It's Trad, Dad

A hugely enjoyable diversion from the usual agenda here has been provided by Larkin's Jazz, four discs compiled by Trevor Tolley and John White, Larkin Studies academics who double as jazz conoisseurs. 

If Satchmo is the obvious 'big name' of all trad jazz, there's not many missing with Sidney Bechet, Larkin's nominated favourite, Billie Holliday, Count Basie, Duke Ellington and, on first hearing, a brilliant One O'Clock Jump by Benny Goodman. Plus a host of other names not quite so familiar to me but, like Northern Soul, it's all good and there's never a dull moment. Gloriously inventive, often joyful romps but with mournful trombones as necessary, the wailing clarinets and ensemble effort are a baroque recipe all of its own making.

Having been a student reggae admirer- an enthusiasm I've maintained without playing it as much as I should- I can identify with English college boys like Larkin and Humphrey Lyttleton finding so much in the music of another culture. Humph did a marvellous job in reproducing the sound of these bands here after the fact. Conversely, it's how I know that Louis is doing it properly because he sounds like Humph..

One does not live by Bach, lunchtime classical concerts, Tamla Motown and Tony Blackburn's Sounds of the 60's alone. Or Nico.

The Library Service were prompt in providing the brand new Queens at War by Alison Weir. But because there's a waiting list for it, I can only have its 400 pages for two weeks. That's not a problem but it concentrates the mind. Reading books is what I mainly do. Whereas some people read a book if they have nothing else to, I do something else if and when no book is immediately pressing and there are half a dozen waiting so the overdue weeding of the patio is being attended to in the shortest of reluctant sharp shocks.