2009-03-28 - 7:36 a.m.
An incredibly busy week. Three performances of a musical, plus the usual round of things and flute practising in preparation for another performance a week today (Mendelssohn) and the subsequent Cross and Keeling performance next month. More enquiries have arrived concerning the possibility of C&K performances. As a result both David and I are in the process of researching exactly what improvisation might mean...for us as well as in the field as a whole. I'm slightly hesitant to dig round in research, mainly because the experience of Cross/Keeling, so far at least, has come from immediate musical experience, which is not to say it may not change at some point. The experience of improvisation has come at a good time, seeing as I'd become rather distrustful of academic processing of musical materials when related to the creative field. Unlike many others I believe there are inspirational moments in music making, either in composing, playing (improvising) and song writing. There has to be for the music to catch fire, otherwise it remains nothing more than an academic exercise. Completed the King Crimson writing for the time being. Pirate Things is currently being performed around the country by Alison Wells and Ian Mitchell. Someone wrote yesterday saying they'd heard it. On Thursday mastered the acoustic album at Ken Nicol's. Like the other albums, this has been done on a shoestring, all thanks to Ken who's between tours with Phil Cool (just complete) and Steeleye Span (soon to start). Kevin accompanied me to lend ears. Next comes the duplication. Plans are to press-up around 300 copies. Titled St. Anne's Square it squares the circle, so to speak, and represents the early AK creative songwriting phase (mainly 1970's with one or two recent additions).