William's Study (Diary Of A Hyperdreamer)
August 2008
Tuesday 5th August 2008 -- 3:00 pm
Was my previous diary entry really six months ago? A shockingly quick passing of time and the longest gap in my journal so far.
There are several reasons for this, as I'll attempt to explain, 'though some of those reasons must, for purposes of practicality and discretion, only be superficially touched upon. The really short story is that it's been a tough period, one way or another and continues to be so.
Work, as always, has made it difficult for me to allocate enough time to write these pages but personal complications have contributed even more to my silence. There have been far too many depressing moments, things I haven't particularly wanted to write about...
But where do I start? How can I fill in the gaps in a manner that will be quick, practical and sparing of text? Thinking back through these last six months, there has been so much going on that a brief resume would not do events justice. Nevertheless, I'll attempt to keep this entry as economic and concise as possible whilst still retaining the essence of the situation.
The major topic of my previous diary entry was the death of my stepfather. Unfortunately, the aftermath of that event has caused my mother untold grief. Not only has she suffered the emotional anguish of bereavement but has since been forced to seek legal advice regarding what appears to be her late husband's lack of adequate and fair provision for her within his will.
I don't intend to go into specific details here as there is now an ongoing legal dispute, a dispute that must eventually be settled by a judge in a court of law.
However, I WILL say that, when my mother's friends, neighbours and family heard about the way she had been dealt with, their reaction, without exception, was one of shock and anger. The most commonly used expression seems to have been 'shameful.' Everyone said she should not ignore this, that she should stand up for her rights as a dutiful wife of long-standing.
As a result, she has sought professional advice, first from solicitors and latterly from Queen's Council and has been assured that, in their experienced opinion, the 'provision' made for her by her late husband is both unfair and inadequate.
Not wanting to enter into confrontation, she tried to talk reason with the beneficiaries of her late husband's estate in the hope of achieving some sort of settlement. Sadly, all attempts to negotiate have so far proved futile. In fact she seems to have been cruelly 'cut-off' by the aforementioned beneficiaries, a development which, some might say, speaks louder than words. As you might imagine, my own thoughts on the whole sorry mess are not only damning but unprintable...
Everyone I've spoken with considers it unforgivable that my mother has been made to endure such stress and anguish on top of all else she's suffered in recent years. The really sad thing is that this current unpleasant situation could have been avoided if fairness and love had prevailed in certain quarters. It's not just the financial issues, but also the ethical, personal and emotional ones. It's stresfull, hurtful and absolutely uncalled for.
Whatever happens, I'm determined to help mum to see things through to the end, (and, all being well, to finally resolve the problem).
Nevertheless, these events have left a bitter taste in the mouth, tainting memories and relationships that, in more reasonable circumstances, would never have have been tainted at all. My mother was married to George for 28 years, helped raise his children through their teens, looked after him through various illnesses, including his final, terminal one, and much more besides. Everyone has said that she deserves far more respect, consideration and kindness than has been shown to her.
Enough of this, I'll move on to other topics:-
Yet another negative development in our domestic life has been Emiko's unfortunate redundancy of a few months ago. This was due to a re-structuring/downsizing of the flower business where she'd been employed for the last eight years. Her income was always basic but, nevertheless, the loss of it has created a noticable and negative impact on our finances. Her input was of tremendous help to us in dealing with the cost of living. Now things have become even more of a struggle.
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Finding alternative work for her has proved difficult, partly because of Emi's age, (like me, she will be 60 this year), and partly because of the lack of genuine artistry and sophistication in so many of the local floral businesses. Many people just want generic, predictable floral arrangements. Emi approaches her work as an artist and finds it difficult to dumb things down for the mass marketplace. (Sounds familiar this, doesn't it?) Of course, the current economic climate hasn't helped matters much either. Small businesses are taking a battering, particularly independent ones.
Still, Emi's genuiness and natural talent will, I hope, eventually win the day. At least, that's my idealistic opinion. Right now, she needs all the support she can get. I'm trying to guide her towards setting up an independent, bespoke floral design service aimed at discerning customers who appreciate something special, a little more personal and refined than the approach offered by high street florists. But neither of us have much of a business head on our shoulders, being more focussed on creativity and quality, rather than chasing profits. Besides that, my own work is so constantly intense that it's difficult for me to find enough time to help Emi as much as I'd like. But, we'll see.
