CalumCarr's Take

A little measure of Brandi will help you see the day.

Turpentine                                                        Brandi Carlile

I’ll let you choose the last B word.

I’m in the middle of birthdays and building masses of flat-pack furniture and so no time for any blogging other than my music posts.

Next Sunday is looming again and I await inspiration although that may have to be substituted by sweat.

Thereafter I hope to see a bit more of time for me.

We stay with classical music.

Giuseppe Torelli : Trumpet Concerto in D   Alison Balsom
Allegro;  Adagio - Presto - Adagio;  Allegro

Bach chorales you.

Bach  
Chorale for organ "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme"
[Awake, the voice calls us]

This is my third post from an article written by Mark Wignall which appeared in the Jamaica Observer.

“The common thread in the scandals which broke ….. is the ease with which politicians use lying as their first resort in any interface with their electors, the general public.”

Clang!!

Yesterday I posted an extract from an article in the Jamaica Observer which described one aspect of politics.  Today I use a different extract which gives an outline of the scandal surrounding a payment made by Trafigura.

“When Trafigura Beheer — a Dutch company that was contracted by the Government of Jamaica to lift Nigerian oil and sell it on the open market -- made electronic transfers of $31 million to a bank account named CCOC Association in the latter part of 2006, it opened a can of worms for the then PNP Government.

For the benefit of those who came in late, CCOC stands for Colin Campbell Our Candidate. The account was set up for the specific purpose, one would imagine, of holding funds for Campbell as he ran as a candidate in elections. That is pretty standard business.

One assumes that at the time of the Trafigura transfers, because the matter was hush-hush, Campbell -- who was general secretary of the PNP and minister of information in the Government -- decided to utilise his CCOC Association to receive the Trafigura funds and not an account named People's National Party or PNP. That's the assumption, especially if we acknowledge that government and party politics enjoy an easy congruence with the concealment of certain actions.

Funds were then removed from the CCOC Association by Colin Campbell and lodged in SW Services Limited, which is an account bearing a strange resemblance to South West as in South West St Andrew constituency.

Again, for those who came in late, in August of 2006 Trafigura President Claude Dauphin had paid a visit to then Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller, MP for South West St Andrew. Whatever was discussed in that courtesy call has not been made public, but when the fires were lit, Mrs Simpson Miller told the nation that Dauphin had stopped by at Jamaica House to personally congratulate her being a woman occupying the highest office in the land.

It is however quite possible that Mr Dauphin as head of Trafigura, a company then embroiled in many international breaches, simply wanted a face-to-face with the head of a Government who was in charge of allowing Trafigura to make easy money off Jamaica. We know that it would have been more than likely that Dauphin would extend best wishes to Simpson Miller in her future political endeavours.

The month after that meeting, Trafigura made its 'donation', or 'gift' as the PNP called it, while, under more pressure from the press in Jamaica and in its own country where such 'donations' are forbidden by law, Trafigura said the money was payment for a 'commercial transaction'.”

Thank you, Mark.

Judy Collins sings a great Pete Seeger song.

Turn, Turn, Turn                  Judy Collins with Pete Seeger

 

Loneliness is

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Emptiness

I wrote this 20 or so years ago.

I

I

I wonder

I wonder sometimes

I wonder
Sometimes
Why

I wonder
Sometimes
Why I wonder

I know
Sometimes
Why I wonder

I know
Sometimes
Why

I know
Sometimes

I know

I

Clearly I knew a lot more then than I do now or else I was a bigger fool then because now I KNOW that I know nothing [other than I know nothing now].

I came across an article which seemed as though it could have been written about the UK. 

Are politicians not held in high regard anywhere?

Do politicians deserve to be held in high regard anywhere?

Please read these few lines  - an extract - written by Mark Wignall.

“Whenever politicians are in opposition they are quite eager to bare all, especially any dirt they can pick up in the hope that the columnist will shovel it onto the ruling administration. They have all of the correct answers to the nation's ills. Then power comes and with it a radical transformation.

