Monthly Archives: October 2012

A classy show at the Albert Hall last night. It all started tentatively – the audience took some time to warm to the new material from the “Glad Rag Doll” album (I still can’t warm to that sleeve shot.) But … Continue reading →

Another weekend, another dose of venom and gamesmanship. James Lawton has just about had enough.

Bizarre fact of the day: the FT’s Gillian Tett discovers that America spends more on Halloween than it does on the election: In the US’s postwar years, Halloween was an event primarily focused on children. But in the past two … Continue reading →

Putting the clocks back gets harder and harder each year. It must be my age. It’s been dark for hours, and the rain is hammering on the roof of my study. I think I need a dose of Celso Fonseca‘s … Continue reading →

The season at Bayreuth since Wagner’s death had acquired an oppressive atmosphere of obligatory reverence. The cab taking a visitor to the Festspielhaus displayed a card pinned over the seat labeled “Historical!” indicating that the Master had sat there. Performances opened … Continue reading →

From the Independent, my review of Ted Gioia’s book, “The Jazz Standards: A Guide to the Repertoire”: Apart from his elegant prose style, the first thing you notice about Ted Gioia’s approach to his subject is that the music clearly … Continue reading →

I’m travelling at the moment, and may not be able to post much until Thursday.

I’m reluctant to tell Reuters how to do their job, but the caption in that story should surely read: “The press pack being escorted to the final presidential debate.”

Why no dinner party is safe from Instagram, Facebook and the rest of the social media.  John Naughton thinks we’re all spending far too much time on-stage.