Jazzy D's Soul Notes

Richard Williams "The Blue Moment: Miles Davis's Kind of Blue and the Remaking of Modern Music" (Faber & Faber)







A wonderful narrative on how Kind of Blue was made - and what a digression from Miles' progression it is - and how it resonates and influences the next 20 years of popular music. How well you like this depends on your musical tastes - for me, the sections following the natural path through Coltrane and more free forms of jazz were fascinating, as were the chapters on The Velvet Underground and Brian Eno.

The line starts with Gil Evans, George Russell and the "birth of the cool" in jazz, makes its way through Kind of Blue and Miles' second great quintet to Coltrane, minimalism, the Velvet Underground, Soft Machine, Brian Eno and ECM. It's a line, not a story -- and not a particularly straight line at that. Williams gives himself freedom to go off on extended riffs that relate little, if at all, back to Kind of Blue. In particular, his treatment of Terry Riley is extended, and fascinating stuff. Williams' account of Brian Eno is as authoritative as you'd expect from someone who's championed Eno's work from the very beginning. This book (in a similar way to Geoff Dyer's But Beautiful) showed me the direction to deeper appreciation.

Simon Callow "Being Wagner" (Harper Collins)





Richard Wagner was, arguably, one of the most influential composers and conductors in the history of classical music. He changed the face of opera from top to bottom; from the way the music was played, the notes were sung, the lighting, even the shape of the theatre itself. He made opera dramatic storytelling. I'm not even sure I can imagine what it was before he turned everything and everyone on their ear.

Richard Wagner was also an unmitigated ass. Not merely arrogant; not merely selfish; Wagner was self-involved, egotistical, short-sighted, fiscally irresponsible and anti-semitic. Additionally, he was described as short, stoop-shouldered and afflicted with an appalling skin condition; we're not talking run-of-the-mill eczema here - words like 'sores' and 'pustules' were used. I mention the physical challenges here because in spite of all of this - the horrible character flaws and the physical challenges - he was apparently charismatic as hell. The crap he got away with, the abuse people took only to come back for more, the sheer number of people who shelled out money to pay his debts and provide him with housing is mind-boggling. Not just in Germany, but in Switzerland, Italy and the UK. All this, and he was not a good person.

I could have probably overlooked the childish selfishness; I could chuckle over his inability to stay out of any riot he crossed paths with. I might argue (weakly), that the trail of broken relationships he left behind him his whole life were people who knowingly attached themselves to this horrible man. But the anti-semitism is a deal-breaker. HIs disparagement of Jews was grossly casual, brutal, unwarranted and irrational. Worse, it was not a phase he outgrew, but a mania that only became more brutal and irrational with age, even though he continued to work with Jewish conductors, musicians and composers until the end.

So Wagner was both artistically brilliant and a horrible human being. This fascinating dichotomy is made still more fascinating by Simon Callow's writing. He masterfully writes this condensed biography with the utmost objectivity, clarity, and just a dash of humor in unexpected places. I doubt very much I could have read any other book about Wagner without dnf'ing it simply because I wouldn't have been able to swallow Wagner's life, but Callow made it not only palatable, but compelling.

Wagner may have created some of the most powerful music ever written - at least some of the most unforgettable - but his music will forever be tainted for me now that I know the man behind it better. The real star that came out of this book, for me, is Callow; his writing ... well, take it as read that I'm gushing over it, because it's some of the best biographical writing I've ever read (not that I read a lot, mind you).

If you're interested in Wagner but don't want a long academic biography, you should absolutely investigate this book; it's fair, it's balanced; it's unbiased and it's excellently written. I highly recommend it.