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Here in our home town, there seems to be more empty shop premises than ever. Locally-based firms appear to be going under on a daily basis. Walking around the streets can be quite depressing, especially when you come across businesses such as the renowned and long-established Scotts the butchers who, it seems, have finally shut up shop for good. It even seems that being featured on James Martin's tv celebrity chef show hasn't saved them.
I visited a local independent music store to buy some guitar strings the other day, ('Rock-Ola Music'). Whilst there I had a conversation with the shop's owner about the outrageous rates charged to small businesses by the local council. It does seem terribly unfair. What this city needs is more independents, not less. Much more diversity and not so much of the same old chain-store, corporate, identi-kit businesses that proliferate in every town and city in the U.K.
We really should buy far more regularly from these independent, local businesses than we do... and from recent experience, I can confidently point people in the direction of 'Rock-Ola Music' (in York), for helpful, knowlegable service. AND they stock 'Peerless' guitars!
Talking of which, my recently aquired (and very beautiful) Peerless 'Monarch' archtop guitar continues to be an absolute delight. I've been incorporating it continuously on recent recordings. It's one of those rare guitars that immediately win a permanent place in a player's heart.
My musical life has always been eclectic, incorporating many contrasting musical inspirations and aspirations and my guitar choices are subsequently dictated by a wide range of creative needs.
Whilst my initial career was predominately built on whatever reputation I'd established as a rock guitarist, jazz has always been an important, if subtle, element of my style. I was listening avidly to the great jazz guitarists long before I became a professional player with Be Bop Deluxe and I've always 'had a thing' about the sound and feel of a traditional archtop acoustic-electric guitar. My recent instrumental music fuses these long-time jazz leanings with rock, avant and ambient tendencies...it's not 'fusion' music but something beyond that, something personal.
The recently released instrumental albums, 'Silvertone Fountains' and 'Illuminated At Dusk,' provide particular examples of this approach. The guitar playing on them mixes more traditional, rich and luxurious jazz guitar sounds with bright n' shiny rock n' roll tones. (The former from my Peerless 'Monarch,' the latter courtesy of my Campbell 'Nelsonic Transitone' signature solid-body guitar and my Eastwood/Airline retro-styled instruments.) I've always derived a perverse pleasure from playing games with musical expectations, whether those expectations are mine or my audience's.
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As I've mentioned before in these diary entries, my passion for guitars and guitar-based music has been dramatically re-kindled in recent years. Not the guitar styles of current '70's revivalist young bands but something that bridges the gap between the more distant past and a romantic, imaginary future.., anything that avoids current predictable popularisms. Difficult to accurately describe, (which makes it difficult to market), but, hopefully, it speaks for itself to those ready to hear it.
Whilst on the subject of guitar-based bands, I came across an old photo of Be Bop Deluxe taken at the time when we were just a trio, prior to Andy joining the band. I was taken aback with my own appearance in it...I look like the mutant love-child of Rufus Wainwright and Prince! It WAS a long time ago but, my oh my, how the years rob us of our youthful good looks. Nowadays, I can't bear to see photos of my current self, too sad, too depressing, too worn and weary. But perhaps that's probably just vanity on my part.
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Daily life in my home studio has become hyper-intense in recent months, even by my usual workaholic standards. I've written and recorded a tremendous number of vocal and instrumental tracks, often working late into the early hours to keep things on course.
It's been a punishing schedule and I've become acutely aware of the negative effect it's had on my health...I'm feeling physically and emotionally exhausted. Some days I feel as if my soul has been scattered across some nebulous interior universe like the atoms of an exploding star. I wonder if this kind of self-inflicted insanity can ever be justified, bearing in mind the small and specialist audience my music attracts. The practical reward, (in terms that most people would understand as a reward for such non-stop hard work), is pitifully small in comparison to the concentration and energy expended.
Nevertheless, here is a list of tracks currently awaiting release in one form or another. It's up to date at the time of writing but is still being added to every few days:-
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VOCAL TRACKS:-
1: 'Welcome To Electric City.'
2: 'I Saw Galaxies.'
3: 'Once I Had A Time Machine.'
4: 'Oh Moon In The Night, I Have Seen Thee Sailing.'
5: 'Fountains Are Singing In Cities Of Light.'
6: 'Electric Trains, Clean Oceans, Clear Skies, Pure Air.'
7: 'Summer Hums In The Bee-Loud Glade.'
8: 'Time's Quick-Spun Globe.'
9: 'My Empty Bowl Is Full Of Sky.'
10: 'Help Us, Magic Robot.'
