Last couple of nights @cafeotodalston.bsky.social have been magic - what a cool place! Last night was David Murray Quartet; tonight was أحمد [Ahmed]. These shows will live long in my memory - glad I was able to make the trip.

Posted this before, but this one always kills me. So pretty and fun. I'm going to go and see David Murray in concert tomorrow night!!!

I messaged on the other place a year or two back about really wanting to read a good book on the UK jazz scene of the 60s & 70s - and here one is! 6 days left on the Kickstarter to get this re-printed - I just backed it - could make a good Christmas present?!? www.kickstarter.com/projects/lab...

I have a special interest in music that is beautiful, calm, spacious and also contains improvised elements and so seems almost to breathe by itself, be alive. I've been meaning to listen to this - Harold Budd's The Pavilion of Dreams - for years and thankfully I recently did. I think it's amazing!

Wake up babe, new arsenal bench just dropped

Wow - just hearing this for the first time, having been unaware of Kevin Ayers. He was in Soft Machine, I now gather (& Robert Wyatt drums on this!) Very interesting songwriting and arrangements, sort of cheekily eccentric and often very pretty. I think it's great!

Arsenal's bench today, in a squad which doesn't include Saka, Saliba, Havertz, Norgaard or Jesus. Definitely the most strength-in-depth in the Premier League this season IMO

English press have been running this headline every qualifier for ten years

Status update: spinning away. I became obsessed with this for a few months in 2018. Top tunes 10/10 cover art A classic, in my opinion

Some evidence to suggest the gap between the premier league and championship is increasing, too

New football season got me thinking about the difference in difficulty between the English Premier League and Championship. I took a look at how teams' ratios of goals scored to goals conceded changed between seasons over the last 10 years:

Came across this by chance when it hit one of my eBay searches - free/spiritual jazz in the late-Coltrane vein from a UK group in the late 70s. A track from this featured on "A New Life", the Jazzman 2015 compilation of UK private press jazz, which may have shed a little light. Deserves more IMO

Hahahaha Avoided this for 25 years after Pitchfork gave it a 0.0 and whaddayaknow but it's actually pretty good The joke is on me, folks!

Went to see Chris Cohen last night @thegladcafe.bsky.social - it was great! The album is pretty fab too

You've got to have freedom

First spin of this Managed to pick up a sealed copy (2021 RSD reissue) in Orkney, of all places Shrinkwrap left on to own the libs!

They said it couldn't be done, but I've got my Octordle Rescue win rate up to 85%🎈 As far as I know I am the best in the world in the world at this game ...but then I only know two other people who play. Please show me how well I could be doing; boasting encouraged

Went to sell some records today... The guy who buys the records wasn't in... ...came home with this 🥴

Yeah, this ripped. Exciting, fun, powerful and thought provoking. Can't believe I didn't get any pictures!

Dreams do come true!! 🌞

I have strong reactions to jazz vocalists; trying to figure out why. I think I strongly prefer interesting personality over technique?! Anyway, aware as I am that jazz is a primarily black art form, where I suspect white female vocalists were disproportionately promoted...I really like Anita O'Day

More original and boundary-pushing work lay in wait for both of these tenors, but...this smokes!!! Rhythm section is ok too

Kids away, been hanging out with my wife; cooked a late dinner, listening to records like we used to and now sitting down to watch out first John Cassavetes - Gina Rowlands movie (Gloria)... Things are looking up!

New arrival; first listen. Been on the lookout for this for years! 🥹 Julius Hemphill - reeds Baikida Carroll - trumpet Abdul Wadud - cello Phillip Wilson - percussion

Cooking with some tunes on a Sunday evening; becoming one of my favourite times of the week, when I think about it

One for the birthday boys! Anthony Braxton (4th June 1945) 🤝 Misha Mengelberg (5th June 1935)

Another band that have been waiting for me to get around to them Saw them live over 20 years ago and now finally getting around to listening properly 🥴 Another eBay-charity score - and a minty original no less! 1..2..3.. Repeater!

Have been enjoying this one lately - another recent pickup from a charity on eBay. Some beautiful songs...

Had this in the cupboard for a few years and decided on a whim to open it tonight for no reason at all Cheers! 🍻

No one has a right to genocide. A two state solution isn't possible when one state isn't recognized and isn't allowed to have food or water. We need to call out world leaders trying to fall back on old talking points while a genocide is being broadcast before our eyes with the west's complicity

what a king looks like

New arrival - took a punt because it's on Muse, Ben Riley (Monk, Alice Coltrane) is on drums and the other Kenny Burrell album I've heard is pretty good. Dreamy, floating-on-a-cloud, guitar trio stuff. Beautiful!

Another charity shop find. Attracted by the...unusual...cover, this turned out to be one of ethnomusicologist Alan Lomax's collections of field recordings: spirituals sang by Mississippi prisoners forced to work on a plantation in 1947. Brutal world. Light shining through the cracks.

Updated team strength spaghetti for the premier league 🍝

Some solid positional play leading to a pretty mate - just call me the "Bootleg Botvinnik" 😅

Really beautiful album by master fingerstyle guitarist and songwriter Bert Jansch. This album is mostly just him with bass and some pedal steel guitar, which adds some really nice colour. "There Comes A Time" is especially stunning - hadn't heard that one before getting this.

Love-worn, tired and recently acquired: four of my all-timers that I recently treated myself to an OG vinyl copy of - all of which have seen better days! Very very fun listening to them 💘

Just got tickets to see Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra and أحمد [ahmed]'s Pat Thomas playing music inspired by Thelonious Monk at the @glasgowjazzfest.bsky.social in June! 🥳

Charity shop* bargain** - zoom for a surprise!

Sad to learn of Michael Hurley's passing - he'll be missed. Here's a couple of songs to make your world stand still for 8 or 9 minutes. Guy plays like he's played a million songs and knows the secret to life. Have you ever been in safer hands? Requiescat www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnxQ...

Not that I value labelling things - and not that anyone should care - but I've finally gotten comfortable with the idea that I'm a record collector in addition to someone who just loves music. I love digging & the serendipity-laced discovery of new music. Expect more posts of me holding records!

For the year and a half prior to his death John Coltrane played in a band with Alice Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders... They were recorded multiple times live and in the studio and we get to listen to those recordings of them playing music together... This is a fantastic thing that bears repeating!!!

PSA: All of David Lynch's features have just dropped at archive dot org, including Industrial Symphony No 1, Hotel Room, and the Duran Duran concert

Uncommonly beautiful album artwork

Feel lucky that I got into this as a teenager; music seemed to cut deeper more easily and this hit just the right spot. I haven't stopped loving it since then; haven't stopped wanting guitars to sound like this.

Today's charity shop find! Don't know who's more hyped: me or the kid... 🎹🎵🎶

Wanted to share this because I'm just listening for the first time and it's the best music I've heard in ages - many unique jazz styles and musicians bound together by great, accessible writing and phenomenal playing - I'm bowled over by it

Trying to give some context to how insane a season Salah is having. Ooft!