Peter and Selina

Peter and Selina's Weblog

Peter and Selina Burton's daily log, covering our personal interests, e.g. jazz, travel and general grumpiness plus (occasionally) information about our business interests.

NEAR FUTURE IN DORSET / HAMPSHIRE BORDER AREA; DON'T MISS

The Dart Valley Stompers at the Bournemouth Trad Jazz Club at Bluebirds Club, Longham (opposite Haskins garden centre); 20:00 on Monday 6th February 2012.

1940s night; themed dinner with entertainmment from Phil and Lorraine at the White Buck Hotel at Burley in the New Forest; 19:30 for 20:00 on Saturday 11th February.

Alan Pickering's Spirit of New Orleans Jazz Band at the Bournemouth Trad Jazz Club at Bluebirds Club, Longham (opposite Haskins garden centre); 20:00 on Monday 20th February 2012.

THE PAST

Saturday, February 4, 2012

'The Mother'

Since I last reported on DVDs from LoveFilm we have viewed two or more per week. My favourite since Shogun was The Mother, starring Anne Reid and Daniel Craig. I must admit that my initial reasons for this choice were my liking for the young man, older woman, genre plus the prospect of James Bond pleasuring one of Victoria Wood's dinner ladies ! The film exceeded my expectations.

Anne Reid (Coronation St, Dinner Ladies) gives a fine performance in the leading role, making her character completely convincing. She was nominated for 6 best actress awards and won just one of them. I would have given her all 6.
She turned down a part in 'Calendar Girls' for this role. Tough decision; I think not.

Labels: Film

posted by Peter # 23:30

Colin Kingwell's Jazz Bandits at the Bluebirds Club

Colin Kingwell's Jazz Bandits @ Bluebirds

This evening we went to Manfred's Bar at The Belvedere Hotel in Bournemouth, where we ate a bar meal and then saw Jazzsounds.
The trio comprised Pat Neil (keyboard), Brian Mursell (stick bass) and Tony Newton (tenor sax, alto sax). There were also four guest vocalists, Pauline, Pat, Tom and Frank.

Favourites were:
1) Pauline's vocal Cry Me a River, written by Arthur Hamilton and first published in 1953. The song's first release and most famous recording was by actress/singer Julie London in 1955. A sultry performance of the song by London in the 1956 film 'The Girl Can't Help It' helped to make it a million-selling blockbuster. The link is to the relevant scene from the film, which I watched alone at the Imperial Cinema in Canning Town. Ah, the nostalgia of it.
2) Samba de Uma Nota Só, AKA 'One Note Samba' composed by Antonio Carlos Jobim with Portuguese lyrics by Newton Mendonça. The English lyrics were written by Jobim. The song title refers to the main melody line, which at first consists of a long series of notes of a single tone played in a bossa nova rhythm.
Guitarist Charlie Byrd was invited to travel and play in Brazil during a cultural goodwill tour sponsored by the Kennedy administration in 1961. He was completely enamoured by the music, and when he returned, he headed straight for the recording studio to make the now classic Jazz Samba. Collaborating with Stan Getz on tenor sax and backed by a band that included Gene Byrd (bass, guitar), Keter Betts (bass), and Buddy Deppenschmidt and Bill Reichenbach (drums), Byrd forged a new and brilliant sound. American record companies were to churn out hundreds of watered bossa-pop albums that have since given the style its lounge-addled image, but this album stands as a tribute to the vitality and adaptability of jazz. It is featured on this link.
For Byrd without Getz, buy 'Latin Impressions' on the Riverside label. It features a wide range of music from Central and South America.

Labels: Jazz

posted by Peter # 23:30

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Buddy Holly night at the White Buck

This evening we went to the White Buck Hotel at Burley in the New Forest for a USA style dinner with Buddy Holly tribute from Alan Becks. We enjoyed the evening enormously, dancing more than ever before and with my voice becoming hoarse from singing along to all those great numbers from the 1950s.

The first half was all Buddy Holly numbers, including:
1) Maybe Baby, written by Buddy Holly and Norman Petty, who ran the recording studio in Clovis New Mexico. It reached 17th in the US charts but 4th in the UK charts. The link is to an Alan Becks demo.

2) Peggy Sue, written by Buddy Holly, Jerry Allison, and Norman Petty. It was originally performed, recorded and released as a single by Buddy Holly in early July of 1957. The Crickets are not mentioned on the single but both Joe B. Mauldin (string bass) and Jerry Allison (drums) are known to be featured on the recording. The song was also released on Buddy Holly's self-titled 1958 album. The song is ranked 194 on the Rolling Stone magazine's 2004 list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The song was originally called "Cindy Lou", and was named for Buddy's niece, the daughter of his sister Pat Holley Kaiter. The title was later changed to "Peggy Sue" in reference to Crickets drummer Jerry Allison's girlfriend (and future wife), Peggy Sue Gerron, with whom he had recently had a temporary breakup. Appropriately, Allison played a prominent role in the production of the song, playing paradiddles on the drums throughout the song, the drums' sound rhythmically fading in and out as a result of real-time engineering techniques by the producer, Norman Petty. Many music critics regard this as Holly's all-time best recording. The song went to no. 3 on the Billboard Top 100 chart in 1957. The song is currently ranked as the 100th greatest song of all time, as well as the third best song of 1957, by Acclaimed Music. Initially only Allison and Petty were listed as the song's authors but at Allison's insistence, Holly was credited as a co-writer after his death. The link is to a live performance by Holly, Maudlin and Allison.

3) Mailman bring me no more blues, the only Buddy Holly number played tonight that we don't have on disc. The original was recorded April 8th, 1957 at the Norman Petty Studios with Buddy, Jerry, Joe B. and Vi Petty on Piano. It was partly written by Bob Thiele (nom de plume as Stanley Clayton). This was the flip side of 'Words of Love', also performed this evening.

The second half comprised various rock and roll numbers, including:
4) Summertime Blues, written in the late 1950s by Eddie Cochran and his manager Jerry Capehart. Originally a single B-side, it was released in August 1958 and peaked at number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 18 on the UK Singles Chart. It has been covered by many artists, including being a number-one hit for country music artist, Alan Jackson, and a notable hit for The Who. The link is to another Alan Becks demo.
5) Please Don't Tease, a UK number-one single of 1960 by Cliff Richard and The Shadows, seen live on this link. The single also reached the no. 1 spot in India, Holland, New Zealand, Norway and Thailand selling 1.6 million worldwide. In 1978 Cliff re-recorded the song in a contemporary arrangement and released it as the B-side of 'Please remember me'.

Labels: Pop Music

posted by Peter # 23:30

Sunday, November 27, 2011

John Maddocks' Jazzmen at the St Leonards Hotel

This evening we went to the St Leonards Hotel, Dorset, (pictured) to see the John Maddocks Jazzmen. The food and drink were good; we had roast turkey and cottage pie with a bottle of Rioja. Once again, JM duly gave a plug to the Bournemouth Trad Jazz Club and spoke against its proposed rival. The band comprised John Maddocks (clarinet, alto sax, tenor sax, vocals), Peter Wilkinson (trumpet, vocals), Tony Farr (trombone), Chris Satterley (keyboard, vocals), Peter McCurrie (string bass, tuba), Dave Broomfield, (banjo, guitar) and Brian Barker (drums).

Favourite numbers were :

1) JM's great clarinet and tenor sax feature C Jam Blues, composed in 1942 by Duke Ellington and performed by countless other musicians, such as Dave Grusin and Django Reinhardt. As the title suggests, the piece follows a twelve-bar blues form in the key of C major. The piece typically features several improvised solos. The final solo, by Barney Bigard on the clarinet, continues in the upper register as the entire ensemble comes in and the music grows to a climax. The melody likely originated from Bigard in 1941, but its origin is not perfectly clear. It was also known as "Duke's Place", with lyrics added by Bill Katts, Bob Thiele and Ruth Roberts Western Swing band leader Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys recorded the song sometime between mid-1945 through 1947 as part of the Tiffany Transcriptions. The link is to a 1942 recording by Duke Ellington with Barney Bigard, Sonny Greer, Ray Nance, Joe 'Tricky Sam' Nanton, Rex Stewart, and Ben Webster.

2) JM's bluesy vocal Corinne Corinna, composed by Williams and Chatman. I wonder if this is John Len Chatman, alias Peter Chatman, alias Memphis Slim, with Joe Williams. The link is to Big Joe Turner.

3) Elephant Stomp, about which I know nothing. The link is to Humphrey Lyttelton and his Band 1954 in concert at the Conway Hall, London, and resulted in release of an LP "Humph at the Conway" Mr Lyttelton, Humph, shows his Etonian background and provides us all with a spontaneous burst of French when he deftly translated the name of the song: Stomp d'Elefant. The Band: Humphrey Humph Lyttelton Tp; Wally Trog Fawkes Cl; Bruce Turner Asx & SSx; Johnny Parker Pn; Freddy Legon Gt/Bj; Micky Ashman Bs; George Hoppy Hopkinson Dr/WB.

Labels: Jazz

posted by Peter # 23:26

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Jazzsounds at the Belvedere, Bournemouth

The first was The Reader. This film deserves all the accolades and would have won a few more Oscars if they were awarded on merit. Kate Winslet gives a sensational Oscar-winning performance, the part starting at around her current age and finishing 30 years later. The 18 year old David Kross from Germany is also excellent as the young Michael Berg. Ralph Fiennes has a much less meaty role as the older Michael Berg. The story is serious and thought-provoking with some harrowing scenes. There is also quite a lot of very convincing sex. We strongly recommend this film to all serious cinema enthusiasts.

