Corey Mwamba

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3rd Jun 09

I'm kind of hoping that this will truly be the last time. I'm running a short test on my mailing list and so far there are no complaints... here's the new, updated site! With luck, you'll be able to find stuff on here as it stands: but I will be adding extra help. Let me know how you get on!

But now, I really must stop staring at the screen...

30th Jan 10

In short: a fantastic night.

There were heaps of people for this one; once again a fair few people I didn't know, which is always good. I think we needed to play to a healthy audience after the Vortex; and Derby delivered. In that situation it makes it much easier to give back musically, and I think we did: we had a ball!

So, thank you very much indeed.

Reading next!

15th Feb 10

I'm shattered from the travel - a fair few hours standing on a train there and back, and a good forty-five minutes trying to find the place - but the Rising Sun is a wonderfully interesting space: what they achieve there, with only good-will, puts lots of better-known places to shame.

The audience were warm and friendly and although we were tired - Dave having a massive car trek from Leeds -we played some lovely music. One of the audience took a short video too!

Still, got to wake up for London and Cardiff back-to-back!

20th May 10

The advances in web technology are opening up the field for artists to generate and share work in fantastic ways. One of these advances is the audio element in HTML5.

I resisted changing things over for a while because I thought it'd be a slog re-coding the site: but as it happens I only had to remove one line to make the switch. So...

As long as you're not on Internet Explorer 7 or below, all the pages are now in XHTML5. For most purposes you won't notice any difference, except on the shop and podcast pages: if your browser doesn't understand SVG, you'll get an HTML5 audio player instead!

24th Sep 10

Just got a card in the post: an extra quid for item short on postage by 10p. Still, it might be CD of solo from Accidental Powercut!

27th Sep 10

Just been working on slightly better filtering of these short messages: and finding http://dlvr.it to be very flexible indeed! So longer messages for the site, shorter ones for Twitter.

22nd Dec 10

Until just about now, Derby has missed ALL the snow. But it has arrived now. Just a short message to wish all visitors a restful holiday full of peace and joy. See you in the New Year!

15th Apr 11

The early morning has been spent putting together a iCalendar to HTML bridge for the site - no more boring entering gig information to a database for me! This is almost finished and I'll roll it out probably in the next couple of weeks. You won't notice much of a difference, but that's entirely the point.

20th Apr 11

yes, yes I know; I have loads to write about. But I've been coding; and preparing for things. So I'm on light blogging duties. But I have a question for you, if you're reading:

Imagine that someone has asked you to DJ for their child's 16th birthday party. There's a real chance for you to turn the kid to your musical tastes - but the set is INSANELY short - 15 minutes. WHAT DO YOU CHOOSE?

Pop your answers below!

27th May 11

Just wrote a short post about the music I'm creating for The Venus Papers on the show's blog

17th Jun 11

It's unbelievable that Ghost Town is 30 now. I felt it was rebellious not in the shouty way that punk was, but a real grittiness, laconic and brooding. A short article but nevertheless, an interesting springboard to other thoughts..

4th Aug 11

It's a short clip, taken by an audience member who enjoyed the gig and emailed me.

At one point in the video, it sounds like someone surmises that we are Norwegian - and in fact we were asked afterwards if we were Scandinavian. We are not: but the song was about Norway and so it was an apt assumption.

It was a beautiful gig.

3rd Sep 11

Nicholas Payton puts forward a clear and tidily-argued viewpoint... but then replaces it with another term. If only he'd just avoided using the word "blues" and gone straight to "music"... but still, a good, short read and a good catalyst for discussion.

28th Jan 12

In the short time before heading out: more Twitter trickery, but this time for cognizance... :)

12th Feb 12

I realise that I've been horribly remiss and not spoken about the great gig I had with @[Dave Kane] and @[Alexander Hawkins]. Alex played an absolute blinder, some really lovely stuff: and the audience [which was very healthy, and warm] really got into his playing! We all had a ball playing - here's a short clip of the proceedings... and there will be more!

19th Mar 12

Just a short one - a couple of tracks with Arun Ghosh and Neil Charles on the lovely Cerys Matthews' show, which I had not listened to before but - given the range of music - I think I certainly will now!

11th Jun 12

The meeting's tomorrow. Here's the blurb:

Experts with significant experience of the cultural sector and organisational development have been appointed to consult with and support arts and culture organisations in Derby to explore a number of key aims such as:

  • Articulating a vision for future sustainability for the arts sector in Derby
  • Explore future models of working together in the city and identify the potential opportunities
  • Ensure a quality arts offer for the people of Derby

I would like to invite you to a meeting with Graham Devlin to take part in the consultation process for the Cultural Vision for Derby; the purpose of the meeting is for attendees to be consulted on their thoughts for the future vision of Derby.

Now, I am definitely going to this. I'm pretty certain I know who else has been invited. But if you were not and have a stake in the arts in Derby, please let me know what you think. I haven't been on top of e-mails, so sorry for the short notice.

