Here's a tribute to Joni Mitchell. It's a Lifetime Award Concert from TNT

 

Christine McVie

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9Hqn8x6a8s

Christine McVie

T. S. Eliot Prize 2022 shortlisted poets and collections

The Judges

Roger Robinson, Jean Sprackland (chair), Hannah Lowe

This year, the shortlist has been chosen by judges Jean Sprackland (Chair), Hannah Lowe and Roger Robinson.

The shortlisted poets are:

Victoria Adukwei Bulley, Quiet (Faber)

Click here to buy Quiet

Fiona Benson, Ephemeron (Cape Poetry)

Click here to buy Ephemeron

Jemma Borg, Wilder (Pavilion Poetry, Liverpool University Press)

Click here to buy Wilder

James Conor Patterson, bandit country (Picador)

Click here to buy Bandit Country

Philip Gross, The Thirteenth Angel (Bloodaxe)

Click here to buy The Thirteenth Angel

Anthony Joseph, Sonnets for Albert (Bloomsbury Poetry)

Click here to buy Sonnets for Albert

Zaffar Kunial, England’s Green (Faber)

Click here to buy England's Green

Mark Pajak, Slide (Cape Poetry)

Click here to buy Slide

Denise Saul, The Room Between Us (Pavilion Poetry, Liverpool University Press)

Click here to buy The Room Between Us

Yomi Ṣode, Manorism (Penguin Poetry)

Click here to buy Manorism

TS Eliot Prize Shortlist Readings

Sun 15 Jan 2023, 7pm
Royal Festival Hall

Forward Poetry Prizes 2022

The Forward Poetry Prizes are being announced this evening Monday 28 November.

I've been completely out of the loop for a few months, battling with cancer and other health conditions triggered by the cancer.
But I'm slowly returning back to life and health. A new shape.

Below is a list of the different poetry prizes and the shortlisted collections, poets and poems.

The Forward Prizes are an unmissable fixture on the literary calendar – a celebration for all who want to discover and ethenjoy the best contemporary poetry. 

All of the shortlisted poets are invited to read on the night: 

Best Collection – Kaveh Akbar (Pilgrim Bell), Anthony Joseph (Sonnets for Albert), Shane McCrae (Cain Named the Animal), Kim Moore (All the Men I Never Married), Helen Mort (The Illustrated Woman) 

The Felix Dennis Prize for Best First Collection – Mohammed El-Kurd (Rifqa), Holly Hopkins (The English Summer), Padraig Regan (Some Integrity), Warsan Shire (Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head), Stephanie Sy-Quia (Amnion) 

Best Single Poem – Louisa Campbell, Cecilia Knapp, Nick Laird, Carl Phillips, and Clare Pollard  

This year’s judges – Fatima Bhutto, Rishi Dastidar, alice hiller, Nadine Aisha Jassat and Stephen Sexton – read more than 215 poetry collections and 192 nominated single poems to find the most exciting poetry published in the British Isles.

Joni Mitchell Interview with Elton John

Well I didn't think I was gonna ever be able to hear this interview. But amazingly here it is in the form of an edited video. And so pleased to be able to share it with you.

Enjoy

I'll add videos of Joni's choices of music to this post over the next couple of days.

Carrie by Joni Mitchell recorded live in London 1983

Amelia recorded in London 1983

from 1959, here's Lambert, Hendricks & Ross

Sex Kills and interview on The Late Show 1994

Both Sides Now recorded at the Newport Jazz Festival 2022 with Brandi Carlile

from 1959 Chuck Berry playing Johnny B. Goode

Edith Piaf Les Trois Cloches recorded in 1948

The Four Quartets by T. S. Eliot, performed by Ralf Fiennes

 

Here is a performance of T. S. Eliot's The Four Quartet, performed by Ralf Fiennes

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001d7j0/four-quartets-starring-ralph-fiennes

Still Pond on Sunday

The azaleas in the Isabella Plantation, Richmond Park, on Sunday 1st May 

 

ANZAC Day - The Band Played Waltzing Matilda by Eric Bogle

 It's ANZAC Day today. Here's a song by Eric Bogle written to commemorate the day. I've been playing and singing this song for about 50 years. 

It's about time I posted it to the blog.

What is ANZAC Day - from Wikipedia

In 1915, Australian and New Zealand soldiers formed part of an Allied expedition that set out to capture the Gallipoli Peninsula to open the way to the Black Sea for the Allied navies. The objective was to capture Constantinople, the capital of the Ottoman Empire, which was an ally of Germany during the war. The ANZAC force landed at Gallipoli on 25 April, meeting fierce resistance from the Ottoman Army commanded by Mustafa Kemal (later known as Atatürk). What had been planned as a bold strike to knock the Ottomans out of the war quickly became a stalemate, and the campaign dragged on for eight months. At the end of 1915, the Allied forces were evacuated after both sides had suffered heavy casualties and endured great hardships. The Allied deaths totalled over 56,000, including 8,709 from Australia and 2,721 from New Zealand.[8][9] News of the landing at Gallipoli made a profound impact on Australians and New Zealanders at home and 25 April quickly became the day on which they remembered the sacrifice of those who had died in the war.

Though the Gallipoli campaign failed to achieve its military objectives of capturing Constantinople and knocking the Ottoman Empire out of the war, the actions of the Australian and New Zealand troops during the campaign bequeathed an intangible but powerful legacy. The creation of what became known as an "Anzac legend" became an important part of the national identity in both countries. This has shaped the way their citizens have viewed both their past and their understanding of the present. The heroism of the soldiers in the failed Gallipoli campaign made their sacrifices iconic in New Zealand memory, and is often credited with securing the psychological independence of the nation. 

Oumou Sangare

One problem about posting something to my blog - after a long break of not posting anything - to it, is suddenly finding a renewed interest in the blog and finding things to post. This current post is an example of this situation.
About two weeks ago I was talking to my mum about Oumou Sangare. I've been listening to her songs for a long time. Years ago I bought a CD from the World Music Network. It was called Desert Blues. It was a compilation CD introducing the music of West Africa to Europe and the West. It was a great CD. I played it a lot.
Eventually I realised there were two songs - artists that really appealed to me.  Their music touched me in ways I can't explain.
The first artist was Oumou Sangare. On the CD she sang Saa Magni. 

Rick Beato on John Dowland

 I haven't been watching many Rick Beato videos on YouTube recently. But scrolling through the suggested feeds today I came across this video posted in late February. 
My first thought - after reading the title - was he's gonna talk about John Dowland. And my second thought was he's gonna talk about Julian Bream's rendition of Dowland's lute music.
Click here for a link to the post I made about the album Dances of Dowland by Julian Bream. The album is one of my Desert Island Discs.

Here's Julian Bream playing the Galliard from the album Rick Beato and me love.

 

And here's the video Rick plays of Sting and Karamazov. I have this album on CD somewhere.