Xmas Mix4 - Gu4/John Coltrane/Fel Kuti/Rory Block/Jackson C. Frank/Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys/Count Basie&Frank Sinatra/Gu4

Happy new year! And seasonal mix 4 emerges... Slightly less abrasive than the others – not so much a conscious decision as the fact that technical screwups required a change of laptops and once I started recording I realised that half the stuff I wanted to include was elsewhere. But what the hell – I got the frame in – which consists of two songs, beginning and ending, by a local group GU4 (ho ho). The recording is lo-fi – a guerilla one I made at their pre-Xmas gig over at St Marmion's. Spur of the moment and no time to figure out anything – just straight in from where I was sat in the audience – hence bangs, coughs, scratches and a weird balance. But the ethos of a brilliant night comes through, I think... 'Crossing the bar,' the setting of Tennyson's late poem (by who? Not sure...) is awesomely beautiful I think. And Miggy Cambell has written an anthem to end on, which I think is called 'Say no goodbyes'... Certainly a writer to watch... Love this group – reinforces my flagging faith in English folk music. In between you get, well, the usual collation – Coltrane, Kuti ( a long track during which there is a drop-out/unintentional fade – someone came in and interrupted me – can't be bothered to fix it – hey, the silence is conceptual), some white blues, some Bob Wills and his western swing, showing off the musicianship endemic to that band – and the sheer good humour, some Basie with Francis Albert, some Jackson... Maybe one last one tomorrow – more raucous...

So far – a quiet night. But I have managed to avoid the Jools Holland show for once – Jesus, what an irritating man... Cheeky chappies I can well do without...

Xmas Mix 4 (Click on the Flash Player above the Hype Machine content on the right margin).

1.Gu4 – Crossing the Bar
2.John Coltrane – Afro-Blue
3.Fela Kuti – He miss road
4.Rory Block – Rambling on my mind
5.Jackson C. Frank – Milk and Honey
6.Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys – 3 Guitar Special
7.Count Basie and Frank Sinatra – The best is yet to come
8.Gu4 – Say no goodbyes

Update... download here...