Hands

As each November approaches I try to make my own little Remembrance-time tribute.  Seems more relevant as each year passes...

Following the huffing and puffing empire lunacy in the summer of 1914, the next four years would see 40 million casualties, half of them deaths and of those, half were civilian.  

40 million.

40 million tales of poignancy, pain, grief and human tragedy, through times that can often seem littered with coincidence, symmetries …. bookends and mirrors.

In the Military Cemetery of St Symphorien near Mons rests John Parr.  At only five foot three inches and several years under age he (amazingly) managed to enlist in 1912 - hoping to see the world, and get the advertised “two square meals” a day.  He was the first British Army casualty, killed in the battle of Mons aged just 17, his body left behind, fate unknown until much later in the conflict;  the army unable to answer his mother’s letters of enquiry about her “silent” son.

By pure coincidence, John lies just a few yards from the last British soldier to die in the great war.  George Ellison served for four long years including at the same first battle of Mons as John, and most of the famously grinding, attritional infantry battles of the conflict.  His working life bookended by military service, George had first enlisted in 1902, leaving the army in 1912, just as John joined, he became a coal miner, re-enlisting at the outbreak of war to dig mud not coal and fight from trenches he helped excavate.  George was killed just 90 minutes before the armistice took effect at 11:00 on the 11th day of the 11th month.  The futility of the conflict was cruelly illustrated by the fact that George’s war had started and ended at exactly the same place, Mons in Belgium.  They had literally gone nowhere.

As a postscript to progress since "the war to end all wars" the human race is currently reckoned to be engaged in 7 major wars, 15 significant ongoing conflicts and 21 “minor” conflicts (the latter defined as up to "only” 1000 deaths per year).  By way of another macabre bookend, the longest of these has been going on, unbelievably, since the year .... 1918.

As always, this simple ballad is offered as a live one mic one take effort - please excuse the fluffs and gaffes.
_______________________

Bookends and Mirrors

Sun turned cold ‘cross every sky in the summer of ‘14
The Good Lord shook his head, and he placed it in his hands
Braided declarations flying, whose like was never seen
Lunatics in feathers stockpiled lead, bagged their sand.
Slapstick Mephistopheles, unleashing of his flame
Spiral minds lobotomised in the waltz of the insane
Simple lives unknowing of the mud that would become
A mirror in the resting place of two Holy Mother’s sons.

Signed the line, five years young, fingers crossed behind his back
Chance to see the world, grab a future, two square meals.
At 17, John’s angels sung, first to fall in dawn’s attack
Abandoned and forgotten, deaf to all his ma’s appeals.
Never knew the miner, his bookend pal to be
Fighting down the line, many battles that he’d see
Full four years in trenches, George’s hell lived through them all
Cruelty was smiling wide at England’s last to fall.

In service time they travelled nowhere, nothing to achieve
Embracing 40 million weeping mothers left to grieve
The crime of puffing chest bravado beggared to believe
Hall of mirrors seeping others’ blood of the innocent naive.

Now John and George lie facing each to seek their mirrored peace
Raise my eyes and brim a tear for the lessons never learned
Pray God, don’t ever let them know man’s insanity but increased
The war to end all wars a mere sequel oft’ returned 
By comedies of leathered fools stuck on infinite repeat
Bemedalled and bejewelled, they prosecute their moral defeat
But here, on sallow turf twixt heroes, broken mirror in my broken hand
Met by my own broken eyes, I still fail to understand.
_________
Photo by Michael Yuan on Unsplash

Bookends and Mirrors

Vidéo YouTube : https://youtu.be/xpmxidMUL8g
 
Roots  (Racines : à la suite en Français )

My dear brother , my Theo 
Thank you for your letter and the bill but it's too much
Since things are going well for you and yours 
What do we have to do with what is less so?
My dear brother , my Theo
You have your share in my work, my paintings 
which in the debacle keep their calm, and that's beautiful!

I risk my life in my work
my reason has half melted away.
I've already had bouts of madness
my condition must have worsened.

My dear brother, my Theo 
I'm a burden to you, for me it's too much 
You owe it to your son, to your family 
my painting will never be a source of profit. 
 
My dear brother , my Théo  
I'm sending you "Roots", my last painting.
I'm going to finish it with my blood
then die at the Ravoux: it's high time.


I'm risking my life for my work
my reason has half melted.
I've already had bouts of madness
my condition is only getting worse.  

My dear brother Theodore
lying beside me, what a comfort
you have joined me now in Auvers
where we rest, my brother, two feet under!

My work cost me my life
my sanity melted away
I had many fits of madness
my state was desperate.


