Volume 2 of my friend Joe Laney’s Z West is just out. Check it out at www.josephlaney.com .

A new discovery for me, the small ensemble jazz of Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society. I’m currently listening to the recently released “Brooklyn Babylon”, which mixes minimalism, progressive and “out-there” jazz.

I’ve been working to update my websites and blogs to a responsive format. I’ve been using various Rapidweaver theme templates, plugins and widgets to effect these changes. The current template for elstonblog is the Tinker theme, by Elixir Graphics.

I’ve been listening to a lot of Cumbia and other forms of South American pop music lately. This is one of my favorite groups. I’ll probably post some more, by Systema Solar, Binary Cumbia Orchestra and others.

Currently in heavy rotation on my virtual turntable.

I listened to Family, with Roger Chapman, Ric Grech, John Whitney, Jim King, and Rob Townsend in the late 60′s. They were a U.K. band that didn’t get a lot of airplay in the states. Lately I’ve been looking for their albums in mp3 and CD format, and really enjoying them. They still sound fresh.

Jim King left the band after the first two records, apparently asked to leave because of deteriorating mental problems. He died this year, in February.

A leaf falls slowly,
swaying through the air toward
other scattered leaves.

“If you run the beast catches, if you stay the beast eats.” – Brazilian saying

“What is called enjoying a summer evening by the river goes on from sunset until the last glimmer of the moon at dawn. Balconies line the river banks for drinking and feasting. Women knot their obi in splendid bows, men come turned out in long cloaks, priests and old gentlemen mingle with the crowd, even young apprentices of coopers and blacksmiths sing and make merry as carefree as can be. Truly a scene of the Capital!

The river breeze…
Out in a thin russet kimono
On a summer evening.”

Basho, quoted in ‘Beauty and Sadness’ by Yasunari Kawabata.