The Awakening – The Ahmad Jamal Trio
Ahmad Jamal has been a leading jazz pianist for some time, although his commercial success before the release of The Awakening in 1970 wasn’t always taken seriously by critics. However the man with the “exquisite touch”, as Miles Davis once described him. showed all what he was truly capable of with this LP full ofContinue reading “The Awakening – The Ahmad Jamal Trio”
Walking the Snowdon Horseshoe: Crib Goch to Y Lliwedd
The national Park of Snowdonia lies in the northernmost corner of Wales. It separates the Isle of Anglesey, lying off the north west coast, from the rest of the British Isles with deep glacial valleys and the highest peaks in the United Kingdom outside of the Scottish Highlands. One such peak, distinctively pyramidal in appearanceContinue reading “Walking the Snowdon Horseshoe: Crib Goch to Y Lliwedd”
Usury: Tool or Torment?
Lending and borrowing; they seem like a practice as old as the human race. As long as people have had things, other people have needed those things and borrowed them for a returning favour. Whether this is your neighbour’s drill or a £500 loan from your friend, you’re expected to give the £500 back atContinue reading “Usury: Tool or Torment?”
A Love I Can’t Explain – dBridge
Hailing from Manchester, the ever ethereal and industriously intuitive dBridge always manages to capture a mood with his music and this offering from 2018 is no different. Seamlessly bringing together the sounds of soothing synths and industrial techno across a range of genres, from drum and bass to the avant-garde, dBridge adds yet another featherContinue reading “A Love I Can’t Explain – dBridge”
Colston – Cronyism & Capitalism (Part 3)
After the ushering in of William III in 1688 and more importantly the introduction of the Bill of Rights, there was a noticeable power shift between joint-stock companies and merchants in England. At the beginning of the century, companies had been a means for the crown and those close to the crown to hold aContinue reading “Colston – Cronyism & Capitalism (Part 3)”
The Ruling of India – How External Forces Have Shaped Indian Agriculture
Given the recent protests in India over farming reforms implemented by Prime Minister Narenda Modi, I have decided to publish an essay I penned two years ago. It discusses how from the time of the British East India Company, business has led India by the stick without a carrot, with the situation only looking toContinue reading “The Ruling of India – How External Forces Have Shaped Indian Agriculture”
How to Start a Religion (Part 1)
The spread of ideas about our own moral obligation to ourselves and others crops up repeatedly throughout history. It tends to arise in times of disenfranchisement and when power is being consolidated beyond the control of the populace. In the 16th century one man started a movement by refusing to bend to the surrounding system.Continue reading “How to Start a Religion (Part 1)”
Ahmaud Arbery – Thoughts on Another Day in America from TCC
With the release of a video on tuesday showing the killing of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia, US, another statistic is added to the list of unarmed black men killed by armed white men in the United States. In this most recently published case a vigilante ex-cop, Gregory McMichael saw the 25-year-old Ahmaud jogging past theirContinue reading “Ahmaud Arbery – Thoughts on Another Day in America from TCC”
White Collar Terrorism
“Earth in the mouth, and in the soul, and in all./ Earth which I eat, Earth which shall in the end swallow me whole.” – Miguel Hernández, 1942 Up until even the very recent past, extremist regimes looking to suppress ideas and quell dissent could do so with relative impunity. If they had the manpowerContinue reading “White Collar Terrorism”
What Does Your Taste in Music Say About You?
“Oh I listen to a bit of everything”. Who hasn’t heard this or been guilty of saying it themselves when asked about their music taste? It’s a great way to let people know you’re not too uptight or closed-minded, especially at parties. But what does it actually mean? Not everyone listens to a wide varietyContinue reading “What Does Your Taste in Music Say About You?”
