'Leading the Cheers' by Justin Cartwright

17 January 2008

Having enjoyed reading 'The Promise of Happiness' by Justin Cartwright (reviewed here a couple of weeks ago) I was looking forward to trying his earlier novel (and winner of the Whitbread Novel Award) 'Leading the Cheers'. It's quite a different book, however, and I'm afraid it didn't engage me as much as 'The Promise of Happiness'. In 'Leading the Cheers' a middle-aged returns from London to his high school reunion in Michigan where he discovers that his clear recollections of his childhood are not as accurate as he thought. The search for the truth about misremembered events is complicated by the unreliable memories of each of the protagonists - one of whom is now too busy remembering his previous life as a member of a Native American tribe. I liked the idea that "life is like one of those old masters which reveal something more interesting underneath when they are cleaned or x-rayed." Although the book is very well written, because it is in the first person and I didn't find the narrator sympathetic or even particularly likeable I found it hard to get into it. Set against the backdrop of the Clinton/Dole presidential election there are repeated references to the controversial euthanasia proponent Jack Kevorkian, serial killers and Ralph Waldo Emerson - but I couldn't really see the connections that I think were being suggested. Having said all that, once I got going it was an interesting read with some nice plot twists - but overall I felt like I was floating disinterestedly through the book - much like its narrator!

'10.0' by Berrogüetto

10 January 2008

I've been enjoying '10.0' - the CD by Galician folk/pop group Berrogüetto. Accordion and fiddle makes their tunes sound like Celtic or Scandinavian folk while harsh Spanish consonants give the songs a little extra bite. Some tracks have a more Eastern European feel and there is also a hint of Gypsy jazz (a la Hot Club de France). This mix reminded me of the Canadian folk group from Vancouver, The Bills (reviewed here in May 2006). Despite the complexity Berrogüetto is easy listening - joyous music.

‘The Snow Queen’ By Neil Duffield

4 January 2008

Last night we were at The Stables in Wavendon to see their Christmas show for children ‘The Snow Queen’, adapted by Neil Duffield from the story by Hans Christian Andersen. This was the second annual collaboration between The Stables and the Watermill Theatre in Newbury. It was a high quality production with clever use of set, costume and live music. There was a great sense of pace (particularly in the second half) and some genuinely scary moments. Nice to see straight drama for children among the plethora of pantomimes.

'The Night Watch' by Sarah Waters

4 January 2008

I raced through the 480 pages of Sarah Waters' novel 'The Night Watch' during the Christmas break. It's a gripping romantic thriller set in wartime London which follows the fortunes of four characters whose lives cross in a variety of ways. But 'The Night Watch' varies from most tales of London in the Blitz in two ways. Firstly, if you've encountered Waters' earlier novels 'Tipping the Velvet' and 'Fingersmith', it won't surprise you that the majority of the relationships described here are all-female. Secondly, the narrative of 'The Night Watch' happens in reverse: the book is divided into three sections, the first of which is set in 1947, the second in 1944 and the final pages in 1941. This gives the novel a peculiar fascination as you gradually unravel how the characters arrived at where you first find them. I'm not giving anything away (as it happens at the start of the book!) by telling you that all four main characters survive the war but no-one gets a particularly happy ending. I found it a thrilling puzzle of a book, albeit with a very bleak, sad outlook.

'A Christmas Carol - Ikrismas Kherol' adapted and directed by Mark Dornford-May

4 January 2008

Between Christmas and New Year we headed into London to the Young Vic theatre to see Mark Dornford-May's adaptation of Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol' performed by his company of young black performers from Khayelitsha, South Africa. It was a great spectacle with a cast of 30, some great acting, wonderful singing, lovely stagecraft and amazing dancing. Shifting the story to a South African township worked effectively to highlight how little we have progressed in the last 150 years in terms of 'ignorance' and 'want'. I liked the parallel between the mine of Northern England where the conditions he encountered inspired Dickens to write 'A Christmas Carol' and the South African diamond mine scenes at the start of the play. I thought the back-projected film in the 'Christmas past' section was a little over-used and, at times, the hustle and bustle of the action obscured some of the dialogue. But it was an enjoyable and inspiring production and I was bowled over by the fantastic choreography (by Lungelo Ngamlana).

