On the pot holes.

[Serial_Apologist]

Sat 23 Apr
5pm - J to Z
Ahead of the start of the Cheltenham Jazz Festival on Wednesday, Jumoké Fashola celebrates its 25th anniversary with archive highlights and music from some of this year's scheduled acts.

Funk star Gil Scott-Heron's ofttimes musical partner Brian Jackson reminisces and shares inspirations during this programme.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0016jr4

Nice piece in RT on Gregory Porter, whose elder bro introduced him to jazz and Soul singers as a child, but who succumbed to Covid. Gregory is a guest artist curator to the festival this year.

12midnight - Freeness
Corey Mwamba presents improvised pairings in dialogue, including a piece by Idris Rahman and Liran Donin recorded in a since-demolished church.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0016jrb

Sun 24 Apr
4pm - Jazz Record Requests
Alyn Shipton looks ahead to this year's Cheltenham Jazz Festival (27 April - 2 May).

http://www.alynshipton.co.uk/blog

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0016jvm

Thurs 28 Apr - Radio 4
11.30am - What's Left of Kerouac
Geoff Dyer, AM Homes and Holly George-Warren revisit novelist and poet Jack Kerouac, 100 years after his birth in Lowell, Massachusetts. His novel On the Road - a paean to wanderlust, open-mindedness, and the music of language - broke the mould of American literature, bringing with it a new dimension for teenage expression. However, now his image and aura are no longer what they were, with some now claiming his values were always questionable, his writing naive.

Mould - or mold - can mean so many things.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0016pv9

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

Sat 23 Apr
5pm - J to Z
Ahead of the start of the Cheltenham Jazz Festival on Wednesday, Jumoké Fashola celebrates its 25th anniversary with archive highlights and music from some of this year's scheduled acts.

Funk star Gil Scott-Heron's ofttimes musical partner Brian Jackson reminisces and shares inspirations during this programme.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0016jr4

Nice piece in RT on Gregory Porter, whose elder bro introduced him to jazz and Soul singers as a child, but who succumbed to Covid. Gregory is a guest artist curator to the festival this year.

12midnight - Freeness
Corey Mwamba presents improvised pairings in dialogue, including a piece by Idris Rahman and Liran Donin recorded in a since-demolished church.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0016jrb

Sun 24 Apr
4pm - Jazz Record Requests
Alyn Shipton looks ahead to this year's Cheltenham Jazz Festival (27 April - 2 May).

http://www.alynshipton.co.uk/blog

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0016jvm

Thurs 28 Apr - Radio 4
11.30am - What's Left of Kerouac
Geoff Dyer, AM Homes and Holly George-Warren revisit novelist and poet Jack Kerouac, 100 years after his birth in Lowell, Massachusetts. His novel On the Road - a paean to wanderlust, open-mindedness, and the music of language - broke the mould of American literature, bringing with it a new dimension for teenage expression. However, now his image and aura are no longer what they were, with some now claiming his values were always questionable, his writing naive.

Mould - or mold - can mean so many things.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0016pv9

Kerouac had a big influence on me when I was about 14 as my father, who worked on the docks, brought home a Kerouac etc "Beat" anthology from an American ship he was lighting. So yes, it now appears hopelessly over romanticised, race and sex are patronising, superficial and offensive. Kerouac himself was a drunk and a conservative... "Try reading that out at the Apollo", said James Baldwin, but "On the Road" still has a charm and a view. I think his best book was Lonesome Traveller, where he's not trying to be beat. Geoff Dyer however is a bad joke.

[cloughie]

Sat 23 Apr
5pm - J to Z
Ahead of the start of the Cheltenham Jazz Festival on Wednesday, Jumoké Fashola celebrates its 25th anniversary with archive highlights and music from some of this year's scheduled acts.

Funk star Gil Scott-Heron's ofttimes musical partner Brian Jackson reminisces and shares inspirations during this programme.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0016jr4

Nice piece in RT on Gregory Porter, whose elder bro introduced him to jazz and Soul singers as a child, but who succumbed to Covid. Gregory is a guest artist curator to the festival this year.

12midnight - Freeness
Corey Mwamba presents improvised pairings in dialogue, including a piece by Idris Rahman and Liran Donin recorded in a since-demolished church.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0016jrb

Sun 24 Apr
4pm - Jazz Record Requests
Alyn Shipton looks ahead to this year's Cheltenham Jazz Festival (27 April - 2 May).

http://www.alynshipton.co.uk/blog

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0016jvm

Thurs 28 Apr - Radio 4
11.30am - What's Left of Kerouac
Geoff Dyer, AM Homes and Holly George-Warren revisit novelist and poet Jack Kerouac, 100 years after his birth in Lowell, Massachusetts. His novel On the Road - a paean to wanderlust, open-mindedness, and the music of language - broke the mould of American literature, bringing with it a new dimension for teenage expression. However, now his image and aura are no longer what they were, with some now claiming his values were always questionable, his writing naive.

Mould - or mold - can mean so many things.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0016pv9

What is the role of ‘guest artist curator’? Does he book them or just run the green room for them?