11: 'God Glows Green In Small Town Park.'
13: 'The Old Nebulosity Waltz.'
14: 'When Aeroplanes Were Dragonflys.'
15: 'Until All Our Lights Combine.'
16: 'Night Is The Engine Of My Imagination.'
17: 'When Rain Made Us Shine.'
18: 'The Golden Roundabout Rides Again.'
18: 'A Town Called Blue Tommorow.'
19: 'Mystery Vortex, (Oberon Touchstone.)'
20: 'A Million Moonlight Miles.'
21: 'The Sparkling Of Frosty Lawns. (Snowballs And Oranges.)'
22: 'No Time Says The Clock.' (Version One.)
23: 'No Time Says The Clock.' (Version Two.)
24: 'Yonder Gleams Your Star.'
25: 'How Many Miles To Babylon?'
26: 'Curate's Egg In Cup Of Grass.'
27: 'Strange And Wonderful, (That's My Life.)'
28: 'A Certain Thought Passed Through My Mind.'
29: 'Rain Falls Fast On Faded Ruin.'
30: 'Dig The Sparkles.'
31: 'Searching For An Island, (Off The Coast Of Dreams.)'
32: 'Just A Kid And All That Sky.'
33: 'Test Card.'
34: 'I Travel At Night.'
35: 'Signals From Earth.'
36: 'The Experimental Time Traveller.'
37: 'The Silver Darkness Whispers Yes.'
38: 'Heaven Is A Haunted Realm.'
39: 'Distant Years From Now.'
40: 'Golden Melodies Of Tomorrow.'
41: 'Cinnamon And Mint.'
42: 'The Emperor Of The Evening.'
43: 'The Rainiest Day In TheWorld.'
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INSTRUMENTAL TRACKS:
44: 'Mellophonia.'
45: 'Attempt To Re-Assemble My Fragmented Self.'
46: 'Rocket Billy Blues.'
47: 'Dance Of The Duane Eddy Twanglobots.'
48: 'Music For A Victorian Steam Cottage.'
49: 'Dreamland Airships.'
50: 'Artismo Loco.'
51: 'The Birthday Gift From Outer Space.'
52: 'Twang Rings True.'
53: 'Mars Welcomes Careful Drivers.'
54: 'Table Top Trainset.'
55: 'Thunder Heralds The Fairylight Parade.'
56: 'Cyclotron.'
57: 'The Phonograph Bird.'
58: 'Clear Skies A' Coming.'
59: 'The Standard Fireworks Stomp.'
60: 'Rotorbell.'
61: 'The Lost Art Of Doing Nothing.'
62: 'The Marvellous Model Kit.'
63: 'Frankie Surfs The Milky Way.'
64: 'The Walls Of Which Are Made Of Clouds.'
65: 'Ghosts Of Christmas Past.'
66: 'Teatime In The Republic Of Dreams.'
67: 'Dynatron Blues.'
68: 'The Way Things Go.'
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17 of the best vocal tracks will make up a forthcoming vocal album release titled 'Golden Melodies Of Tomorrow.'
38 other tracks, (a mixture of vocals and instrumentals), will go onto a special, limited edition Nelsonica convention DOUBLE album, to be titled 'Clocks And Dials.' The left-over tracks will form the basis of a further album, (as yet untitled), to be released towards the end of the year.
The majority of these pieces, particularly the vocal-based ones, (and particularly the 'Golden Melodies Of Tomorrow' tracks), are quite complex, epic works. They're constantly evolving compositions that rarely conform to standard rock or pop songwriting forms. Some pieces bring together several contrasting genres within the space of a single song, starting off in one place and ending up in an entirely different musical environment. They are not designed for quick, easy consumption but are perfect for listeners who enjoy following a progression of ideas, an interplay of details and layers. They're packed with melodies and sound textures.
I was hoping to announce running orders for both projects in this diary entry but I'm still fine tuning things on 'Golden Melodies Of Tomorrow.'
However, I CAN disclose the running order for the Nelsonica double album, 'Clocks And Dials.' The track listing on the two discs will be as follows:-
CD 1:
1: 'Thunder Heralds The Fairylight Parade.'
2: 'Mystery Vortex (Oberon Touchstone.)'
3: 'Test Card.'
4: 'Clear Skies A' Coming.'
5: 'Rain Made Us Shine.'
6: 'Music For A Victorian Steam Cottage.'
7: 'A Town Called Blue Tomorrow.'
