Interesting records on this web site showandtellmusic.com
http://www.showandtellmusic.com/music/a_few_of_my_favorite_records/

Check some of these links.

Its a whole new world.

There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy. and here they are…

http://www.showandtellmusic.com/2006/04/six_boys_in_trouble.html

and how about this >>>

http://www.showandtellmusic.com/2006/04/mistress_mary.html

or

http://www.showandtellmusic.com/2006/04/moondog.html

Alfred Wolfsohn

Vox Humana
Folkways, 1956
Experiments on the far limits of the human voice. Here’s an MP3 of the opening piece “Lend Me Your Ears” to give you a taste. A top tier Folkways LP for me and a truly amazing 50′s avant garde artifact.

http://www.showandtellmusic.com/2006/04/alfred_wolfsohn.html

Philosophy of the World
Third World, 1969

Believe me you couldn’t make it up… Speaks for it self…

www.theshaggsonline.com

And its not what you think if your english BTW

philosophy of the world by the Shaggs when it was a dance!

morse tesla

http://www.showandtellmusic.com/2006/04/the_shaggs.html

Its been a very tiring week and I am running on empty to a certain extent. I have  a couple of gigs this weekend which I need to do but it will be a strain. Just have to grin and bare it I suppose. Usually this time of year around my birthday is the worst for me and I really could do with some rest now and not being over stimulated.

Its not been the best start to New Year, but hopefully things will get back in to equilibrium soon.   So Happy New Year all. Well at least the snows gone!

Diana & Vicky at The Castle, Childs Hill, London 14.10.10, originally uploaded by Ralph Stephenson.

I love this picture because its amazingly flattering. and makes me look about 15 years younger than I am.
This was taken at at Avenue called the Castle which looks like its going to go broke in 2011.

Barry Goldberg, London 30.12.09 , originally uploaded by Ralph Stephenson.

Barry Goldberg, enjoys a jam with Vicky Martin (centre) and Diana Stone (right). Its been a really interesting year. Barry Goldberg was the guy who played at Newport with Bob Dylan when he went Electric, and was also a member of Electric Flag to name but a few.

Bah Humbug, humbug humbug, bah….

eden ahbez

eden ahbez
1960 album cover
Background information
Birth name	George Alexander Aberle
Also known as	eden ahbez George McGrew
Born	15 April 1908(1908-04-15) Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Origin	Brooklyn, New York
Died	4 March 1995(1995-03-04) (aged 86) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres	Exotica
Years active	1940–1995

Eden ahbez (born George Alexander Aberle; April 15, 1908 – March 4, 1995) was an American songwriter and recording artist of the 1940s-1960s, whose lifestyle in California was influential on the hippie movement. He was known to friends simply as ahbe.

Ahbez composed the song “Nature Boy,” which became a #1 hit for eight weeks in 1948 for Nat “King” Cole and has since become a pop and jazz standard.

Living a bucolic life from at least the 1940s, he traveled in sandals and wore shoulder-length hair and beard, and white robes. He camped out below the first L in the Hollywood Sign above Los Angeles and studied Oriental mysticism. He slept outdoors with his family and ate vegetables, fruits, and nuts. He claimed to live on three dollars per week.

[edit] Biography

Though born in Brooklyn, New York to a Jewish father and a Scottish-English^{[clarification needed]} mother, he was adopted in 1917 by a family in Chanute, Kansas and raised under the name George McGrew.^[1][2]

During the 1930s, McGrew lived in Kansas City, where he performed as a pianist and dance band leader.^[1] He probably also lived in New York City for some time, although little is known of that period of his life.^[2] In 1941, he arrived in Los Angeles and began playing piano in the Eutropheon, a small health food store and raw food restaurant on Laurel Canyon Boulevard. The cafe was owned by John and Vera Richter, German immigrants who followed a Naturmensch and Lebensreform philosophy^[3] influenced by the Wandervogel movement in Germany. Their followers, known as “Nature Boys” and who included Robert “Gypsy Boots” Bootzin, wore long hair and beards and ate only raw fruits and vegetables. During this period, he adopted the name “eden ahbez,” choosing to spell his name with lower-case letters, claiming that only the words God and Infinity were worthy of capitalization. He is also said to have desired the A and Z (alpha and omega), the beginning and the end, in his surname. During this period, he married Anna Jacobsen and had a son.

