bakerloo Line at Piccadilly Circus back to Waterloo for a nice relaxing drink in a nearby pub. London was too hectic for me to do anything else. Then we made our way back home after a very enjoyable visit to the R.A. Summer Exhibition. I would certainly go again, but maybe on a Sunday next time when London might be a bit quieter. 

Sinead O'Connor Raglan Road