Cal Flyn "Islands of Abandonment: Life in the Post-Human Landscape" (William Collins)







This is quite good and unusual. Cal graduated from Oxford University in experimental psychology, with a focus on the 'psychology of abandoned places'. A fancy way of saying, she has thought deeply about the many dimensions of abandonment. She has literary sensibilities, an eye for the poignant, and is a great writer. Cal visits a dozen places around the world and riffs on different themes. My favourite is about the herd of feral cows on an abandoned Scottish island farm - what does it mean to be feral, when will they revert to a fully wild species, will they ever be rid of vestiges of domestication? How do cows live when divorced from humans? It turns out, they are pretty interesting, unlike domestic cows. Their lives are legendary, with battles between males for dominance, the landscapes scarred by fights, the rise and fall of "kings", hermits, bone graveyard visits, definitely in need of a Watership Down treatment.

Ultimately, you get a sense that the human/nature divide doesn't exist; humans are a part of the natural processes. This might seem obvious, but for many, humans are a weed, an invasive species. She mentions that inversions often go through a boom and bust cycle; the bigger the boom, the harder they fall. Well, much to consider, nothing definitive or preachy, just some thoughts bravely exposed while exploring abandoned places.

Tim Spector "Food For Life:Your Guide to the New Science of Eating Well" (Vintage)




Something of a let down overall. Whilst Tim Spector and the various experts and contributors at his company, ZOE, have made a profound impact on many people, me included, this book does not quite provide the anticipated scientific background. As you may know, scientific background is my meat and veg when it comes down to the real shebang.

There is a plenty of information, but the conversational style feels more like the text of a podcast and contains some horribly unscientific generalisations. Feels like "I've started so I'll finish" structure. For me it could have been more information dense and concise. Useful Appendices though.

Stewart Lee Allen "The Devil's Cup: Coffee, the Driving Force in History" (Canongate)





Before I start this review I have to confess I am a coffee addict. I love it in all its varieties. This is a pretty good book from that genre of literary non-fiction devoted to trying to be hip by writing about 'obscure' subjects - barbed-wire, screwdrivers, salt, coffee, whatever. Admittedly it started to go a bit strange when it hit the travels going across America where coffee is just another drug bit, but like the history and the discussions of the origins of coffee, as the drug of choice for so many of us.
For the record, for me it is coffee, and alcohol. Not both combined i might add).

Siri Hustvedt "Blindfold" (Sceptre)





An intense, visceral debut novel telling a story of a literature student in New York in search of her identity. The book takes the form of a confessional monologue. The first three chapters are episodic, self contained and only tenuously linked by the narrative voice. The long fourth and final chapter puts them in context and introduces a darker psychological element. The tone throughout is cool, and the characters she meets are enigmatic and often slightly menacing. A gripping book, but a difficult one to sum up.

Oona Frawley "Flight" (Tramp Press)




Sandrine is from Zimbabwe. She’s in Ireland on a student visa, supposedly to learn, but she is really there to work, to find a better life for herself, her husband and child back home, and her unborn child that she is keeping secret. She finds a job caring for Tom and Clare, an elderly couple who can no longer manage on their own. Their daughter Elizabeth doesn’t live with them and has a bit of an awkward relationship with her mother. The family used to live in Vietnam and America, where Tom worked in the spice trade.

It’s a very emotional read. It’s hard to see one’s parents fade away in terms of health, both physical and mental. As Tom becomes a mere shadow of himself, his story is unravelled through his memories and recollections of their time in Vietnam and America. My late grandfather had dementia and the last time I saw him, I don’t think he knew who any of us were. I was living away from Singapore by then, and learnt of his death via Skype. So it was hard to read of Tom’s decline.

“His hair is softer than she expected, thinning, and the scalp pulses like a newborn’s. She senses this pulsing in her hands. He is living, his mind is moving, and he is looking up at her with surprised, glazing green eyes. Her tears are for nothing. There is nothing to weep for, since he is unaware, gazing at her crying or laughing with the same indifferent emptiness in his look which seems always surprised now because everything lacks for him the context of memory.”