11th Jun 12

The idea behind all the coding is that I [once again] start to rein in the number of sites I post to; and feel less fragmented. Some of this has come from the fact that I write FAR TOO MANY WORDS for Twitter; whilst for Facebook, I hardly update that at all, except for gigs. When I have conversations on Facebook, it's normally with one or two people and they tend to be short - I have better conversations on Twitter [possibly because the word limit is closer tied to a conversational format]. But honestly, I'm not really a fan of Twitter because of the way the specifics of using it diminish meaning and context within a conversation. Although I may not get many comments on my site, I still feel that I'm better able to get my point across and have the flexibility to do so in statements of varying length.

4th Aug 12

SCHMAZZ and Jazz North East are two cornerstones of presenting high quality jazz and contemporary creative music in Britain and Ireland, all through year. It\'s run by volunteers [as most jazz organisation are] and with a considerably smaller subsidy than some organisations I can think of who do work in smaller and more affluent areas.

Their loss would affect the whole area and many many musicians on the scene. So this short press release can only be seen as great news. Let\'s hope it can continue...

31st Oct 12

Now this is sped up, but only slightly, by a semitone. Ridiculously fast - and towards the end, free - and notice Hamp use four mallets in the middle? Fantastic.

28th Nov 12

Newcastle was a joy! Four incredible days with Andy Champion, Sylvain Darrifourcq and Valentin Ceccaldi in our new band Sonsale [pronounced \"son sal\" ].

The gig itself was great, but too short; it\'s made me think about how some music requires a certain length of time.

The material we\'d developed is the sort where I take my time. It\'s all too easy for me to narrow my eyes in joy and unleash line after line, but I found punctuating the music and allowing things to unfurl around me very liberating. The audience was fully engaged in the music, treating us warmly, talking to us afterwards and really loving the sound; and I feel totally encouraged about the next chapter!

9th Apr 13

Just a short note to say that unfortunately my father-in-law is gravely ill, and I\'ve taken the decision to spend time at home for the next couple of weeks. This means I\'ll be unable to attend the gig on Thursday with @[Nat Birchall]. Though of course you should go if you were! Things will be quiet for a bit, but if you contact me I\'ll try to get back to you as soon as I can.

30th Jun 13

The gig with Lê Quan Ninh and Paul Dunmall was beautiful! We started with me, @[Dave Kane] and Paul in a trio; Paul always sounds phenomenal, but this was only the second time I'd played with him - and the first time up-close, so it was real treat. After us, Chris Sharkey and Matthew Bourne treated us to a fantastic cello and acoustic guitar duo. To top it all, Ninh's set was absorbing: using a large bass drum as a sound surface, he made it sing, resonate and thunder with various sticks, gongs and found objects.

The second half started with Ninh and Matthew [on a sweet couple of Moogs] in a short duo, and then the rest of us chipped in. So good to be making that kind of music - many thanks to Fusebox for asking me down!

14th Sep 13

Just a few tech things - converting all the pages to HTML5, since the specification now allows RDFa attributes. If you notice anything funny about the pages, please let me know!

2nd Dec 13

It is all too easy to have all-star players in a team that essentially doesn't work. This is known in all fields which require a creative outlook to collaboration, like sports, business and music. It isn't enough to be good at what you do in those situations: you have to be able to work towards a vision, to listen and respond to others around you, as well as the flexibility to take things to another place.

Luckily, Glasgow Improvisers' Orchestra has these skills [and the drive to use them] in abundance through all its members. Seeing a large ensemble where you don't notice its weight - where you hear considered improvisiation - where there is a real sense of joy in the music making - these things are rare: and GIO should be celebrated for that. Their work with Marylin Crispell, Gino Robair, Maggie Nichols and Gail Brand was stunning: I think Jazz on 3 will broadcast it at some point; catch it when you can.

Similarly, Maggie Nichols and Marylin Crispell - improvisation at its very best! I was totally blown away by this set - it was thoroughly inspiring. As for Sonsale, well that was just the usual drink-fuelled laugh fest that I particularly enjoy. We had a few small ideas that we plucked out for each gig of the "tour", and our working together is so much quicker than last time: I really hope we can do again sooner than later!

19th Mar 14

Another short period of website to Facebook testing...

26th Feb 15

The more astute among you will notice the connection with my last Ramble and the one preceding.

15th Nov 15

And although it was a short set, great to make such deep music in the duo with @[Rachel Musson]. Resolved to get more people to hear us!

2nd Mar 17

I am not that young, not that old; but Soweto is younger; James Morton and Tommy Scott are younger still; and J-Life was possibly a few weeks old. We are playing JuJu. I am still finding my way through music, playing the instrument of the man who inspired me. And so I am waiting to solo rather than paying attention. I am remembering rules I had taught myself a few weeks ago: Shorter uses c minor (melodic, ascending), but on the b. Use the major seventh to ascend through the B section. I have not eaten. The Terry Gibbs sticks Orphy has given me for this song; they are so short (Hey Corey; use these on JuJu. I remember looking at them in wonder)! I am looking at the vibraphone. It's a large Sono--

I hear an mm.

