bentenlaughing

I'd like to share with you the first review that my sound scape collaboration with USA jazz composer Kirk Kadish has yielded...a great review from John Shanahan in his Hypnagogue Review...I'll share more with you soon on the process of how 'arterial flow' developed...meanwhile.... 'Strap in, friends. It's going to be an experimental ride. Courtesy of the boundary-free nature of the internet, Maryland-based Kirk Kadish and Aussie chanteuse Janice Slater, who have never actually met, have pulled together a twisted sonic knot of intriguing and often daring pieces of music. Largely based around taking Slater's voice and running it through an array of filters, processes and straightforward editing, it';s a solid effort with only minor mis-steps. "Arterial Flow" (the track) opens with tribal drums and a repeating sample of Slater's voice rising amid an effect like she's singing through the back of a fan. (This is not a critique of the soun...

Leigh Brill is an author and a motivational speaker, she was born in North Carolina with congenital cerebral palsy. Leigh and I are yet to meet face to face and yet we have found a meeting point across the vast ranges of Blue Mountains on two continents. Here is the first part of what I hope will be an ongoing dialogue with Leigh looking at the compassionate action of her much loved Labradors and the world Leigh is now sharing with us all. Jan.s: Leigh, we’ve yet to meet but it seems we’ve something in common!! I live in the Blue Mountains, Australia and you grew up in the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia USA. Can you tell us a little about growing up there and also why the mountains are blue? Leigh: The Blue Ridge Mountains are part of the Appalachian Mountain Range in the eastern United States. As I understand it, trees put the "blue" in Blue Ridge, from the natural chemicals they release into the atmosphere; they contribute to the charact...

Jan.s: Bobi when did you begin painting? Bobi: I started learning to paint beginning March 1993. I had a friend who had been going to Derek Newton who taught from his home on the North Shore, her husband was an artist and still is. So we all started from the beginning, with learning to draw, something I had never done in my life, watercolours they say its the hardest medium. I would go for a term and have a term off, So I went on an off till 1996. We started using one colour only, light to dark and I really enjoyed it. Derek of course would help us through the painting when we started, and we were all pretty neat and tidy - we learned how to mix paints from the primary 3 colours. Red/blue and yellow. We would go off to the beach and paint also quite early on. Skies, waves, beach, birds, houses, hills, landscapes in 1994 - and painted on and off during 1995/1996 Motor Racing took over our life for a few years so had time off, as I was in charge of the food, cooking for our Te...

Jan.s: Peter I noticed a post recently of yours on one of your sites mentioning Frank Zappa and my response to you was 'Oh I love Frank...in fact it's so funny you should put this up as I have a reference to one of his songs in a script I'm writing'!!! Peter: One day Jan I'll tell you my Frank Zappa story. I spent some time with him and also played with the guys in his band (including Jean Luc Ponty) in Sydney mid 70s. Frank invited me to his rehearsal the next day....that was a real eye opener!! A musical genius, absolutely no doubt about it...unbelievable talent. Jan.s: Thus begins a journey with the delightful and soulful Peter Boothman...and how he met up with Frank Zappa... Peter, I believe we met in the late '70's when I was working with either Tony Ansell in 'Three's a Crowd' or with Dave Fennell in 'Power Point'...The 1970s and 80s were a great time for jazz in Sydney. Would that be about the time th...

Jan.s: You’ve previously shared with us some of the background to how your interest in music developed. A family sharing music, beginning with your Grandparents whom I believe are of Norwegian heritage. KAM: Aren't you something else?! My parents are of Norwegian heritage. My family hailed from Skien; Flekkefjord and Sogndal, the southern coast and the middle of Norway. I was fortunate to have travelled around in 1976 and saw the little towns that they came from. I was very lucky to have connected with some distant relatives in Sogndal and spoke what little Norwegian I knew with them and saw my Great Great Grandfather's farm on the hillside overlooking the fjord with gorgeous waterfalls... Thank God, I made that trip! I had studied Norwegian at the University of Minnesota back in the 70's, don't remember the language much now, but, I hope I have retrained the accent...that is a long story. I had a good friend Vivi in Oslo I stayed with and was able...

Jan.s: K, who were your musical influences? KAM: My first was my mother and older sister. We all hung around the piano and Mom and Connie played pop, jazz, show tunes, hymns, folk songs, and novelty songs from many eras. We mostly we sang the songs from the 1920's through the 60's, the Great American Songbook. I always loved best being together, listening to the lyrics and the sweet melodies with the family all chiming in. My grandfather was also a huge influence. He was a musician, orchestra and band leader, played cornet and violin and all the instruments a bit. His rendition of the "Flight of the Bumblebee" on his cornet was always amazing to me. He was a perfectionist/taskmaster according to his music students. For me he just was a sweet man tapping his toe with a musical twinkle in his eye. I learned to love music first at home. I sang my first solo at about six years old in church, with no fear whatsoever. Things changed later on. My first love...

Jan.s: Bobi...we're back in contact again after many many years and it's wonderful. We first met in the 1960's when you were in Sydney working for Dinah Lee. You and Dinah were the hippest gals on the scene! You emanated style and street smart...at the same time I found you always inclusive - both of you were, and with great smiles! I'd love you to share with us about what brought you to Australia and also about working with Dinah.... Bobi: Firstly, my sister Denise Austin lived in Sydney and was one of June Dally Watkins top models. She heard about a job coming up as a Store Model for Farmers Department Store on corner of George/Pitt Streets. Carol, the model who was leaving, was off to open Sportsgirl in Melbourne in 1964 - So having a job to go to, I flew back to Sydney, and flatted in Double Bay with another Kiwi, Jenny Steele, who was the Fashion Compere there. Fashion Co-ordination employed five girls including Judy who married Ken Done, the Sydney artis...