'The Promise of Happiness' by Justin Cartwright

3 January 2008

I hadn't heard of Justin Cartwright until I was given a copy of his novel 'The Promise of Happiness' though he has quite a few books and several literary prizes and nominations to his name. I really enjoyed 'The Promise of Happiness' - a study of modern family life which bears comparison to 'The Corrections' by Jonathan Franzen. As with 'The Corrections' the story unfolds, in turn, through the eyes of two elderly parents and their three grown-up children as they move towards a family gathering. In Cartwright's book the narrative leads to a reunion in Cornwall after the elder daughter is released from an American prison. The alternating narrative viewpoints maintain the momentum and manage to elicit your simultaneous sympathy for several opposing points of view. Recommended.

'The Golden Compass'

3 January 2008

I am a big fan of Philip Pullman's 'His Dark Materials' novels and was thrilled by the wonderful National Theatre adaptation a few years ago so I was both eagerly anticipating the film version and worrying that it might not live up to my expectations. I enjoyed 'The Golden Compass': excellent casting (Nicole Kidman perfect as Mrs Coulter and there aren't many films where you get Ian McKellen, Christopher Lee, Derek Jacobi and Tom Courtenay for your money), amazing special effects (particularly the daemons) and, after a slightly slow start, a thrilling sense of adventure. But I was disappointed when the film ended before the climax of the first book. 'Northern Lights' has an absolutely stunning finish - devastatingly tragic and amazingly exciting - which leaves you desperate for the second novel. In the National Theatre production the first of the two plays finished at this point leaving audience jaws dropping. In contrast the film disappointingly petered out. Having said that, until then it was well done and I am looking forward to the sequel.

'Gould's Book of Fish' by Richard Flanagan

2 January 2008

David Lack introduced me to 'Gould's Book of Fish - a novel in twelve fish' by Richard Flanagan. It's an incredibly clever book. William Buelow Gould was a real convict transported to Van Dieman's Land in 1828. Flanagan fictionalises Gould's story, giving us a gritty realist picture of an early Tasmanian prison colony - a horrible, brutal place - 'Papillon' relocated off the coast of Australia. But despite the detailed realism nothing is quite what it seems. Firstly the book is set within a framing device in which a modern-day Tasmanian forger discovers and becomes obsessed by Gould's memoirs (written in the margins of his book of fish paintings) but then loses the book and decides to re-write it from memory. So what we are reading is his half-remembered version of what Gould might have written - giving Flanagan license to take the story very gradually, subtly and incrementally into increasingly surreal territory. (This re-telling by a fictional author within a novel reminded me of Philip Roth's 'American Pastoral'.) All of which was very impressive but I'm afraid it didn't really engage me - I found the grotesque characters, violent events and oppressive conditions fairly hard-going and didn't really sympathise with anyone. I reluctantly struggled through most of the book only to encounter a great 'Usual Suspects' twist at the very end which almost made me want to go back and read the whole thing again - almost but not quite. For a much more engaging (and very funny) account of early Tasmanian history I would recommend Mathew Kneale's wonderful novel 'English Passengers'.

'Go Marko Go!' by The Boban i Marko Markovic Orkestar

20 December 2007

I've been listening this week to the new Boban Markovic album 'Go Marko Go!' (now credited to The Boban i Marko Markovic Orkestar): while there are a couple of tracks I'm not sure I would have included there are several tunes that bowl me over every time - the tremendously funky 'Latin cocek', the slightly cheesy ballad 'Cig (Avalanche)' and the frenetic and amazingly exciting 'Dzumbus Funk' - wow!

