Catching Up...

It's got to be towards the summer of 1973 when the group above posed for this one...we think in the pub at the top of Jacob's Ladder (now called that but not back then?).  This picture comes courtesy of Tom Batty (centre at back) who thinks that I might have taken it - though I don't quite recall it.  Today we met up - our first such meet since that summer!

From left to right around the table are Imogen Pilling, not sure?,Anna Brockett, Allan Green, Jenny Rees, Tom, not at all sure?, Jimmy Whitehead, Dave Weekes and John Elliot.  If by any chance any one of you see this let me know details you can remember after all this time. Allan and Tom I've already written about here but John E became a well respected painter in the early 80's and showed in a commercial London gallery.  Dave W has worked in a variety of contexts including Cranfield School of Management and currently lives in Manchester working mainly (I think) in Illustration.  Jimmy has had a career as a contemporary classical (minimalist) composer (inspired by seeing John Cage at the RAH on a college trip) and Anna has made a career in Film Animation (partly inspired by a visit to college by Bob Godfrey.  We often blather on about 'transferable skills' in University Art Departments nowadays...and most of it is utter tosh.  If the group above proves anything its that the richness of the inputs makes for the more interesting of outputs!

Tom...where have you been?

Alongside those students that arrived at College the same time as me we had several other close pals from other years. Tom Batty was one such and crops up regularly in photos of our group.  Sadly I completely lost touch with him after we finished in June 1973.  Luckily enough I recently discovered he lives not that far off from me in the East Midlands.

So tomorrow I'm off to Melton Mowbray to meet him for lunch...a bit of catching up I guess...after a gap of 44 years...it barely seems plausible!

Adventures In The Studio

Myself & Jim Dymond, in performance...

My recollection is that a handwritten note was pinned to the painting dept. noticeboard simply saying that if you were interested in ‘contemporary music’ you should fetch up in a room that (certainly for me at least) I’d hardly noticed before on the bottom corridor. 

Several of us went along.  We met an eccentric looking Welshman who had an Afro hairdo and a terrific bushy mexican moustache.  He was Howard Rees and looking back I now imagine that he wasn’t that many years older than we were.  He was a terrifically energetic, classically trained musician but with a passionate interest in modern music.  Before he let us loose on the amazing kit (that included Sennheiser Concert Speakers, two Revox four track tape recorders and - the very latest sensational musical gismo the VCS3 that we’d only ever seen Brian Eno play on TOTP!) he insisted we go up to the College music room (a comfortable living room that overlooked the gardens) where he introduced us to KarlHeinz Stockhausen’s Kontakte.  There are few moments that are truly revelatory in life but for me, and several others present I reckon, that was one.  A week later Howard was back and we were in the room again listening to Steve Reich’s It’s Gonna Rain and either that week or the following it was Terry Riley’s A Rainbow In Curved Air.  Those sessions have lived in my head for almost forty five years!

Tom Batty (I think) and myself 'performing' for John Elliot

We went on to play about in the studio, to play about with the kit, to make all kinds of sound pieces and even, with our painting tutor, Ron Smith who was by this time less interested in paintings but obsessive about his saxophone playing form an experimental sound group that variously was called Sticks Mbutto & his Magic Band and the Ron Smith Big Quartet (ha ha…there were five of us).  One of number - Jimmy - who I shall feature in another post soon - was so transformed by these experiences he has made his life in avant garden musical circles.

John Elliot 'fixing' a guitar

What happened to Howard?  I’m not sure but I think there may be a reference to him in the book Cybersonic Arts: Adventures in American New Music.  There is mention in Chapter 11 What We Did Last Summer to the International Carnival of Experimental Sound in London in Summer 1972.  A band with Cornelius Cardew in it called Naked Software also lists members John Lifton, Anna Lockwood, Harvey Matusow and - Howard Rees.  I have also turned up a credit on Harold Budd’s 1978 album The Pavilion of Dreams for Howard Rees as the Vibes/Marimba player in the ensemble.  In addition an intriguing album by the Welsh Argentine Guitar Duo features a finale piece written by a Howard Rees called Goodbye Alun and Thank you-Elegy in Memoriam Alun Hoddinott.  It might be a stretch but Howard was Welsh!  There’s also a listing on Gavin Bryars first take on The Sinking Of The Titanic on Eno’s Obscure label in 1975 of a Howard Rees as ‘director’.  Given his interests there's at least a chance these are our man.

A real longitudinal study...

If there's any purpose to this at all it might be the way in which it could reflect the lives and careers of art students. At a time when the professionalisation of Art Schools (sorry I mean University Arts Depts) has all but drained their entire lifeblood it might give pause for thought...though in the current climate I doubt it.

In this picture I'm mooching about the top floor flat's living room whilst Dave Thomas gets on with some serious painting; in this case an almost life size self portrait.  It's paid off pretty well for Dave!

Cheers!

We say 'bottoms up' from the Ponderosa, the public bar at the Penwerris Inn, Falmouth, Cornwall.

Let loose the dogs of war...

The staircase up to the second floor of the Penwerris and our flat was patrolled by Melville's two alsatians - don't be fooled by the recumbent and placid looking fella here.  Sure if you knew him.  But if you didn't I'd give very little for your chances...

Shrouded in darkness (the Ponderosa was mostly like that even on a sunny day...) here sits Melville J Brooks, the proprietor.  Engaged in his favourite pursuit, the card game Euchre.  I never really understood it...two teams of two competed and some games took forever whilst others ended almost instantly usually with roars of cusses.