8: 'Searching For An Island Off The Coast Of Dreams.'
9: 'Signals From Earth.'
10: 'Frankie Surfs The Milky Way.'
11: 'I Travel At Night.'
12: 'Just A Kid And All That Sky.'
13: 'Rain Falls Fast On Faded Ruin.'
14: 'Artismo Loco.'
15: 'Dynatron Blues.'
16: 'No Time Says The Clock.' (Version 1.)
17: 'How Many Miles To Babylon.'
18: 'The Rainiest Day In The World.'
19: 'Twang Rings True.'
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CD 2:
1: 'The Phonograph Bird.'
2: 'The Experimental Time Traveller.'
3: 'Dig The Sparkles.'
4: 'The Golden Roundabout Rides Again.'
5: 'Mellophonia.'
6: 'Electric Trains, Clean Oceans, Clear Skies, Pure Air.'
7: 'Yonder Gleams Your Star.'
8: 'Cinnamon And Mint.'
9: 'The Marvellous Model Kit.'
10: 'Curate's Egg In Cup Of Grass.'
11: 'Rocket Billy Blues.'
12: 'Distant Years From Now.'
13: 'A Certain Thought Passed Through My Mind.'
14: Oh Moon In The Night I Have Seen Thee Sailing.'
15: 'Dreamland Airships.'
16: 'Strange And Wonderful. (That's My Life.)
17: 'A Million Moonlight Miles.'
18: 'The Silver Darkness Whispers Yes.'
19: 'No Time Says The Clock. (Version 2.)
For readers awaiting these new albums, I can say that both the 'Golden Melodies Of Tomorrow' and the 'Clocks And Dials' albums will initially be made available at this year's Nelsonica 08 Convention on Saturday November 1st.
They will then be released more widely on the following Monday via the Dreamsville on-line store. As always, the quantity and availability of the convention album ('Clocks And Dials'), post-Nelsonica, will depend upon how many are left over once ticket holders have claimed their inclusive copies.
This year's Nelsonica convention is meant to be a little special as it will act as a sort of early birthday celebration party, as well as a fan convention. (As mentioned above in this diary entry, I'll be 60 in December.)
Preparation for Nelsonica 08 is already underway, not least with regard to the 38 track double album but also in terms of the integral concert performance and other programme events for the day. There's an increasingly strong possibility that a full band will be assembled to perform some older favourites, as well as my usual solo performance. In fact, there's just one component to put in place, band-wise, before I can confirm this as 100% certain but it does look as if there will be a SEVEN PIECE BAND performing at the convention, plus a solo set (and possibly an Orchestra Futura set too). The concert aspect of the convention has always been popular with attendees but the inclusion of a full band will make this year even more memorable.
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Full details of the band, its line-up and the name I'll eventually choose for it, will be announced both here in my diary and also on the Dreamsville Inn Forum and Nelsonica webpages as soon as the above mentioned final component is put in place.
Those people who have already secured tickets for the event will be guaranteed a rare oppportunity to hear a live performance of some classic back catalogue songs from the Be Bop Deluxe and Red Noise era, as well as some more recent contemporary solo instrumental pieces. For those who haven't yet got their tickets it may be wise to secure some sooner, rather than later, especially if hearing me perform some old favourites with a live band appeals. Ticket numbers are limited and once capacity is reached, there will be no further opportunity to see something like this for a long time, or, who knows, maybe ever, again.
As with all recent Nelsonicas, the biggest problem is how to fit everything into a single day. Once the convention's doors open, it's non-stop until closing time, around 11pm. It's always a tightly packed schedule of presentations and the live concert is just one of the highlights. So much work yet to do, for both myself and the team and time is rushing on.
Before all this, there is still one more new album release in the pipeline. This is 'Mazda Kaleidoscope,' the third part of the triolgy begun with 'Silvertone Fountains' and 'Illuminated At Dusk.'
The first two albums of the trilogy have been very well received by those who obtained copies.
'Mazda Kaleidoscope' carries the concept a little further with much longer pieces and a slightly more abstract approach. It is, even if I say so myself, a beautiful and mysterious set of tunes. The packaging artwork is now complete and the album should be available towards the end of this month (August). Here's the final track list/running order for 'Mazda Kaleidoscope':-
1: 'ALL THE WORLD FLIES KITES TONIGHT.'
2: 'BLUE SKIES LISTEN, THE UNSTRUCK BELL.'
3: 'THE NEBULOUS ADVENTURES OF NEWTON KYME.'
