Let's all Getz Ottilie's toned

[Serial_Apologist]

Was never taught about the 1831 Merthyr Rising(or Peterloo for that matter) at school, BN.
I believe there's a good book about it by Gwyn A. Williams which I'll have to seek out.

JR

I remember Peterloo being mentioned in passing in our O Level history syllabus - the story being given a pronounced those-pesky-workers-demanding-more-than-could-be-afforded-for-the-time-but-the soldiers-did-rather-overreact twist. Malcolm Arnold composed a Peterloo Overture which had its Proms premiere in 1968 - broad theme in a naff Elgar parody a film composer of the time might have attempted followed by a violent dissonant central section depicting the massacre, all ending happily with the triumphant return of the patriotic tune, church bells a-ringing out and all. I knew little about history back then, but even I was embarrassed.

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

"I met Murder on the way -
He had a mask like Castlereagh -
Very smooth he looked, yet grim;
Seven blood-hounds followed him"

I read Shelley for A.level English, but this was glossed over & struck home long after. Those opening two lines, perfect.

[Ian Thumwood]

Was never taught about the 1831 Merthyr Rising(or Peterloo for that matter) at school, BN.
I believe there's a good book about it by Gwyn A. Williams which I'll have to seek out.

JR

Jazzrook

I wonder if you have ever been to the records office in Winchester? They have published a number of fascinating books over the last 20-odd years which cover a variety of subjects ranging from Henri De Blois through to the Hampshire FA. Over the years I have purchased a number of these including one which is pretty staggering and concerns radical uprisings in Hampshire in the period 1815-30. It is ages ago since I read it but the thing that struck me was the fact that areas like Bullington (just off the A34 as you head out from Winchester) were centres of radicalism where dissenting pamphlets were disseminated. The whole of the Test Valley was effectively inclined towards rebellion because of the impoverished status of the agricultural workforce at the time. I believe that the Yeomanry were dispatched from Romsey at one point due to a riot at (from recollection) Little Sombourne, a small village now more renowned for it's Saxon church and the place with aviator Tommy Sopwith is buried. I think that a mob actually killed a representative of one of the landowners in a dispute in Overton. I cannot remember all the details although I do recall Bullington being singled out as a centre for radicalisation. All these villages are now pretty affluent although 200 years ago the residents felt the full force of the agricultural depression that followed the conclusion of the Napoleonic War and the introduction of measures such as the Corn Laws. In relation to the above, the Manchester MP and campaigner William Huskisson who sought the repeal of the Corn Laws has a memorial in Chichester Cathedral. He was, of course, the first person to be killed in an accident with a steam locomotive.

I am sure that you can still get hold of the publication from Winchester Records Office which is located in Sussex Street by the crossroad near the train station. (Hampshire paper' series - they cost around £3 to £5.)

[Jazzrook]

"I met Murder on the way -
He had a mask like Castlereagh -
Very smooth he looked, yet grim;
Seven blood-hounds followed him"

I read Shelley for A.level English, but this was glossed over & struck home long after. Those opening two lines, perfect.

Those great lines struck home with me too, BN.
Paul Foot wrote an excellent book, 'Red Shelley', and gave an impassioned 90-minute talk about him in 1981:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4n-RUgNLLOQ

JR

[Jazzrook]

Jazzrook

I wonder if you have ever been to the records office in Winchester? They have published a number of fascinating books over the last 20-odd years which cover a variety of subjects ranging from Henri De Blois through to the Hampshire FA. Over the years I have purchased a number of these including one which is pretty staggering and concerns radical uprisings in Hampshire in the period 1815-30. It is ages ago since I read it but the thing that struck me was the fact that areas like Bullington (just off the A34 as you head out from Winchester) were centres of radicalism where dissenting pamphlets were disseminated. The whole of the Test Valley was effectively inclined towards rebellion because of the impoverished status of the agricultural workforce at the time. I believe that the Yeomanry were dispatched from Romsey at one point due to a riot at (from recollection) Little Sombourne, a small village now more renowned for it's Saxon church and the place with aviator Tommy Sopwith is buried. I think that a mob actually killed a representative of one of the landowners in a dispute in Overton. I cannot remember all the details although I do recall Bullington being singled out as a centre for radicalisation. All these villages are now pretty affluent although 200 years ago the residents felt the full force of the agricultural depression that followed the conclusion of the Napoleonic War and the introduction of measures such as the Corn Laws. In relation to the above, the Manchester MP and campaigner William Huskisson who sought the repeal of the Corn Laws has a memorial in Chichester Cathedral. He was, of course, the first person to be killed in an accident with a steam locomotive.