Racines 

Mon cher frère , mon Théo 
Merci de ta lettre et du billet mais c’est trop
Puisque cela va bien  pour toi et les tiens 
Qu’avons nous à faire de ce qui l’est moins ?
Mon cher frère , mon Théo
Tu as  ta part dans mon oeuvre , mes tableaux 
qui dans la débâcle gardent leur calme , et c’est beau !

Mon travail à moi j’y risque ma vie
ma raison y a fondu à moitié .
J’ai déjà eu des accès de folie
mon état a du s’aggraver .

Mon cher frère , mon Théo 
Je suis une charge pour toi , pour moi s’en est trop 
Tu te dois à ton fils , à ta famille 
ma peinture ne sera jamais une source de profit . 
 
Mon cher frère , mon Théo  
je t’envoie  « Racines «  mon dernier tableau .
Je vais le terminer avec mon sang
puis mourrir chez les Ravoux  : il est grand temps .


Mon travail à moi j’y risque ma vie
ma raison y a fondu à moitié .
J’ai déjà eu des accès de folie
mon état ne fait que s’aggraver .  

Mon cher frère Theodore
allongé près de moi , quel réconfort
tu m’as rejoint à présent à Auvers
où nous reposons , mon frère , deux pieds sous terre !

Mon travail à moi m’a couté la vie
ma raison y a fondu en entier
J’ai eu de nombreux accès de folie
mon état était désespéré .

Racines (translated in description )

Free Fallin',  free style

Another Foundation track. It was the bass synth that inspired the track, it made me think of an anti-gravity engine... 
The "machine gun" guitar is a Fender Telecaster bi-amped to give that meaty punch. The warbling guitar is a Deusenberg Paloma with a vibrato pedal, reverse delay and fuzz box put through a plexi amp.

The Edge

Wishy Washy.      (c2024)

Naviar Haiku 529

A distant mountain
Seen in the sunlight:
A desolate field

Takahama Kyoshi was a Japanese poet active during the Shōwa period of Japan. He was the editor of the haiku magazine Hototogisu (previously edited by Shiki), where he promoted a more traditional style of haiku, as opposed to other popular schools which did not follow the pattern of seventeen syllables at that time.

Kyoshi also highlighted the symbolic function of the kigo (the seasonal reference), even though the more modern trends were already tending towards seasonless haiku.

Haiku by Takahama Kyoshi

Picture by Alessio Soggetti

Mountains Away from Here

Mountains Away from Here (NaviarHaiku529)

20 - 5-2024

Jericho

Waiting Room (2016) Anthology CD1 Track 10

beat 654

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From 1st June 2025, celebrating 10 years of KORG KRONOS music with lots of brand new music showcasing the wonders of this iconic workstation in all it's glory. Also as a nod to the release of the KRONOS 3, which will take KORG into the next generation.
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Finished remastering up to and including 2023 now. Has been a mammoth task but well worth the effort. Next year I shall be working on a remastered series of my pre KORG days 2000 to 2008, in 8 volumes, as well as celebrating in style my 10 years of KRONOS magic, can't wait for 2025.
Have now amassed over 1000 tracks on SC (that's over 8000 minutes of music) and it has been a blast sharing them with you all. Next year 2025, marks the 10th anniversary of the start of my KORG journey.
Am currently putting together a remastered Anthology collection of all my best tracks from 2015 onwards. 2015 consists of a 3 volume set (Now available on Bandcamp). 2016 consists of a 4 volume set. (Also available on Bandcamp). 2017 consists of a 4 volume set. (Available on Bandcamp) 2018 consists of a 4 volume set. (Also available on Bandcamp). 2019 consists of a 4 volume set. (Now available on Bandcamp). 2020 consists of a 3 volume set (now available on Bandcamp).
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Am spending a lot more time on my music now since retiring from work in July 2020. Always learning new techniques and honing my craft. Am comfortable now with all chord sequences throughout the scales and loving improvising with the help of my mighty KORG still. Am still trying to give my full support and encouragement to all SC users and some latest (you know who you are), are developing nicely. Be good to one another, be gracious to others, leave your ego out of your life and above all else remember there is always someone worse off than yourself. 
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Music is my life - has helped me through many dark places, is a big part of who I am. I put my heart and soul into every single piece of music I produce. I have found many wonderful friends on SC and many exciting talented people.  Been writing and producing music now for 40 years plus. Specialised in electronic based orchestral compositions. I have created my own genre which I call 'electrorchestration'.
Favourite artists/bands include Gary Numan, Little Boots, Jools Holland, Eno, Edgar Froese (1944-2015), Jordan Rudess, Kebu, Madis, Keith Emerson (1944-2016), Rick Wakeman, Richard Wright (1943-2008), Pink Floyd, Tangerine Dream, Vangelis, Jean Michel Jarre, M83, Public Service Broadcasting, Dream Theater, ELP, Yes and Mystery to name but a few.
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Jericho

Magi©ian™ (Making music make a difference)