CLIQUEZ ICI POUR VOIR CETTE PAGE EN FRANÇAIS
Music has been a key to my personal growth since I was a teenager and, although I don’t play an instrument myself, I have been surrounded by musicians and music all my life. This section of the blog shares the contents of the discoveries, experiences and events in my personal musical box.
I grew up with UK pop and rock music in the 1960s and 70s via records, radio, live concerts and TV. In 1981 I carried all this to France and mixed it with other musical styles – la chanson française, jazz, classical and world music.
In the early 1990s my musical world was shaken yet again when I discovered traditional tango from Argentina. For the first time in my life I learned to dance and discovered a whole new way of perceiving music. From 2000 on, I began working as a tango DJ, organizing events and seeking out people I admired, even running a webradio for a number of years. Tango continues to be part of my daily musical soundscape.
Some posts in this section are in English and others in French. Thinking about it, the choice of language was never deliberate. It simply happened in order to be in harmony with the time and place where I first encountered what I’m writing about.
Est-ce le printemps ou l’automne? Attention! Changement de saison! Si vous êtes au nord, c’est l’automne qui pointe le bout de son nez. Au sud, c’est le printemps qui s’installe. Profitons de ce moment stratégique pour explorer Cuatro Estaciones Porteñas (Les 4 Saisons de Buenos Aires), la suite de tangos composés par le bandonéoniste argentin,… […]
Like most people, my musical box contains its own personal mix. You’ll find stuff about discovery, about heroes. There are recollections of those songs which just won’t stop playing on your inner juke box. There are also pieces on Tango, which I discovered in France, and which taught me to dance and to live and listen to music differently. I hope you enjoy the mix!
Songsmith Wreckless Eric and that Special Someone. It’s summer up here in the Northern Hemisphere and time to fall in love again. How about making that definitive this time? Not as easy as it sounds? Questions like these are at the heart of (I’d Go The) Whole Wide World by Wreckless Eric which tells the story of a mother’s answer to her son’s despair at ever finding that special someone. Take it away, Wreckless!
Rory Gallagher onstage moved like a cat and played his guitar like a lion. He had a way of speaking between numbers which was natural. He hoped we were enjoying the concert. He thought we might like to hear something from the new album. Nothing was forced. He gave us gold from the end of the Rainbow.
Bruce Springsteen has often felt like a member of my family. Born seven years before me, he was the older brother I never had. What follows is about how a Bruce Springsteen album sneaked its way into my home in Harlow, Essex. The story starts in early 1973.
Tribute to the Dave Simmons Soul Radio Show broadcast by BBC Radio 1 between 1972 and 1974. This was where I discovered not only soul, blues and R&B but also how musical genres and styles are interconnected. You’ll also find links to uploads of recordings of the show online.
The real game-changer for The Pretenders would be Brass in Pocket, which came out in November 79. A joint composition by Hynde and guitarist James Honeyman Scott, it was so successful that it actually altered people’s perceptions of the group’s name : they were still Pretenders, but no longer pretending as in unending make believe; […]
Est-ce le printemps ou l’automne? Attention! Changement de saison! Si vous êtes au nord, c’est le printemps qui pointe le bout de son nez. Au sud, c’est l’automne qui s’installe. Profitons de ce moment stratégique pour explorer Cuatro Estaciones Porteñas (Les 4 Saisons de Buenos Aires), la suite de tangos composés par le bandonéoniste argentin, […]
Songsmith David Bowie Back In Berlin As a rule, Bowie didn’t like to repeat himself; he preferred to reinvent. His many characters – Major Tom, Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane and The Thin White Duke being probably the most famous – all provided voices and styles for reinventing himself as a constantly changing artist. He rarely […]
Songsmith Chrissie Hynde and the Ladies’ Tea Party It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. It was the rumbling rawness of the Punk Years in the UK, starting in 1976 and spilling over into the next decade. The bad could get really bad, with uncaring unmusical bands, violence and self-mutilation. […]
Songsmith Mary Gauthier I don’t normally do Christmas songs, having sung one too many carols as a youngster. I see them as decorative and unifying, but in the background. Yet it is Christmas again, and they’re back . You may have a favourite, or not at all. It depends how closely your musical ear is […]
Songsmith Steve Marriott I only had one Humble Pie record in my collection. It was the single Black Coffee, which I’d seen them perform on The Old Grey Whistle Test. Took it home, listened to the A-side, loved it. The singer, Steve Marriott, was in great voice. Then I did something which happens so rarely […]