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I watched the ninth and final episode of Masters of The Air today. Very good!

I also watched The Bloody 100th, an hour long documentary on the subject of the series. Also very, very good.

At the very end, one of the original airmen says: ‘The freedoms we enjoy were bought and paid for… the generation of WWII deserves to be remembered.’ I heartily concur!

Not only ought we remember the massive blood sacrifices made. We must sedulously guard what little social gains that profligate expenditure of blood bought, such as the NHS.

But, getting back to the series and the supporting documentary…

This final episode draws all the threads together, ranging from guys still flying to those who, one way or another, had to bale out, and make it home (or not) via German captivity, or other various routes.

When ‘Rosie’ and crew are too badly shot to to get home, he makes sure they get to airspace where they can bale out over Russian – or ‘friendly’ – territory. But it’s still an adventure fraught with risk.

Buck, Bucky, and many others, meanwhile, are in Kraut captivity. The drama of their bids for freedom is also highly exciting.

And then there’s the eventual ending. Which we all know must eventually come. And I think they handle this very, very well. It makes for one of the most poignant moments in the whole series.

I think it’s shame they didn’t make the series as big as BoB, or Pacific. But this was still excellent. And whilst it’s divided critics, I’m very glad it was made. And I enjoyed watching it.

The above was on the floor by the door when I got home. Along with this:

I’ve not had a chance to glisten to this last instalment of UWB goodness as yet. And I have other rather pressing things looming at present.

But as soon as time allows, I’ll be sure to let those good ol’ South’n Ca’lina boys medicine me with their musical magic.

The Last Willie n’ Testicles I’ll attend to in dew coarse… i.e. later.

SEVERAL DAYS LATER…

Ok, so ‘other things’ have blown over now. ‘So Long, Baby’ sing Uncle Walt’s Band. And that’s one of the several tracks on this compilation that aren’t on their other discs (even the expanded ones).

My God, these guys are great!!!

David Ball has several tracks on here that are the scaling the heights to become personal favourites, such as ‘Stay With The One’ and ‘Holding On’. Beautiful chordally and rhythmically and harmonically, with as much Jazz and Folk in them as Country. And gorgeous arrangements. Simple but effective.

One of their local contemporaries – I forget who now – said something along the lines of, ‘There are three great singers in Austin, and they’re all in the same band.’ Listening to this wonderful music it’s easy to think he wasn’t wrong.

I need to check with Omnivore, and co, but it seems there are drums on some tracks* (poss Walt’s sister?), and even the tracks that are duplicated between releases might be different versions… need to check if that’s the case, or not?

In the car I’m groovin’ with these hep cats, as they play ‘Gimme Some Skin’, whilst outside a cold but sunny day has turned to skate grey skies and heavy rain. And now I’m treated to another Anthology exclusive, ‘Whatever Reason’.

I think I like their rendition of One Meatball better than Ry Cooder’s. Ryland’s is ace, of course. But the vocals on the UWB version? Fabulous!

Then we return to the solid and familiar Walt gem ‘Shine On’, a great ode to keepin’ on keepin’ on, before hitting their latter day hit, ‘Getaway’. I think some director of a film or TV show used this number. And what a corker. The chorus is almost a calypso. It’s utterly lovely. It’s also a live performance, as well! Wonder if there’s a studio version?

This disc would be worth the asking price for this gem alone. But of course you get so much more. It’s a veritable treasure chest of rootsy booty.

Can’t recommend these guys highly enough. And the fact Lyle Lovett loves them so much makes me want to check him out more.

* There’s definitely a snare played with brushes on ‘Sitting On Top Of The World’.

I remember seeing the above record cover reproduced in another of my jazz album cover books. I love the mood it suggests, or creates.

Now, it may not be the hippest way to build a collection, but these ‘eight classic album’ type compilations at least put acquiring some of this great music within viable reach. Blue Hour is one of the eight on this set.

I think I’d like to create a couple of collections: one of as much of the music itself as I can get hold of; the other of framed prints of my favourite Blue Note album covers. The latter to be liberally put up around our home, and in the music room/office (and art studio?).

I didn’t do a ‘before’ shot, of just the Laurel, pre-prune. But you can see it in right back of the above pic’.

