Patrick & Hilda.

Patrick Kavanagh died on this day November 30^th in 1967. He was one of the finest Irish poets and a novelist. Arguably second only to W.B. Yeats as the greatest Irish poet of all time. He also was a huge influence on Seamus Heaney. Patrick met and fell in love with a young medical student called Hilda Moriarty and in 1946 wrote a poem inspired by her called ‘Dark Haired Miriam Ran Away’. It became one of Ireland’s best loved songs when in the 1960s he met Luke Kelly in the Bailey pub in Dublin and Luke sang the definitive version known as ‘On Raglan Road’. Van Morrison, Sinead O’connor, Mark Knopfler, Dick Gaughan, Billy Bragg and many others have recorded this song.

On Raglan Road on an autumn day I met her first and knew

That her dark hair would weave a snare that I might one day rue;

I saw the danger, yet I walked along the enchanted way,

And I said, let grief be a fallen leaf at the dawning of the day.

On Grafton Street in November we tripped lightly along the ledge

Of the deep ravine where can be seen the worth of passion's pledge,

The Queen of Hearts still making tarts and I not making hay –

O I loved too much and by such and such is happiness thrown away.

His love for Hilda was unrequited, mainly because of the age gap. She was only 22 when they met, and he was 40. Dr Hilda Moriaty later married Donogh O'Malley who became Ireland’s education minister. His reforms made him one of the most popular members of the government; he was affectionately known as 'the School Man' for his work in education. His sudden death in Limerick on 10 March 1968 before his vision for the education system was completed came as a shock to the public. He was buried with a full Irish state funeral. They had two children, the actor Daragh O'Malley, and Suzanne, a fashion designer.

Also, I found out just last night that  that the famous singer Dido wrote a song called Grafton Street in memory of her father, who was a nephew of Hilda Moriarty. The Irish Times said that as a young girl Dido was obsessed with great-aunt Hilda, the tales of her beauty, and her role in Raglan Road, and that she sang Raglan Road to her father as he was dying. So, I am incredibly pleased that Patrick met Hilda and it just shows that it is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.

The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady.

It was in the 1960’s that the name of Charles Mingus entered my consciousness. In a song by Donovan called Sunny Goodge Street. The lyrics said, ‘Listenin' to sounds of Mingus mellow fantastic, My, my, they sigh’. Then in 1979 Joni Mitchell put lyrics to Charles Mingus compositions on the album Mingus, but I never heard it. I was not ready for jazz just yet. In recent years I have started to show more of an interest. It might be partly due to Van Morrison having a jazz feel to a lot of his music. I want to experience some of the work of the jazz greats. I have albums by Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, Billie Holiday, Thelonious Monk, Gerry Mulligan, Sidney Bechet and an album by The Mingus Big Band called Blues & Politics, but that was recorded after his death. I looked on the internet to see what the critics rated as Charles Mingus’s greatest work and The Black Saint & The Sinner Lady seemed to be the popular choice, so that is what arrived here a few days ago.

The CD has a nice gatefold sleeve and there is a booklet inside with an 18-page explanation of the music by Mingus. To me, his language reads a bit like Mezz Mezzrow. It is jazz jive talk, but I get what he is saying, I think! Charles also got his psychologist Dr Edmund Pollock who did not know much about music to write a review. It is a good review because although Dr Pollock did not know about the techniques of music, he did know what made Charles Mingus tick, so he understood the emotions behind the music. The album was recorded in one day on January 20^th 1963. Charles’s co-arranger Bob Hammer had the band practice this work night after night during a six week residency at the Village Vanguard club, so by the time they got in the studio they were au-fait with the music. There is an eleven-piece band consisting of trumpets, trombone, tuba, tenor & alto saxophones, flute, piano, guitar, bass, and drums. I expect the band members are all well known to jazz fans, but the only name I recognise and know is Jay Berliner on guitar. He played on Van Morrison’s Astral Weeks and I have seen him play in Van’s band on a few occasions. I must say after two listens to this album that some of my favourite parts are Jay’s delightful solos on Spanish guitar.