4: 'LAMPS ARE LIT IN THE LAND OF TOMORROW.'
5: 'YES AND ALWAYS AND FOREVER.'
6: 'EVENING ILLUMINATOR.'
7: 'MAZDA KALEIDOSCOPE.'
8: 'THE TRACE WE LEFT WHEN ALL WAS GONE.'
Despite my heavy work schedule and time spent helping my mother, there have been a couple of snatched moments where I've been able to get away from my studio, if only briefly.
I actually managed to attend two concerts in June. The first of these was a celebration of the work of composer Ralph Vaughan-Williams who passed away 50 years ago this year. The concert was held at York Minster on June 21st and was performed by the York Musical Society Choir and Orchestra, (A full orchestra of strings, brass, woodwinds, harp, percussion, etc plus a choir of 115 singers.) The programme featured Vaughan-William's 'Five Mystical Songs' as well as the evergreen 'The Lark Ascending, (A Romance For Violin And Orchestra)'.
Well, what can I say that might do the experience justice? It was simply stunning, achingly gorgeous, wonderfully performed and rapturously received by a packed minster audience. Emi and I were both moved to tears by the poignancy and sheer beauty of the music. Unmissable.
The second concert was an open-air affair, Eric Clapton in concert at Harewood House near Leeds on June 29th. Emiko and I had generously been provided with guest tickets by Eric's management and we had a very enjoyable evening despite it becoming a little chilly once the sun had dropped to the horizon. Our guest status allowed us to use a separate hospitality enclosure with bar and toilets which made matters a little more comfortable. We're both unused to festival type concerts so anything that made it a little more comfortable for such 'old folks' as us was most welcome! Our friends Steve Cook and Sarah had bought tickets for the concert too and we met up with them, pre-show, for drinks and a snack at a nearby pub.
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When Eric took the stage, we joined Steve and Sarah in the audience to enjoy the concert. Eric was an important inspiration to me in the 'sixties, from his Yardbirds period, through John Mayall, Cream and Blind Faith. My band 'Global Village' actually covered a couple of Blind Faith songs, back in the day! We'd also cover Cream numbers, literally learning them from the albums on their day of release. We'd be playing them in local blues clubs the following night, before many people had actually heard the album that they were taken from.
I'd last seen Eric perform 'in the flesh' at 'The Last Waltz' in San Francisco in the 'seventies. My band, Be Bop Deluxe, were playing the same venue the following night and we were booked into the Miyako Hotel where all the musicians involved in The Last Waltz seemed to be staying. I was given guest tickets to that event and a backstage pass too. I've documented my experience before in this diary and on the Dreamsville Forum so won't repeat it here, other than to say it was a fabulous show, as anyone who has watched Martin Scorcese's film of the event will know.
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At Harewood House, Eric's playing was sublime and his band were faultless. A great choice of numbers too, not purely blues but some other items including a standout performance of George Harrison's 'Isn't It A Pity' and a wonderful rendition of Hoagy Carmichael's 'Old Rockin' Chair.' Eric continues to inspire musicians and does so with dignity and grace. It was also my pal Steve's birthday so the concert was an apt way to celebrate.
One particularly nice surprise in recent weeks was receiving a lovely letter from Robert Douglas, author of the marvellously atmospheric and moving autobiographical book 'Night Song Of The Last Tram.'
Regular readers of this diary will be aware that the book became the inspiration for a track of the same title that I composed and recorded for my 'And We Fell Into A Dream' album. Mr. Douglas had been informed of this fact by his publishers and they'd sent him a copy of the album along with my diary reference to his book. He then wrote to me to tell me how flattered he was.
The truth is it is me who is ultimately flattered as I was absolutely bowled over to receive Mr. Douglas' generous and kind letter. I've been meaning to write back to thank him but, due to pressures of work and family as mentioned above, I'm deeply embarrased to say I have yet to drop him a line. I MUST try to do this very soon and also see if I can dig up a spare copy of my published diary to send him as a thank you. But it was a great and extremely pleasant surprise. Moments like that are rare jewels in this 'business' of making music. I treasure them.
Whilst on the subject of literature, I continue to slowly inch my way through a mountain of books at my bedside. A few minutes of reading every night, before my eyes close, is all the time I've been able to spare, book-wise, of late. Here are a few of the ones I've attempted to digest:
'The Best Of Jazz' by Humphrey Littleton.
'Duke Ellington And His World' by A.H. Lawrence.