The second DVD was Lust, Caution. This is a truly great film by Ang Lee, with a believable plot that keeps the suspense going to the very end. Wei Tang is a fine young actress, switching effortlessly from poor innocent student with no make-up and baggy clothes to the painted seductress in beautiful Silk Cheongsams. The sex (and there is plenty of it) is very hot and features a wide range of positions. Don't miss it !

I have to ask myself why the majority of great cinema is now composed of foreign language films: 'Tell No-one', 'The Lives of Others', 'Lust, Caution', etc. I suppose that Hollywood is just catering for the mass audience, AKA the great unwashed.

Labels: Film

posted by Peter # 23:16

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Tony Robinson's Chicago Jazz Aces at the White Buck

This evening, once again, we saw Tony Robinson's Chicago Jazz Aces at the White Buck Hotel at Burley in the New Forest.

The band comprised Tony Robinson (trumpet, vocals), Roy Sear (clarinet, tenor sax, soprano sax), Wyn Bowen (slide and valve trombones), Ron Poole (keyboard), Ron Davidge (drums), Alan Harris (double bass) and Barbara Lorraine (vocals). The picture shows Sally and Roy, to be married on Saturday, as announced to everyone by Tony.
Notable numbers were:

1) Our favourite Bix Beiderbecke recording; I'm Coming Virginia, composed by Donald Heywood with lyrics credited to Will Marion Cook. Bix was, like many other musicians of his generation, a fan of the singer/actress Ethel Waters, who recorded the song in 1926 with Will Marion Cook’s Singing Orchestra. However, in her autobiography Waters appears to credit Heywood for both words and music. Its popularity in the jazz fraternity following Waters’ record, and a small group of famous jazz musicians entered the studio in 1927 to record the classic version featured on this link. Led by C-melody saxophonist Frankie Trumbauer, the group was culled from the ranks of the Jean Goldkette Orchestra. The record is essentially a feature for Bix whose beautiful, moody performance (backed with elan by guitarist Eddie Lang) is a perfect glimpse at one of jazz’s most influential and tragic figures. This is the perfect interpretation and just cannot be beaten. Should present-day bands even try ? Ten-and-a-half years later, Bobby Hackett would reprise Bix’s performance as part of Benny Goodman’s groundbreaking Carnegie Hall concert.

2) Roy's clarinet feature Petite Fleur, written by Sidney Bechet and recorded in 1952 with the Sidney Bechet All Stars. In 1959 it was a big hit for Chris Barber's Jazz Band featuring Monty Sunshine on clarinet. Following the Chris Barber instrumental recording, lyrics were added by Fernand Bonifay and Mario Bua in the same year.
This link is from the Olympia Concert December 1954, with Bechet on soprano sax and trombonist Benny Vasseur.

3) Ron Poole's solo feature, Alabama Jubilee, written by George Linus Cobb (1886 – 1942), a prolific composer best known for ragtime, including both instrumental compositions and ragtime songs, although he did produce other works including marches and waltzes. Jack Yellen was a frequent lyricist for the songs, possibly including this one. Cobb's most famous work is The Russian Rag based (rather loosely) on Rachmaninoff's Prelude in C-sharp minor, Op.3, No.2. This piece was composed after a friend apparently "dared" Cobb to try to make a rag out of the piece at a restaurant. He took the challenge, went to the piano and began to play the rag. To his surprise, Rachmaninoff was sitting at the same restaurant. He walked up to Cobb after he finished playing his rag and said "Nice rag, but you've got the wrong rhythm."
The link is to Chet Atkins (1924 – 2001) at the Grand Ole Opry in 1956. Note the finger-style playing with a thumb pick that is sometimes used as a plectrum. I seem to be linking to Chet every week lately; a mixture of admiration and nostalgia.

4) Barbara's vocal Lonesome Road, a 1927 song with music by Nathaniel Shilkret and lyrics by Gene Austin, also titled 'Lonesome Road', 'Look Down that Lonesome Road' and 'Lonesome Road Blues.' It was written in the style of an African-American folk song. The lyricist and composer were both extremely popular recording artists. Gene Austin estimated he sold 80 million records, and Nathaniel Shilkret's son estimated his father sold 50 million records. Joel Whitburn lists recordings by Austin, Bing Crosby, Ted Lewis, and Shilkret (see list of recordings below) as being "charted" at Numbers 10, 12, 3 and 10, respectively. There are no reliable sales figures that can be used to verify or dispute any of the estimates above.
The link is to Sister Rosetta Tharpe when she was band vocalist with Lucky Millinder and his Orchestra. How about those dancers !

Labels: Jazz

posted by Peter # 23:30

Tony Robinson's Chicago Jazz Aces at the White Buck

This evening, once again, we saw Tony Robinson's Chicago Jazz Aces (pictured) at the White Buck Hotel at Burley in the New Forest. The chicken pie and Syrah were both excellent. It is a pity that many people come for free jazz but don't eat here. 'Something for nothing' is not financially sustainable.

The band comprised Tony Robinson (trumpet, vocals), Roy Sear (clarinet, tenor sax, soprano sax), Wyn Bowen (slide and valve trombones), Ron Poole (keyboard), Ron Davidge (drums), Alan Harris (double bass) and Barbara Lorraine (vocals).
Favourite numbers were:

1) Copenhagen, written in 1924 by Charlie Davis with lyrics by Walter Melrose. Not to be confused with several prolific horn players with similar names, Davis was an Indiana bandleader and composer who was active for about a decade beginning in the early '20s. In 1923 the group became to build a local reputation doing a summer dance show at Indianapolis' Casino Gardens, but by 1930 was on the bill at the Paramount Theatre in New York City with the likes of Cab Calloway. Davis also gnawed on publishing rights and got involved in the Indiana-based activities of the Gennett publishing empire. The most important thing that he chewed on turned out to be his tobacco, however, as in the Copenhagen brand. While many romantic travellers think the jazz standard of this name is a tribute to the lovely city with the statue of a mermaid in its harbor, it was really composed by Davis out of deep commitment to his choice of chewing tobacco. According to the tale, Bix Beiderbecke and his band heard the tune at a Davis gig and went backstage begging for it. In 1924, Beiderbecke created the first of many, many versions of this 'Copenhagen' as on this link. Davis also has other copyrights, such as 'Jimtown Blues,' written in collaboration with Fred Rose. That Band from Indiana!, a one-act play by L.E. McCullough published in 2000, examines the era of the Roaring Twenties by detailing the rise of the Davis band.

2) Barbara's vocal Decent Woman Blues, composed by Broude and Hanson, about whom I know nothing. The link is to a snatch of Julia Lee singing this song followed by some more good stuff by her. Born in Boonville, Missouri, Lee was raised in Kansas City, and began her musical career around 1920, singing and playing piano in her brother George Lee's band, which for a time also included Charlie Parker. She first recorded on the Merritt record label in 1927 with Jesse Stone as pianist and arranger, and launched a solo career in 1935. In 1944 she secured a recording contract with Capitol Records, and a string of R&B hits followed, including 'Gotta Gimme Whatcha Got', 'Snatch and Grab It', 'King Size Papa', 'I Didn't Like It The First Time', and 'My Man Stands Out'. As these titles suggest, she became best known for her trademark double entendre songs, or, as she once said, "the songs my mother taught me not to sing". The records were credited to 'Julia Lee and Her Boy Friends', her session musicians including Jay McShann, Vic Dickenson, Benny Carter, Red Norvo, Nappy Lamare, and Red Nichols. Although her hits dried up after 1949, she continued as one of the most popular performers in Kansas City until her death in San Diego, California, at the age of 56, from a heart attack.

3) Ron Poole's solo feature, Blame it on the Blues, composed by Charles Cooke in 1914 or 15. The link is to the Sunday afternoon concert at the annual Sutter Creek Ragtime Festival featuring one performer playing solo, then inviting another performer to play together. At the 2008 festival, Tom Brier called up Carl Sonny Leyland, and they played this number. Leyland took the grand piano on the left, while Brier plays the upright.

4) Barbara's vocal Trouble In Mind, the famous eight-bar (or maybe 16 bar) blues written by Richard Marigny Jones (1892 – 1945). He was a jazz pianist, composer, band leader, and record producer. Numerous songs bear his name as author. Jones grew up in New Orleans suffering from a stiff leg and walking with a limp; fellow musicians gave him the nickname 'Richard My Knee Jones' as a pun on his middle name. In his youth he played alto horn in brass bands. His main instrument, however, became the piano. By 1908 he was playing in Storyville, the red-light district of New Orleans. A few years later, he often led a small band which sometimes included Joe Oliver. Jones also worked in the bands of John Robichaux, Armand J. Piron, and Papa Celestin. In 1918 Jones moved to Chicago, where he worked as Chicago manager for publisher Clarence Williams. Jones began recording in 1923, making gramophone records as a piano soloist, accompanist to vocalists and with his bands The Jazz Wizards and The Chicago Cosmopolitans. He recorded for Gennett, OKeh, Victor, and Paramount Records in the 1920s. He also worked for OKeh Records as Chicago supervisor of the company's 'Race' (African-American) Records for most of the decade. In the 1930s he played a similar role for Decca.
'Trouble in Mind' was recorded in 1924 by singer Thelma La Vizzo with Jones providing the piano accompaniment. The song became an early blues standard, with versions by Bertha 'Chippie' Hill with Louis Armstrong on cornet and Jones on piano (1926), Georgia White (1936), Victoria Spivey (as Jane Lucas, 1936) and Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys (1936). Later, it was a Billboard R&B chart hit for Dinah Washington (1952) and Nina Simone (1961). In many versions, several new verses are added. However, the standard opening is universal:

Trouble in mind, I’m blue (the word blue MUST be a 'blue' note)
But I won’t be blue always
'Cos the sun's gonna shine in my back door someday

The link is to Sister Rosetta Tharpe at Alexandra Road station at the junction of Alexandra Road South and Mauldeth Road West in Cholton Cum Hardy, a little town near Manchester, England, UK). For a gospel singer, she sure is a fine blues guitarist !