'Clare in the Community' (Series 4) by Harry Venning and David Ramsden

17 December 2007

We headed into London last Friday for our first visit to the BBC Radio Theatre in the basement of Broadcasting House. We were there to see the recording of two shows for the new series of 'Clare in the Community' by Harry Venning and David Ramsden (previously reviewed here in January 2007). It was great - still one of the best things on Radio 4. It always impresses me how slick radio actors are - recording a half-hour show in a single take then only needing a few small re-takes to amend minor slips. It was wonderful to see Sally Phillips whose facial expressions are just as funny on radio! And it was fascinating to watch those actors playing multiple parts - sometimes within the same scene. It is interesting how low-tech radio drama still is - all the actors clustered around a single microphone clutching their scripts - the technique hasn't really changed in the past fifty years. The new series of 'Clare in the Community' goes out on Radio 4 on Wednesday mornings at 11.30 am starting on 16 January.

Northampton Symphony Orchestra concert

11 December 2007

This year's Northampton Symphony Orchestra 'Christmas Cracker' concert last Sunday had a teddy bear theme - featuring 'The Teddy Bear's Picnic', 'The Tame Bear' and 'The Wild Bears' from Elgar's 'Wand of Youth' and the narrated piece 'Paddington Bear's First Concert' by Herbert Chappell. The stage was festooned with teddy bears of all shapes and sizes and, when trumpeter Nick Bunker made his traditional fancy dress entrance at the beginning of the second half, he was inevitably disguised by a full bear costume - looking remarkably like he had just won the Turner Prize! Carols, film music ('E.T.'), mulled wine and mince pies and Leroy Anderson's 'Sleigh Ride' left us in no doubt that Christmas is definitely on its way.

'The Three Musketeers' by Mike Ames & Steve Allen

10 December 2007

Barry has been painting the outside of our house and when he told me he was a regular pantomime dame my first reaction was to say "oh no you're not!". But it turns out that Barry is a leading member of the Tread the Boards Theatre Group in Milton Keynes so last Saturday we were at the Madcap Theatre in Wolverton to see this year's pantomime. In a move that would please Mark Pemberton, Tread the Boards had avoided the usual suspects in favour of a new adaptation of 'The Three Musketeers' by Mike Ames and Steve Allen. Rather a loose adaptation it has to be said - incorporating 'The Man in the Iron Mask', 'Phantom of the Opera' and 'Cyrano de Bergerac'. The musketeers (motto: "All for one and every man for himself") were obviously played by women. Barry was not playing the dame this year, instead doubling at the King of France and the front half of a great pantomime horse. The plot was perhaps a little ambitious for some of the younger members of the audience: I'm not sure they really followed the finer points of French politics though, by the end, they had certainly latched onto the need to boo Cardinal Richelieu vociferously. The quality of acting and singing was naturally a bit mixed but there was a great show-stealing performance from Ian Nutt as the Queen of France and some fine mugging from Sally Hulme as D'Artagnan. And as one of the villains was skewered by a sword in the final scenes she fell to the floor shouting "save me a part for next year!".

'Segu Blue' by Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba

6 December 2007

For many people ‘world music’ really means West African music. The prominence of international superstars Youssou N'Dour and Baaba Maal has focused the attention of world music promoters and media on a small number of West African countries. But for me much of the most feted of this music sounds too like familiar American or European pop with a slight African tinge. I do have a soft spot for the retro fusion of the great big bands of the 1970s: the Rail Band of Mali, Bembeya Jazz of Guinea and, particularly, Orchestra Baobab of Senegal whose reunion album of 2002 ‘Specialist in All Styles’ first turned me on to the world music scene. Their Cuban/African sound is always infectiously danceable and I have fond memories of seeing them at the Derngate in Northampton in 2002. But my favourite West African artists are those who use traditional instruments and styles to create distinctively modern, serious and beautiful music. I particularly like the Wassalou music from Mali as sung by the clear strong voice of Oumou Sangaré or the more breathy vocals of Rokia Traoré. Rokia Traoré’s 2003 album ‘Bowmboi’ is a much played favourite of mine – a series of intensely rhythmic, sparsely decorated songs featuring the twang of the ngoni and the mellow xylophone sound of the balafon (and including two amazing tracks with the Kronos string quartet). As with much African music it makes much more sense when you dance to it: I saw Rokia Traoré at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in 2003 and every song lasted about 6 times longer than the recorded versions as she repeatedly lost herself in her joyously exuberant dancing. Many of the best CDs of traditional Malian music in recent years (including albums by Toumani Diabate and Ali Farka Toure) have featured the virtuoso ngoni playing of Bassekou Kouyate. The ngoni is a small guitar-like instrument that looks like a rough hewn wooden cricket bat with a few strings strung along its length and creates a quiet, deadened twang. Bassekou Kouyate comes from the hereditary griot tradition and is the outstanding ngoni player of our time. I have been listening this week to his own CD ‘Segu Blue’ (with his band Ngoni Ba) which is definitely one of my albums of the year. I saw him perform at this year’s Womad Festival and he was captivating. This music is quite unlike anything else and takes some listening (and dancing) to really appreciate – but that, of course, is an essential part of it’s appeal.

