THE BLUE MOMENT

The Blue Moment [http://thebluemoment.com] is a Blog about music, mainly but by no means exclusively, about Jazz. It is authored entirely by a man called Richard Williams who until quite recently was Sports Editor of The Guardian, and occasional contributor to music matters. He is a really excellent writer. Me, I am not much interested in sports but I am very interested in music and very interested in the types of music discussed by Mr Williams.

I tend to listen to Late Junction and World Routes these days. Miles pretty much passed me by in my music education, although I did see him once live in Berlin [long story] and in any case, I tend to go with those who say he nicked his best ideas from the seminal Bill Evans. Nevertheless, this is an erudite blog by someone who knows his stuff and incidentally knows a lot more than me. It is up there to be enjoyed.

What mainly interests me however is his masculine lifestyle. Not really come across a life like this before. I don’t know him; I have no idea about his life, if he is married or has kids. He says he lives in London and thats about it in terms of biographical details. There is almost nothing about him in Wikipedia. This isn’t eighteen holes of golf and a jar or two in the clubhouse; not that kind of masculine lifestyle. He goes to concerts and to Cafe Oto to see the likes of Marc Ribot. To the Albert Hall to see Dylan; to see Keith Tippet at the Vortex and buys [and recommends] new albums by Willie Nelson and Carla Bley. He recommends books by people like Donald Fagan and Stoner by John Williams; there are long lists of exhibitions. Get the picture? All male activities. I mean, I cant imagine a woman . . . any woman I have ever met anyway . . . buying even less enjoying the sixty-eighth studio album by an eighty-two year old Willie Nelson. But a man might. Or, a growling Bob Dylan who can no longer communicate in any way that can be described as ‘singing’; on stage for over two and a half hours and he only does two of his ‘hits’. But a man would.

So alien to me. Does he have a wife? Kids? Okay, what about aging parents [Williams is 68] demanding he pops round on Friday afternoon and could he just call in at ASDA on his way? Doesn’t he have any responsibilities that would interrupt this sybaritic life? ‘Yeah, Mum I’ll be round about four; assumin’ I can find a cab outside Cafe Oto at that time of the mornin’.’ I’m not knocking it; I am just intrigued.