.

.

.

While in opposition it is standard that all political parties promise 'openness' should they be elected. Hogwash! Party politics and governments are fraternal orders and, by their very nature, are secretive bodies. The big question is, if they purport to represent all the people, and it is physically impossible for them to whisper individually in each person's ears, why not just be candid and express the mandate from a loud, open platform?

It seems to me that the objectives of politicians in power bear little resemblance to the treacle promised while on the campaign trail. Why is this so? To me, the best explanation can only be that politics and a large part of the operations of government surround the secret cutting of deals to benefit a select few.

Taken to its extreme, it is frightening, but it could mean that political parties are basically special interest groups with the objective of raiding the public purse through the special allocation of jobs, or more likely, handing money resources to contractors, all for the benefit of those in the group. In this shady arrangement the people and the country are secondary.”

Mark writes about Jamaica but …..

 

I may use another extract tomorrow.

A very old film today – 1928 – of Uncle John Scruggs who, according to an unsubstantiated Wikipedia entry “ …. was an American banjo player, born a slave. There exists video of him performing the folk ballad “Little Log Cabin Round the Lane” in a minstrel style. The footage was taken by the Fox Movietone News, in Powahatan, VA on November 8, 1928. Uncle John Scruggs played 5-string banjo in the traditional clawhammer style. There are no other known recordings of his music.”

Here we have that film.

Little Log Cabin the Lane                  Uncle John Scruggs

Thank you, John.

Charlie McNair stands at the bottom of your bed.

Hiawatha Rag                        Charlie McNair Skiffle Group

If you enjoyed my main show on Perlman you may want to listen to the three videos here.

When I feature classical music I select only one movement and the ninth and last video in the main show was the second movement of Bruch’s Violin Concerto No 1.  This was so magnificent that I have decided to display all three movements in this Extra.  I see this as a one-off simply because Perlman made such an impression on me.

Alongside the videos are comments about the music from two sites.  Bullet points and text.  I hope they enhance the experience.

Bruch                                   Violin Concerto No 1 in G Minor

• A concerto is usually in 3 movements (fast-slow-fast)
• Bruch took about 3 years to complete the work taking advice on its final form from other people including Joseph Joachim, a famous Hungarian violinist.
• The romantic concerto was all about the soloist being a star, much like today’s film stars. The composer would write difficult technical passages to display the soloist’s virtuosic skill.
• People say this concerto is the peak of romantic music using clear lyrical melodies. Other composers, such as Wagner, had begun to be deeply influenced by politics, philosophy and psychology.
• Bruch wrote 3 violin concertos but this is the most famous and is one of the most well known concertos for the violin.

Movement 1                               Prelude: Allegro moderato

The first movement is unusual in that it is a Vorspiel, a prelude, to the second movement and is directly linked to it. The impression it gives towards listeners is almost like a smooth army march, yet an anticipatory feeling prevails throughout. The piece starts off slowly, with the melody first taken by the flutes, and then the solo violin becomes audible with a short cadenza. This repeats again, serving as an introduction to the main portion of the movement, which contains a strong first theme and a very melodic, and generally slower, second theme. The movement ends as it began, with the two short cadenzas more virtuosic than before, and the orchestra's final tutti flows into the second movement, connected by a single low note from the first violins.

• This concerto has 4 short cadenzas written by Bruch (two at the opening and two at the end). This was unusual and broke away from the traditional form of having one cadenza at the end of the movement, which is often improvised.
• Notice the use of unison string writing to create drama.
• Bruch is incredibly skilled at balancing the orchestral sound and not drowning out the soloist. One of ways he does this is with pitch – high violin cutting over low orchestra sounds.
• The end of the movement may seem difficult to spot as it is linked to the second movement by a single note – this was a technique used previously by the German composer Mendelssohn. It may have been to stop the audience clapping and not break the mood.

