I post a weekly diary of historical notes, arts & science items, foreign news (often receiving little notice in the US) and whimsical pieces from the outside world that I often feature in "Cheers & Jeers".
OK, you've been warned - here is this week's tomfoolery material that I posted.
CHEERS to Bill and Michael in PWM, our Laramie, Wyoming-based friend Irish Patti and ...... well, each of you at Cheers and Jeers. Have a fabulous weekend .... and week ahead.
ART NOTES — an exhibition entitled Jean-Jacques Lequeu: Visionary Architect, Drawings from the Bibliothèque nationale de France— whose works were never realized during his time (1757-1826) due to the French Revolution and were considered grandiose — will be at the Menil Drawing Institute in Houston, Texas to January 5th.
LANGUAGE NOTES — this Financial Times essayist notes that while Americans saw the testimony of Fiona Hill as that of an educated woman speaking to a roomful of men … Brits noted her northern England accent, a definite handicap in a nation where “received pronunciation” is the norm … and thus, coming to the US (as was also the case with Alexander Vidman) helped her advance professionally.
HAIL and FAREWELL to the Oscar-nominated actor Danny Aiello— known for his roles in Do the Right Thing (1989) and memorable appearances in Moonstruck (1987), Jacob's Ladder (1990) and Hudson Hawk (1991) and whom I recall seeing on Broadway in the comedy The House of Blue Leaves (1986) — who has died at the age of eighty-six.
THURSDAY's CHILD is named Milo the Cat — who went missing from his crate at Dulles airport after an international flight two months ago …. but was finally located thanks to efforts by airport employees and the USDA Wildlife Services.
MEDICAL NOTES — while it is a sports story, this fascinating article about former major league baseball pitcher Bobby Jenks addresses a larger issue, double-booked surgeries — in which doctors at noted medical centers went from suite to suite, working for hours on multiple patients at once, at considerable risk.
FRIDAY's CHILD is named Nibs the Cat— a Nebraska kitteh who went missing for several days …. before he was located by construction workers in the foundation of a home that was being built.
MUSICAL NOTES — I have profiled in this space before the late pianist Mose Allison — the “nexus of jazz and blues” in one writer’s eyes and the composer of blues standards Parchman Farm and of Young Man Blues (popularized by The Who on “Live at Leeds”). Three years after his death, a tribute album has been released … and to show the wide spectrum of musicians influenced by him: among the stars on this album are Taj Mahal, Iggy Pop, Chrissie Hynde, Bonnie Raitt, Richard Thompson, Loudon Wainwright III and Jackson Browne.
BRAIN TEASER - try this Quiz of the Week's News from the BBC.
GRANDFATHER — GRANDSON? — Academy Award winner Henry Fonda and the convicted former Rep. Chris Collins (R-NY).
...... and finally, for a song of the week ...........................… a quick look at four British folk-rock singers who came to prominence in the late 1960’s to 1970’s. All have had some successful solo recordings, and one has made her living primarily under her own name (although she has been a part-time member of name bands). Three were born in 1947 and a different three are best-known as lead singers in a famous band — which exist (on-and-off) to this day.
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One of the latter group is the late Sandy Denny— who was a college student (and singing in clubs at night) when she had a fateful encounter with a (then-unknown) Paul Simon, who encouraged her career. Small wonder, as she had a voice seemingly from another era: with lyrics of old English folktales brought to life.
She was later asked to join the British band Strawbs, where she first recorded her most memorable tune Who Knows Where the Time Goes— which Judy Collins famously recorded in 1968. Later that year, the band Fairport Convention lost its lead singer Judy Dyble, and while they did audition other candidates:
Band member Simon Nicol said that she stood apart from the other singers "like a clean glass in a sink full of dirty dishes” and according to their manager Joe Boyd: “We knew we were actually auditioning for her.”
She joined, and the band began to move away from US-influenced folk-rock towards more English sounds. In her three year stint, she and Fairport Convention issued three albums (the last of which was their celebrated Liege & Leif) which are among the most famous British folk-rock albums, with their song Tam Lin my favorite.
