There are two exhibitions which recently opened in London that have a connection with Diego Velázquez – for me, as for so many, one of the very greatest painters in the history of art. The first – devoted to Francisco de Zurbarán (1598-1664), at the National Gallery – is a clear link, since he and … Continue reading Great art in London: Zurbarán and Whistler
I’ve been listening to some very interesting new music recently (more about which soon-ish, I hope), but nothing has been more welcome than a Carla Bley double CD entitled Joyful Noise – a somewhat unexpected treat since the great bandleader, composer, arranger, keyboards player and occasional singer died around two and a half years ago. … Continue reading Joyful indeed: new(?) music from Carla Bley
I’m not about to explain, once more, my reasons for always wanting to catch any new movie (or any small screen fare, for that matter) by Steven Soderbergh; I already wrote about my enduring interest in his work in posts about Black Bag and Presence and about his low-budget web series Command Z. But that … Continue reading The Christophers: another gem from Steven Soderbergh
It was with considerable sadness that I learned of the death, a few days ago, of the great composer, bandleader, pianist and occasional horn-player Mike Westbrook, just weeks after his 90th birthday. Sadly, I never met him (though I exchanged a few emails with him and his wife Kate during the last couple of years), … Continue reading In Memory of a Musical Titan: RIP Mike Westbrook (1936-2026)
Regular readers will probably be aware of my high regard for the ECM label – its disdain for the limitations of musical borders, the roster of musicians, the pellucid sound, the readiness to release programmes many other companies would never consider – but one thing I haven’t really addressed is how often ECM albums boast … Continue reading But Is It Jazz? Two… no, three new albums
One of the pleasures I derived last year from visiting the National Gallery’s ‘Radical Harmony’ exhibition devoted to the neo-impressionists was the opportunity it afforded to reassess the work of Georges Seurat. Though I’d been familiar (or so I thought…) with his experiments in pointillism since my teens, I had always found pictures like Bathers … Continue reading Seascapes by Seurat, Faces by Freud: two new London exhibitions
The first time I encountered Peter Howden was shortly after I moved to London in the autumn of 1976. I had moved into a seedy basement flat in Westbourne Park, and the similarly seedy Electric Cinema Club, five minutes’ walk away in Portobello Road, soon became my second home. There was a bearded, bespectacled guy … Continue reading Man of the Cinema: one or two things I know about Peter Howden (1945-2026)
These days, each and every year I get to thinking that the state of the world can’t get any worse, then something comes along to prove me wrong. I needn’t give examples here; suffice to say that, for me at least, the arts have become ever more important as a solace and distraction, above and … Continue reading My best movies, music, books, etc of 2025
I’ll confess that when I first read that Tate Britain was to mount an exhibition entitled Turner and Constable: Rivals and Originals, I wasn’t exactly filled with excitement. Don’t get me wrong: Turner has been one of my favourite artists ever since I first saw his work at the Tate in my mid-teens, and while … Continue reading Turner and Constable Together: surely a must-see show
December again. For some years, I've posted recommendations for recent BluRay/DVD releases, CDs and books that might be of use for anyone wondering what Christmas gifts to buy. (I find choosing presents very difficult, so am myself always open to ideas from friends.) So here we go once more. I hope some of the suggestions … Continue reading Movies, music and books for Christmas – and beyond…
notes and observations by Geoff Andrew 