The album is one continuous composition divided into four sections and six movements. It was originally orchestrated with a ballet in mind. I am not sure I understand it very well. I find it very avant-garde and experimental. I think Mingus was trying to push the boundaries of jazz with this work. Maybe, I will get into it after a few more listens. At times it sounds very chaotic to me. If it were a painting, I think it would be something like Guernica by Picasso. I think Mingus is trying to express the emotions of a black person living in a world where white people call the shots. I do not find it easy listening that is for sure. Perhaps I should have ordered one of his earlier albums to introduce myself to his work. Track four probably contains my favourite passages, especially towards the end where it accelerates relentlessly driven by the drums of Danny Richmond and the crazy trumpets of Rolf Ericson and Richard Williams. I will persevere and keep playing it and I will let you know if it grows on me.

Brilliant Corners.

Thelonious Monk & Charlie Parker. New York 1952. The person at the table smoking a cigarette looks like Jack Kerouac.

It is Sunday afternoon. I had to go out this morning because I had run out of provisions. I got a great big bag of groceries in Morrison’s and scurried home. It is noticeably colder today. I fed my birds and my fish and got in the warmth of the kitchen. I will not need to go out again for a while if the weather is bad. Whilst pottering about and doing about four days’ worth of washing up I have been listening to Brilliant Corners by Thelonious Monk which arrived yesterday. I played it for the first-time last night. I had been meaning to get a Monk album for a while to add to my small but growing collection of jazz albums. An old friend of mine is a big fan of Monk, so I wanted to hear him. Also, I like the name and his personality intrigued me. I read that he was a friend of Allen Ginsberg and I like anything Beat. When I saw a photo of Monk performing with Charlie Parker and saw a figure in the audience who looks like Jack Kerouac, that did it for me. I ordered Brilliant Corners because I read that Brilliant Corners and Misterioso were the pinnacle of his artistic achievement.

The album was released in 1957 on the Riverside label. It features Monk on piano, Ernie Henry & Sonny Rollins on saxophones, Oscar Pettiford on bass and Max Roach on drums. The opening title track is an extraordinarily complex affair which took 25 takes to record and even then the producer had to splice the finished recording together from various takes. I am not a great fan of drum solos and that sort of thing, but on this album I love the tasteful drumming of Max Roach. I think I heard Ginger Baker say that he was one of his favourite drummers. The second track is called Ba-Lue Bolivar Ba-Lues -Are which takes its name from Monk’s exaggerated pronunciation of Blue Bolivar Blues. Monk’s friend Pannonica De Konigswater lived at the Bolivar Hotel where she gave Monk somewhere to live. Despite her exotic name she was actually a British aristocratic jazz fan, a member of the Rothschild family. I think I can detect a slight influence of Monk on the playing of Georgie Fame on this track. 

Pannonica.

The third track Pannonica is one of Monk’s most popular tunes and I think it is my favourite from this album as well. He plays a type of piano called a celeste on this track. I surrender Dear is not an original composition. It was written by Harry Barris and was originally a song which Bing Crosby recorded in 1931.It is a solo performance of just Monk and his piano. Bemsha Swing is the final track and written in collaboration with Denzil Best. Paul Chambers plays bass and Clark Terry features on trumpet. For me the highlight of this track is the drumming of Max Roach. I read that it was listening to this track that persuaded Monk’s son Toots Monk to become a jazz drummer.

I must say I have enjoyed listening to this great album on a cold November Sunday afternoon and I will definitely be getting some more jazz music soon. Maybe Charles Mingus next time. There is a documentary about Ronnie Scott’s club on the telly tonight which I am also looking forward to seeing. See you later.

The Turning Tide by P.P. Arnold.