I’m finding it’s getting in the way of finishing the ponds, and maintenance on the green room frame. So it’s getting a drastic haircut. Laurels grow back really fast.

It’s also good, as it provides a change of view for the Spring. Teresa wasn’t happy about it tho’! But the. She almost never is when I do anything I consider improvements! But esp’ so re pruning.

What Teresa did want me to cut back, was the dead Box hedge. Box Blight has done for my little hedge. So sad! It was just about getting to be big enough to be shaped/trimmed.

I still need to dig out the roots, and get rid of them. But after that, what are we going to put in, in place of the dearly departed buxus? I want something with small leaves. So laurel is out. Privet, perhaps?

So, next thing is, I guess, tidy up what’s left (e.g. a bit more laurel pruning), and get the waste to the dump. That’ll have to wait for tomorrow.

I found doing this today utterly exhausting. Worryingly so. Hey ho… let’s hope some time soon this constant exhaustion will pass/cease?

Oh yes! This just arrived, ‘pon our return home, from a pleasant walk along the river Nene.

Well packaged, thank goodness…

The books a big 400 page affair. Lavishly illustrated. It’s a stunner!

This also arrived today. I got it as much if not if not more for Charles Kynard’s contribution. That said, I do love Stitt, who’s a very fiery player.

This was originally released on Pacific Jazz. Who would soon thereafter also put out Kynard’s debut recording as a leader.

I’m looking forward to getting more by Chuck! I should have a section of Jap’ reissues from his Mainstream period arriving fairly soon. Including Your Mama Don’t Dance, which is the album that introduced me to him.

This is the second Groove Hut release I’ve recently acquired. The other being a two-fer of Jack McDuff recordings, featuring Grant Green. Another instance of me buying as much for the ‘also starring’ role as the headline name.

I may have to investigate more of their catalogue? But let’s get back to Uncompromising Expression…

There are loads of beautiful spreads in this book. Which has clearly been put together as a labour of love by folk who dig the original Blue Note vibes.

From simple black and white images with colour tints, to images such as those above and below, which celebrate the richness of these iconic designs in their multiplicity, variety, and aesthetic homogeneity.

Breathtaking. These montages could easily be a dictionary definition of the expression an embarrassment of riches.

I can see that this meaty tome covers the whole story, from way back when, up to the present. It’s fab seeing the story told visually. And I hope that it’ll be as much fun reading the texts?

And if like me you love to nerd out on the whole thing – not just the music itself, but the history, the guys behind the scenes – this looks like a good place to go.

It’s fantastic to see so many pictures that weren’t used in finished product. They just add to whole magic and mystique.

It’s quite astonishing that any creative enterprise could be both so fecund, and yet so focussed. There seems to have been an animating spirit at work, that gives everything a wonderful cohesion.

Spreads such as those above and below almost let you feel part of the process. You can imagine the scenarios, and the desire to set up and capture imagery that will make a good visual analogue or counterpoint to the music.

To me the whole Blue Note thang has a kind of alchemical magic, which somehow touches every aspect of every part of the process. And I’m doing so it does what great art is somehow all about, transforming the everyday and mundane, via whatever language it might be – music, photography, typography, design – into something sublime.

And so it is that, in the end, the fabulous music at the heart of it all kind of sanctifies everything that facilitates it, or radiates out from it.

I have a number of books, some almost purely visual, some more textual, about both Blue Note specifically, and jazz records more generally. But this one looks to me, on first perusal, to be particularly fine.

So, it’s clearly time to rack up the records (or CDs in my case), and listen to loads of Blue Note recordings, whilst reading or just gaping in wide eyed admiration at this gorgeous book.

I’ve been saying for some time that when I/we tidy up, we’re really just shuffling stuff around. Once again the chest o’ drawers was piled high with crap. Once again I’ve (more or less) cleared it. Once again it’s mostly just moving stuff from one pile of clutter to another.

We are planning to let out the Blue Room, to Antonio, our Spanish brother-in-law. That’s partly what’s causing the latest tidal wave of stuff. Plus I set my drums up in the drum room/office. So all the stuff stored in there and the Blue Room has flooded the rest of our tiny domicile.

