Seb Palmer

Blah…

Teresa was watching Wolfe Hall, The Mirror & The Light.

This got me interested in learning more about John Lambert, and that lead me to this post, on a blog called apuritansmind.

Lambert appears to have been one of those ‘simple souls’ that combine a fierce native intelligence (albeit of a very limited parochial sort) with an ornery conscience. The kind who dares speak their mind, and may even be willing to die for their beliefs, or ‘Faith’.

In the context of the febrile politics of Henry ‘Mad Butcher’ VIII’s Reformation period, such independent thinking, allied with sufficient conviction to stand by one’s beliefs, could and did bring those espousing them to rather nasty ends.

Reading the admittedly very obviously jaundiced account of a modern day Yankee Puritan makes Lambert’s trial look – and it most likely was – like a Nazi or Stalinist show trial.

One is reminded of General Field Marshall Erwin von Witzleben (no religious innocent, like Lambert, admittedly), holding up beltless trousers, as Judge Roland Freisler and the assembled Nazi jackals jeer at and mock him. Truly awful!

But, as Bl’Adder wittily remarks, in Ink & Incapability, ‘Sir Thomas More, for instance, burned alive for refusing to recant his Catholicism, must have been kicking himself, as the flames licked higher.’

Gor’ Bless ya, Chester.

It’s amazing how having a little furry quadruped about the place can bring so much joy.

I’m going through one of those phases, where I want to soak up loads more ‘new’ old music. This album features the husband and wife rhythm section team of Carol Kaye and ‘Spider Webb’.

I love the lithe funky grooves of ‘Mister Magic’. Evidently so did Grover, and the folk at CTI, as it became the title track of the saxophonist’s 197? album.

As well as being all over tons of amazing music – the track that first made me pay attention to him, way back in my early teens, was George Benson’s version of ‘The World Is A Ghetto’ – Ralph MacDonald wrote some stone cold classics.

He also wrote ‘Where Is The Love?’, a hit for Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway, & ‘Just The Two Of Us’, famously performed by Bill Withers, with Grover Washington.

There’s a good longer piece about Ralph online, here. Definitely worth a read.

I’m not really playing at all these days. But the video above is good, nevertheless, showing a particular groove MacDonald often used. Maybe I’ll give it a try, at some point?

Here’s a video of Ralph taking about his illustrious career:

And to finish, Ralph gives Grover a run for his shirt-off money!

Today’s been a funny ol’ day. Slept/lay in till almost midday. Went to work in the afternoon. I’d intended to make some hand made Xmas cards over the weekend. Or failing that, today.

But it’s been yet another day of total and utter exhaustion, combined with below zero motivation. Bummer!

Miles figures here mainly on account of discovering a treasure trove of live 1970s bootleg recordings. It reminded me I still want the Complete On The Corner Sessions. Trouble is they fetch silly money now. Sadly he crashed very badly in ‘72, leading to something of a hiatus.

Been listening to Original Recordings by Dan Hicks, et al. And as a result reading a bit more about Hicks’ history…

Pre-Hot Licks Hicks, with San Fran’s Charlatans. Apparently the handbill below is regarded by some as seminal – ‘The Seed’, no less – in the history of psychedelic rock poster design, etc.

I’m a big fan of the ‘69-76 Dan Hicks & The Hot Licks era. I found out in my recent reading, however, that it wasn’t working for Dan. It was becoming rote. And unsatisfying. Ha! I can dig that, man. Ain’t that always the way, when bread is concerned?

I’d like to read Hicks’ biography/autobiography. It’s called I Scare Myself. And I’ve heard it described as ‘brutally honest.’ I don’t know the details. But I believe he wound up going down an alcoholic black hole. Not sure what else was part of that picture. May learn, if I ever read the biog’?

In the end Dan got sober/clean. The love of a good woman, and a return to making music both helping. And then he upped n’ died of cancer, in his mid-seventies.

I’ve been really enjoying listening to lots of music in the car, whilst working. Recently that’s included – as well as Dan Hicks & co – some Pat Metheny, and lots of ‘Groove’ Holmes, Herbie Mann, Dorothy Ashby, and Grover Washington’s terrific Mr Magic.

As ever, there’s tons more music I want to get/explore, such as the above. Plus stuff like recordings on CTI/Kudu, and labels like Black Jazz, Groove Merchant, and so on. Id really like to acquire all that great Phil Upchurch stuff from the early to mid ‘70s.

It never ends!

And I’ve always got time for Crumb!

Well, as usual these days, I’m in bed pretty early. 8.30 pm tonight. I have an oily start tomorrow. So I’ll read a little War of Wars, and be off to Dreamland.

There’s an interesting story attached to this recording. Apparently, during this period, Tony Williams picked up some of Miles’ ways – unsurprisingly; imagine joining the band of the world’s ‘best’/most famous jazz trumpeter at jus t17! – and wasn’t going out of his way to be charming or ingratiating. Quite the reverse!

If you read this interesting blog post (including the comments!), you can learn more. Here’s an extract from a comms t left by one Michael Rusenberg, on the above mentioned blog post:

I was there!

Together with a collegue of mine we had travelled from Cologne to Bremen. For some reason, when we arrived – as I recall – the recording was over, and we met the band (except for TW) in a hotel room.

The[y] were quite frustrated because they had an argument with Beat Clubs director Mike Leckebusch over the given equipment. Beat Club used Orange, but TW insisted on Marshall. (You can see one Marshall speaker behind Larry Young).

As I recall (very vaguely) they split from the recording crew in vital disagreement, demanding that the recording should not be used for release.

I’ve read that they played a 30 minute set. And so far I’m only aware of this one nine minute extract having surfaced.

Rather intriguingly, to me, anything Jack Bruce or Ginger Baker did, outside of Cream – and even a good deal of cream’s material, to be honest – just doesn’t connect with me. Likewise what Tony Williams or Mike Shrieve have done, post Miles/Santana.

John Mcalaufhlin and Larry Young, on the other hand, have both produced music under their own names, or in other collaborative projects, that I really dig.

1. Opening/Bill Graham (00:00) – 2. Incident At Neshabur (01:10) – 3. In A Silent Way – (06:40) – 4. Credits (14:20)

Musicians: Carlos Santana, Jose “Chepito” Areas, David Brown, Michael Carabello, Coke Escovedo, Gregg Rolie, Neal Schon, Michael Shrieve

Today we had Ali and Sofi over. Visiting Antonio, of course. But it’s lovely for us to see them as well.

We drove them back to mums’, afterwards, arriving in Northstowe at 5 pm. Had a tea and a catch up with Hannah. Tim was in Rumburgh. Meanwhile Antonio is off to Suffolk with a new lady friend!

The sunset was amazing today. Once back home we had a delish’ roast, chicken courtesy of Antonio, cooking by Teresa. I’m a lucky guy.

We rounded off a lovely Sunday with a bath and The Pink Panther. Teresa’s still downstairs, watching the end of the movie. As usual, I’m up in bed!