Labels: Jazz

posted by Peter # 23:30

Saturday, October 8, 2011

'Way Upstream' at Salisbury Playhouse

This evening we went to the Salisbury Playhouse to see a performance of Alan Ayckbourn's play 'Way Upstream'. We began with dinner at the nearby Thai Orchid, tasty food and excellent service.

For this brand-new production, the auditorium of the Playhouse had been re-configured, with the stage filled with a huge water tank and a 20ft river boat! Keith and his business partner, Alistair, hire a boat to take their wives, June and Emma, on a river holiday together. What could be nicer? And indeed all is idyllic – except that Alistair and Emma know nothing about sailing, and Keith and June are having marital difficulties. Plus, daily visits from Keith’s secretary Mrs Hatfield bring worrying updates on the ever-worsening situation at his factory, where the work-force is threatening to go on strike. And then Vince, a suave and experienced boating expert, comes onboard, trailed by his friend Fleur, and the stage is set for a nautical farce – or should that be a spot of piracy ? Great play, even some surprise nudity at the end.

Labels: Theatre

posted by Peter # 23:30

Tony Robinson's Chicago Jazz Aces at the White Buck

Labels: Jazz

posted by Peter # 23:30

Monday, September 26, 2011

Spirit of New Orleans Band at the Bluebirds Club

This evening we went to see The Spirit of New Orleans jazz band at the Bluebirds Club in Longham.
The band comprised; Alan Pickering (trombone, euphonium), Tim Eyles (trumpet, vocals), Bernie Murtha (alto sax, clarinet, vocals), Dave Broomfield (Banjo, pictured), Stuart Gledhill (5-string double bass) and Steve Keats (drums). Guest vocalist Peter Titcomb was absent. New numbers for this band on this weblog included:
1) Easter Parade, written by Irving Berlin and published in 1933. He originally wrote the melody in 1917, under the title 'Smile and Show Your Dimple.' The song flopped but the composer filed away the melody for later use. The song was introduced by Marilyn Miller and Clifton Webb in the Broadway musical revue 'As Thousands Cheer' (1933), in which musical numbers were strung together on the thematic thread of newspaper headlines. It was sung by Bing Crosby in the film Holiday Inn (1942), which featured an Irving Berlin song about each major holiday. In 1948, it was performed by Judy Garland and Fred Astaire in the musical film of the same title, which was constructed around the song.
The link is to drummer Ron Mackay, singing with the Acker Bilk band in 1958. The question is asked "is it Ken Sims or Colin Smith on trumpet" (or cornet). We saw the band many times, always with Colin Smith but he joined in 1960 so as early as 1958 it would have been Ken Sims.

2) The Old Rugged Cross, written by evangelist and song-leader George Bennard (1873-1958). He was a native of Youngstown, Ohio but was reared in Iowa. After his conversion in a Salvation Army meeting, he and his wife became brigade leaders before leaving the organization for the Methodist Church. As a Methodist evangelist, Bennard wrote the first verse of this song in Albion, Michigan, in 1912. Charles H. Gabriel, a well-known gospel-song composer helped Bennard with the harmonies. The completed version was first performed on June 7th, 1913, by a choir of five, accompanied by a guitar in Pokagon, Michigan. Published in 1915, the song was popularized during evangelistic campaigns by two members of his campaign staff, Homer Rodeheaver (who bought rights to the song for $500) and Virginia Asher, who were perhaps also the first to record it in 1921. The Old Rugged Cross uses a sentimental popular song form with a verse/chorus pattern in 3/4 time, and it speaks of the writer's Christian experience rather than his adoration of God. Bennard retired to Reed City, Michigan, and the town maintains a museum dedicated to his life and ministry. British television dramatist Dennis Potter has used the song prominently in several of his plays, most notably Pennies from Heaven (1978). It was also used in 'Gridlock' (2007), an episode of the long-running chidren's series 'Doctor Who'.
The link is to a slow version by Monty Sunshine with guitar backing, presumably over-recorded to get a clarinet duet. One of his faster versions was probably the first recording of jazz from the radio I ever made, using a reel-to-reel tape recorder as was then available.

Dave Broomfield is pictured to remind me that John Maddocks never gives him much chance to shine. He gets many more opportunities at the Bluebirds.

There were few dancers tonight; it was mostly just Selina and me.

Labels: Jazz

posted by Peter # 23:30

Misuse of the English language

I know that I am a grumpy old man but I am irritated every day of my life by one or more of the following. I accept that most are due to US influence. The exceptions are just stupidity on the part of we Brits.

Smart (meaning intelligent rather than well-dressed)
Dumb (meaning stupid, not unable to speak)
Gay (meaning homosexual, not cheerful)
Wicked (origin Boston, Mass, meaning very or great, not evil)
Cool (meaning great, not laid-back)
Accessibility (meaning to the disabled, yet not specifying it)
Bling (Jamaican, defined in the urban dictionary as "Any shiny thing that distracts morons such as rappers")
Bandwidth (when not meaning frequency range between the 3dB points)
Alternate (when alternative is really meant)
Signage (meaning signs)
Subway (meaning underground railway, not pedestrian underpass)
Blow (meaning suck as in blow job)
Table (meaning shelve as in "we wish to table our motion")
Tee-shirt (when the garment is sleeveless)
Pump (meaning some sort of shoe, not a pressuriser)
Cookie (meaning biscuit or something lurking in my web browser)
Product (meaning a service, no production being involved)
Candy (meaning sweets)
Buggy (meaning pushchair)
Shock absorber or shock (meaning damper)
Gas (meaning petroleum spirit not gas)
Inverter (meaning variable frequency drive, rather than DC-AC converter)
Slut (meaning loose woman - a 'slag', rather than one who is untidy and/or unwashed and/or badly dressed)
Public (when meaning private, as in public school or privatising a public body and calling it a public company); cannot blame the USA for this one
Geranium (meaning pelargonium not geranium)
Adding 'up' or 'off' at the end of a perfectly adequate word (e.g. closed up, sealed off, rose up)
Pronouncing Router as 'Rowter' when 'Rooter' is meant. We have both at Ampair Energy Ltd; very confusing
Pronouncing lingerie as 'lonzheree' rather than 'lanzheree'
Not being allowed to say rubber when I mean eraser not condom
Etc, etc.

Labels: Grumpy

posted by Peter # 23:30

Friday, July 15, 2011

Kenny Ball and his Jazzmen, Regent Centre, Christchurch

This evening we went to The Regent Centre in Christchurch, Dorset, to see Kenny Ball and his Jazzmen. The band comprised Kenny Ball (cornet, vocals, pictured), John Bennett (trombone), Andy Cooper (clarinet, vocal), Bill Coleman (string bass), Hugh Ledigo (baby grand piano), John Gibson (drums) and, a welcome surprise, one of our favourite trumpeters, Peter Rudeforth. The house was full, a tribute to the pulling power of this band.

Favourite numbers were :
1) The rhythm section feature, Toccata, based on Toccata in D Minor, generally credited to Johann Sebastian Bach and probably the most famous work in the organ repertoire. The attribution of the piece to Bach is doubtful and has been challenged since the 1980s by a number of scholars. The hyperlink is to a live performance by the electric group SKY.
2) The best of the Ball hits, Sukiyaki, originally 'Ue o Muite Arukō' (上を向いて歩こう?, literally "[I] shall walk looking up"), a Japanese-language song composed by Hachidai Nakamura with lyrics by Rokusuke Ei. It was performed by Japanese crooner Kyu Sakamoto. The link is to the early Kenny Ball band.
3) Peter and Bill's feature, Take the A Train, a jazz standard by Billy Strayhorn that was the signature tune of the Duke Ellington orchestra. It is arguably the most famous of the many compositions to emerge from the collaboration of Ellington and Strayhorn. The link is to a rare 1943 performance by the Ellington band with vocal by Betty Roche.

Labels: Jazz

posted by Peter # 23:30

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Jazzsounds at the Belvedere, Bournemouth

This evening we went to Manfred's Bar at The Belvedere Hotel in Bournemouth, where we ate an excellent bar meal of roast beef with the usual bottle of Syrah. We were joined by Peter Walters for Jazzsounds (pictured).

Highlight of the evening was Gillian (pictured), singing in her sultry, sexy, style :
1) Gazing into the eyes of Peter and me individually, I'm In The Mood For Love, written by Jimmy McHugh with lyrics by Dorothy Fields in 1935. It was introduced by Frances Langford in the movie Every Night at Eight released that year. The song was featured in the 1936 Our Gang (Little Rascals) short The Pinch Singer, sung by Carl 'Alfalfa' Switzer. The link is to Doris Day; no date provided.
2) Ain't Misbehaving, a 1929 song written by Thomas 'Fats' Waller and Harry Brooks with lyrics by Andy Razaf. Waller recorded the original version that year for Victor Records and later performed the song in the 1943 film Stormy Weather. The link is to Anita O'Day with the Nat 'King' Cole Trio around 1945.

