News arrives of the death at age 84 of the American composer Eric Salzman, who appeared in my film ‘The Politics of Music’ (1972). My mind goes back not only to the filming but to the following summer when I … Continue reading
It was an unexpectedly amusing moment when Cameron was caught ‘humming’ to himself as he went back into No.10 after announcing his handover to Theresa May, unaware that his microphone was still open. Even more entertaining was the rapid reaction … Continue reading
IT was the mid-1960s, I was in my late teens, I was already becoming familiar with post-war avant-garde music, yet the first time I heard Pli selon Pli by Pierre Boulez, who has died at the age of 90, I … Continue reading
For readers of my book on the history of recording, Repeated Takes, a musician blogger in North Carolina, John H. Davis, has recently posted a set of photos and video clips to go with the book. Kudos. Snippets of Repeated … Continue reading
It’s a very curious moment. The first phase of the new youth rebellion (for there will soon be another) is winding down, the whole country is frozen over, yesterday’s snow lies on the ground, and here in Putney—like the days … Continue reading
Michael Nyman’s Palimpsest of Man With A Movie Camera In a new work called NYman With A Movie Camera, Michael Nyman has conducted a really interesting experiment by taking the music he wrote a few years ago for Vertov’s Man … Continue reading
Back from ‘Sights and Sounds’, a small but stimulating and enjoyable conference on music documentary in Salford. Films about music and musicians have been a major strand of documentary since the 1960s, so it’s odd, especially given the huge predominance … Continue reading
It makes me a little sad to hear that the last piano factory in the UK, Kemble’s in Bletchley, is closing today, with a loss of 90 jobs (and the skills they comprise). I visited this factory back in the … Continue reading
A piano has been found near the summit of Britain’s highest mountain. Ben Nevis is only 4,418ft, but all the same, the fellows who found it – volunteer conservationists – can’t explain how it got there. The only clue is … Continue reading