Thursday 9 September 2004

I had a grand day out on Tuesday, visiting Tony and Eve at Nenthorn School to record Tobias Hume's Lamentations with Alison, and also some melodica overdubs.

It's very special to back in the room where we recorded the best bits of SADN in the dark at a few hours' notice. It's not full of building rubble any more, it has lights, decorated walls, windows that let light in, and all round good vibes. It must have been a happy school. A very very good room to make music in. There will probably be the sound of occasional passing cars on the record (the windows are getting fixed now) but I don't care. Even so, it was still very tempting to spend even more time than we did sitting outside in the sunshine, watching the swallows feed their young, and eating Tony's bread and Eve's soup.  The five overhead electricity wires made a perfect stave against the blue sky, so in the spirit of John Cage we could have sat there and played the music that the swallows made as they came and went. 

Chris sent me a copy of the forthcoming Chris Norman Ensemble album, featuring my overdubs from Halifax last month. It's always strange hearing your contributions to someone else's record for the first time, as they inevitably hear your playing very differently from the way you do. But the 'ouch' factor is low, and there are some really fun things - Chris's big French harmonium just sounds creamy. I'm going to be the guest on Radio Scotland's Celtic Connections this coming Tuesday, so I hope it will be a chance to air a few unreleased bits and pieces, from Chris's album and our The Red Red Rose. The programme will be on the web at 'listen again' for a week if you miss it.

Today I was browsing Hohner's website and the melodica page in English really does start like this: 

Hohner Melodicas 
For many years the Melodica has become inserted by music teachers.

Well, corporal punishment has taken many forms in history but that's a new one on me.