Wednesday 2 September 2009

Just back from excellent dosas with Barnaby at the Banana Leaf (with coconut chutney, wonderful fresh mango lassi and more to celebrate Onam 2009), to notice that So What from Miles Davis's Kind of Blue is based on the ground OOIO - perhaps there should be a Stirling Castle head of Miles. 

Over coffee and tea in Montgomery's, we mused about 'bottom up' music and the assumption that most British musical traditions are 'top down' with the tune being the most important bit. The grounds that underlie early harp music and pibroch are definitely 'bottom up', and this made me think of Don Letts' assertion that bass culture is Jamaica's gift to the world. Rightly or wrongly (courtesy of the slave trade), Jamaican culture is also Scottish-influenced. Bass isn't necessarily just a black thing ... but perhaps trying to claim reggae as Scottish is pushing it a bit, even with Sly Dunbar and Peter (Mackin)Tosh.