Rowley Gallery Blog
Dido’s Lament is the final aria from the opera Dido and Aeneas by Henry Purcell, performed here by Annie Lennox and London City Voices, first heard a year ago, and now again, more than ever, its echo resonates. Continue reading “Dido’s Lament”
I drove to work early but I arrived late. I’d forgotten about all the extra school-run traffic. It was 9:30 when I got to Notting Hill Gate and my ticket was for 10 o’clock at Piccadilly. I walked through the park, dodging cyclists, dazzled by trees, energised by the green space on our doorstep that I so often overlook, thinking I must do this more often, but knowing I wouldn’t. I should’ve been working. It was 10:10 when I got to the Royal Academy. Continue reading “The Armada”
Jabulani / Joy / Rejoice
Abdullah Ibrahim (piano), Barre Phillips (bass), Makaya Ntshoko (drums), John Tchicai (alto sax), Gato Barbieri (tenor sax).
I never tire of this music. It springs from the earth.
The musicians bear witness and catch it as it flies.
There was an exhibition of the illustrations for this book at Fire Station Creative in Dunfermline, Fife. Tomorrow night there’s a book launch at Vout-O-Reenee’s in Bethnal Green, London. There are some words below from Jonny Hannah, but at the time of writing, alas, no pictures just yet. Maybe we’ll see some later. Continue reading “The Story Of The Skids”
“A friend of Nick’s, brilliant Irish filmmaker Myles O’Reilly, has made a beautiful short film with our new song To The Island as a soundtrack. It introduces an inspiring couple, lifelong partners Eddie and Elsie, with wise words about love, nature and dreams. It’s so hopeful and tender. We should take their words and their world to heart.” – Neil Finn (Crowded House)
Crowded House: To The Island – Myles O’Reilly’s Arbutus Yarns
What I love about Folklore is all the many, many unanswered questions. Modern life gives us answers in a fraction of a second via the wonderment of the internet. They may not always be correct, but the answers are there. Continue reading “You Are The Folk”
Hollington’s Florilegium, paintings by David Hollington, a botanical alphabet, part 1: A to M, in the window of the Rowley Gallery throughout October. They are accompanied by a selection of David’s miniature paintings, and a few words of introduction here below. Continue reading “Hollington’s Florilegium”
Miles Davis Quintet, Teatro dell’Arte, Milan, Italy, October 11th, 1964 (Colorized)
Miles Davis (trumpet), Wayne Shorter (sax), Herbie Hancock (piano), Ron Carter (bass), Tony Williams (drums)
Autumn Leaves 00:00, My Funny Valentine 15:07, All Blues 26:33, All of You 40:13, Joshua 50:47
In an age of so much processed and homogenised pop mush it’s a joy to find some honest to goodness musicians playing and listening and making it up as they go along, with lots of fun and empathy and grace. What the world needs now is Bill Frisell, Thomas Morgan and Rudy Royston.
This was the first sight. Ignore the car park and the fancy farm shop and the reserved restaurant and the souvenir bookshop. Outside on the grass, just as the rain began to fall, my eyes met Harri VI (it translates as Stone VI), a great carved block of granite. Imagine that. How is that possible? The equivalent of a giant fist carved in granite. A fistful of granite. I love it. Continue reading “Eduardo Chillida In Somerset”