I am sure that you can still get hold of the publication from Winchester Records Office which is located in Sussex Street by the crossroad near the train station. (Hampshire paper' series - they cost around £3 to £5.)

Many thanks, Ian. I was unaware of those historical events on my doorstep!
I'll try to get hold of that copy of the 'Hampshire Papers' from Winchester Records Office.
Was it titled 'Popular Radicalism and the Swing Riots in Central Hampshire'?

JR

[CGR]

What about the Chartist riot in Newport in 1839? In the battle 22 rioters were shot by troops hidden in the Westgate Hotel in the town centre. The hotel is still there today but all boarded up and not in use. You used to be able to see the bullet holes in the wall by the front door.

Take a look at the Wikipedia page.

Here's a short documentary from YouTube.

[Serial_Apologist]

Those great lines struck home with me too, BN.
Paul Foot wrote an excellent book, 'Red Shelley', and gave an impassioned 90-minute talk about him in 1981:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4n-RUgNLLOQ

JR

I have an episode of Any Questions from around the early 1990s which besides Paul Foot and Jonathan Porrit had the Tory MP Peter Bottomley on board. In a question asking which poem was the panellists' favourite, in scornful retort to Bottomley's choice of lines from Rupert Brooke's The Soldier, Paul quoted the Shelley from memory to considerable audience applause! I think that programme was the only time I have ever heard a broadcast intelligent debate between socialist and environmentalist, and I have kept that cassette.

[Serial_Apologist]

Here as promised are John Jack's 1970 liner notes to the abovementioned Rick Colbeck album, scrupulously copied word for word by Yours truly, without a mistake in sight!

"This is an album of 'Jazz Verité', improvised music captured exactly as it was played; it is exactly as you hear it in a club or concert but with the acoustic hazards removed.

"Whilst alternative versions of all the numbers were taped, plus some others, at intervals during the two days or so to allow for the inevitable changes of mood, the ultimate choice for release was always bound by the firm conviction that only a complete, unedited track was compatible with the integrity of the performers and the communication they wished to establish with the listeners.

"The object of this record was the same as that of all their live performances; to make a positive statement on the situation in the hope the ensuing reactions will prove rewarding to both the participants and their listeners.

"The players happen to be amongst the most articulate of the New Jazz makers, and their diverse origins illustrate the internationalism that now characterises the whole spectrum of contemporary music making.

"Composer/trumpeter Ric Colbeck, of Liverpool origin and not unknown around the London scene in the early sixties, is a player of exceptional power and complexity. He produces a rich, broad tone that provides him with a substantial body of sound which he sculpts and quarries into carving a totem-like line of improvisation, punctuated by electrifying climaxes at unexpected intervals. Relationships between the lines are not immediately obvious, but when a sequence is completed their logic and togetherness becomes apparent and shapes of great beauty evolve. Throughout all his work there is a deep feeling of commitment and strong emotional conviction. The title track and "Lowlands" in particular, produce performances of staggering impact. This strength and authority has been developed by the pressure of eight years in America where he is now an established member of the New Jazz scene, having made his rercord-debut on two records led by Noah Howard, whilst an as yet unissued session, recorded at a concert, teams him with Sunny Murray, Sonny Sharrock, Benny Maupin, Byard Lancaster and Norris Jones among others.