Labels: Jazz

posted by Peter # 23:30

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Panama Hat Jazz Band at Ye Olde George Inn, Christchurch

This evening, for the third time, we went to Ye Olde George Inn in Christchurch, Dorset, to see The Panama Hat New Orleans Jazz Band (pictured from May gig). The band comprised Tony Purse (trumpet, vocals), Tom Pearse (trombone, kazoo, strange background noises), Jim Driscoll (clarinet, vocal), Alan Harris (string bass), George Skidmore (banjo, ukulele, vocal), and 'Stan the Man' Bowers on drums. We like them more each time we see them. The evening featured two great female vocalists.

Christine Skidmore, obviously a trained soprano, performed :
1) I Can't Give You Anything But Love, generally credited to Jimmy McHugh (music) and Dorothy Fields (lyrics). It was introduced by Adelaide Hall in 1928 in Lew Leslie's Blackbird Revue. Andy Razaf's biographer Harry Singer offers circumstantial evidence that Fats Waller might have sold the melody to McHugh in 1926 and that the lyrics were by Andy Razaf. Philip Furia has pointed out that Fields' verse is almost identical to the end of the second verse of Lorenz Hart's 'Where's That Rainbow?' from Peggy-Ann, the 1926 musical comedy with book by Fields' brother Herbert and produced by their father Lew. The hyperlink is to that unique jazz singer Billie Holiday, the greatest ever.
2) Summertime, composed by George Gershwin for the 1935 opera Porgy and Bess. The lyrics are by DuBose Heyward, the author of the novel 'Porgy' on which the opera was based, although the song is also co-credited to Ira Gershwin by ASCAP. The link is to the opera with Summertime sung by Harolyn Blackwell, accompanied by The London Philharmonic conducted by Sir Simon Rattle and The Glyndebourne Chorus.

Jo Collison sang, in a much deeper voice :
3) Careless Love, a traditional song of obscure origins, played by the Buddy Bolden band in New Orleans at the very start of the 20th century. W.C.Handy Plagiarised it and should never be credited. The link is to the greatest blues singer ever; Bessie Smith.
4) Trouble In Mind, a slow 8 or 16 bar blues written by jazz pianist Richard M. Jones. It was recorded in 1924 by singer Thelma La Vizzo with Jones providing the piano accompaniment. Later versions included Bertha "Chippie" Hill with Louis Armstrong on cornet and Jones on piano (1926), Georgia White (1936), Victoria Spivey (as Jane Lucas) (1936), Dinah Washington (1952) and Nina Simone (1961). The link is to the ill-fated Janis Joplin, who sang this as well, if not better, than anyone.

Labels: Jazz

posted by Peter # 23:30

Monday, July 4, 2011

Monchique, Portugal

We have just returned from holiday, staying at the Estalagem Abrigo da Montanha just up the road from Monchique to the highest peak in the Algarve. The first pictures show the hotel and the view from our window.

Following is a picture of Selina in Monchique centre on the final day, wearing two essential garments bought in Portugal: 1) Sombrero to keep sun off face 2) Long-sleeved pure cotton blouse, normally worn without the jacket (only used for travelling from and to the UK).

The mountain roads in the Monchique district are superb; very twisty, well-surfaced and mostly devoid of traffic. As soon as one crosses the local boundaries, the surface deteriorates, sometimes to coarse rock chips.

The worst experience was when we suffered a flat tyre in the full glare of the mid-day sun in shadeless Portimao. Max. temperature that day was 44 deg.C. To make matters worse, we had a Fiat Punto, reviving memories of wheel changing on Selina's Fiats. Instead of studs on which one just drops the wheel, there are threaded holes into which one inserts perfectly-aligned bolts. This requires repeated minute adjustments to the jack and ripping at least one of the plastic wheel trim holes in order to see the thread in the hub. The designer should spend the rest of his life changing Fiat wheels in extreme weather conditions.

We found a superb restaurant, Jardim-das-Oliveiras, near the hotel where we ate specialities such as Kid and Wild Boar, cooked slowly all day in a wood-fired oven. The house wine was excellent and came in a litre carafe. To finish there was a complementary Medronho, the local brandy, distilled from the fruits of the strawberry tree. I rarely feel as if I have been drinking but I did after that.

The flowers are beautiful in June; even the weeds. This is a picture of the equivalent to our white convulvulus, which spreads like wildfire everywhere. Convulvulus in Monchique

Sunday, April 11, 2011

Jazzsounds at the Belvedere, Bournemouth

This evening we went to Manfred's Bar at The Belvedere Hotel in Bournemouth, where we ate an excellent bar meal of braised steak with a bottle of Syrah. We were joined by Peter Walters for Jazzsounds.
The trio comprised Pat Neil (keyboard), Brian Mursell (electric stick bass) and Terry Squires (guitar, vocal). There were also countless guest vocalists and one guest on the bass.

The most notable aspect of the evening was that four people chatted with us at length, of which I will mention two. Michael, an irregular visitor to Manfreds on a Sunday, was at the bar chatting up a good-looking young woman as usual. I commented on this and he replied that at our age the best thing in life was to be a dirty old man. He blamed his attitude on the nuns who beat him at the convent school he attended. Selina joined us and Michael asked if she is my daughter.

To our surprise the young woman who Michael fancied, came and sat next to me when the music started and was wildly enthusiastic, cheering and whooping to celebrate each number. She was very appreciative of us too, saying that Selina is beautiful and it is great to know that romance is still alive. She explained that I take my wife out for a meal, listen to live music and dance with her, whereas the men of her age only want sex. As we left she held my hand in both of hers and promised to see us next week so I kissed her on the cheek. As I caught up with Selina and Peter they were discussing my behaviour when out in the evening. Selina blamed the women for encouraging me !

Labels: Jazz

posted by Peter # 23:30

Monday, April 4, 2011

Antique Six at the Bournemouth Jazz Club

This evening we saw The Antique Six at the Bluebirds club. The band (pictured) comprised Tony Davis (trumpet, Vocal), Richard Leach (trombone, vocal, leader), Chris Pearce (clarinet, alto sax, tenor sax, soprano sax), Clinton Sedgley (guitar, banjo), Ian Parry (double bass) and Graham Smith (drums). This was the third time we have seen this fine band, although we know Ian Parry from his drumming and guitar playing with the Excel Jazzmen and the Apex Jazz Band. Tony Davis, guest trumpeter, we know from his work with Judy Eames, present in the audience. Reducing favourite numbers to just three:
1) Trombone / guitar feature Out of Nowhere, composed by Johnny Green with lyrics by Edward Heyman. It was first recorded by Bing Crosby in 1931 and became his first number one hit as a solo artist. The link is to Stan Getz.
2) The World is Waiting For The Sunrise, lyrics by Gene Lockhart and music (Toronto 1918) by the concert pianist Ernest Seitz, who had conceived the refrain when he was 12. Embarrassed about writing popular music, Seitz used the pseudonym "Raymond Roberts" when the song was first published by Chappell in 1919. The link is to Les Paul and Mary Ford.
3) Trumpet / guitar feature, with Tony vocalising, Blue Turning Grey, composed by Fats Waller (music) and Andy Razaf (lyrics), the link being to Louis Armstrong's famous version.

This fine band is on its final tour so we might never see them again; sad.

Labels: Jazz

posted by Peter # 23:30

John Howlett's Copper Rail Six at the Durley Dean Hotel

This evening we visited Poole's Lighthouse Arts Centre to see two great bands; Martin Litton's Red Hot Peppers, followed by The Charleston Chasers, led by Debbie Arthurs.

The Peppers comprised Martin Litton (piano, pictured), Paul Lacey (tpt), Keith Nichols (forsaking his piano for trombone), Martin Wheatley (guitar, banjo), Nick Ward (drums), Malcolm Sked (double bass, sousaphone) and James Evans and Trevor Whiting (clarinets, saxophones). They played mostly Jelly Roll Morton numbers, of which notable examples were:
1) Milenburg Joys, named, and mispelt, after the town of Milneburg on the southern shore of Lake Pontchartrain in Louisiana. It was named for landowner / developer Alexander Milne. The link is to tonight's band at a previous gig with slightly different personnel.
2) Martin's feature with drums only Perfect Rag, AKA 'Sporting House Rag'. The link is to a 1924 recording by Mr Jelly Lord himself.
3) James Evans's feature with piano and drums only Sidewalk Blues, one of the greatest recordings by the original Red Hot Peppers. The link is to that 1924 Chicago recording.

The Charleston Chasers comprised Debbie Arthurs (percussion, vocals), Ruth Ross (trumpet, vocal), Andy Woon (trumpet), Andy Flaxman (trombone), Zoltan Sagi (tenor sax, clarinet), Tony Carter (alto sax, clarinet), Nick White (alto sax, clarinet), Martin Litton (piano), Martin Wheatley (guitar, banjo, vocals) and Malcolm Sked (double bass, sousaphone). They played a wide selection of numbers, mostly well-known but with a few we had never heard before. All the band are fine musicians but we must single out Debbie's singing for particular praise; she has a beautiful clear voice. Links are to Debbie's bands, not necessarily this one and not numbers that were played this evening:
1) Naughty Man, played by the Charleston Chasers at Whitley Bay.
2) Am I Blue, again at Whitley Bay but with a smaller band.
3) Walking My Baby Back Home, Debbie Arthurs' Sweet Rhythm at the 2005 Bude Festival.

