toneknob

Yeah, get a Ric.

It could get awfully chilly in Tyneside TV studios, even when wearing a fluffy jumper.

On the other hand, Soft Machine's London Jazz Fest date at Ronnie's was postponed from Sunday Nov 22nd a mere fortnight to Sunday Dec 6th, and so far no sign of shifting that.

Jeff Beck at the Royal Albert Hall. Originally May 26/27 2020. Then rescheduled for May 1/2 2021. And again to May 30/31 2022. JB will be around 78 years young by then. Hang in there Jeff!

Special delivery arrived yesterday.

Andy Serkis, aka Gollum, Snoke, Caesar and a whole bunch of others Great film though - saw it back in the day at an actual cinema.

Well the production value is unsurprisingly high, and it's nice to see a solo Lopsy Lu. And Clayton Cameron is brilliant. But some of it grates, eg here's my shiny red sports car with a double bass rammed in the back seat. HERE ARE. SOME SALIENT POINTS. I AM TRYING. TO. MAKE. The vintage video effect over the Stan/Cam section.

Check the other arm, it'll say H850. That'll clear it up Otherwise does it sound like a £40 headphone or an £80 headphone?

And another from another charity do with a similar line-up. Sure I recognise the other guitarist from somewhere though

Yep, definitely Mick Karn. Here's another from the same day

In the good old days Bass Player magazine did a full transcription, they're usually pretty accurate. I can dig it out if you're interested. Also, curious nuggets of info like it was played around the 7th/9th position (rather than open E and A strings) as in those days, the mid-range was more likely to be heard on AM radios with their tiny lo-fi speakers.

You'll all be doing it by the weekend

Opposite for me! I was in Genesis tribute bands, whose Mike Rutherford started off as a hugely original and inventive player, then got a bit lazy/boring once Steve Hackett left and MR took over on guitar. Compare for example Firth of Fifth, original 1973 version vs the live Seconds Out version especially in the guitar solo - a very different kettle of fish.

Even if you're in a tribute band, it depends. There's always a smart derrière in the audience (or the band) who says "you played it wrong". Oh right, which version are you thinking of? "Oh the 1973 studio out-take version on a bootleg I've got". ok, I learned it from the well-known live album from 1977. And other parts from the 1988 reunion tour. Would you like your money back? On the other hand, in my Gary Burton tribute band we just aim for the general vibes /oneforthejazzers

An ex-colleague is one of the Morris Men (over the singer's right shoulder in the first verse; later seventh out of the phone box). They're the Abingdon Traditional Morris side. One day I hope to audition to be a straw man.

A bit more Michel Gondry love

Yeah my horn lines are embarassingly out

Speaking of Superstition, it's always good to find an excuse to pull this out: https://www.liveabout.com/mixing-stevie-wonders-superstition-1817747

There are certain points I can almost see his passion fruits

Another vote for PJB, but in the sales (my earpads are ok btw)

Mouradian pops up here, about 20 minutes in. But you should watch all of it. There's far too much to unpack from this video than I could ever cover in a single post. But ... the HAIR

Don't worry about it. There's loads of bands I don't like but I've realised that it's ok to not like something

I've heard another (American) name in the mix to replace Percy, don't want to start unnecessary comparisons and rumours though, although it's a pretty trustworthy source. Jeff Berlin is awesome of course but not sure he's right for Brand X. It's possible that the rumours have stemmed from twitter posts from a fake account pretending to be John Goodsall - see drummer Kenny Grohowski's facebook page for more. (You'll also see hints at the new drummer - Tobias?) Shame really as I'm a massive fan of PJ - I saw BX at the Jazz Cafe in the 90s so tick in box there, but they had sound issues which took the sheen off and also it was the mid 90s so I've forgotten most of it. I've got tickets to see BX at Ronnie's and Trading Boundaries, when it became clear that John Goodsall wouldn't be playing it was the presence of Percy, the one remaining actual Brand Xer, that kept me on board. Touring the band in Europe without any BXers is going to be a pretty hard sell if you ask me. Looking forward though - anyone hear Pakt? It's Percy's new outfit with Kenny Gr, Alex Skolnick and Tim Motzer.

Saw them twice on the reunion tour: Wembley Arena, seated - bit boring; Vienna, standing near the front, brilliant. Also, top prize winner for "fewest notes played on a Moog Taurus I". Also also, the Certifiable DVD/Blu-ray is amazing for picture and sound quality.

Paul sold me his Tech 21 SansAmp Geddy Lee YYZ pedal. The pedal arrived super quick, is in excellent condition, and Paul was patient with my questions and supplied extra photos of the pedal and parcel tracking details. Good stuff all round.