Cádiz, Andalucía
At first glance, the Spanish city of Cádiz can seem not too different from the strips of the sunshine coast on the Mediterranean side of Gibraltar. The more modern part of the city seems centered around highrise lined boulevards and palms that stretch alongside the Atlantic. But continue along the Island to its northern tipContinue reading “Cádiz, Andalucía”
Colston – The Emergence of Englishmen & Economy (Part 2)
Despite the royal English charter granting trade, England still found itself plagued by foreign ships in her own waters. The Dutch, having the most powerful navy of the time, had harassed British ships for decades by disrupting trade and were generally considered to be the leading European trading power. Control of Europe’s waters meant controlContinue reading “Colston – The Emergence of Englishmen & Economy (Part 2)”
Colston – The Invasion of Africa & The Birth of an Idea (Part 1)
The life of Edward Colston, the former favorite philanthropist of Bristol turned profiteering villain, has been written about a lot since he was dethroned from his plinth and hauled into the city’s harbour in early June of 2020. But beyond his associations with the slave trade, the surrounding politics and ideas of Colston’s time thatContinue reading “Colston – The Invasion of Africa & The Birth of an Idea (Part 1)”
The Unspoken Leviathan
Published directly after the victory of Oliver Cromwell’s Parliamentarians in the English Civil War, Thomas Hobbes’ treatise of man, Leviathan, was seen by many as justification for the past nine years of bloody battle. In it, Hobbes argues that to stop man descending into the selfish and wanton creature that is his natural state, aContinue reading “The Unspoken Leviathan”
Building a House or a Home? – The UK Needs to Decide
The UK, we are constantly being told, is in the middle of a housing crisis. In some cities it’s worse than others with local councils making pledges to build thousands of affordable homes all over the place. A House of Commons report from March 2020 estimated a need for 345,000 new homes per year, aContinue reading “Building a House or a Home? – The UK Needs to Decide”
Plants & Particles – The mystery behind photosynthesis
Plants are all around us. They grow and thrive, all without apparently moving from their primary position in the soil (apart from banana plants that “walk” along). So how do they do this without getting around to look for food like us? Their trick is to let their food come to them, or flow overContinue reading “Plants & Particles – The mystery behind photosynthesis”
Is There Any Truth In Ents?
“My name is growing all the time, and I’ve lived a very, very long time, so my name is like a story.” – Treebeard; from The LOTR In J.R.R.Tolkiens’ Lord of the Rings, there are long-lived shepherds of the forest that look over and protect their ancient ecosystem. Wise in their extreme age and notContinue reading “Is There Any Truth In Ents?”
The Loss of Liberty in an Age of Freedom
(Article written March 31st 2020) As some of you may remember, the 2000 presidential election between the Al Gore and George W. Bush came down to an extremely nail-biting finish, where votes cast in the final state to declare its results would decide the entire election. The state was Florida, (the Republican Governor of whichContinue reading “The Loss of Liberty in an Age of Freedom”
The State We’re In & The State We Need
In his 1995 book, The State We’re In, which looks at the legislative choices of the UK’s main political parties, Will Hutton makes some eerie predictions about the world we find ourselves in as of 2020. The foreshadowing of the dominance of recruitment as a business model, the rise of Chinese and other far easternContinue reading “The State We’re In & The State We Need”
Release Radar – February
The second month of the year has come and gone and while a few good LPs have been released over the past 29 days, even with the extra day it’s the EPs that have drawn the attention of our ears this month. While offerings from the jazz-orientated mind of Moses Boyd (Dark Matter) and theContinue reading “Release Radar – February”
The Age of Knowledge
How old is knowledge? The idea itself of knowing things has obviously been around for millennia, but what about what we would call knowledge? In the west, the definition of knowledge accounts for the mathematics of perfect circles, the physics holding the moon in place and the psychology of what your neighbor will do ifContinue reading “The Age of Knowledge”
East Quantoxhead, Somerset
The north coast of Devon and Somerset have a lot in the way of beauty. If you’re after classical beauty by the way of rolling hills of heather or a landscape shaped by the twisted roots of old English Oaks, the little nook found at the southern strait of the Bristol Channel has it all.Continue reading “East Quantoxhead, Somerset”
Release Radar – January
Geode Geode Selection 10-01-2020 If you’re still finding your way out of the haze of the Christmas period, struggling to get into the groove of work again, London-based producer Geode may have your back. Mixing a serious love of the deeper, darker dubstep found on labels like Deep Medi with the smoother sounds of garageContinue reading “Release Radar – January”
Iteration of Ideals
There are many factors that make this world turn in the way it does. Friendly factors, foreign factors, factors we can’t even comprehend due to the constrictions of science and society. In a world where information is everywhere, knowledge and understanding seem to be in short supply. With a warming world and warring economies ourContinue reading “Iteration of Ideals”
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