We ate at the Lighthouse for the first time; the Bubble and Squeak topped with Bacon, Egg and Hollandaise Sauce was certainly far better and much more interesting than the general ambience.
It was fortunate that Selina was back to walking well; car parking was worse than last time, involving too much foot slogging up and down stairs and through a revolting underpass. Audiences should not be expected to be fit and well in order to attend.
Another grumble is the lack of advertising from the Lighthouse; we could easily have missed this great evening.

Labels: Jazz

posted by Peter # 23:30

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Save our forests

Our new government, of which we expected so much, plans to sell off our forests, at least those in England. I have signed the petition at 38 degrees and contributed to its funds. I have also written to the Prime Minister's Office pointing out that private owners will certainly fence off against public access and will ignore any 'right to roam legislation'. All history shows that landowners obey only those laws that suit them. I also noted the risk of a 'forest-owner' being discovered as a contributor to party funds.

The picture shows the Place of my birth, High Beech in Epping Forest. We now live close to the New Forest, where we go every Thursday evening for dinner and jazz. Perhaps their unusual ownership might save them. However, the thought of any forest being owned by rich scum and/or big business, to the exclusion of us, the present owners, is just too horrific to contemplate. I implore all our readers to fight against it.

Labels: Grumpy

posted by Peter # 17:40

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Poole Hospital

This morning Selina passed out, fell and hit her head on a stone slab. She was unconscious for about 10 seconds with her eyes wide open. I momentarily thought she was dead. When her head was still bleeding in the afternoon, I took her to the Accident and Emergency (A & E) department at Poole General Hospital. Waiting time for admission was minimal and tests were undertaken promptly. As these involved undressing it was fortunate that she was wearing matching black underwear with her black tights and long black boots. All went well until the wait began for blood test results to come back from the lab. When the time reached 20:00 we could stand no more and Selina discharged herself.

We had already complained to both Bournemouth and Poole hospitals plus NHS Dorset about the appalling blood testing service in the area. We never thought it could be as bad for internal requests. The nursing staff said it was just a computer problem on that day; results normally come back in about one hour ! Remember this is an emergency department; a patient could be dead within an hour. Compare this with Royal Surrey Hospital where Selina was once admitted to A & E; blood test results were back in 10 minutes !

Labels: Grumpy

posted by Peter # 23:30

Friday, January 07, 2011

Tiger Tim's Ragamuffins at the Verwood Hub

This evening we saw Tiger Tim's Ragamuffins at The Hub in Verwood, Dorset. This great jazz quartet comprised Tim Eyles (trumpet, vocals, jokes), Clive Burton (trombone), Ken Ames (guitar, banjo) and Pete Maxfield (double bass). They are all fine musicians and it was particularly good to hear Ken and Clive again after a long break for us. Every number was good so we will just list some that we don't often hear in this area:
1. My Little Suede Shoes, composed by Charlie Parker, and played on this link by the Blue Morning Quintet.
2. Seven Golden Daffodils, composed by Lee Hays and Fran Moseley. The link is to a fine vocal by the late Lonnie Donegan.
3. Electric Chair Blues, possibly written by Bessie Smith but performed on this link by Blind Lemon Jefferson in 1928 with very different words.

We were recognised us as soon as we entered the room and given a warm welcome by the musicians and by Clive's wife, Jan. She was amazed that Selina's hair is no longer short. I pointed out that it has been much, much, longer. The 'Hub' was a new experience for the band although not for us. We like the table arrangement and the food & drink with the music. The audience is always very different from those we normally meet; rather polite and restrained. Not what we are used to !

Labels: Jazz

posted by Peter # 23:16

Friday, December 10, 2010

Elvis Presley night at the White Buck

This evening we went to the White Buck Hotel at Burley in the New Forest for a USA style dinner with an Elvis Presley impersonator Lou Jordan singing for us. He is a real showman, building up a terrific rapport with the audience. The first picture shows him in his white outfit and the second in blue with me. This was immediately after he had tricked me into singing, solo and unaccompanied, my own request You're a Heartbreaker. This was a first for me and I aim to make it the last. The song was composed by Jack Sallee and the link is to the 1954 Presley version with Scotty Moore (guitar), Bill Black (double bass) and D J Fontana (drums). My version was inferior.

Favourite numbers by the real singer were:
1) Lawdy Miss Clawdy, an 8-bar blues with a rolicking piano backup, words written by Lloyd Price, using a melody adapted from the older Junker Blues (Champion Jack Dupree, 1941). The link is to Lloyd Price in 1952.
2) Sung by Lou to Selina on his knees The Girl Of My Best Friend, written by Beverly Ross and Sam Bobrick. The link is to Elvis in 1960.
3) Bridge Over Troubled Water, composed by Paul Simon in 1969 and recorded by Presley in 1970 as on this link.

Selina's tight (size 8) white trouser suit was much appreciated, as was her svelte figure. Michael, a tall slim builder with long blonde hair, danced with her, lifting her high in the air with ease. They looked great together; I doubt if I looked as good dancing with Michael's lovely sister, Carol. Michael mentioned that I was obviously very proud of Selina; definitely true !

Labels: Jazz

posted by Peter # 23:30

'Tamara Drewe' at the Rex Cinema in Wareham

This evening, for the first time, we went to the Rex Cinema in Wareham. This is a fine old cinema dating back to 1920. It is now among the few cinemas in the UK where one can drink a glass of wine or beer whilst watching the film ! We went to see the film Tamara Drewe, particularly interesting to us because the location is a Dorset village. I liked it but Selina was not so keen; perhaps it is more a man's film as it features a fair amount of sex with georgeous women (Gemma Arterton and Josie Taylor).

Labels: Film

posted by Peter # 23:30

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

This evening we went to the Memorial Hall in our Dorset home of West Moors for the second time for a charity concert called America. The first half featuredThe Panama Hat Jazz Band (pictured). This is a standard 6-piece trad line-up of trumpet, trombone, clarinet, banjo, double bass and drums (Stan the man), criticised by at least two people recently. We liked them.

The second half featured The Southern Union Chorus, a barbershop chorus singing in unaccompanied close harmony. They sang old songs and hits from the sixties. Our favourite numbers were:
1) Hello Mary Lou, composed by Gene Pitney but made famous by Rick Nelson as on this link.
2) Always Look On The Bright Side of Life , written by Eric Idle and originally featured in the 1979 film 'Monty Python's Life of Brian' as in this link.
3) St Louis Blues, composed by W C Handy and made famous by Bessie Smith as on this link.

We had a moment of excitement on arrival. We went to sit in the front row but were told by a woman that all the seats were reserved. I protested and she slapped my hand. In response we sat on two of the seats for the evening. She is probably a Christian; she certainly needs to learn to treat others with respect.

Labels: Jazz

posted by Peter # 23:40

Saturday, August 14, 2010

'Inception' at the Bournemouth Odeon

This evening, for the first time, we went to the Bournemouth Odeon to see the film Inception, which received the highest praise we have ever seen from IMDB's amateur critics. The basic idea, entering the dreams of others down to 5 levels of depth, is not new. I remember as a teenager being enthralled by the Dennis Wheatley novel Strange Conflict, which explored the idea rather well for its time.

Does this film enhance or extend the idea ? I am afraid not. It is typical Hollywood mass audience fodder, featuring the standard formula of car chases, guns galore and dual female love interest. We cannot recommend this film.

Labels: Jazz

posted by Peter # 23:30

Saturday, August 7, 2010

'Partir' (leaving) at the Poole Lighthouse cinema

For the final cinema session at Poole's Lighthouse Arts Centre this evening we saw Partir, translated as 'Leaving'. This French film starred Kristin Scott-Thomas, the first time we have seen her in a leading role. She did not disappoint, displaying a range of emotions in a very convincing manner. The storyline, married woman with everything falls for handyman and risks losing all, is not new but this takes it to extremes. Making the obvious comparisons with Lady Chatterley and Anna Karenina; this film was much more believable than either. We recommend it to anyone interested in serious cinema.

IMDB quotes Henry Porter in The Guardian as writing "Why are the grown-up films all French ?". The answer is that they are not, there have been excellent films from Germany and China recently. Let us re-phrase the question; "Why are all the American films childish and/or horrific ?" We have given up on mainstream cinema because there is no longer anything for us.

Labels: Film

posted by Peter # 23:30

Saturday, July 31, 2010

Marty Wilde at The Pier, Bournemouth

This evening we went to the Bournemouth Pier Theatre to see Marty Wilde and the Wildcats perform songs from the 1950s and early 60s. In the first half the Wildcats performed without Marty, all but the drummer singing at some time. Our favourite number from this set was Be Bop A Lula, composed by Gene Vincent, who performs it on this link. Note the great guitar backing by the greatest rock guitarist of all time, Cliff Gallup. He sounds even better on Race With The Devil.
For the second set the Wildcats were joined by Marty, who looks incredibly young for his 71 (he says 72) years. He performed numerous songs, including his big hits:
Donna, written and originally sung by Ritchie Valens;
Danny, written by Ben Weisman with lyrics by Fred Wise and recorded for the film King Creole but eventually eliminated. I remember listening to it on the juke box in a cafe in Plaistow as a teenager;
Bad Boy, Marty's own composition
Teenager in Love, written by Doc Pomus with Mort Shuman and originally sung by Dion and the Belmonts.
However, our favourite was Apron Strings, written by Aaron Schroeder with George David Weiss and first recorded publicly by Cliff Richard, although Elvis Presley had already made a home recording not intended for release.
A great evening of nostalgia that had us all singing along.