In 1947, at the prompting of radio host^[4] Cowboy Jack Patton, ahbez approached Nat “King” Cole‘s manager backstage at the Lincoln Theatre in Los Angeles and handed him the music for his song, “Nature Boy.” Cole began playing the song for live audiences to much acclaim, but needed to track down its author before releasing his recording of it. Ahbez was discovered living under the Hollywood Sign and became the focus of a media frenzy when Cole’s version of “Nature Boy” shot to #1 on the Billboard charts and remained there for eight consecutive weeks during the summer of 1948. Ahbez was covered simultaneously in Life, Time and Newsweek magazines. Frank Sinatra and Sarah Vaughan later released versions of the song. ahbez also faced legal action from Yiddish musical composer, Herman Yablokoff,^[5] who claimed that the melody to “Nature Boy” came from one of his songs, “Shvayg mayn harts” (“Be Still My Heart”). Ahbez claimed to have “heard the tune in the mist of the California mountains,” but legal proceedings resulted in a substantial monetary settlement for Yablokoff.^{[citation needed]}

Ahbez continued to supply Cole with songs, including “Land of Love (Come My Love and Live with Me)”, which was also covered by Doris Day and the Ink Spots. He also worked closely with jazz musician Herb Jeffries, and, in 1954, the pair collaborated on an album, The Singing Prophet, which included the only recording of ahbez’s four-part “Nature Boy Suite.” The album was later reissued as Echoes of Eternity on Jeffries’ United National label. In the mid 1950s, he wrote songs for Eartha Kitt, Frankie Laine, and others, as well as writing some rock-and-roll novelty songs. In 1957, his song, “Lonely Island,” was recorded by Sam Cooke, becoming the second and final ahbez composition to hit the Top 40.

In 1959, he began recording instrumental music, which combined his signature somber tones with exotic arrangements and (according to the record sleeve) “primitive rhythms”. He often performed bongo, flute, and poetry gigs at beat coffeehouses in the Los Angeles area. In 1960, he recorded his only solo LP, Eden’s Island, for Del-Fi Records. This mixed beatnik poetry with exotica arrangements.

During the 1960s, he released only three singles. Grace Slick‘s band, The Great Society, recorded a version of “Nature Boy” and ahbez was photographed in the studio in early 1967 with Brian Wilson during a session for the Smile album. Later that year, singer Donovan came across him at Joshua Tree in California, down for a reportedly “near-telepathic” conversation.

From the late 1980s until his death, he worked closely with Joe Romersa, an engineer/drummer in Los Angeles. The master tapes, photos, and final works of eden ahbez are in Romersa’s possession.^{[citation needed]}

He died on March 4, 1995, of injuries sustained in a car accident at the age of 86.^[6] Another album, Echoes from Nature Boy, was released posthumously.

References

[edit] External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Eden ahbez

• Joe Romersa’s Tribute Site to ahbez
• Biographical info
• Soundclips from Eden’s Island
• Full lyrics of Nature Boy

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Diana stone, Viktoria Modesta, Vicky Martin & Ada Zanditon 25.11.10, originally uploaded by Ralph Stephenson.

Diana stone, Viktoria Modesta, Vicky Martin & Ada Zanditon 25.11.10
at the launch night of INSILVA, Ada’s exhibition at Beyond The Valley, 2 Newburgh Street , London W1.

Now that’s a sight you won’t see very often…

Delta Ladies entertain, London 25.11.10, originally uploaded by Ralph Stephenson.

Delta Ladies entertain, London 25.11.10

at Ada Zanditon’s INSILVA event

Full on at it near Carnaby Street Recently

Delta Ladies at St Harmonicas 10.12.10, originally uploaded by Ralph Stephenson.

The Deltas at St harmonica’s in Southgate recently. That was quite a busy weekend with 3 gigs in a row just before the white stuff hit.

Snow, lots of snow so no gig in St Albans tonight, unfortunately, but the thought of getting stuck on the motorway in this weather is not at all appealing. Did see the Pretty Things at the 100 Club last night and that was rather good, but I am just not used to being at home on a Saturday night. Ho hum.

Its given to us if we are lucky at times the ability to see things more or less as they really are rather than through our usual often distorted perspective. However when we see things that well we may encounter other issues as others often do not want to see the reality of the situation.

