Open the eyes

I haven't posted recently here in this blog and I realize it's important for me. Sophie in Korea really encouraged me today. Because life can be really tough for me - I do find things a struggle to keep going. I really thank God for her message,

You always open your hands to us. Today I went your blog your world. I can feel a little bit relaxing and joy in your world. We all gone through hard time this year and we are going to face that over and over. But it's ok. we are stronger enough to overcome all different difficulties in Jesus. aren't we?

We really need to see the world through different eyes constantly different eyes... River Tribe are an Australian Band I came across accidently just buying their CD in a sale for 3 dollars and later found them to be Christian.

Need for a peace inside

This last week, I have been up and down, in fact there have been more downs this whole semester. I have tried to find some peace in me. The great cleanup started and slowed down and almost stopped but as I try to tidy up my thoughts and emotions so that everything else will be ordered.

Some years ago Su-Young introduced me to Yiruma, 이루마. His music is so relaxing and gentle. It lifts my spirits and quietly the world is somehow a little better than it was before. It was two emails from Korea that have greatly encouraged me and then again also one from here. Chaconne I think is one of Yiruma's best- very simple and effective. It's more a matter of the soul of the music rather than the complexity or busyness, it's less about demonstrating technique and more about communicating. In my ESL teaching I keep reminding my students about this communicate don't try to demonstrate your vocabulary.

All you need is love

Beatles what can you say except the cellos make a real difference to the song. Perhaps what you need is love with some cellos? Life has been crazy with Thanskgiving lunch for over 60 people and saturday's outing to Crawford Lake for over 30 people. Trying to raise the cars and drivers and thank God for Rosanne who reminded me to pray. Well I confess I asked her to pray! Then I decided perhaps I ought to in all the sress of it. What we need a spirituality fo the presence of God - hence the cellos (if you hadn't guessed the metaphor from my main blog.)

Julie-O

I've just fallen in love a cello piece written by Mark Summer of Turtle Island String Quartet. He's quite a cellist in the alternative style. This weekend brings a lot of stress with Thanksgiving lunch to organize and co-ordinate. My Friend Brian has been bailing me out and stopping the boat sinking. I'm beginning to think I need to escape to a happier less stressful world found in this piece of music.

Prelude

To a new home in the sun

Prelude a British trio covered the Neil Young song 'After the Goldrush'. It has a totally different feeling to the original. It forms part of my youth and echoes deeply my late teens and early twenties. I saw Prelude live during this era and it still haunts.

Celtic Rock

Bagpipes are one of those instruments I wanted to learn but never got round to. Many years ago every Easter we took the local kids away on a boating trip. The places to moor up our boats each eveing were limited. I really wanted to play the bagpipes so I could drive the other boats further away. One year we had Ann who sung to them, and she was pretty successful in making space.

Rawlins Cross were a band I saw in the 1990s, and the bagpipes were loud enough not to need an amplifier! Colleen is one of my favourite numbers by them.

we don't talk anymore

It's so funny that we don't talk anymore - Cliff is part of my youth - he was one of my youth leaders which is surprising...

So many people I have almost lost contact with and wish I could find the time to search them out again. One of the stresses and strains of working with internationals is saying goodbye and not sure if we will ever talk again? Where are they now?

Horslips - Loudest

Horslips are one of the loudest bands I heard back in the early 1970s. They are an Irish rock band with electric mandolin and Uilleann pipes and prove that fusion worlds with tradtional instruments are viable rather than just guitars and drums.

I will lift my eyes

I lift up my eyes to the hills— where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. Psalm 121

This psalm is very precious to me as it was a commissioning Psalm as I left my home churches to move continents.Two churches unknown to each other used the same verse. Last sunday I had to learn this song by Bebo Norman for a service.



I will lift my eyes to the Maker - Of the mountains I can’t climb
I will lift my eyes to the Calmer - Of the oceans raging wild
I will lift my eyes to the Healer - Of the hurt I hold inside
I will lift my eyes, lift my eyes to You

Carrie doesn't live here

Cliff's 1980 hit Carrie is one of my favourite of his many years in the music business. It's in this era that fell in love more than once. All were musicians which didn't help.