Labels: Pop Music

posted by Peter # 23:48

Monday, July 19, 2010

Welshpool & Llanfair Railway

Today we used the Narrow Gauge Steam Railway to travel from Llanfair Caereinion to the town of Welshpool. The picture shows the steam locomotive that pulled our train. The countryside was beautiful and Welshpool provided the facilities to buy all those vital items which I had forgotten to pack.

Labels: Travel

posted by Peter # 23:26

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Friday, March 05, 2010

Mike Piggott Trio at the Verwood Hub

This evening we saw the Mike Piggott trio with Nils Solberg and Peter Morgan, at The Hub in Verwood, Dorset. Once again this group provided fine swinging jazz with every number enjoyable and played differently from the average performance. Our favourites were:
1. Nuages, composed by Django Reinhardt, who plays it on this link.
2. Exactly Like You, composed in 1930 by Jimmy McHugh with lyrics by Dorothy Fields and performed on this link by Stephane Grapelli and Django Reinhardt. Mike played it in the style of Joe Venuti with a section using all four strings on the violin simultaneously.
3. Peter's feature with Nils A Tisket A Tasket, composed in 1938 by Al Feldman and Ella Fitzgerald and performed on this link by the Oscar Peterson quartet. Peter played it in the style of Slam Stewart with bowing and humming.
4. Mike's Strohviolin feature A Kiss To Build A Dream On, composed by Bert Kalmar, Harry Ruby and Oscar Hammerstein II in 1935 and performed on this link by Louis Armstrong.

The musicians recognised us as soon as we entered the room and gave us a warm welcome. The 'Hub' was a new experience for them and us; we liked the table arrangement and the food & drink. The audience seemed rather abstemious with no rush for the bar during the interval. Not what we are used to !

Labels: Jazz

posted by Peter # 23:16

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Buddy Holly tribute at Ferndown

This evening we went to the The Barrington Centre in Ferndown to see Marc Robinson and the Counterfeit Crickets. Marc looks and sounds like Buddy with ace lead guitarist Adrian playing the original backings brilliantly. There was also a Billy Fury tribute singer.
It is hard to pick favourite numbers as they were all equally good. The one that I am still humming is Blue Days, Black Nights, Buddy's first published recording. We have it on a cassette tape of early recordings that I bought in Phoenix, Arizona and played over and over all the way to the Grand Canyon and Back.
If Marc or any of the band should read this, why not perform:
Listen to Me
Midnight Shift
and
Words of Love.

Labels: Pop Music

posted by Peter # 23:27

Saturday, February 06, 2010

The Lonnie Donegan Band with Peter Donegan

This evening we went to the Tivoli Theatre in Wimborne to see Peter Donegan performing with the Lonnie Donegan Band, comprising Paul Henry (Lead Guitar), Chris Hunt (Drums), Sticky Wicket (Percussion) and Eddie Masters (Bass). Peter sang and played keyboard, Acoustic Guitar, Banjo, Harmonica and Mandolin. It was a great evening combining old 1950s skiffle numbers with Peter's own compositions.
My favourite was the blues number Rocks in my Bed perfomed on this link by Lonnie Johnson. Paul Henry played superbly in a more modern blues style, drawing applause from the audience.
Selina preferred Mule Skinner Blues, the link being to an early Lonnie Donegan version with Denny Wright on guitar.
The Tivoli is a beautiful old theatre from 1936, lovingly restored after being closed for many years. Tonight's audience were almost entirely of an age for whom the 1950s were full of great musical memories. They sang along whenever invited, requested numbers (unsuccessfully) and one even asked Peter to confirm that his guitar was a Martin.
We will surely visit the Tivoli again; but will we get another opportunity to see the Lonnie Donegan Band ?

Labels: Concerts

posted by Peter # 23:55

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Magna Jazz Band, Chez Chesterman and Carol

This evening, as usual for a Thursday, we went to the Berrylands Hotel in Surbiton, to see Brian White's Magna jazz band. Chez Chesterman replaced Pete Towndrow on Cornet, the remainder of the band being standard. The picture shows Chez with his new girlfriend, Carol White, surely not the daughter Brian never knew he had ? In addition to her pretty face, Carol is friendly and outgoing. She is a fine testament to the results of internet dating, enjoying the evening immensely and expressing great interest in my note-taking for this weblog.
Our favourite numbers were as follows:
1. Chez's great blues vocal 2:19 Blues AKA Mamie's Blues, listed as 'traditional' but claimed by Jelly Roll Morton. The link is to the version by Mamie Desoume, with an unmistakable Sidney Bechet in the background.
2. Alan Dandy's fine keyboard feature Relaxin' at the Touro, the theme tune of Muggsy Spanier and His Ragtime Band (as on this link), named for Touro Infirmary, the New Orleans hospital where Muggsy had been treated for a perforated ulcer early in 1938. He had been at the point of death when he was saved by one Dr. Alton Ochsner who drained the fluid and eased Muggsy's weakened breathing.
4. Chez's other vocal Lonesome Blues, a number about which I know nothing. The link is to a Louis Armstrong version.

Selina and I have won the raffle between us for the last two jazz nights at the Berrylands. The club was packed tonight so we did not expect to win for the third time against so much competition. Surprisingly, I had the first winning number so had the choice of prize. I took the Ma Rainey CD, coveted by Chez.

Labels: Jazz

posted by Peter # 23:56

Friday, May 08, 2009

Ampair A6000 in real wind at Boost Energy

The new Ampair A6000 wind turbine today experienced real wind at Boost Energy's Park Farm premises. Although the system has not yet been programmed for maximum power, we recorded over 6 kW fed into the grid.
Selina and I spent most of the day monitoring performance in the flat that is fed by the A6000 (top floor of house in picture). While the grid-tie inverter logged many parameters automatically, we made manual independent checks of RPM and inverter input Voltage.
It was a long hard day but seeing 6kW made it all worth while.

Labels: Wind power

posted by Peter # 21:23

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Parcel Force again

The latest effort from Parcel Force. They delivered two pieces of prototype machined casting to the wrong address, albeit in the same lane so with the same post code. After some detective work I found the goods; damaged. This must have involved dropping on concrete from some height.
I have e-mailed Peter Mandelson and Pat McFadden as follows:

Having just suffered yet another disastrous delivery via Parcel Force, might I suggest a plan that meets the need for private investment in the postal system without enraging MPs and the public.

Sell Parcel Force to the private sector and retain the rest of Royal Mail in public ownership.

Labels: Grumpy

posted by Peter # 17:33

Monday, March 16, 2009

Northern Ireland

We heard on the radio a man from Northern Ireland extolling the virtues of mixed denominational schools, still a small minority there. He also mentioned that marriage between Catholic and non-Catholic is still called a mixed marriage. I really despair about the Northern Irish; have they learned nothing from their decades of troubles. I also despair about Christians, and members of certain other religions, who feel that division between sects within that religion, is more important than unity.

Labels: Grumpy

posted by Peter # 17:25

Friday, January 30, 2009

Top Gear repeats

People ask us what do we do when we are at home Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings. Selina's friends were horrified to hear we watch Top Gear repeats on the Dave channel. Our favourite episodes are those where caravans are destroyed, e.g. by dropping from a great height or by fire (see picture). Yes, we know these are stunts but who ever thought Top Gear was anything but lots of fun.

Labels: Television

posted by Peter # 16:55

Friday, January 23, 2009

Les Paul and Mary Ford

After twice watching the television programme celebrating Les Paul's 90th birthday (he is now 92) we searched the HMV site and bought the Very Best Of Les Paul & Mary Ford.
It has now arrived and is delightful. It includes Mary singing, in her beautiful voice, tracks such as:
'How High The Moon', by Morgan Lewis with lyrics by Nancy Hamilton and first featured in the 1940 Broadway revue Two for the Show;
'The World is Waiting For the Sunrise', by Ernest Seitz (pseudonym Raymond Roberts) with lyrics by Gene Lockhart and first published in 1919;
'Vaya Con Dios', by Larry Russell, Inez James, and Buddy Pepper, and published in 1953.
The wonderful Les Paul instrumentals include:
'Little Rock Get Away', by Joe Sullivan with lyrics by Carl Sigman (1938);
'Mammy's Boogie', a Paul original boogie-woogie guitar version of 'Mammy's Little Baby Loves Shortening Bread' originally written by James Whitcomb Riley in 1900;
'I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles', Jaan Kenbrovin (James Kendis, James Brockman and Nat Vincent) with lyrics by John William Kellette (1919) and now the West Ham football anthem, originally referring to Billy J. 'Bubbles' Murray who played for the local Park School and resembled the boy in the famous Bubbles painting by Millais used in a Pears soap commercial of the time.
Browse the Very Best Of Les Paul & Mary Ford for a listing of all 25 tracks.
Pop music from the 1950's is still alive and well. Don't expect the same to be said of today's pop music in 50 years time.

Labels: Pop Music

posted by Peter # 20:28

Friday, January 16, 2009

Our Views on 'mobs'; The Cricketers, Surbiton Station, etc.

Following my post 'Is This Goodbye to The Cricketers' in Horsell Birch I have received two e-mail messages from other customers of this pub. One was very supportive of our firm stand against a venue that gives priority to a large noisy party over its regular Monday jazz fans. The other says that we are wrong and should apologise to the staff.

Let us state our position beyond any misunderstanding:

1) Making excessive noise while musicians are performing is insulting to them and is hurtful to those who wish to listen.

2) Those who do it are selfish, thoughtless, people who care nothing for others; they share this characteristic with burglars, thieves, drug addicts, hooligans, etc. who care nothing for the affect of their actions.

3) Large parties and other large groups (e.g. Surbiton commuters) automatically become a mob with the above characteristics so they should be isolated from other people.