Saturday morning. It has rained constantly for hours. I won’t be going anywhere today. I have only left the house twice in the last 10 days. Once to go to the shops and once for a bike ride. Social media has been my only contact with the outside world apart from a couple of phone calls. At least there is no danger of getting COVID-19 whilst banged up in here. I quite like it in a way because I have saved loads of money and not drinking has done me good. I feel better for it. I have treated myself to a couple of CDs. The first one arrived yesterday, and I am listening to it at this very moment. It is called The Turning Tide by P.P. Arnold. I came across this album the night Joe Biden was projected as the next American President. After four years of the Trump nightmare it seemed like a brand-new day. I wanted to share the Van Morrison song of that title with my Facebook friends. On YouTube I stumbled across a version of Brand New Day by PP Arnold which I listened to and thought was great. As well as her soulful voice I thought the backing musicians were excellent, so that was the version I shared. I wanted to hear more of the album from whence it came and when looking on eBay found an unplayed promotional copy for sale and bought it.

I will just tell you a little bit about P.P. Arnold in case you have not heard of her. She was born in 1946 in Los Angeles. In 1965 she joined The Ikettes who were the backing singers for Ike & Tina Turner. In 1966 while in London on tour with the Rolling Stones she quit the Ikettes and stayed in London to establish a solo career. She liked the way that black musicians were treated in London as opposed to the USA. Mick Jagger was a friend and helped her get a recording contract with Immediate Records which was owned by the Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham. The Small Faces were also on Immediate and they worked with her and she had a brief love affair with Steve Marriott the Faces singer and guitarist. Her first backing band were The Nice who featured Keith Emerson on keyboards. This is when I first heard of P.P. Arnold because she recorded some classic singles on Immediate. My favourite was her version of Cat Stevens’s The First Cut Is The Deepest. Angel Of The Morning was another great song.

With The Small Faces.

Sadly, Immediate Records went bust in the late 60’s. P.P. Arnold signed a deal with Robert Stigwood who was also the manager of The Bee Gees and Eric Clapton. She went into the studio with Barry Gibb as producer to record an album. Two singles were released, but the album never saw the light of day until incredibly it was released 46 years later in 2017. That is the album that popped through my letterbox yesterday. When I looked at the sleeve notes I realised why the backing musicians on Brand New Day sounded so good. This album is packed with talented musicians. They include Eric Clapton, Jim Gordon, Bobby Whitlock, Bobby Keys, Rita Coolidge and Doris Troy. A lot of these musicians would become members of Derek And The Dominos. There are also beautiful arrangements by Bill Shepherd. Six of the songs called, Born To Be Free’, ‘Bury Me Down By The River’, ‘Give A Hand, Take A Hand’, ‘Happiness’, ‘The Turning Tide and High and Windy Mountain are written by Barry Gibb. I have never been a great fan of his, but her powerful singing and the great musicians make the songs something special. 

There is a great cover of Steve Winwood’s Medicated Goo, Spinning Wheel, which was originally by Blood, Sweat & Tears, as was You’ve Made Me So Very Happy. There is also a splendid version of The Stones You Can’t Always Get What You Want. There are two songs which P.P. Arnold co-wrote with Caleb Quaye called If This Were My World’ and Children Of The Last War. It would be hard to pick a favourite song after two listens, but It is probably Brand New Day because I’m biased. What this album tells me is that P.P. Arnold is one of the great soul singers with a spiritually and emotionally uplifting voice and sadly underrated. I might be wrong, but I bet in her native USA hardly anyone has heard of her. Listening to this CD on a dark and rainy Saturday in the middle of a pandemic has lifted my spirits, so I am pleased I stumbled across The Turning Tide by P.P Arnold. PS,While I was writing this story the post lady delivered another CD which I’ll tell you about later.

The Bicycle Diaries, Chapter 1.

I had not ventured out of the house for six long days. We have been back in lockdown since last Thursday. I went to the pub last Wednesday evening for two pints of cider and did not go out again until today. I haven’t seen another living soul or had a drink since. I am going to see if I can get through until December without alcohol. It will do me good and It is no fun drinking on your own indoors is it? Also, it might help get rid of my fat belly. Another reason I haven’t been out is because although the weather has been mild it has been quite rainy.

Chalford or bust!

