I HOPE HE MEANT IT - NORWICH

VICTORY, BANKSY-STYLE, NORWICH

SINGER SONGWRITER JOHN WARD'S NEW ALBUM

John Ward's sixth album 'East of the Sunrise' is now available

A collection of songs inspired by and from my the Waveney, Yare and Blyth Valleys. The songs are mostly original which capture the atmosphere and some of the characters of the area.

This is quite a folky album, simpler in its arrangements, and of course features the violin excellence of Mario Price and other guest musicians on some of the tracks, most notably, Ian Sainsbury on piano and John's wife Lynne on harmonies.

There are fourteen tracks which include songs that many have enjoyed at John's gigs, such as - Stornoway to Lowestoft, Dunwich (the lost city), Yarmouth Town, Waiting For The Wind and Ashore. It was digitally mastered at Chapel Studios in London and pressed by Sound Performance, London.

It's available using paypal on John's website www.johnward.org.uk at the gig price of £8.00. There's no charge for the postage and packing for a short while for those lovely enough to want a copy in the first few days!

It will also be available from; Morlings, The Heritage Centre, The Seagull Theatre in Lowestoft and The Three Horse Shoes in North Cove, Suffolk with other outlets in the pipeline.

EXCITING POEMS AT COUNTER PUNCH USA

Counter Punch USA has some exciting poems by Grzegorz Wróblewski.

MILESTONES MARCH 6 GIG: REBOP

CLASSIC MODERN JAZZ SIX-PIECE REBOP AT MILESTONES JAZZ CLUB

This month’s concert on Sunday 6 March at Milestones Jazz Club features a sextet of East Anglia’s finest jazz musicians playing music from the golden age of modern jazz - Rebop.

The hard-swinging Rebop make their Milestones debut performing the ground-breaking music of, amongst others, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Art Blakey and Wayne Shorter, exploring the bebop and hard bop styles that emerged during the years 1945-1965, the golden age of modern jazz.

The band was formed ten years ago by pianist Chris Ingham as a faithful homage to the seminal Charlie Parker- Dizzy Gillespie Quintet of the 1940’s, performing the original arrangements and capturing the incendiary excitement of bebop.

‘When you go back to listen to the original records you realise so many of the subtleties are forgotten about – introductions, quirky arrangements. One of the reasons for this band was to play the music in its full glory’, says Chris Ingham.

Since then, Rebop, which is described as a ‘jazz repertory group’, has expanded to playing the music of Miles Davis from the ‘Kind Of Blue’ era and the wider hard bop movement that included the funky, blues-driven styles of Art Blakey, Horace Silver and Wayne Shorter.

The collective CV of Rebop’s members is extensive, touring and recording in the UK, Europe and the US with diverse artists like BB King, Bobby Wellins, Julian Siegel, Paul Weller, Gilad Atzmon and members of Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and Portishead.

Being a sextet, Rebop offers so many different musical personalities - the bruising tenor sax of Colin Watling, the freewheeling excitment of American alto saxophonist Kevin Flanagan, the delicate, intelligent trumpet of Paul Higgs or the relentless swing of drummer Russell Morgan.

Rebop are an exhilarating band whose full line-up features Colin Watling (tenor sax), Kevin Flanagan (alto sax), Paul Higgs (trumpet), Chris Ingham (piano), Ivars Galenieks (double bass) and Russell Morgan (drums).

Listen to Rebop’s music by visiting Rebop or via the Milestones club website
All Milestones gigs are held on the first Sunday of every month and take place at Hotel Hatfield, Esplanade, Lowestoft with the doors opening at 8pm.

Admission - £7 / £6 (concession).

A CHANGE HERE IN THE MAKING

With the state the world at present, both here and globally, I could easily turn this into a more political blog but this would run counter to my masthead slogan. Also, in such a time as this, ranting in cyberspace runs counter to offering information.

This is why I am in the throes of creating Granite & Peaches who wish to learn more about the spirit of resistance.

Thereby, Rupert's Blog will focus on the more cultural and artistic aspects of life.

***

Political links on the sidebar will now be found on Granite & Peaches.

AH, SATURDAYS IN NORWICH

Pup Man and Pup brave the mid-February elements in Norwich today to put on a feast of rock n roll wiggling.

LIFE AS USUAL IN NORWICH TODAY

Not sure if these are Morris Men but I think they were taking part in the Dragon Festival.

THE HOOP - Broken Project 11 - 15

Off the frozen hoop

I caught you

Broken

Just a crystal of evidence

Like a Moses’ basket

At the back of a pound shop

Where beautiful Chinese women

Rummage

The cockles of death

I’d place a knife in this sunset

And ice in your high performance

Laptop

Dying drivers

Envious of the fuss

Of dogs

by Rupert Mallin

Anglia Square, Norwich

THE DRUNKEN MASTERS OF ANGLIA SQUARE, NORWICH

400 AT NORFOLK COUNTY HALL ANTI-CUTS DEMO YESTERDAY

Over 400 people protested against Norfolk County Council's Cuts Massacre. Tory Councillors were heckled from the public gallery as they announced 750-plus job losses, the end of Norfolk's Youth Services, the end of night lighting in working class areas of the county, the closure of community centres and libraries and millions more in public spending cuts against the social infrastructure of Norfolk.

Two were arrested for heckling (one person waved his shoe, Egyptian-style, as an insult). Haven't the police better things to do?

These cuts are not inevitable. Barclays Bank today announced record profits of over £6 billion but government cuts won't affect their profits or bankers' bonuses.

Former Norwich MP Dr. Ian Gibson gave an impassioned speech in which he stated categorically that councillors have a choice in NOT implementing cuts. We can all make choices. The privileged of the county have made theirs.

The demonstration was packed with public sector workers - from firefighters to hospital workers, together with service users defending community centres and projects. The demonstration was organised by the Norfolk Coalition Against The Cuts.

COMING EVENT IN MAY

From May 19 to June 5 the Studio I share with painter Martin Laurance near Anglia Square, Norwich will be open three consecutive weekends.

I am using this event to 'showcase' my art & poetry boxes at the Studio, in the city and further afield.

A number of other I'm working towards are set to take off, as it were, in May, so keep watching this space...

A BIT OF A BREAK...

Workplace observations, flu, Egypt, work itself, etc, have kept me from art and blogging for a couple of weeks. So, I'll be playing catch up...

EGYPT: A VICTORY STREET PARTY LIKE NO OTHER!

Revolutionary Victory in Egypt Today! Mubarak resigns after 18 days and nights of protest against terrible repression! Thirty years of tyrannical rule is at an end! The greatest street party in history is taking place on all the streets of Egypt! Revolution has been televised after all! Men and women, Muslims and Christians and those with no belief at all, with "wills of granite and hearts as soft as peaches," have come together in common humanity to make their own history from below.

I hope we'll all be dancing in the streets across the world as people realise they too can come together to run their own societies.

CRITICAL MASS 2 FORUM, NORWICH