"He returned to Europe last autumn for some festival and club gigs with his frequent companions Dave Burrell, Grahan Moncur III and Noah Howard. Whilst in Paris with them he met South African drummer Selwyn Lissack, then gigging and recording with various members of the international community of new jazz players centred on Paris following several frustrating years in London. He has now moved on to New York, where he and Ric expect to continue working together.

"Bassist J.F.'Jenny' Clark is the top man on his instrument on all sides of the avant garde music scene, not only in his home country of France, but throughout Europe; apart from playing with all the current crop of jazz men working around the continent, he has had considerable experience with Stockhausen and Luciano Berio.

"Fourth man, Mike Osborne, a long time member of the outstanding Mike Westbrook band, is rapidly becoming recognised as one of the real giants of jazz altoists. He combines a lyrical mastery of form with a passionate driving involvement in the music of such intensity that it frequently seems that he must be on the very edge of doing himself physical harm. This spring he has been voted top British altoist, and New Star in the Melody Maker poll. Listening to this music I have the impression of being witness to a series of conversations involving four highly articulate speakers. A topic is suggested, each contributes his initial reaction to it and then finds himself being stimulated into a deeper consideration of its possibilities by the variations put forward by the others. The value of such dialogues depends heavily on the frank honesty of the particuipants and their degree of respect for each other's opinions.

"These conditions were present throughout the whole of these sessions so that all four creative minds found themselves drawn further and further beyond their imagined limitations as new areas of beauty emerged. These experiences are here to be shared by all who have the courage to kick out the dead wood of secondhand opinions and trust to the truth of their ears and emotions.

John Jack".

[Jazzrook]

I have an episode of Any Questions from around the early 1990s which besides Paul Foot and Jonathan Porrit had the Tory MP Peter Bottomley on board. In a question asking which poem was the panellists' favourite, in scornful retort to Bottomley's choice of lines from Rupert Brooke's The Soldier, Paul quoted the Shelley from memory to considerable audience applause! I think that programme was the only time I have ever heard a broadcast intelligent debate between socialist and environmentalist, and I have kept that cassette.

A cassette worth keeping, S_A!
I still treasure a VHS tape of Paul Foot giving an hour-long lecture on Shelley titled 'Trumpet of a Prophecy' on Channel 4 around 1987.
Can't imagine such a television programme being broadcast nowadays.

JR

[Jazzrook]

Here as promised are John Jack's 1970 liner notes to the abovementioned Rick Colbeck album, scrupulously copied word for word by Yours truly, without a mistake in sight!

"This is an album of 'Jazz Verité', improvised music captured exactly as it was played; it is exactly as you hear it in a club or concert but with the acoustic hazards removed.

"Whilst alternative versions of all the numbers were taped, plus some others, at intervals during the two days or so to allow for the inevitable changes of mood, the ultimate choice for release was always bound by the firm conviction that only a complete, unedited track was compatible with the integrity of the performers and the communication they wished to establish with the listeners.

"The object of this record was the same as that of all their live performances; to make a positive statement on the situation in the hope the ensuing reactions will prove rewarding to both the participants and their listeners.

"The players happen to be amongst the most articulate of the New Jazz makers, and their diverse origins illustrate the internationalism that now characterises the whole spectrum of contemporary music making.

"Composer/trumpeter Ric Colbeck, of Liverpool origin and not unknown around the London scene in the early sixties, is a player of exceptional power and complexity. He produces a rich, broad tone that provides him with a substantial body of sound which he sculpts and quarries into carving a totem-like line of improvisation, punctuated by electrifying climaxes at unexpected intervals. Relationships between the lines are not immediately obvious, but when a sequence is completed their logic and togetherness becomes apparent and shapes of great beauty evolve. Throughout all his work there is a deep feeling of commitment and strong emotional conviction. The title track and "Lowlands" in particular, produce performances of staggering impact. This strength and authority has been developed by the pressure of eight years in America where he is now an established member of the New Jazz scene, having made his rercord-debut on two records led by Noah Howard, whilst an as yet unissued session, recorded at a concert, teams him with Sunny Murray, Sonny Sharrock, Benny Maupin, Byard Lancaster and Norris Jones among others.

