ALMEDA RIDDLE /

 'POOR WAYFARING STRANGER'
 - FROM 'THE ALAN LOMAX COLLECTION: SOUTHERN JOURNEY VOL.I - VOICES OF THE AMERICAN SOUTH'

IN THE MID-30'S A YOUNG ALAN LOMAX ACCOMPANIED HIS FATHER ON A SERIES OF FIELD RECORDINGS DOCUMENTING THE FOLK MUSIC OF RURAL AMERICA FOR THE AMERICAN LIBRARY OF CONGRESS.  I RECENTLY CAME ACROSS THE ALBUM ABOVE WHILE SATING MY CURRENT OBSESSION WITH SACRED HARP MUSIC (HE WAS AMONG THE FIRST TO PRODUCE THE FINEST EARLY RECORDINGS OF GROUP SINGINGS), AND I JUST FELL IN LOVE WITH THIS ONE.  THE REST OF THE ALBUM HAS MUCH OF THE SAME ROUGH-AND-READY FEEL OF FIELD RECORDING, BUT CAPTURES PERFECTLY THE HUMANITY, HUMOUR AND PATHOS IN THE VOICES OF A SOUTHERN PEOPLES WOUNDED BY THE GREAT DEPRESSION - AND YET STILL FINDING A WAY TO SURVIVE IN SPITE OF EVERYTHING. 




 MEANWHILE...


A COUPLE OF GREAT RECORDINGS OF TWO OF MY FAVOURITE SACRED HARP TUNES COURTESY OF A FLOURISHING SHAPE-NOTE COMMUNITY IN CORK, IRELAND:

ARVO PÄRT /

 'TABULA RASA', I. LUDUS: CON MOTO

 "O, WHEN WILL THE PERIOD APPEAR

 WHEN I SHALL UNITE IN YOUR SONG?

 I'M WEARY OF LINGERING HERE

...

 I'M FETTERED AND CHAINED UP IN CLAY;

 I STRUGGLE AND PANT TO BE FREE

 I LONG TO BE SOARING AWAY

..."

 - MARIA DE FLEURY, 'PANTING FOR HEAVEN', 1791.

A SELECTION OF GO-SEES FROM THE PAST SEASON

 GROUPED ARBITRARILY.

1. BOYS WITH SHAVED HEADS.

22.03.12

BEN HORSFIELD

ELITE.

18.03.12

BILLY MORAN

M±P.

22.03.12

DYLAN WILLIAMS

ELITE.

22.03.12

KEITH HERNANDEZ

ELITE

2. BOYS WHO PREFER THEIR HAIR AWAY FROM THEIR FACE.

(MOSTLY CASES OF HAT-HAIR)

21.03.12

JAKOB HYBHOLT

FM

22.03.12

HARRISON GRIFFITHS

ELITE

15.02.12

BENNO BAS

FM

17.05.12

ARTHUR DEVALBRAY

FM

20.03.12

ANDREAS ERIKSEN

FM

22.03.12

TOMMY KRISTIANSEN

ELITE

25.05.12

YANNICK BOETZKES

ELITE

3. BOYS WITH LONG HAIR

27.04.12

ERIK ANDERSSON

FM

21.03.12

VIGGO JONASON

FM

4. BOTTLED BLONDES

27.04.12

M.J.

FM

27.03.12

ANASTASIJA KINDRATJEVA

ELITE

27.03.12

EYEN CHORM

NEVS

5. THE POLO SHIRT

22.03.12

BEN HORSFIELD

ELITE

27.03.12

JACK MILLER

NEVS

01.06.12

JACK VANDERHART

NEVS

6. THE LEATHER BOMBER

13.04.12

NADIA GIRAMATA

VIVA

18.05.12

CARLOS FERRA

NEVS

7. (IRONIC) CROSSES

06.03.12

EMILY SMITH

ELITE

15.03.12

NICOLA TARDELLI

M±P

13.04.12

CHLOE LECAREUX

VIVA

8. INTERESTING NECKLACES

15.03.12

GWEN LU

M±P

21.06.12

DYLAN ARMSTRONG

PREMIER

9. SUNGLASSES W/ CIRCULAR FRAMES

25.05.12

JAKE HOLD

ELITE

27.03.12

LETICIA LAMB

ELITE

10. INTERESTING PEOPLE

25.05.12

MATTHEW BELL

ELITE

MATTHEW PLAYS THE SAXOPHONE - 'NOT VERY WELL' HE SAYS, BUT HE PLAYS WHENEVER HE RETURNS HOME BECAUSE IT HELPS HIM TO RELAX.

15.03.12

WILFRID LYTTON

M±P

WILFRID IS STUDYING GEOLOGY AT UNIVERSITY - THIS WAS TAKEN JUST BEFORE HE SET OFF FOR A DIG IN TURKEY.  I ASKED HIM TO TELL ME SOMETHING INTERESTING AND HE REPLIED THAT THE EARTH IS ALMOST 5 BILLION YEARS OLD.  I CAN BARELY GRASP THE IDEA OF 50 YEARS.

06.04.12

CHARLOTTE GRACE

UNION

I ALSO ASKED CHARLOTTE TO TELL ME SOMETHING INTERESTING, SO SHE SHOWED ME HOW TO DO A BINOMIAL EXPANSION USING PASCAL'S TRIANGLE - A SYSTEM OF NUMBERS.  SHE REALLY LIKES MATHS, AND I REALLY LIKE PATTERNS.

11.04.12

GRAHAM

ELITE

GRAHAM IS STILL AT SCHOOL IN IRELAND, AND LOVES LANGUAGES.  FRENCH IS HIS FAVOURITE SUBJECT, AND HE WANTS TO TRAVEL TO PARIS TO GET SOME PRACTICE.

27.03.12

FABIANA MAYER

ELITE

WHEN THIS WAS TAKEN, FABIANA HAD JUST RECOVERED FROM A FLU - BUT SHE WAS VERY CALM, SOFT-SPOKEN, AND AWARE.  SHE DANCES BALLET, AND IT IS VERY CENTRAL TO HER - 'I THINK EVERYONE SHOULD DANCE,' SHE SAYS.  '(WHEN YOU DANCE) YOU FORGET YOUR PROBLEMS, AND YOU'RE THERE...JUST DANCING.'

25.05.12

ANDERS HAYWARD

UNSIGNED MGMT

ANDERS IS ALSO A DANCER, BUT MORE CONTEMPORARY / STREET DANCE.  HE LIKES THAT HE IS ABLE TO EXPRESS HIMSELF PHYSICALLY, IN SPACE, THROUGH HIS BODY.

22.03.12

HASSAN KASSEM

ELITE

THIS WAS HASSAN'S FIRST OFFICIAL DAY AS A MODEL, AND HIS FIRST GO-SEE.  HE STUDIES PHILOSOPHY AT UNIVERSITY, AND, AFTER SEEING THAT I HAD JUST STARTED ON MATT RIDLEY'S 'THE ORIGINS OF VIRTUE', SPENT SOME TIME THAT AFTERNOON RECOMMENDING SOME OTHER GREAT BOOKS & AUTHORS FOR ME TO READ.  FUNNILY ENOUGH, HE ALSO SHARES THE SAME NAME AS ONE OF MY BEST FRIENDS FROM PRIMARY SCHOOL IN DUBAI, EXCEPT HIS SURNAME WAS 'KASSAM'.

YMC SS13 /

 LONDON COLLECTIONS: MEN.

"IT'S A LITTLE LIKE LOVE..."

DAN LLOYD, MUSIC OF THE HEMISPHERES.