 

Movement 2                                                                 Adagio

The slow second movement is often adored for its powerful melody, and is generally considered to be the heart of the concerto. The rich, expansive themes, presented by the violin, are underscored by a constantly moving orchestra part, keeping the movement alive and helping it flow from one part to the next.

• This movement is the real heart of Bruch’s violin concerto.
• It is in 3/8 which means you can count 3 beats to each bar of music.
• Notice how the orchestra give beautiful introductions to the solo violin.
• See if you can hear segments of the violin melody played by other sections of the orchestra.

 

Movement 3                            Finale: Allegro energico

The third movement, the finale, opens with an extremely intense, yet quiet, orchestral introduction that yields to the soloist's statement of the exuberant theme in brilliant double stops. It is very much like a dance that moves at a comfortably fast and energetic tempo. The second subject is a fine example of Romantic lyricism, a slower melody which cuts into the movement several times, before the dance theme returns with its fireworks. The piece ends with a huge accelerando, leading to a fiery finish that gets higher as it gets faster and louder and eventually concludes with two short, yet grand chords.

• The third movement, or Finale as it is often called, is usually exciting and fun in character. There is a calling motif played in the strings that is then heard in the clarinets and oboes. See if you can spot this motif as it gets used throughout the movement.
• Bruch uses a technique called double stopping – more than one note played on the solo violin at the same time.
• Some of the melodies are evocative of Hungarian folk melodies; people say this may have been a gesture of warmth to the Hungarian violinist Joseph Joachim to whom the concerto is dedicated.
• Towards the end Bruch uses all the romantic dramatic techniques available: the orchestra gets faster, higher and louder and the soloist leaps from low to high.

 

 

Thank you for sharing this music of the Gods.

Hello again to my Sunday morning show which almost didn’t appear.  As late as Friday morning I was resigned to making an apology:  I had no show, no artist, no theme.  I’ve found concentration difficult to come by these last few weeks and I had done nothing to build a show. 

But then everything fell into place.  Having dropped my younger child at school the thought of “doing” violin virtuosos popped in as I drove home.  Immediately I knew this would work.  As chance would have it the first virtuoso I listened to was Perlman.  I knew the name – that was all – but from the first few notes I knew, for reasons I’ll give later, that this show was his.

Ah!  The show preparation moved effortlessly on as I floated on a wave of pure musical magic.   I hope you enjoy Perlman’s music as much as I did in discovering it.

Now, after that ramble, you can take a couple of minutes to get your coffee, find a comfy chair and prepare your ears for a feast. 

I should point out that this is the longest show I’ve done – 9 videos, 64mins – and so if you want to view and listen a few tracks at a time please feel welcome.  I’ve put all the music in a playlist – Itzhak Perlman – Sunday Morning Coffee. You might want to have YouTube set to play all the videos and read my blog as the music goes on.  Whatever you do is fine by me.

_____

Sarasate:                             Zigeunerweisen (Gypsy Airs)

This was the first Perlman piece I found and I was entranced immediately by his sound but much more than that.  His music was not just the sound, beautiful as it was: the violin was of him and he was the music.  That was the point at which he became the focus for the show and at which I was captured by his brilliance.

The music starts after a 1m 50sec introduction but it is worth the wait!

I don’t think I’ll comment on each piece because I’ll simply repeat myself.

_____

Perlman was born In Tel Aviv in August 1945.  He contracted polio when he was 4, now walks with difficulty even with crutches and plays sitting down.

_____

 

Vivaldi:   Four Seasons – Winter  -  Movement 2  Largo

Less than 3 minutes but if heaven sounds like this then take me there now!

_____

Perlman moved to the USA to study in 1958 and became well-known that same year by appearing on the Ed Sullivan show.  If you want much more biographical detail then please read these 3 articles:  Wikipedia, IMDb, IMG Artists.