Wonder

We all need a bit of wonder in our lives. Wonder has at least two meanings. "I wonder what will happen" has a sense of thinking about and hoping for something. The second meaning is seeing something often in a new way or for the first time. Little children look at something and are amazed. Adults look at the same thing and see nothing important. Things have not gone how I hoped for this school year and I have been disappointed. Yet I cannot say that there were no moments of wonder because there was wonder. The Electric Light Orchestra ELO a band with 2 cellos and a very unique sound and pictures form the Hubble Telescope in space. Twilight is the openning song for Densha Otoko - literally Trainman a romantic Japanese drama.

wishes

A few years ago Koji left me a few Japanese Cd's which got me into J-Pop and the first group were Le Couple. Such a sentimental person that I am this is probably my favourite song sung by Emi Fujita.

Let Go

I am a romantic and very sentimental guy. Cleaning in my apartment has been tough and difficult determining what to get rid of. Tuesday I laboured hard and removed a portable dishwasher which I was given 5 years ago. To do this I had to remove a hand rail and a door and hauled this heavy machine down the stairs and out of the front door. Frou Frou were unknown to me even though they are from the UK until I saw this music video taken from Nodame Cantabile. The strange thing is I'm more like Nodame the female character a bit sloppy, a bit untidy, don't like practicing, like to play music out of my emotions and searching for love. Chiaki is orderly taking all things very seriously. And yet I'm still really looking for my Nodame. I'm still a romantic but is it time to let go?.

The blessing

A few months ago I received a dream gift. My late honorary god-father left me money in his will. I was able to at last buy this exact instrument though I play it with a harness so I can walk around more like Marston Smith. This Frenchman demonstrates a wide range of possibilities.

Enchantment

For years now I have watched from a distance this cellist Marston Smith. Some months ago I heard someone use what I used to say when I was a choir conductor. The importance ot knowing "how to milk a melody" - how to squeeze everyounce of goodness out of a tune. From my favourite Japanese drama Nodame Cantabile how to enchant a listener. It is the movement of body and looking right,it is having passion and soul. Marston is what what you need to be an enchanter of audiences.

At the end of August I spoke at a conference and very much prayed that what I had to say would move people. I was wondering about everything this last week with disappointments and now I remember something important. I got feedback one evening from a couple talked to me and it was thrilling even now to see them move closer to God in a short time. Thank God.

My Past

I've listening to music from my teens recently and Caravan forms part of that era. This is Caravan a progressive folk Rock band that my freind Pete Matthews introduced me to. This is probably my favourite track and I love the melody lines. I am a sentimental guy and remember the special times and friends of the past. The crushes and loves of a teensager when life was complicated and awkward.

some more strange cello

I've been playing my cello with a guitar distortion pedal. I'm not as good as this guy but I've been having a little fun and realizing the pleasure of playing again. This incredible musician shows that actually it is much more soul than technique. He has both. Life has its ups and downs but I keep going and trying to enjoy the moments.

too long away

I haven't posted anything here for a while because I now have virtually only dialup connect at home. Here's an interesting cello group Break of Reality. They reflect a new encounter with music, I want more music in my life. In fact I need more music in my life so I'm trying to make time to play and practice cello. To do this I have to clean up and I am also trying to remove layers of things I have collected so my space at home will give me space in my life.

Golden Oldie - Julian Lloyd-Webber

Being a cello fan I prefer this to the electric violin piece played by Jenny Bae called Beethoven Virus. Paganinni somehow seems preferable to a more mediocre Beethoven. Sometimes new isn't necessarily better



Want to see what I'm comparing this to? (click here)

Put your money where your mouth is?

I came across a video of AP Bank fes 06 which looked fun and great outdoor music festival with many J-pop stars. Looking around I found out that the name stands for Artists’ Power or Alternative Power. Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, Kazutoshi Sakurai aka Gaku (from Mr Children) and Takeshi Kobayashi, a record producer, in 2003 founded and funded the nonprofit lending group, which finances eco-friendly projects. “When I thought about what I could do as an individual, the environment came up,” says Kobayashi, AP Bank’s president. “Money for the sake of money isn’t great, but money is a tool, and people can use it as a community.”

There's something I remember Jesus saying about the love of money, which this reminds me of.

This video brings a veteran singer Oda Kazumasa on stage and he shows his class as an artist.