Miscellaneous Writings

As far as musicians and the concert-going public are concerned mobile phones and digital watches are unwelcome, obtrusive and have had a rather bad press in recent times. I would

There are a number of occasions when I have experienced unusual or extreme audience behaviour. Here are a few examples, which I list in no particular order, nor with any

David [Gothard, Associate Director at the Haymarket] had the idea of getting Adelaide Hall to perform and for me to put together the band. I had lot of good students

To Pat Kane, My manager, Jane Quinn, called me just now and faxed me the questions that you’re asking about The Wire. I’m leaving home in about 15 minutes and

While the recorded legacy of Joseph Holbrooke from the 1960’s is almost non-existent, it seems ironic that almost every note played since the trio’s reunion in 1998 has been recorded.

FAX MESSAGETo: Kate Miller/ Martin Caiger-SmithDate: December 29th 1994 re. Yves Klein It was through music that I first became acquainted with Yves Klein’s work when I was in my

FAX MESSAGE To: Rob Young, Deputy Editor Date: November 29th My manager Jane Quinn passed on to me a fax asking for a short piece for your January issue (1996

When Philip Glass asked me if I would be interested in doing a new recording of Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet he assumed that I would do something similar

1. I first heard John’s work at the end of the 1960’s (I first heard him as a performer playing tuba in a Feldman piece in 1965) but the first

To Nick Coleman (GQ Magazine), Many thanks for your fax. Here is a short piece on “Heroes and Villains” (to use the Beach Boys title). As someone who has an

To: Helen Wallace, BBC Music Magazine Jan 24 1997 Here is the piece on Brahms as requested. I’m not sure of the title. It would depend on the context and

Dear Sir, I must take issue with the ending of the article in Friday’s Independent Hollywood comes to Hackney on Ralph Fiennes forthcoming Hamlet.  This refers to ‘a recent and

I don’t know why it was surprising to find out that Evan Parker is now 50 years old. After all, I passed 50 last year and we have been friends

As you can read elsewhere in the book, I put my bass in its case in 1966 and did not play it again after I abandoned improvisation as an ongoing,

I was sad to hear of the death of Adelaide Hall on Sunday and I was impressed by Steve Voce’s thorough account of her life and work. I got to