Posted by Ken Edwards on Wednesday, October 19, 2011,
In :
music
A text-music piece of mine from 1996, Bruised Rationals, is being revived next Tuesday (25 October) in a performance by the CoMA London Ensemble in their first concert of the autumn 2011 season. As most composers will attest (and I am only a very part-time composer – writing the occasional song for The Moors being as much as I can manage right now), if getting a performance is hard, getting a second or third is almost impossible. I was fortunate enough at the time to be a member of the CoMA ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Ken Edwards on Saturday, June 4, 2011,
In :
music
 The band I play in - The Moors - did a festival gig in Sedlescombe, East Sussex, on Sunday 29 May, and a friend of ours videoed it. There are four videos on YouTube now, encompassing five of our numbers. And the band has just succumbed to the Facebook plague, so do visit us there.Please "like" us if you can - we only had eleven fans as of this morning, and we definitely have more than that!And/or find out more about us on our website.I'm going to be away from this blog for about a week, but wi... Continue reading ...
Posted by Ken Edwards on Monday, December 20, 2010,
In :
music
 I saw and heard Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band play the Rainbow Theatre, formerly the Finsbury Park Astoria, London, in 1973. I remember the performance being wild and other-worldly; but then, an hour beforehand I had partaken of a slice of cake baked by my flatmate which contained a special ingredient that may have messed with my mind somewhat. That was de rigueur then. Little evidence remains of any of this, though there's a rather iffy sound recording on YouTube. Soon after, I wrote ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Ken Edwards on Wednesday, December 15, 2010,
In :
music
Cage Against the Machine is a campaign to get John Cage's 4'33" to No 1 in the singles charts for Christmas. This may have started as a joke against the ubiquitous X Factor, but it isn't any more - there's a real chance of this happening. And if it does, a number of charities stand to make real money - every purchase benefits the young people's mental health charity C.A.L.M., Youth Music, the British Tinnitus Association, the music therapy group Nordoff Robbins and Sound & Music.
You can downl...
Continue reading ...
Posted by Ken Edwards on Wednesday, September 29, 2010,
In :
music
On Sunday we went to church. Haven't done that for a good many years, but this was different. I had always been curious about the St John Coltrane Church in San Francisco - wondered if it still existed, but there it was mentioned in the guidebook: services between 12 noon and 3pm every Sunday.The church was founded by Franzo Wayne King, now Archbishop of the St John Will-I-Am African Orthodox Church, after he had had a religious experience listening to Coltrane's music.Finding it was another m... Continue reading ...
Posted by Ken Edwards on Monday, July 19, 2010,
In :
music
I'm awake. I have been granted another day. Maybe twenty, twenty-five years, who knows? Some charlatan is trying to push big society ideas at me. I don't buy it. I'm very fortunate. There is someone who cares. I was born into a world where Thelonious Monk existed. Not to mention Captain Beefheart's Magic Band, which came later. Desert blues. Still rocking. How low can I go? The sky is blue, the sea is green, a bicycle is being pedalled. Yesterday Nelson Mandela was 92. I shall, in celebration... Continue reading ...
Posted by Ken Edwards on Friday, November 27, 2009,
In :
music
Well, now, here's something else. This was recorded by our good neighbours Shirley & Don at the Stag Inn, Hastings Old Town, last Saturday night (21st). There are two other songs now uploaded to YouTube. It was an excellent evening. I look a bit too serious (nervous) here, but I did enjoy myself, honest. Great playing from Jenny, Richard and Andy, and storming solo by Elaine. Continue reading ...
Posted by Ken Edwards on Monday, July 27, 2009,
In :
music
This week I take delivery of a limited run of a seven-track CD which
the Moors - the band I co-founded with Elaine - will use to promote
themselves. The CD will be launched at our forthcoming gig as part of
the free Hastings Beach Concerts,
where it will be on sale at £5, £1 of which goes to the Royal National
Lifeboat Institution. The concerts, attracting thousands of people, are
an annual event, marking the beginning of Hastings Old Town Week, and
benefiting the RNLI locally.
We're on a... Continue reading ...
Posted by Ken Edwards on Monday, May 18, 2009,
In :
music
 Goodness, that was really something. The Moors had an enjoyable debut at the Hastings Motor Boat & Yacht Club last Saturday (16 May). At least, we enjoyed it and we believe the audience did so too. What started ten months or so ago as Elaine and I jamming with a few friends on some klezmer and Balkan tunes has turned into a real, live band with a distinctive style. I'm really proud of what Andy (drums), Richard (guitar), Jenny (fiddle), Elaine (sax/flute/fife) and I (bass guitar/vocals) have a... Continue reading ...
Posted by Ken Edwards on Tuesday, April 28, 2009,
In :
music
I promised to report back from this. I am not a diehard fan, except for his high water period, in my opinion, between Highway 61 Revisited - John Wesley Harding. I last saw him (in the distance) at Earls Court, 1981, a mostly terrible gig. The recent albums have been quite good, though. Sunday 26 April in Chalk Farm, London, was a bit of an ordeal. Having endured the crashing Roundhouse website a few weeks ago to obtain tickets, picking them up at the box office (and being wrist-tagged) was t... Continue reading ...
Posted by Ken Edwards on Wednesday, April 15, 2009,
In :
music
Because he's not a brainless rock'n'roller. Check out the journal he's been keeping on his current tour. Caught the Brighton date last night. A terrific five-piece band, plus three backing singers, three acrobatic modern dancers, all in virginal white. They moved all the time. You couldn't take eyes nor ears off them. Below is a pic stolen from earlier in the tour - I never got round to getting out my camera.  David Byrne has been a favourite of mine since the classic Talking Heads albums he ma... Continue reading ...
Posted by Ken Edwards on Thursday, March 5, 2009,
In :
music
Eliades Ochoa was probably the youngest member of the band that recorded the Buena Vista Social Club album ten years ago (apart from Ry Cooder, that is) - he's only 63 now. On that album he sang "Chan Chan" and "El Carretero". He comes from eastern Cuba, and plays country style, with a strong son montuno flavour. He played the Brighton Dome last week. It was a must-hear for me. He was much the same as the last time we saw him, six years ago at the Barbican, cowboy hat and all, though I don't ... Continue reading ...
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About me
| Ken Edwards |
| Hastings, East Sussex |
I'm the editor and publisher of Reality Street, and a writer and musician.
More about me on my home page (click link on the left).
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