'the very best of éthiopiques'

29 November 2007

I don't usually buy compilations or archive recordings - wary of the amount of money I spend on music, and the number of hours in the day I have to listen to it, I generally restrict myself to new albums - but this week I have been listening to a 2 CD selection of Ethiopian music from 40 years ago - and it is remarkable. The flowering of Ethiopian popular music in the 1960s - incorporating Western instruments and influences but retaining the distinctive pentatonic scale and asymmetrical rhythms of the country's traditional music - was severely curtailed in 1974 by the new Mengistu regime's curfews and censorship which lasted until 1991. In recent years the golden age of Ethiopian music has been rediscovered, largely because of the efforts of one man - French record producer Francis Falceto who, from the late 1970s, starting collecting vintage recordings on reel-to-reel and vinyl that have so far formed the basis of 23 volumes of the 'Éthiopiques' series of CDs. To help us find a way in to this mammoth treasurer trove, Falceto has this year created a 2 CD sampler: 'the very best of éthiopiques'. It's addictive listening: to my ears there is a degree of 'parallel universe syndrome' about it. When John Williams was writing the music for the cantina scene in the original Star Wars film, George Lucas told him to imagine “several creatures in a future century finding some 1930s Benny Goodman swing band music in a time capsule or under a rock someplace – and how they might interpret it”. The music of swinging sixties Addis Ababa reminded me of this quote: electric guitars, saxophones and Hammond organ are used to create something completely unique but strangely familiar. The elements of naff produce the epitome of cool: highly recommended.

'Belshazzar's Feast' by William Walton

26 November 2007

Once a year our two local choral societies, Danesborough Chorus and Milton Keynes Chorale, join forces to stage a major work. Last night we were at Milton Keynes Theatre to see them perform Walton's 'Belshazzar's Feast' accompanied by the Milton Keynes City Orchestra and conducted by Ian Smith. The evening started with the only cantata by John Ireland, 'These Things Shall Be' - a lovely piece I hadn't come across before which shows the influence of Elgar but also includes hints of Stravinsky and Debussy. Though I've heard it before I had never attended a performance of 'Belshazzar's Feast'. It's dramatic stuff with the original 'writing on the wall' which tells the king and his guests that they have been 'weighed in the balance and found wanting'. Walton's music is appropriately terrifying and magnificent featuring the full power of the enormous chorus, an extensive array of percussion instruments, two harps, additional (offstage) brass and a fine baritone solo from James Rutherford. An ambitious undertaking (you could palpably feel the intense concentration of the participants!) Danesborough Chorus and Milton Keynes Chorale achieved an impressive, exciting performance.