So is ignorance bliss? In my experience no. Some times even the wrong idea instead of no idea at all is a reasonable starting place. We are so used to others spoon feeding us through almost every second that we are awake until we drift off to slumber at the close. If you have a wrong idea you have at least a chance of finding a right one along the way.

How to deal with the others? to be continued …

A robot for £15, you couldn’t make it up.Welll not for that price these days

ROBOT

Diana being Very-cold-in-Reim

Just been for a few days away in Reim in France  with Vicky Martin & Terry McInerny from Elephant Shelf and Clive Rawlings from Blues Matters and his wife Barbara (who also worked tirelessly to translate for us and smooth our passage)  to meet and also to do a guest spot with top French Blues Band Awek at a blues festival. We are  bringing them to the UK in 2011 for a tour in late spring or early summer. Very enjoyable, though our journey home was rather difficult as we got hung up in the snow in the UK, but we made it in the end. We also called in at one of our favorite hostelry’s the Cats Back in Putney where you will be able to see the Delta Ladies this New Years Eve.

I seem to be just a little bit paranoid right now. I should really try and be a bit more trusting but at the moment its hard work . Today has been one of those days when I really could have done with sinking into the wall or at least hiding behind the sofa.  Sometimes my confidence vanishes completely and its a fragile beast at the best of times which has required a lot of  nurturing to keep it out of the dark places that where it usually reposes.

I had a really good night out listening to Albert Lee & Hogans Heroes at the Castle in NW11. It was a mind bending gig. I have of course seen Albert Lee on TV and youtube, so I knew it was going to be good and it was.  It takes a lot to get me going but this gig was really great. Fantastic guitar playing, and a few surprises in the set list too, like ‘The world is waiting for the sunrise’, it couldn’t have been more varied and entertaining. Also the live sound is one of the best I have heard in any venue.

Diana Vicky & Albert Pic by Pete Mariosa

Albert Lee on stage Photo by Pete Mariosa

I was privileged to play there a week or so back with Elephant Shelf to a small but perfectly formed audience and prior to that I saw Georgie Fame, which was also a great gig. So thats the good stuff and it doesn’t get any better than that. Unfortunately the venue like many others is under pressure and is struggling to continue which is a great shame as its one of the really great places to listen to or play live music.  If you do see a gig advertised there its well worth the trip. They also offered me a job behind the bar LOL. I don’t think I would be terribly good at it to be honest, (though there are a few people I know who’s personal fantasy is exactly that, bet lynch eat your heart out) and I might be tempted to drink the profits. They do Real Ales and good food to so that would have been OK.

Today has been mostly involved in working on some web stuff (which I find incredibly tedious these days to be honest) and  running through some stuff on the piano and violin and a bit of tidying up. I am also getting used to using a video camera after a gap of a few years as I intend to start including video as part of this blog too. The camera is a bit flaky at the moment but its starting to behave  so I might be able to start using it properly in a week or too with luck.

The Moon Rises in Battersea. I am hoping to start video blogging occasionally from now just to give it   more variety.
Theres a brilliant full moon tonight. I shot it from my lounge….

 

 Online Video: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Elephant Shelf 22.04.10, originally uploaded by Ralph Stephenson.

and there’s more…

Elephant Shelf 22.04.10, originally uploaded by Ralph Stephenson.

Elephant Shelf manifesting in London Colney.
Picture by Ralph Stephenson.
Check him out on flikr

I have been involved with a lot of non-musical stuff this week, various website projects and fixing stuff. Getting  a new PSU and and installing  it in my old computer, coaxing my video camera back in to life after its been mothballed for a couple of years, and one or two other things. The last few gigs with the Shelf and the Deltas have been quite eventful too. I have got the taste for a bit of make do and mend now as its quite satisfying to get stuff going often very cheaply too. In between the practical stuff I have been chilling out a bit as well and I am going to try and do a video blog, though it is likely to heavily feature my cuddly toys collection. I am also spending  a little time looking at other possible income options to augment what I am getting.  I also had not realised how stressed I had got with my personal finances or rather the lack of them and it seems quite bizarre to be receiving a pension as part of my regular income, but it gives me just enough to keep going if I am very careful which is of course I will be and have been for the last couple of years having left the tried and trusted working as an office drone.

The other thing that has greatly affected me is the realisation of the frailty of some much of what I and most people take for granted in life and the fact that the clock is ticking so the message is do it now. Actually having time and choices is quite empowering for a change, but I was never that good at making decisions for my self though I was great at doing it for other people.