This is also Elizabeth’s story, one of belonging and fitting in – or not. Her childhood in Vietnam and America, then moving back to Ireland, then back again to Vietnam. Where does she belong? Is she Irish? Is she American? It’s similar to my own family. We are from Singapore, but the kids, being born in the US, are American citizens. We travel to Singapore once a year, and both sets of grandparents travel up here at least once or twice a year. My five-year-old once described himself as a Singaporean American. I wonder how he will feel in the future. Will he still have a connection to Singapore?

Although we don’t really learn much about Sandrine’s life in Zimbabwe, her experiences in Ireland are the key to this book. Her struggle to adapt to life in Ireland, to learn to be a caregiver for these elderly people she now lives with. The racism she experiences is because of the colour of her skin.

“She does not know that it doesn’t matter how she perceives herself to fit in. What she feels, how she might work to become part of this new society, it makes no difference. Sandrine has been spat and cursed at, has peered with shock into women’s faces as they have sneered at hers – she expected better of women and has been disappointed. At moments the desire to commiserate with another black Zimbabwean is overwhelming. She knows of the news that instances of assault are on the rise, the country is increasingly angry about non-nationals, and there is a referendum coming up that scares the life out of her.”

Flight takes time to get into. But when you do get into it, it is a gem. It is a story about feeling lost, both within the world and within themselves. It is unsettling, it is emotional. It is a thoughtful story that makes you examine your own life, your own situation, and where you belong.

Sophie Mackintosh "Cursed Bread" (Penguin)




This is a book about obsession and centres on the real unsolved mystery of the 1951 mass poisoning of a French village.

Our story follows Elodie, the wife of the village baker. Elodie is bored with her simple life. She becomes taken with Violet, the fancy cultured wife of the Ambassador. They recently arrived in town and Elodie finds herself enraptured by them. As Elodie begins to recall the events leading up to the mass poisoning of the village, her reality begins to blur and her imagination takes hold.

This was a fever dream for me. It bounces around a lot. While I found the story very intriguing, keeping up with it was challenging as the storyteller's reflection was disjointed. It's erotic and strange, but I was invested in what was happening.

Jonathan Scott "Into The Groove: The Story of Sound From Tin Foil to Vinyl" (Bloomsbury)




Into the Groove by Jonathan Scott is a detailed history of recorded sound, from discoveries and experiments to popularisation and improvement of playback material.

This probably would have been more history than I would have wanted if it wasn't for the fact that Scott made it all so interesting. I learned far more than I expected, especially the time before records. Before the advent of CDs and all that has come after, most people of age will remember their early experiences with records. Probably their parent's or sibling's albums. The first I bought with my own money was Deep Purple In Rock in 1970. I never stopped buying them.

This book will fill in any gaps you have (I had a lot) in the history of recording and playing back sound and make you recall just how special it is to put an album on. He is right when he highlights how playing an album is different, and for many better, than just digitally pulling up a file.

I would recommend this to anyone with an interest in audio, from listening to the technical aspects. This is indeed a history, but one that is told in an engaging manner that keeps your interest piqued.

Samantha Harvey "The Western Wind" (Vintage)





I found this paperback in my local Fleuers bookshop for a quid and it looked intriguing. However, it is a bit of a mixed bag. Samantha Harvey's The Western Wind is set in an out-of-the-way village in 1490s England, and the first half of the book in particular is a careful portrait of a small medieval community, written with a keen eye for landscape and the mundane details of everyday life. In that early part of the novel, too, Harvey impressed me with her attempt to enter into a medieval mindset—there are some anachronisms, yes, but I'll take a more convincing mentality with some mistakes about days and clothes any day over a book where 21st-century characters are playing dress-up in perfect period attire.

However, the novel flags in the latter part, even its early lyricism fading; it read almost as if Harvey ran out of things to say earlier than her self-imposed chronological structure allowed. Still an interesting read, and I would pick up another book by Harvey if I came across it, but I finished The Western Wind feeling as if there were possible depths to it that she had never quite plumbed.