Vieux Farka Touré

23 November 2007

Last night we were at The Stables to see Vieux Farka Touré - son of the legendary Malian blues guitarist Ali Farka Touré who died last year. Ironically Vieux is remarkably young - he'll hopefully grow into his name - but he is already a fine guitarist very much in the style of his father. He has that same ability to make his electric guitar talk and sing in upbeat and distinctively African blues. His band are tight and slick - with the best drummer I've seen for ages. Vieux has been catapulted into the limelight by his father's name and might have benefited from first serving an apprenticeship as guitarist in someone else's band: his stage presence (entry, exit, patter etc) need some work. But his music is highly recommended - if you haven't heard any other examples of Africa's recent reclaiming of the blues you could do worse than start with Vieux Farka Touré. His first UK tour has still to visit Reading, Southport and Glasgow and his acclaimed eponymous album is out now.

'Kurr' by Amiina

20 November 2007

I am grateful to Tara Connaghan for alerting me to the Icelandic group Amiina whose album 'Kurr' I've been listening to this week. The cover photo shows the four girls sitting at a table: they are knitting but they look remarkably like they might be about to play the table in the manner of Karbido (reviewed here a couple of weeks ago) and the sounds they make are equally peculiar and entrancing. Amiina create miniature instrumental soundscapes: as if they have been locked in the school music cupboard overnight, the girls try out a wide variety of instruments including strings, woodwind, brass but mainly loads of tuned percussion. Gentle, quiet, repetitive and soothing.

'Kaushiki' by Kaushiki Chakrabarty

20 November 2007

Despite my enthusiasm for 'world music', it took me some time to start to appreciate Indian classical music. My way in was a label called 'Sense', based in Leicester, and specifically the album 'Kala' by the exceptional young exponent of the North Indian violin, Kala Ramnath. Perhaps there was something about the familiarity of the violin rather than sitar or sarod - though the North Indian style sounds quite different to the violin of western classical music - but 'Kala' captivated me. With Indian classical music (and profound apologies to real afficionados!) you can't really dip in and out - you need to settle back and listen to the whole piece, letting it wash over you and latching on to the repetitive figures which gradually, and very subtly, change to take you seamlessly from the slow alap (introduction) to a frenzied climax. Other 'Sense' recordings I would recommend include 'Samwad' (violinist Kala Ramnath with sitar player Purbayan Chatterjee), 'Akaash' (Rahul Sharma playing the santoor - a type of hammered dulcimer), 'Drive East' (shorter, lighter tracks by the group Yashila, featuring Kala Ramnath) and 'Pure' (by the young vocalist Kaushiki Chakrabarty who won a BBC Radio 3 Award for World Music last year). This week I have been enjoying the new album by Kaushiki Chakrabarty (also on the Sense label), simply titled ' Kaushiki' - a 3 CD set full of variety and beautiful singing.

'The Glass Cage' by J B Priestly

20 November 2007

We were at the Royal Theatre in Northampton on Saturday to see 'The Glass Cage' by J B Priestly - an interesting, unfamiliar play set in Toronto in 1906. The McBane family prepare to welcome three young cousins - the children of black sheep Uncle Charlie - whom they have never met. These three mysterious strangers at first appear shy, quiet and intimidated but all is not as it seems. We are in classic drawing room drama territory but the dark sense of foreboding and the ambiguity of the out-of-place strangers suggests something much more modern - by someone like Edward Albee perhaps. Laurie Sansom's production was straightforward - without the adventurousness of Stephen Daldry's 'An Inspector Calls' - but there were some impressive performances - particularly from Rebecca Grant and James Floyd and a great turn from Robert Demeger. The text could have done with some pruning but it was an interesting evening.

‘Churning Strides’ by Thee, Stranded Horse

14 November 2007

Calling your band ‘Thee, Stranded Horse’ suggests a degree of pretentiousness and the album ‘Churning Strides’ is strange stuff indeed. ‘Thee, Stranded Horse’ is the French guitar and kora player Yann Tambour – though he plays the kora like a guitar and the two are mostly indistinguishable. He sings very quietly in English and French, often in a peculiar nasal voice, sounding like Nick Drake imitating Joanna Newsom. He never reaches Newsom’s hysterical exuberance though at times he matches her for incomprehensible lyrics. He is also a master of the Pinteresque unexpected pause. Serious, mesmerising, odd, pretty but never particularly cheery.