4) If a business does not accept the above responsibility because of the nature of its premises and/or because it wants the instant surge of income, then that is its right.

5) Equally, it is our right to withdraw our custom from that business, be it a pub, a railway station or anywhere else; we offer no apology for this and will continue such action whenever appropriate, publicising it as widely as possible.

6) We do not accept Christmas, Birthday, large family or rush-hour as excuses for mob behaviour.

Labels: Grumpy

posted by Peter # 20:27

Monday, January 12, 2009

Surbiton Railway Station

I have just noticed, somewhat belatedly, that Surbiton scooped the title of Rail Station of the Year at the 2005 London Transport Awards. The Royal Borough of Kingston and South West Trains were presented the award in recognition of a programme of improvements carried out at Surbiton Station during 2004 to enhance accessibility for cyclists and pedestrians.

There was a period when I used Surbiton Station for trips to London. I had to stop because I could not stand the selfish mob behaviour from the regulars. The stairs were divided in two with a narrow section reserved for those coming down to catch the train when the majority were those leaving the train. Having most of the stairs available was not enough for the mob; they had to use it all, risking injury to any frail person coming down. I just cannot understand the minds of such people. Were they human beings once but lost all humanity through commuting to London by rail every day ? I tried battering them with my brief case as I came down but I was so heavily outnumbered that mob rule won and I just gave up on Surbiton for rail travel.

Labels: Grumpy, Travel

posted by Peter # 20:54

Wednesday, January 07, 2009

Road vs Rail

We have been reading messages from those who extol the virtues of rail travel in place of the motor car. Clearly to use the car is grossly irresponsible of us so we should research other options. Firstly, let us be clear that working from home is best and this should be encouraged with local telecottages. However, it is not always possible to work like this, particularly those of us who work with heavy equipment.

Our 21 mile journey to Park Farm by car most weekdays takes an average 40 minutes in a car that averages 46 miles per gallon. There are no traffic jams. We carry a desktop computer in the car on Monday and Friday. To get there by public transport we will:
Buy a laptop computer (even though we don't need any more computers)
Wait at local the bus stop in all weathers for a bus that might be late or not arrive
Take the bus to the rail station on the other side of Guildford
Take the train to Wokingham
Then train or bus from Wokingham to Bracknell
Finally a brisk, healthy, 20-30 minute walk from Bracknell station to Park Farm in all weathers.

I estimate 2-3 hours so 4-6 hours of each day would be spent travelling, an increase of between 2 hours 40 minutes and 4 hours 40 minutes. Clearly the best use of time and energy. We should be fit and ready for a hard days work after this journey.

We go out at least 3 nights a week to pubs with live jazz. Berrylands Hotel is next to Berrylands railway station so let us start there. Only the slow trains to Hampton Court stop there, not the Guildford trains, but we must not be discouraged. Neither must we be put off by the difficulty of returning from Guildford station, 3 miles away, after the buses have ceased to run. A taxi is a car so that is out; we will just have to walk.

Selina, my wife, likes to get out of her unfeminine work gear when we go out and show off her fabulous legs in mini-skirts and high heels. We have to think of a way of avoiding hypothermia on the exposed high-level platform at Berrylands Station. The jazz club has no facilities for hanging outdoor clothes but perhaps we could pile them in the corner with the instrument cases. There are no changing facilities but I am sure the randy old men won't mind Selina changing in front of them.

Having succeeded with the Berrylands we must consider the Europa and the George and Dragon. By an amazing coincidence the nearest stations are also on the Hampton Court line so we will become accustomed to travelling up to Waterloo from Guildford than back to the venue. We will also be accustomed to the 3 mile walk back home so the 2 mile walk to the Europa from Hampton Court station will seem easy.

Obviously we will need to leave work early to allow for the extra evening travel time. We also have to manage with less sleep after arriving home so late. Oh, I forgot; we will be taking 4-6 hours to travel to work and back on public transport. We will have to be absent from work on jazz days. Perhaps we could work on Saturday and Sunday to make up the lost time. Oh dear, Sunday is a Jazz night; there are not enough days in the week.

Happy New Year to the rabid train fanatics.

Labels: Travel

posted by Peter # 21:39

Friday, December 19, 2008

Aldi demolished our pub

German discount supermarket chain Aldi has now demolished the 'Green Man', a public house since the 16th Century and possibly before, in Burpham, Guildford, where we live. For many months the old pub has been left in an unsightly state, with no roof tiles, presumably to wear down local resistance. We appeal to all Burpham residents to oppose any planning application from this evil company and to make it clear that we will never spend money in any Aldi retail outlet, anywhere, ever. We are British and will never surrender to German efforts to destroy our culture and take money from us in return.

Another aspect is the effect another supermarket would have on the local environment. The 'Green Man' roundabout cannot cope with existing traffic levels; just imagine the impact of all the shoppers driving to and from that very spot. If plans for flats above the shop were to be approved then we would have even more traffic plus the problem of resident and visitor parking. Aldi is not wanted here.

Labels: Grumpy

posted by Peter # 20:55

Tuesday, December 09, 2008

Goodbye to the Cricketers ?

For the last few years we have been eating, drinking and enjoying jazz at The Cricketers in Horsell Birch almost every Monday evening. We spend about 2000-2500 pounds per year and we attract others to join us at our table, two of whom now eat there regularly. Yesterday evening was ruined by an excessively large party making the inevitable deafening noise, with no care for other customers or for the musicians. We cancelled the table for next week because it is clear the same will happen again and that its regulars are not the priority customers for this pub.

The pub manager's business plan (if there is one) is deeply flawed. He can fill the side area every Monday with jazz fans so it is counter-productive to put large one-off parties there. He has the front area and the snug empty on Mondays so that is where the extra customers should be seated. If he has to split them between tables then that is all to the good, as the two end groups on a long table cannot communicate and it is very difficult for the middle back customers to get up to relieve themselves.

The band was the 'Famous Four' comprising Chris Lowe (trombone), Richard White (bass sax), Martin Wheatley (acoustic guitar) and, new to us, young Ben Cummings (trumpet, vocal). We would have liked to hear Ben from our table as he sounded good when we danced close to the band.

Labels: Grumpy, Jazz

posted by Peter # 07:58

Friday, November 28, 2008

Personal involvement in a company

Today I was accused of being unable to separate my role as Director and Company Secretary from my personal involvement in the Company. These are the words of somebody who previously always worked for the tiny majority; the large corporations.
It occurs to me that personal involvement is what makes it good to work with or for the vast majority of companies, i.e. the small ones. Directors with no personal involvement are those that cream off huge salaries and bonuses regardless of company performance. They care only about their own wealth and care nothing for their employees, suppliers or even for their shareholders.

Labels: Grumpy

posted by Peter # 21:38

Friday, November 14, 2008

Windsor for Selina's birthday

To celebrate Selina's birthday today (I am not allowed to say which one) we went to Windsor for much of the day. This involved kissing and cuddling in every place we visited; so I too enjoyed her birthday. We had lunch in 'The Crooked House', then toured Windsor Castle, as pictured. We spent the rest of the afternoon in shops, coffee bars and a pub before having dinner at a new Chinese Restaurant, two doors away from the Royal Theatre. 13.50 pounds buys as much as you can eat, far more than we wanted. The alcohol license was still to be granted so we were each given a free glass of wine.
At the theatre we saw the Agatha Christie play 'And Then There Were None', advertised as following closely the original novel. It was certainly gripping, with a typically devious plot.
One warning to visitors to Windsor: DO NOT use the car park immediately behind the theatre or any other privately owned car park. They use a clamping company but do not pay them. Result is over-enthusiastic clamping to make as much money as possible, see Windsor forum. We actually witnessed this happening.
Ideally we, the car-driving electoral majority, should have our own political party, pledged to re-introduce hanging, drawing and quartering for clamper scum, thus discouraging any others. As this will not happen, the only alternative is to starve the private car parks of funds by NEVER EVER using them. If the local authority car parks are all full, PLEASE DRIVE AWAY from Windsor and post to the forum explaining why you spent no money in the town.

Labels: Eating out, Grumpy, Theatre, Travel

posted by Peter # 23:52

Friday, October 31, 2008

Selina's advice to young men contemplating marriage

This evening, unusually, we went direct from home to The Cricketers in Horsell Birch. The band was the Redwing, comprising Kevin Scott (leader, banjo, vocals), Bernard Stutt (clarinet), Roy Stokes (trombone, vocal), Roger Sills (Sousaphone) and John Hall (drums). This is a real trad band with a large dose of humour. All the numbers were from the New Orleans period, e.g. 'Flatfoot', 'Gatemouth', etc. or from the Dixieland era, e.g. 'At The Jazz Band Ball', 'Davenport Blues', etc.
We danced to several numbers, including 'Riverside Blues' and 'Careless Love'.
Our favourite vocal was Roy Stokes' 'All of Me' and our favourite instrumental was Bernard's feature 'In The Upper Garden', which was totally new to us.
Funniest moment was when, during 'Big Butter and Egg Man' Kevin sang 'Who Do You Think You Are Kidding Mr Aldi, if you Think Old England's Done'. He obviously reads this weblog. Kevin asked Mary Stokes to take this picture of us.

Labels: Jazz

posted by Peter # 23:41

Thursday, May 01, 2008

Files of the Inquisition

Unusually this week we have watched television 3 nights in succession; the programme, on the UK TV History channel, was called 'Files of the Inquisition'. It is amazing to think that this abomination continued from 1233 to 1834. Even more amazing is that modern catholics show no shame or remorse. I realise that they were brainwashed as children but, in later life, do they never consider that they might belong to an evil institution ?