'The Longest Cocktail Party' by Richard DiLello.
'The Secret History Of The World' by Jonathan Black.
'Music Downtown' by Kyle Gann.
'Considering Genius' by Stanley Crouch.
'Moondog, the authorised biography' by Robert Scotto.
I've been particularly impressed by the 'Music Downtown' book, a collection of published articles and essays on various American contemporary composers and musical artists. It's one of the most perceptive, passionate and entertaining critiques of modern music I've ever had the good fortune to read. I found it stimulating, informative and intelligent but would dread laying my own work in front of this fellow for his assesment! He has good things to say about my pal Harold Budd though.
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Supposedly the height of summer here in the u.k. but rain hitting my studio window as I type. It's been a very poor summer so far. I did manage to take my mother out for a day at the Yorkshire coast, just over a week ago, when the sun actually shone allday long. It was a glorious day...we drove first to Reighton Gap, a place my mother hadn't visited since the 1950's when we used to holiday as a family there. I've written about this place in earlier diary entries but the basic story is that my mother and father were good friends with a couple called Herman and Ada Ackroyd. They owned a wooden, pre-war seaside bungalow at Reighton Gap. They allowed Mum, Dad and me, and later Ian when he was born, to have holidays there in the 1950's. There are photos of that time in my 'Memory Codex' video. Anyway, I have very fond memories of those holidays and thought I'd take mum back there to see how little or how much it had changed over the intervening years. The old wooden bungalows on the clifftop have long gone, replaced by large, static caravans but the line of the surrounding landscape is just the same.
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We wandered a little further along the clifftop to a fairly isolated spot and gazed out at the sea for a while. Just before we were about to drive away, I spread my map open on the car boot to plot our next route. A car pulled up nearby and a man got out and walked towards the cliff. As he passed by he looked over in my direction, then paused and came over to me. I thought he may be needing directions and perhaps, as I had a map in my hands, presumed he was about to ask me the way. I was totally surprised when he spoke. He said: "Excuse me, aren't you Bill Nelson?" When I replied that I was he then said, "I'm a huge fan of your music. Your music changed my life!" Well...what an amazing compliment and how nice to be recognised in such an out-of-the-way spot! It made my day.
Later, Mum and Emi and I drove to Flamborough Head and had ice cream at the little cafe nearby the lighthouse before taking a gentle stroll around the surrounding cliffs. The sky and sea were a wonderful blue, so warm and delicate. It was a tonic for mum, and for me. I've spent far too much time indoors this year and being out in that east coast sunshine, albeit briefly, really lifted my spirits for a while. From there we drove to the village of Sewerby and to an unfortunately fly-infested pub called 'The Ship' where we ate fish and chips for dinner before driving back to Wakefield via the Yorkshire Wolds.
Since then, it's been back to the busy work schedule, solicitor's meetings and associated concerns, and helping my mum with her supermarket shopping. I travel over to Wakefield a couple of times per week to take her out and I telephone her every morning and evening to check on her well being. My other pre-occupation is finalising the running order for 'Golden Melodies Of Tomorrow' and working with David Graham on the packaging artwork for the album.
Next up will be artwork for 'Clocks And Dials.' Looks like this one will be a digipak. Then I'll need to master the 38 tracks for 'Clocks And Dials' and the 17 tracks for 'Golden Melodies.' This will mean booking studio time at Fairview with my friend John Spence. There's also a long list of work I need to do in preparation for Nelsonica 08. Plus, I'm hoping to put together a compilation album for release early next year, focussing on some of my favourite instrumental guitar tracks, an album I may place with a distributer to put into shops and out for review. I plan to call this album 'Plectrajet,' something to attract possible listeners who may not have previously been aware of my work in this area.
I'll maybe do the same with a vocal compilation album too. Try to spread the music a little wider?
So still no proper respite or chance to take a decent break. A proper holiday would be wonderful but it is a luxury I cannot afford, either time-wise or economically at the moment. Maybe next year.
Yet another long diary entry...and still I haven't told the whole story of the last six months. This will have to do for now...I'm all typed out.
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The images included with this diary entry are as follows:-
1: Some of Bill's favourite archtops from his collection. The Peerless Monarch is lower centre.
2: A 'Golden Melodies' flyer.
3: Bill with his Peerless Monarch jazz guitar.
4: Be Bop Deluxe in trio form. (1970's.)
5: Bill and his Mum at Reighton Gap, 2008.
6: 'Plectrajet' teaser ad.
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