TO WHERE I AM NOW

So for those readers using the phone, the ‘issue’ is fixed but we’ve had to remove the red background to do it. As so many people use their phone to read the blog we had to fix the formatting and John and Olivia worked on this today, we will see if we can do something beyond the white background in the future. For me today it was sessioneers, sessioneers, sessioneers! After so long away from the archive and the studio (2 months) I’m finally back, fighting through the Cornish wind and rain to get inside, unpack the records, settle in and go to sleep! I managed to make it to bed around 4am, but I had to be up for Tony in Sydney sesh at 10am so not quite enough sleep and then throughout the day, Kevin in Atlanta, Joanne in Portland, Doug in Wappinger Falls and Jed in Minneapolis. I did fit in the League Cup Final inbetween, plus the latest Picard over dinner and half an Expanse after Jed. I just wanted to say how amazing it is to see all the sessioneers progress and thank everyone for listening. Not just today, but all the other days with all the other sessioneers, just inspiring to see.

So a sedentary first day and now still sitting here, but listening to Lotus by Santana. A CD version of the triple album of jazzy Latin Rock magic and the unique sound of Carlos Santana and his band. I saw him in a restaurant once in Marin Heights on the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge. I couldn’t bring myself to say Oye Como Va or even Hello, but I do appreciate such an original player as him. Lotus was recorded live in Japan in 1973 and released in Japan in 1974 and Europe in 1975, oddly, it wasn’t released in the US till 1991.

It’s great to be back in the archive, surrounded by all the records, the artifacts and the books. I have a NAD amp, B&W speakers and a Linn Sondek turntable, but the turntable and the amp have been in the ‘fix me’ tray for years. I came back to everything working, fixed whilst I was away and I can’t believe the sound, wow! If you aren’t listening to your music on a proper sound system you are missing out on so much. Sure, a good song sounds great on a transistor radio, but the quality sonic experience is another world of joy. I will never get to hear all the records in the archive, but just playing them one by one and hearing them like this is pure inspiration.

You may wonder what’s that I’m holding in the photo. Or you may have figured out what it is and be horrified. Yes, it’s a Ziggy Stardust Barbie doll! I can only imagine that it was in the works before Bowie died as it’s a Bowie estate approved product. It’s one of the curious items we have in here. We could be the vege hard rock cafe with all these fascinating items, interesting guitars and thousands of records. There was a time when I had a guitar in the Hard Rock Cafe, was it in Sydney? I remember donating my black suede boots to the Hard Rock in LA, the ones on the Hindsight t-shirt, I’m sure they must have thrown them away when I left.

I heard from Paul (Wild Swans) today, can’t wait for the album to come out. I also saw Nicklas from Anekdoten left a message on the Abbey Road post. He’ll be here soon, I hope the coronavirus doesn’t scare him off, we are all alive down here, fresh air outside and music in the air inside. I’m keeping it short today, I have another early morning tomorrow, sesh with Stephen in Melbourne and then I simply must take Olivia by the hand and wander down to see the sea, that moody entity, that capricious beast, that mesmerizing force that inspires awe and fascination, rather like music.