Amsterjam

Headed up to Amsterdam yesterday for a jam with Tobias Klein and Raphael Vanoli. Tobias plays clarinet, bass clarinet and saxophone, Raphael is a guitarist, and both of them use electronics along with their respective instruments. Yesterday was wonderful, that flotation tank feeling from abstract improv, and the bass clarinet is a big velvetty swoon-machine. Plus, the studio had a window, so we could see snow falling outside (minus 23 centigrade last night in Eindhoven - winter came late, but it's here now!). Just beautiful.

They're amazing musicians, wildly prolific and proactive, involved in loads of other projects, including Lackritz, Knalpot and Spinifex. I've come into contact with a lot of (for want of a better word) jazz musicians over here, and technical ability and prolific collaboration is a big part of (let's call it) jazz circles. Left to my own devices, I'd write and write, acquiring the technique necessary to play my own music, but not stretching myself any further.

With that in mind, I'm getting a cello lesson next week in The Dam. It's been three years since my last one, time to get back on the horse. Tis a life's work, eh.

ACTA gway ourah tha!

Last Friday, the EU countries (with the exception of Germany,The Netherlands, Cyprus and Estonia), signed ACTA, the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement. In the same vein as SOPA and its hangers-on, ACTA is far more scary and far-reaching. Vague and open-ended (of course!), it provides a low threshold for criminal sanctions; 'to “acts” which are for direct commercial advantage but also for, also undefined, “economic advantage” or “aiding and abetting” (also undefined).' (http://www.edri.org/edrigram/number10.1/whats-wrong-with-ACTA - Part 2)

It puts the onus on ISPs (internet service providers) to police their customers' internet usage and offers bland assurances that it'll protect "fundamental principles such as freedom of expression, fair process, and privacy". Soooo, not fundamental rights, not a fair trial, not due process.

Ostensibly on grounds of public health, it goes beyond the digital realm as regards intellectual property. This has implications for generic drugs(drugs whose patent has expired, can be sold without a licence from the original company, much cheaper than brand-name drugs), and seeds.

Negotiations have been shrouded in secrecy since they started three years ago.

In fact, the EU rapporteur on ACTA quit in disgust on Thursday over the process by which the whole thing has been negotiated.

European Digital Rights have a good summary of ACTA on their site, five one-page documents on different aspects.

And then, what to do? La Quadrature du Net have some suggestions -
https://www.laquadrature.net/wiki/How_to_act_against_ACTA

If you haven't already...

This is an online petition opposing what's been(or being) called SOPA Ireland, or "S.I. No. of 2011 European Communities (Copyright and Related Rights) Regulations 2011.”

Dear Minister Sherlock:

I call on you to abandon your proposed enactment of “S.I. No. of 2011 European Communities (Copyright and Related Rights) Regulations 2011.” This legislation subverts the democratic process, favours the special interests of corporations over the rights of individual citizens, will destroy the largest growth sector in the Irish economy, and will subject the citizens of Ireland to unwarranted and unintended censorship.

Here to sign:

http://stopsopaireland.com/

Flickr set from Monday's gig

Thanks to Cees Van de Ven for this.

Thanks also to John Thomas and Mark Dijkstra, AxesJazzPower's organisers, and thanks to my collaborators Sean Bergin and Alan "Gunga" Purves.

November news

The Eindhoven gig is approaching now - Monday the 28th of November is the date. I went up to Amsterdam last week to have a jam with Sean (Bergin, my collaborator for part of the show). My first ever electronic jam! He played sax, flute, whistles, concertina, and a banjo he made out of an oil-can, which I then sampled, processed, looped etc. It was mad interesting, I've never really done something like that before, and neither had he. We had a buzz though, and I think he got a kick out of it. It's very transparent, after all, "Oh, I just played that and now I can hear it play back again."

On the night, we'll be joined by Alan "Gunga" Purves, an instrument-maker extraordinaire. 'Sgonna be fun!

A few releases coming up soon too. I met Morphamish up at Rathlin, what a gent! He runs a great net label called Black Lantern Music, and asked me to make an EP for them. Which I am. Yay! Hope to have it finished by Christmas (I ALWAYS want to have things finished by Christmas. Ha!).

The wonderful Meljoann, she who mastered the album, runs a label called Boy Scout Audio. Making a track for a compilation of Irish-tinged but contemporary music. It started simple, then it got very complicated, but.... I hope to have it finished by Christmas. Hweh hweh.

The Machinedrum finally came back three weeks ago. Yes, three months being repaired. Three months to the day. Eeeek. I need an alternative in case that happens again, it's just too disruptive. For the time being though, it's all about catch up catch up.

Amsterdam Gig this Monday

This nice opportunity came up just a few days ago. And any excuse to visit Amsterdam is always welcome!

Learn discipline, learn focus, learn the meaning of PAIN - Learn Piano

Not really.

I picked up a piano last week (been workin out, wha!) in one of Eindhoven's swell second-hand shops. Cheap as chips too. It'll cost as much again to get it tuned, but then it'll be good to go. I might even try and teach it a bit.

There's something special about the piano. Maybe the size, the range, the wash of sound, wiggin out for a few hours, white-water rafting on a piano-y river. So to speak. And the really nice symmetrical feeling of playing with both hands in the same way (although you don't really. But damn, scales are satisfying.)

Piano Roles is a collection of writing by various people about the piano - both "the grip it has on the popular imagination" and historical essays about the modern piano and how it got to be the beast it is. And some lovely technical drawings of piano mechanisms, and kerrazy karikatures of 19th-century virtuosos (or is it virtuosi?). But anyway, a grip on my imagination the piano surely has.

This isn't straight piano by any means (dig those bonkers synths!!), but Stevie Wonder has this gem from 1976 - All Day Sucker.