Bilbao Songs

Lovelock is named after James Lovelock, co-discoverer of the 'Gaia' theory, which views the Earth as a living organism; a wonderful antidote to the present ascendancy of faith-based viewpoints of how it all happened. Bulan and Khek Borates are two pieces found in an old book of Siamese songs. We treat them as found objects. Facade--facades are to be found everywhere, especially in Amsterdam. Baltimore Oriole is a beautiful tune by that master of pop, blues, jazz, and country & western songwriting. Little French Boy is from the Casino Royale soundtrack, which is much better than the movie. Selat Sunda is the strait between Java and Sumatra. The music is inspired by Javanese, Balinese, and music from the Karo Batak highlands of Sumatra. How people in such hot places can play such fast music I can't understand. Jackdaws and Blackbirds is an improvised portrait of the sounds in my garden. A humming melody in the background that you only notice when not listening to the sounds in the fore- ground: loads of jackdaws singing their descending lines ("krah, krah, krah, krah, krah, krah, krah...") with blackbirds and other birds singing pretty melodies on top in short bursts. Duke Ellington's 1938 recording of Braggin' in Brass knocked out Available Jelly's brass section completely. Was there more to be done with good old Tiger Rag? Wollic is written to feature Wolter Wierbos. Mad is a 'fake' Madagascar tune. Colima is the name of a city and state in Mexico where I have never been. In the Secret Garden was written in a barren, concrete play area in the middle of Amsterdam which we called the scret garden, perhaps for motivational purposes. For me, Bilbao Song tends toward stasis.