"He returned to Europe last autumn for some festival and club gigs with his frequent companions Dave Burrell, Grahan Moncur III and Noah Howard. Whilst in Paris with them he met South African drummer Selwyn Lissack, then gigging and recording with various members of the international community of new jazz players centred on Paris following several frustrating years in London. He has now moved on to New York, where he and Ric expect to continue working together.

"Bassist J.F.'Jenny' Clark is the top man on his instrument on all sides of the avant garde music scene, not only in his home country of France, but throughout Europe; apart from playing with all the current crop of jazz men working around the continent, he has had considerable experience with Stockhausen and Luciano Berio.

"Fourth man, Mike Osborne, a long time member of the outstanding Mike Westbrook band, is rapidly becoming recognised as one of the real giants of jazz altoists. He combines a lyrical mastery of form with a passionate driving involvement in the music of such intensity that it frequently seems that he must be on the very edge of doing himself physical harm. This spring he has been voted top British altoist, and New Star in the Melody Maker poll. Listening to this music I have the impression of being witness to a series of conversations involving four highly articulate speakers. A topic is suggested, each contributes his initial reaction to it and then finds himself being stimulated into a deeper consideration of its possibilities by the variations put forward by the others. The value of such dialogues depends heavily on the frank honesty of the particuipants and their degree of respect for each other's opinions.

"These conditions were present throughout the whole of these sessions so that all four creative minds found themselves drawn further and further beyond their imagined limitations as new areas of beauty emerged. These experiences are here to be shared by all who have the courage to kick out the dead wood of secondhand opinions and trust to the truth of their ears and emotions.

John Jack".

Many thanks for transcribing John Jack's hard-to-read liner notes, BN
I hope Ric Colbeck's 'The Sun Is Coming Up' will see the light of day again soon.

JR

[Jazzrook]

Thanks for this - I heard the Louis Armstrong prog announced on the wireless yesterday night and then promptly forgot to raise it on here!

Following the excellent 'Sunday Feature'(14/7/19) on Louis Armstrong here's this rare film of his intensely moving version of 'Black and Blue' in Berlin, 1965:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LDPUfbXRLM

http://www.openculture.com/2014/03/louis-armstrong-plays-historic-cold-war-concerts-in-east-berlin-budapest-1965.html

JR

[Serial_Apologist]

Following the excellent 'Sunday Feature'(14/7/19) on Louis Armstrong here's this rare film of his intensely moving version of 'Black and Blue' in Berlin, 1965:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LDPUfbXRLM

http://www.openculture.com/2014/03/louis-armstrong-plays-historic-cold-war-concerts-in-east-berlin-budapest-1965.html

JR

If Trump had been around at the time he would probably have told Louis if he didn't like it in America he could go back to where he came from.

[Padraig]

If Trump had been around at the time he would probably have told Louis if he didn't like it in America he could go back to where he came from.

Louis had a non-violent answer to bullies in 1931:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgiJ0OS9LwU

[Serial_Apologist]

Louis had a non-violent answer to bullies in 1931:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgiJ0OS9LwU

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

What about the Chartist riot in Newport in 1839? In the battle 22 rioters were shot by troops hidden in the Westgate Hotel in the town centre. The hotel is still there today but all boarded up and not in use. You used to be able to see the bullet holes in the wall by the front door.

Take a look at the Wikipedia page.

Here's a short documentary from YouTube.

My place of birth, my teenage years and the hotel where my father, post retirement, suddenly took a job as the night porter in the late 60s..."We had one of your "jazz people" in last night, Kenny Ball, really miserable bastard!" Hey ho.

One of the really interesting things about Chartism, that I didn't know until much later, was that it wasn't just an "urban" movement, it had a strong rural component. There was a Chartist chemist in Wiltshire who put bullets and/or musket shots in his window with a large label... "the perfect medicine for Tories".

Try that today..

BN.