About

The header at the top right of this page summarises what the site is ‘about’: I’m a fulltime volunteer environmental campaigner. and have my own Foundation. These pages describe my current and past portfolio of activity.

All very worthy, and I’m sure you’ll read some of this stuff. But if you want to lighten the mood, why not sing along with Blossom Dearie’s ‘Doop-Doo-De-Doo, Doo-de-Doo, Doo-de-Doo de Doo‘ as you work through the pages. Feeling sentimental?: ‘They Say It’s Spring‘.  More upbeat?: ‘I’m Hip‘.

Or the ever-so witty: ‘Bruce‘.  And should you resist the camp splendours of the ‘Trolley Song’? Probably not. Then Dionne Warwick’s (and Bacharach and David’s): ‘Wives and Lovers‘.

Next – to wherever in the 3D musical matrix of space , time and genre – yes: Fletcher Henderson.  And then a shimmering percussive soundscape from Tony Oxley.  If it’s not too bracing: Iannis Xenakis‘s ‘Mycenae Alpha‘.  Alternatively from the 60s his more accessible ‘Akrata‘.  Or the later ‘Keqrops‘ – is that just a distorted hommage to the Rite of Spring?

Back in time – whoosh!  1896 – A motionless melody from Hugo Wolf . … 1768 – The Sturm und Drang driven syncopation of a Haydn symphony. … 1711 – The exhilirating drama of a Handel aria.  A plaintive Dufay ballade1425ish.

Now … some Coltrane? Nusrat? Shiv Kumar (#45mins)? Then it’s all aboard our Congo river steamer, freighted with reimported rumba on a reverse triangular trade. On deck the TPOK; drifting up from the saloon the exquisite tracery of Dr Nico.  So via London – bleached by Keith Levene‘s resonating blare – to Jamaica where we tranship, first to an Ark, thence to the Congos humble rowing boat. Put ashore in Kingston it’s a quick saunter up to North Parade and Studio 17 to hear: King Tubby at the controls.

Onnwards – via nearby Puerto Rico – to the youthful energy of Batuc’ados de Colombes, one of my favourite samba bands … in Paris: outdoors or in .

… And so on. And on.

A soundtrack. An alternative ‘about’.