She left Fairport Convention in 1970 (although some believe that she was fired due to anxiety over travelling) and the All Music Guide’s Richie Unterberger believes that neither she (nor the band) ever measured up as well in their future recordings, though both recorded extensively — and she was a guest vocalist on Led Zeppelin’s The Battle of Evermore. She had a drinking problem, and after suffering several falls (one of which down a flight of stairs went untreated) the trauma led to her death in April, 1978 at only the age of thirty-one.
Also born in 1947 and who will turn age seventy-two on New Year’s Eve is June Tabor— whose voice has an emotional quality almost unmatched, and blends both timeless traditional songs along with her own interpretations of modern songwriters. She has largely been a solo artist, yet collaborates with others.
In fact, her first notable project was with someone who will be featured next: Maddy Prior, on their 1976 album they called Silly Sisters— with several noted UK guitarists such as Martin Carthy and Martin Simpson on the album.
Since then, she has recorded over twenty albums (often accompanied by Martin Simpson on guitar) with 1994’s Against the Stream considered her gem (with traditional tunes and covers of works by Richard Thompson and Elvis Costello) and also a nice cover of the Lou Reed song All Tomorrow’s Parties.
This year she has toured with two bands she is an occasional member of: the Oysterband (of “Oxford Girl” fame) and a trio named Quercus (with more of a jazz feel to it).
That brings us next to the aforementioned Maddy Prior— one of the founding members of Steeleye Span— who will turn age seventy-three on January 6th. She played in Blackpool pubs in her youth (along with a young Donovan Leitch) and developed a singing style that the All-Music Guide’s Timothy Monger described as “having charisma and a powerful, distinctive voice that could easily fit between sweet and salty (plus anything in-between)”.
She and her folk-duo partner Tim Hart founded Steeleye Span in 1970, with a 1975 hit single All Around My Hat. She married the band’s bassist Rick Kemp (though they divorced years later) and she has also released side projects: solo albums as well as the aforementioned Silly Sisters duo with June Tabor (releasing a follow-up album in 1988). Steeleye Span is near the completion of a 50th anniversary tour (with guest guitarist Martin Carthy) that concludes in London next week.
Lastly, the one singer born in 1943 is Jacqui McShee— who will turn age seventy-six on Christmas Day. She began working in British folk clubs in 1966, where she began performing alongside the virtuoso acoustic guitarist John Renbourn. And the following year, she joined him and equally virtuoso guitarist Bert Jansch in forming Pentangle— which was part of the Big Three of UK folk-rock bands along with the aforementioned Fairport Convention and Steeleye Span.
Jacqui McShee had a wide range of influences besides traditional folk, and she shared an avid interest in Gospel/blues along with Renbourn and Jansch. The most representative song of that era was Light Flight with its ethereal yet grounded blend of traditional folk. The original band split in 1973, with Renbourn & Jansch forming their own duo and the remaining band did have numerous other personnel changes.
In 1995, the band moved into more of a folk-jazz mode (with the addition of saxophonist Jerry Underwood) and the group was re-named Jacqui McShee’s Pentangle. In 2007, they did a wonderful rendition of the traditional She Moves Through the Fair.
Today the band tours infrequently— and the deaths of deaths of Bert Jansch in 2011 and John Renbourn in 2015 would prevent the original band from reconvening again — yet is still a going concern and Jacqui released a 2013 traditional folk solo album entitled Take Three.
For a song: how about a 1988 Silly Sisters performance (with Maddy Prior and June Tabor) Almost Every Circumstance — written by the Irish male folksinger Colum Sands — that seems to capture the essence of this retrospective music profile?
x xYouTube VideoThe first time I met my love was on a Monday morning, And the second time I saw her was a Tuesday afternoon; When she kissed me on a Wednesday, I couldn't wait for Thursday, But I can tell you now, my boys, that Thursday never came.
My love, she took the wintertime and turned it into springtime, I never thought that love could change the world so much before; I gave my heart and in return she promised me the summertime, But I can tell you now, my boys, that summer never came.