Chez Horse, Chiswick.
Drove here from DGM last night listening to The Plague of Crafty Guitarists & The California Guitar Trio's new CD.
The Plague of Crafties: this would have been appropriate as a challenge for students in the Red Lion House period, and may well be appropriate as a challenge for various members of the Team today. But it doesn't reflect the current work of Guitar Craft, nor does it meet the performance standards that apply today. Guitar Craft has moved on.
The CGT: the production by TLev is their best yet. The quality of performers, performance and production deserve better material.
Today's work in London today is a recording session for David Sylvian's new solo album. Eden Studios is conveniently just around the corner from the bijou Chateau de Petite Chevalle.
DGM HQ 19.21
Today's session: for me, a treat. David & his brother Steve were both waiting when I arrived…
Standard Operating Procedure: I overplay, to give a plenitude of material & phrases for cutting, pasting, re-arranging, sampling, (sometimes) leaving as they are, and a lot for discarding. The piece: a wonderful, classic, gorgeous Sylvian ballad.
Several firsts on this session:
PodPro rackmount as the effects unit; no echo or reverb on either effects or monitoring; nearly all my playing with the thumb.
Not a first, but for the first time in over 30 years: soft "modern" chords (that's what they were called when I was learning them in the early 1960s). Giles, Giles & Fripp! called out David.
Happy Boys…
At a session, there are no laurels & no past achievements to rest upon: however good a recorded solo from history might be, today you deliver or not. And if you don't, your professional future is in doubt. A session is always a challenge, always a pointed stick, particularly when re-visiting a former collaborator of good work.
Now, here at DGM, David Singleton is presently editing a demo of The Vicar's to be submitted to David Sylvian for his consideration.
21.33 The Evening Shift is loading in AIFF files of The Crimson ProjeKct from last month's work in Nashville.
22.34 A well-paced, substantive evening.
"Necessity is never far from what is real."
