by chrismanners | 1 Jul 2022 | News
Sad to learn that Kelly Joe’s died. More poignant because it was sudden and he was only 62 (same age as me, coincidentally, which makes the cold breeze blow across the back of my neck). He wasn’t a major influence for me, but I saw him play a mesmerising live show at...
by chrismanners | 21 May 2022 | News
This album lived only in memory until I was lucky enough to reacquire it last year. It’s long been out of print, and has never been released on CD but, fortunately, it’s available on YouTube and elsewhere on-line. It doesn’t disappoint. Here are some of...
by chrismanners | 28 Jan 2022 | News
It might be urban myth, or it might be a genuine quote from Paderewski the pianist. He claimed, ‘If I miss one day of practice, I notice it. If I miss two days, the critics notice it. If I miss three days, the audience notices it.’ I’m no Paderewski; I’ll never be a...
by chrismanners | 20 Nov 2021 | News
The very estimable Piers Cawley runs an on-line song swap on Friday evenings. Huge fun, either to watch and listen or as a participant: chat that might amuse, enlighten or just meander, studded with half a dozen songs each. Here are edited highlights of my session...
by chrismanners | 20 Nov 2021 | News
The voice is true enough but not a thing of beauty. Harsh, even. The guitar playing is clumsy, staccato, full of snaps and rattles. The whistle playing, on the other hand, is supple and deft. The material’s a rag-bag: the album opens and closes with contemporary...