_____

Bazzini:                                  La Ronde des Lutins Opus 25

I suspect this piece is often used to show off one’s skills and Itzhak has skill in spades.  Enjoy this demonstration.

Bloody hell!

_____

Next up we move to

Tchaikovsky:                         Violin Concerto in D Opus 35

One YouTube comment is,

“this man was accidentally born as a human. He was actually supposed to be a violin.”

I understand this comment.  Listen.

_____

Gershwin: Summertime    with the Modern Jazz Quartet

_____

Now with four tracks to go it’s time for a break, more coffee, stretch the legs, make sure you haven’t died and gone to heaven.

_____

Next up is some Bach but Bach as I’ve never heard it before.

Bach: Partita No 3 in E for solo violin 
                                                       Menuet, Bourree, Gigue

 

Of this world but out of this world.

_____

Carlos Gardel:                   Tango from ‘Scent of a Woman’

Here Perlman plays a tango from the film, Scent of a Woman.

This has very few YouTube plays but is worthy of millions more.  I have never heard music played like this.

_____

A paucity of words this week but they’re not needed.  Now some more Tchaikovsky.

Tchaikovsky:                      Serenade Melancolique Op 26

Another YouTube comment is,

“People "play" the violin. Perlman gives it life.”

I think this is what I was trying to say about him.

_____

Last up is a piece which, apparently, is well-known.  I didn’t know it but I do now.

Bruch:                                        Violin Concerto No 1 – Mvt 2

The recording is slightly hissy but I would have died happily rather than omit this.

I have never – and I really mean this -  encountered such beauty.  A man, a genius, at one with the universe.  Thank you Max and Itzhak.

_____

Every week I rave about an artist or a performance but never in my life have I heard a violin sound like this nor heard music of this quality.  As I listened today with my eyes closed I could feel every emotion, see the entire world.  If ever I discover this again I shall be a lucky lucky man.

Itzhak Perlman, your gift is God-given but thank you for sharing its fruit with me.

_____

 

Thank you for listening and I look forward to seeing you next week.

The rains have failed to fall on Chez Carr, the grass is dusty, brown and bone-dry.  A few spots only will refresh the ground and spur fresh green growth but until these drops arrive the grass remains in limbo.

Other than music my blog too is arid.

The rains will come!

It’s April today.

April Come She Will    Art Garfunkel

Tony Rice and friends with high-class picking.

Nine Pound Hammer                      Tony Rice All Star Jam

I sent this email to Trafigura’s media office:

Dear Sirs

More than four months ago you were kind enough to send me a copy of the Summary Report of an environmental audit  produced by WSP.   Unfortunately this contained little detail and little new information and so I asked that you send me copies of the three constituent reports.

-   Works in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Volume 1 – Exploratory Investigation Report, referenced 12024964-001 and dated April 2009;
-   Works in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Volume 2 – A Contextual Assessment, referenced 12024964-002 and dated April 2009; and,
-   Works in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Volume 3 – Follow-up Investigation, referenced 12024964-003 and dated July 2009

That you have not done so baffles me.  Clearly, these reports contain information supportive of your stance and there can be no reason for them not to be made public.  Once again I ask that you forward these three reports to me at this address so that I can put them into the public domain.  You might want to take the different option of making them available on your website.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Kindest regards

CalumCarr

I am holding my breath until they reply!

Interestingly I received an instant Out-of-Office auto-reply from a Bell-Pottinger employee although the message was sent only to Trafigura.

Also of interest is that I sent two more test emails to Trafigura but got no auto-reply from Bell-Pottinger.  Is there so little in my life that I have the time to play these little games?

Andy M Stewart  - quite a bit older than the days when I saw him in Silly Wizard – sings of the dangers of trying to give up the single life.

The Errant Apprentice                               Andy M Stewart

Not all coupling experiences end in this way but I think he is right to highlight some of the dangers.

Has anyone had an experience like this one?

Sabicas and his guitar await you.

Malaguena                                                                   Sabicas