Bramleys jazz jam, Free Range, Sam Bailey turns 40

Tuesday 13/10/2015
Bramleys, Canterbury

After an interesting discussion of aesthetics with the recently revived UKC Psychedelics Society, a significant contingent wandered down the hill to Bramleys for the fortnightly jazz jam. Nothing too inspiring this time, but Phil from Lapis Lazuli turned up and a nice jam ensued with co-organiser Jules on bass (he seems to play everything), an American drummer and someone with a serious afro on guitar. Nice to see it so busy down there even if listening to the music is secondary to the chattery socialising that goes on.

Thursday 15/10/2015
Mrs. Jones Kitchen

The Free Range series of weekly avant garde music, poetry and film events is looking for a new venue. Mrs. Jones is selling up and her lovely Kitchen (perfect for FR) is to become an ice cream parlour. But organiser Sam Bailey doesn't seem too worried, has various leads for a new place (the next eighteen Thursdays have been scheduled, and if it comes to it, we're going to gather in various people's front rooms apparently!). On a more positive note, Sam got the Arts Council funding he'd applied for, so Free Range will definitely continue.

This particular event featured Berlin-based pianist and electronic sound artist playing Morton Feldman's final piano piece, "Palais de Mari" (really moving), followed by some rather industrial sounding electronic improvisations. He was meant to be joined by Brighton double bassist Gus Garside, but Gus was unable to make it. I'd almost decided to go to see Acid Mothers Temple in Ramsgate that night, which no doubt would have been incredible, but I didn't feel disappointed with what I ended up experiencing.

Sam had just turned 40, so was surprised by several of the ZONE poetry collective reading eight short poems from Frank O'Hara, who was also a pianist and Rachmaninoff enthusiast who used to write a poem for Rachmaninoff's birthday each year. I enjoyed those. I ended up at Sam's birthday a few days later, chatting to a couple of his musician brothers plus local folkie Jon Woode, who I'd not seen for a couple of years. At one point late that night, inspired by a reference of mine to Eno's Oblique Strategies creative oracle cards, Sam went and got his set and dealt everyone a card. Mine was "Humanise something perfect", which I couldn't quite work out how to achieve at the time, but his was perfect: "Just keep going"!