Me just now. Tired. In fact shattered. As normal.

We went to mum’s earlier today. Part belated Mother’s Day visit, and also checking in on her post hip op’.

I tried a pano’ pic, to get everyone but me in. Teresa moved, so I’ve edited her out, as the double exposure looks freaky! But I got everyone else in.

We had tea n’ cake. Inc. a lovely lemon cake Amy made. very nice!

On the drive over the skies were quite dramatic, with lots of cloud, occasional squalls of rain, and quite a lot of sunshine. Didn’t spot any rainbows. But there were some amazing rays of light breaking through the broken clouds.

Is it just me? Or is it kind of nigh on impossible to really see one’s own face? We take others in at a glance. When of course they are way too complex for us to really sum up in a second. Yet we do.

But ones’ own face? We can’t separate it from the teeming universe of thoughts, feelings, and whatnot, that fizzes away inside almost constantly. At least that’s my experience.

At Teresa’s insistence I went oot in’t garden. To see the budding buds. Very lovely!

Cherry #3, out front, flowered a while back. Now #2, affectionately known as ‘The Stump’, because it arrived here as a log (with a little sprouting bit!), is coming into flower.

The ‘Green Room’, in back of this shot, needs some attention; rotting wood cutting out and replacing, and general filling, painting and weather-proofing.

The plum tree is in a sheltered corner. And is growing very slowly. Perhaps due to limited light?

All in all, rather pretty and lovely.

Tories are already using draconian measures, brought in allegedly under the mantle of dealing with such things as Islamic extremist terrorism, to target eco-activists.

Tory twat MP Brendan Clarke-Smith has said this: ‘This outrageous decision has given the green light to people looking to commit all manner of appalling crimes in the name of religion to justify their extreme political ideologies.’

He’s referring to the acquittal of these frightening folk:

He’s not talking about a suicide bomber, or machete wielding maniac, but about peaceful protesters.

Their ‘appalling crime’? Traffic disruption. Their ‘extreme political ideology’? A very sound evidence-based concern that government and big business might not be looking after the best interests of the environment/us/our future.

Sadly David Nixon – sent to prison for eight weeks for contempt of court (for mentioning the reasons behind his protest actions) – doesn’t have a dog collar.

Nor is he a man who has committed violence against a woman, for which the very same Judge Silas Reid has infamously handed down far more lenient sentences.

His crime is to place his conscience before the letter of the law. And the letter of contemptible laws at that. I think it’s only right that we hold in contempt that which is contemptible. To not do so is a betrayal of one’s own conscience, or total submission to repression.

These contemptible laws are those that the Tories have been busily putting in place since Brexit. The kinds of repressive laws that are the real reason they wanted out of Europe.

This is the post-Brexit ‘sovereignty’ of Toryism. The freedom for judges (the elite) to bully juries (the hoi polloi), and take us back in time, to Darker Ages.

Nixon is a care-worker. Reid is a lackey for the repressive right. Nixon will be living on a modest wage, and is clearly thinking about the good of others. Both in his work, and in his protesting. Reid, on a massively bloated salary, is an agent of Tory repression.

Talking about such increasingly common UK legal rulings, Professor James E. Hansen, former NASA scientist and ‘godfather of climate science’, has said:

The cruelty of such ‘know nothing’ judges is not so much to the defendant as it is to our children and grandchildren.

found here

And no wonder Toryland UK wanted out of the EU, or any other similar collective endeavour that might take the moral high ground, when the UN is saying this sort of thing:

In the UK, courts have prohibited environmental protesters from putting forward defenses based on “necessity” or “proportionality”. They have also forbidden protesters from mentioning climate change, thereby preventing them from explaining the reasons for their protest. Courts have held convicted environmental defenders who disregarded this prohibition in “contempt of court” and imprisoned them for up to 8 weeks…

Courts should not impose limitations on environmental protesters’ right to a defense, including to explain their motivation for engaging in protest, and should take into account these motivations in their decisions.

This comes from a UN report titled State repression of environmental protest and civil disobedience: a major threat to human rights and democracy. And it’s not talking about North Korea, China or Russia, but the UK!