This afternoon however, the sun came out and I motivated myself to go out for a bike ride as I desperately needed some fresh air and exercise. I gave my tyres some air and off I went. I headed up Alfred Street, crossed the main road and went up Newtown heading for the White Horse. By the time I got to the countryside I was sweating and tired. I am really out of shape. I couldn’t face the uphill struggle to the White Horse, so had a sit down on a bench and reassessed the situation. Just before the equestrian centre there is a lane to the right. I had never been along there but decided to explore it and see where I ended up. It was very muddy in places after the recent rain but quite pleasant. I said hello to a few dog walkers and people on horse back and the trees looked great in all their autumnal glory.

I eventually emerged on the main road at Chalford. I could have freewheeled back down into Westbury, but I had only been out for about half an hour, so I crossed the road and headed for Old Dilton. I had been this way a few weeks ago, so when I got to a turn off for Upton Scudamore I headed up there. It became too much like hard work though, going uphill. “I’ll save that for another day”, I thought to myself, and turned back. At a place called Hisomley I turned right and hurtled downhill to Westbury Leigh. I noticed that the church clock said it was nearly 3.00. I had been out for 90 minutes. “That will do for today”, I told myself and headed home for a well-deserved cup of tea. I felt quite pleased with myself for making the effort to get out and about. I'll try and go a bit further next time.

Laura Marling, Song For Our Daughter.

Song For Our Daughter is the seventh album by Laura Marling. I had been meaning to listen to her for years because she is always being nominated for prizes and being voted top female singer at the Brit awards and receiving great critical acclaim. I had been prejudiced against her because she is the daughter of a baronet and had a genteel upbring in Berkshire which did not appeal to my socialist sensibilities. That is very unfair though, people should have a chance in life whatever their background! It was not her fault. Anyway, finally I have bought a Laura Marling album. I suppose the first thing to say is that Laura has not actually got a daughter, she is fictitious. Wikipedia told me that the title song was inspired by a book by Maya Angelou called Letter To My Daughter.

The album has a very stripped back sound with just guitar and percussion which gives it a very intimate feel. On some tracks there are some exquisite string arrangements by Robert Moose. The opening song is the strange and haunting Alexandra. Apparently, this is based on a Leonard Cohen song called Alexandra Leaving. You wonder who Alexandra was, maybe a previous lover of her partner. ‘Where did Alexandra go? Is the mysterious refrain. Laura’s pure vocals are quite sublime. Held Down is one of my favourite tracks. It is so good that I have played it over and over. It is the shimmering layered harmonies of Laura’s own voice that make it so great, where the last word of every verse is repeated several times. It reminds me very much of Parallelograms by Linda Perhacs, another album I like. Strange Girl is an upbeat song with lots of percussion. I am not sure what it is about, but seems quite sneering of pretentious people, ‘Oh girl, don’t bullshit me’ is one line. The gentle guitar sound of Only The Strong Survive reminds me slightly of Simon & Garfunkel. Blow By Blow is a very sad song which has a beautiful string accompaniment. The title track Song For Our Daughter is next. You can see the subtle influence of  an older generation of musicians like McCartney, Cohen, Dylan and especially Joni Mitchell all over this album. I think her parents record collection must have had a big influence on Laura.

Fortune is another of the great songs. It is an incredibly sad song which mentions her mothers running away fund which she never had the courage to use. Laura’s vocal performance is fabulous. The End Of The Affair is the name of a novel by Grahame Greene and the title of the next song. Laura is obviously a well-read lady. She mentions books in several songs. There is a character called ‘Max’ in this song. I wonder who he is based on? The penultimate song is Hope We Meet Again which for me has very enigmatic lyrics. I must confess that I don't understand the lyrics in a lot of the songs. You won't find songs about the big issues of the day. These are very introspective songs. I have read that Laura has been studying psychoanalysis. Healing inner trauma seems to be her interest. The album ends with the simple and charming For You which has Laura’s boyfriend humming along in harmony. It features some nice electric guitar and brings this album to a pleasant and positive end. This is a wonderful album. You will be rewarded by playing it several times. It grows on you. I should have mentioned that the acoustic guitar playing is excellent and Laura’s voice is the best I have heard in a long time. Congratulations to Laura Marling on this great album. I have shared Held Down from YouTube to this blogsite if you want to hear it.

Laura Marling - Held Down (Official Audio)