Labels: Television

posted by Peter # 20:01

Monday, April 21, 2008

Panama Cafe Orchestra with John Lawes

This evening we saw the Panama Cafe Orchestra at the Cricketers in Horsell Birch, Woking. The band comprised Dave Lowe (cornet, vocals), Richard White (washboard, cymbal, vocals), Chris Lowe (trombone), John Lawes (clarinet, vocals), Chris Houslander (sousaphone) and Dave Griffiths (banjo).
The pictures show the full band and Dave Griffiths wearing his latest beauty aid, flanked by the great John Lawes and our friend Tony in the forground. Our favourite numbers were:
Hoagy Carmichael's 'New Orleans';
Bix Beiderbecke's 'Davenport Blues';
Jelly Roll Morton's 'Kansas City Stomp';
'Washboard Wiggle';
Kid Ory's 'Savoy Blues';
and, best of all, John's vocal 'Sugar', which he sang looking at Selina (my sugar) as we danced.
At our table were; Alan 'Mr Sherry' Roper (who sounds just like my mother, describing Indian and Chinese food as 'foreign muck'), Brian Hicks (planning to pay a jazz band to perform for him yet refusing to pay entrance fees to gigs) and Rustom Patel (getting ready to display his classic Rolls and Fire Engine at various shows).

Labels: Jazz

posted by Peter # 22:51

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Aldi; not wanted here, go back to Germany

German discount supermarket chain Aldi has now had the roof tiles removed from the 'Green Man', a public house since the 16th Century and possibly before, in Burpham, Guildford, where we live. For many months the old pub has been boarded up in an unsightly fashion, presumably to wear down local resistance. Now they are pushing us further by making the building look even worse. Let me tell you again you evil Aldi Germans and your equally evil British quislings that the people of Burpham hate you !
This is a marginal political area so expect no support from local politicians.
To the staff of Aldi, I point out that you are working for an evil German Company and should be ashamed. To existing Aldi customers, I ask you to consider the alternatives for your shopping rather than provide income for such a rotten German organisation.

Labels: Grumpy

posted by Peter # 10:24

Saturday, July 28, 2007

Parcel force

I have often moaned about transport companies on this weblog but now Parcel Force has proved worse than even my expectations:
1) delivery took far too long
2) an attempt was made to collect import VAT from our customer, despite the fact that I had already paid by credit card
3) the relevant depot refuses to provide any receipt for this payment
4) I can only get a breakdown into VAT and other charges verbally over the telephone, no documentation is available.
The award pictured would appear to be worthless.

Labels: Grumpy

posted by Peter # 15:18

On Thursday evening we went to the Berrylands Hotel in Surbiton, to see and hear The Magna jazz band. The three excellent deputies (pictured) were Dick Charlesworth (clarinet and tenor sax), Dave Hewett (slide trombone and baritone horn) and Johnny McCallum (guitar). In the absence of Brian White, the band was led by Pete Towndrow who not only plays great cornet and trumpet but has a good jazz voice. His vocal on 'Smiles' brought a standing ovation from the audience. Other highlights were 'Some of these days' from Dave, Dick's vocal on 'Save the bones for Henry Jones' and my request for 'Samba de Una Nota So' featuring Pete on cornet with Rex Bennet providing the latin beat on drums. This is the second track from my 1960's Charlie Byrd record for which my request has been granted. The trick is to ask when Pete is in charge.
The other picture is of Sylvia Hewett, a regular reader of this weblog, to show she looks better than she imagines.

Labels: Jazz

posted by Peter # 15:52

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

High Beech, Essex

On Monday we stopped off between business visits at the Place of my birth, High Beech in Epping Forest. We were amazed that, despite the spread of London and the nearby M25, it was the same lovely spot. The picture shows the beautiful view, there is adequate car parking (at least in mid-week) and a friendly pub.

Labels: Travel

posted by Peter # 09:18

Sunday, June 04, 2006

Steve Lane's Red Hot Peppers at Catford

On Saturday evening we saw Steve Lane's Red Hot Peppers at The Rutland Arms in Catford, South-east London. The pub is a good jazz venue; comfortable seats, good range of real ales, wine available in 125 ml glasses and a baby grand piano. The musicians I liked best were Peter Bennetto (clarinet, alto sax), Grahame Humphreys (trombone) and Pam Heagren (vocals). Pam sat next to me when not singing so I heard her speaking voice first. Her singing voice came as quite a surprise; deep and rich in true jazz style. My favourite number was 'Streamline Train' a fast blues that could so easily have been in the early repertoire of Elvis Presley in his Sun Records days. Steve Lane is not very good with audio equipment so I had to set up the radio mike for Pam to use. We never discovered how to switch off the 'reverb'.

posted by Peter # 12:39

Thursday, May 18, 2006

The evil of Pay and Display car parks

Over dinner with business associates, the subject of pay and display car parks arose. I stated my belief that they were evil, as nobody can be sure how long they need to park, particularly at a hospital but also for general shopping. The result is accidental overstay and being fined for an accident. Furthermore, paying in advance at a machine that does not take notes or cards and does not give change requires the exact money to already be in one's pocket; impossible to guarantee. The worst example is Swanage, where one needs 2.5 pounds in change every time.

The counter arguments were:

1) Is it not the same everywhere so we just have to accept it.
Ans. No and I don't. There is at least one pay on exit car park in Guildford and weight of public opinion forced the hospital to change too.

2) Pay on exit requires an automatic barrier.
Ans. No problem, they work fine and investment is soon recovered as the car park becomes more popular.

3) Those that live in the town centre want to discourage visitors by all possible means.
Ans. Then the town will die and become a less pleasant place to live.

posted by Peter # 06:51

Saturday, April 22, 2006

Gene Vincent and Cliff Gallup

Yesterday we posted a package to a customer with the address 'Be Bop a Lula'. The older members of staff began musing about the probability that this is an ageing fan of Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps. I still have some of their recordings, including the first Race With the Devil, memorable for the highly original guitar playing of Cliff Gallup who inspired the young Jeff Beck. I could never catch the mumbled words on the record but the advent of the WWW reveals all.

posted by Peter # 10:35

Wednesday, January 18, 2006

Dick Charlesworth, Alan Dandy, Peter Morgan & Don Cook

On Tuesday evening we saw Dick Charlesworth playing clarinet and tenor sax with some vocals at the George & Dragon in Thames Ditton. He was accompanied by three of our favourite jazz musicians; Alan Dandy (keyboard), Peter Morgan (string bass) and Don Cook (drums). Peter and Don indulged in their specialities; Peter bowing and strumming the bass while humming in the Slam Stewart style and Don using the drumsticks on every fixture and fitting in the pub. We sat further back from the band this time reducing the exposure to cigarette smoke. Highlight for me was 'A Hundred years from Today' featuring tenor sax. I reject Dicks' description of it as dreary; it was beautiful !

posted by Peter # 09:42

Wednesday, December 21, 2005

Complaint to IEE Engineering Management

As one who was recently involved in the acquisition of another company, with the loss of most of its staff, I take exception to remarks attributed to Alan Fitzgerald in the article 'Cream in the Global Churn' in IEE Engineering Management Magazine December/January 2005/6. New regulations covering information and consultation of employees came into force in April 2005. Under the regulations, employees have a statutory right to information about and consultation on employment developments and substantial changes to the organisation of their work, such as a transfer of ownership. Failure to observe the regulations puts both the buyer and seller at risk of legal action from an employee. In our case, the seller had not informed his employees so we insisted on being indemnified against such an action.

The argument attributed to Fitzgerald is that employees won't work as hard if they know the company is to be sold. This suggests the answer to this problem is to 'tell them as you serve them their redundancy notices'? Does he think that employers have no responsibility to their workers ? Does he think employees work hardest for an employer who cannot be trusted to behave honourably ?

I have asked IEE Engineering Management to print an apology for these remarks as they could encourage IEE members to ignore statutory regulations.

posted by Peter # 09:48

Saturday, April 03, 2004

Nigerian 419 scams

Malcolm Reeves at Full Circuit read my blog about Nigerian scams. He recommends reading Beating 419 scams. His favourites are:

I LIKE TO WORRY SHEEP
and
A STUNT TOO FAR

(starring Klench Mychiques - Stuntman Extraordinaire)

But they are all pretty good.

posted by Peter # 06:27

Tuesday, February 17, 2004

Transport and the Environment

I submitted my views to the IEE consultants' chat line.

The greens and environmentalists want us to give up our cars and nothing else will do. I have news for them; we won't and we are the largest electoral group in the country so governments beware. Those are the facts.

Tinkering with public transport will never solve the problems of crowded roads at rush hours and school times but no passengers for transport to earn money during the rest of the day. The rush hours solution is simple enough; no office worker needs to travel to work every day. They can work at home or in local 'telecottages' where workers from different employers gather together to share equipment, facilities, high speed communications and social exchange. We need a government that is bold enough to 'pump prime' the feeble-brained big employers to accept this, using some strong carrot and stick.

I arranged for an attractive, intelligent, well-spoken woman from DEC to present this case to a Transport 2000 meeting. A row of scruffy men, who seemed to form some sort of environmental weirdo clique, tried to argue that this approach would never work. Eventually one of the speakers on their side of the argument admitted that his London-based company had its typing pool in Northern Ireland and this worked perfectly well. QED.

I wish I had such a solution to the school run :-(
Any ideas on persuading mothers (to do anything) ?

posted by Peter # 07:37

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