I am suddenly paying attention to Daniel indicating to Jason, who is watching Soweto. I accompany, hitting accents where I can. The events are qui--

I am paying more attention. Soweto is really going for it now, but it seems that he is about to finish. use the melody I play a variation, but in the C section Darren and Daniel are applying pressure. I cannot ignore it. space; did I learn that from Miles; or Monk? I look at the vibraphone; and then I dive in--

there is so much

I have heard this described as switching the conscious mind off, but no, that is wrong. Everything switched on. And I know this because I remember that this was the day I met John Morris who was pianist in many of my groups for quite a few years. "There's knives in those vibes," he said.

23rd Mar 17

I've put together a short list of the things I'm reading (or have read) for my doctorate.

26th Aug 17

Mercifully short PHP battle.

26th Aug 17

It is so hard to mention absolutely everyone who has moved you to do, to make. Every time I try this the list is always woefully short.

20th Oct 17

Today is a day of very new things. @[yana] -- which in my mind will always be "Corey Mwamba | Dave Kane | Joshua Blackmore" -- has music on a record label, mainly because Alya from @[Two Rivers Records] believed we should have one, and cared enough to make it happen in the best possible way. We have physical copies of our music, which is not new for us; but instead of them being made by my two hands, the CDs have had a team behind them in terms of design and production. The support and listening we have had from Two Rivers has been wonderful.

As most people who know me know, this group is special to me for a number of reasons. First, it showed me what I could do if I applied my will and stuck with it. I wanted to hear Dave and Joshua together (they had not met previously), and it happened and kept happening because we kept believing it should happen, even when (in the earlier days) people's understanding of what we were doing was limited.

Second, this group allowed me to make the music I wanted to without worrying about... well, lots of things that working in music makes you think you have to worry about. It has always been difficult to get us in the same room as we're all very busy; but when we do get in the same room, things are unbelievably simple.

Third, the musical mind we form is unlike any I have experienced in any other group. It would take me a very long time to talk about what happens inside, but in short there is a love, a language and a groove that I feel palpably, every time we play. And it is amazing to be inside that, and to learn from it. When I listen back to our first recordings, I understand how much we have moved; not away from anything, but deeper into how we communicate. And the time we spend not playing together is immaterial. Today will be the first time we've played together for a year and that is by no means unusual.

I think we have had more support from fellow musicians who have heard/seen us over the years, but also powerful encouragement from audiences over the years. You might wonder why we're doing Cambridge first, but it's for a very good reason (other than Joshua living there). Graham Lee and Carol Garrison are two of the most devoted music fans I know. For us to play for their night is a pure honour; they've travelled with this group from the beginning. There is nowhere else we would want to be.

If you can make it down tonight, it'd be lovely to see you: but if not, then please buy a copy of the album, and I hope you like it.

Open, living music.

14th Nov 17

Short notice gig at @[Cafe Oto] in London on Friday!

18th Dec 17

It is always a difficult time for a lot of people. Living is difficult, and nothing is easy. It can be difficult to describe how we feel about our separateness. It can be difficult to talk about our connection (or lack of connection) with others. It is always difficult to talk about events, timing, occasions.

But it is just as difficult to listen to others as they speak difficult lines about their lives; to notice a difficult, subtle harmony; to spot where the rhythm is off. So we create a distancing, layers to offset that difficulty. And those layers work, and in a sense that is good.

But we have more ways to communicate with each other now than we did, even if we look back thirty years ago. The difficulty in listening to others (which is really an analysis of feeling) is something that we can always overcome. And it takes effort - doing that thing that is difficult. The lesson of The Samaritan is that we do not pass by; we have to love each other, and reach out.

We can share information about The Samaritans; but (and I know I have to work on this!!) we can also try to talk and listen to each other.

Wishing everyone the best.

14th Mar 18

I've now selected Gary's name - and his network graph is highlighted. But also notice that his name (on the right hand side) is now a link (in blue), unlike 15 minutes ago.

24th Mar 18

Always surprised to see the Coltrane work referenced in different things - short mention in an article by Nielsen in Performance Philosophy!

11th Aug 18

Added a short script for video recording in FFMpeg, taking the audio from a JACK connection. #linux

3rd Oct 18

Ran out of time for writing THE SOBERING: #3 today -- too much work on other writing -- but in short: Sainsbury's may have saved me!! #redwine #noalcohol

7th Nov 18

A short "music video" for "repose" (solo piano, new dark art)!

16th Jul 19

I ran a short poll over the weekend: "if Bandcamp vanished tomorrow, how would you sell your music online?" It was split across Twitter and a "make your own poll" site, so I had to combine the results.

Number of votes
42
Host music on own site
19
That would be a problem
15
Physical only
5
Amazon, Google, iTunes, Tidal et al.
3

The other options (Spotify et al.; Resonate; leaving responsibility to a label) didn't score.

Interpretation will have to wait for another day -- although I will briefly say that (even with the small sample size) I am not incredibly surprised at the results...

17th Jun 21

There was one thing sprang to mind while listening that I didn't mention (and I am short on time here): colonialism is a process/result. Imperialism is the cause/intention. Which is more important to break?