[Serial_Apologist]

What is the role of ‘guest artist curator’? Does he book them or just run the green room for them?

Your guess is as good as mine.

[Serial_Apologist]

I've just thought up an even better headline for this week's thread: The Porter House take.

[Ian Thumwood]

Kerouac had a big influence on me when I was about 14 as my father, who worked on the docks, brought home a Kerouac etc "Beat" anthology from an American ship he was lighting. So yes, it now appears hopelessly over romanticised, race and sex are patronising, superficial and offensive. Kerouac himself was a drunk and a conservative... "Try reading that out at the Apollo", said James Baldwin, but "On the Road" still has a charm and a view. I think his best book was Lonesome Traveller, where he's not trying to be beat. Geoff Dyer however is a bad joke.

I am a really big reader of both fiction and non-fiction but I have an aversion to American literature. I have not read Kerouac but a lot of the reviews I have read are very mixed which is suggestive that it is a kind of literary Marmite. At various stages in my life I have picked up "Classics" to try to get an idea of what they are like but have found a lot of 20th century writers to be over-praised. I imagine this is probably the case with Kerouac. The reputation of books like Huxleys's "Brave new world" and Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby" both seem completely over-egged. Satre's novel about World War Two was really challenging and I never got through beyond the first volume of Proust after a friend recommended it to me! It is interesting how the reputations of 20th century books wax and wain. For me, the novels that really stand out from this century are(off the top of my head!) Le Grand Meulnes, 1984, The Go Between, All quiet on the Western Front, Nostromo and Out of Africa. It is amusing that some revisionist critics have made a shout for Ian Fleming as I would struggle to think of any author who was more erratic. I thunk the worst ever 20th century book I have read was Lawrence's "Twelve pillars of wisdom" which was extremely dour and ultimately a work of fiction. On the other hand, I read some of the early Biggles books about 7 years ago following a recommendation in another book about the RNAS and have to say that the accounts of flying biplanes was extremely vivid. They are not really "fiction" books but Biggles is actually a cypher of the accounts of WE John's and his own colleagues.

It is funny with books insofar that I understand that there are some authors I should have really explored but who I cannot bring myself to try. This even applies to "locals" like Jane Austen and Thomas Hardy.

I personally find that American writers can be too pretentious. I enjoyed Colson Whitehead's "Underground Railorad" a few year's ago but nearly gave that up after the first few chapters. That is probably the most fascinating American novel I have read but it takes a while to grab your attention. I am probably even more snobby with regards to popular writers and think only Dan Simmond's "The Terror" has really left any sort of impression on me. In my opninion, you know a good book when you have reached the end and it has taken your breath away. What I do find interesting is how some "popular" writers strike me as being either better tha more celebrated authors or at least under-valued for their literary skills. Top of the pile of contemporary writers for me are Iain McEwan, William Boyd and Kate Atkinson but I would argue that authors such as the late Philip Kerr, Ian Rankin and even James Herriot have much more literary merit than more illustrious names. Writers like Atkinson, Kerr and Rankin who capture dialogue so well always have a big appeal for me.

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

Interesting that when Alyn introduced the Tina Brooks track on JRR, he referred to Tina's brother Bubba (David) and said he'd played with him. Would like to hear more from that as Tina's life still seems somewhat unknown, especially after the Ray Charles outing.
This is "Uncle Sam Blues" by Sonny Thompson c. 1950 with both Tina and Bubba on tenor, Tina apparently taking the solo... although could be either...

http://youtu.be/wo8vL8Ru51w

[Jazzrook]

Interesting that when Alyn introduced the Tina Brooks track on JRR, he referred to Tina's brother Bubba (David) and said he'd played with him. Would like to hear more from that as Tina's life still seems somewhat unknown, especially after the Ray Charles outing.
This is "Uncle Sam Blues" by Sonny Thompson c. 1950 with both Tina and Bubba on tenor, Tina apparently taking the solo... although could be either...

http://youtu.be/wo8vL8Ru51w

David "Bubba" Brooks(1922-2002) had to wait until he was 72 before recording an album as leader.
Here's 'Blues For Tina' from the 1995 album 'The Big Sound Of Bubba Brooks':

https://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=LI0tU4hRmmQ

JR

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

Yes, played tenor on the *Phil Upchurch Combo "Can't sit down". Big favourite in my yoooof!
*Which as Georgie Fame explained, was actually the Cornell Mulgrew Combo, as Cornell (organ') was immediately drafted after the session so the record went out under Phil Upchurch's name. Ze record businezz.

[Alyn_Shipton]

Sat in with the Harlem Jazz Legends at the Louisiana Bar and Grill in Greenwich Village around 1995 or 96 when Bubba was playing. The regular bassist was Johnny Williams, and I'd lent him a bass for some European concerts, so with his encouragement I sat in - Al Casey on guitar, Johnny Blowers on drums, and Bubba. Can't remember if there was a trumpeter that night, but they often just played as a four or five piece with saxophone plus rhythm. It was the small group spin-off from the Harlem Blues and Jazz Band.