tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63870901322541617102012-02-17T03:26:33.508+13:00Shedding light on underexposed books, music, photography and more ...Richard Smallfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03699954775108018666noreply@blogger.comBlogger81100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387090132254161710.post-86431465016928972892012-01-08T11:57:00.001+13:002012-01-08T12:21:25.062+13:00

I should preface this review with the embarrassing confession that I know more about the New York jazz scene than that of my own country. However, this prompts the comment that fans of accomplished guitar ensembles on the New York scene, such those of as Adam Rodgers, Gilad Hekselman or Steve Cardenas, will find a lot to admire about this trio. Recorded in 2008, Open to Suggestions was the

Richard Smallfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03699954775108018666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387090132254161710.post-1247344057803970192011-11-30T17:19:00.041+13:002012-01-28T12:47:49.131+13:00

If I were to choose one word to describe this book containing twenty-five examples of Maurice Lye's photography, it would be charm. Maurice has stated: I enjoy and respect the many ways people create, beautify or arrange their surroundings, the passion, love and sometimes a bit of madness which goes into many of the subjects in this book. All the photographs were taken as the scene presented

Richard Smallfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03699954775108018666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387090132254161710.post-27390211425868407462011-10-23T16:56:00.006+13:002011-10-23T20:42:35.595+13:00

The art of conversation is mostly about listening, whether conversing verbally or by playing notes. A fluent and empathetic conversation between viola and piano (or occasionally harmonium), mostly in the form of free improvisation, Heart Mountain is a rare album that stands apart from the crowd; one which stopped me in my tracks. Although almost all of it is freely improvised, in terms of 'feel

Richard Smallfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03699954775108018666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387090132254161710.post-34173257392794334972011-09-20T08:52:00.005+12:002011-09-24T14:13:38.053+12:00

Every year, a few albums stand out from the rest, getting replayed repeatedly, both on the stereo and in my head. Just Add Water is one of these – an album which could prompt a much longer discussion than is possible here. Nico Soffiato studied philosophy in Padua, where he grew up; he then continued his studies at UC Berkley, before deciding to change his focus to music and studying at Boston's

Richard Smallfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03699954775108018666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387090132254161710.post-55792155368483462632011-09-03T13:01:00.003+12:002011-09-24T14:15:25.509+12:00

Martin Parr: Galway Races Festival, Ireland, 1997 Documentary photographers have traditionally been drawn to adversity: deprivation, crisis and aftermath; less often have they looked at the privileged. In Luxury, Martin Parr's eye cuts like a laser through artifice as he looks at the global culture and adornments of wealth. I say culture, because this book left me with the impression that

Richard Smallfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03699954775108018666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387090132254161710.post-22742608614614574562011-08-28T15:55:00.031+12:002011-10-23T20:46:03.381+13:00

Squeezing 60 mini-biographies into about 400 pages, The QI Book of the Dead is written in a very readable, Brysonesque tone; the brevity of the biographies makes them perfect for idle moments. The Dead, ranging from saints and geniuses (Florence Nightingale, Nikola Tesla) to scoundrels (Titus Oates), are thematically arranged in chapters with titles such as: 'Nothing Like a Bad Start in Life', '

Richard Smallfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03699954775108018666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387090132254161710.post-68783741621521157722011-08-21T13:03:00.011+12:002011-09-24T14:21:00.136+12:00

It is with trepidation that I review this album, as no words I can contrive will do it justice. Some recorded performances are so insightful and virtuosic that they redefine a work and for the listener, become as important as the notes penned by the composer. A few spring to mind, for me at least, such as the performances of the Miles Davis Quintet on Round About Midnight (1956). Similarly, at

Richard Smallfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03699954775108018666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6387090132254161710.post-5147848985230575982011-08-17T14:08:00.018+12:002011-10-23T20:46:49.691+13:00

A must for any fan of social documentary photography, Parr by Parr – Quentin Bajac meets Martin Parr – Discussions with a promiscuous photographer; Schilt, 2010, is an extended interview in book form. Able to be read in a sitting or two, this book explores Martin Parr's beginnings, his motivations, methods, the evolution of his subject matter and means of presentation, as well as delving into

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