Ian Parker flies "solo"

Ian Parker, the ubiquitous keyboard player who is part of London's Celtic membrane and a personal friend of this blogger, has just released his very own latest, a CD called PACIFICA.   The launch, in deepest Bloomsbury, was a collectable event. All the stars of the album showed up to do their thing, mostly Pete Howarth of the Hollies, who gave us a full set as a 'support' act. Ian's new stuff sounds big and important; lush, too. Ian's own  pop voice has got stronger - of course - with a-gig-a-night for so many years.  All struck me as being like movie music, especially the kind you'll hear over the opening credits and scenes of major emotion and drama.  The titles might contain clues: Women of the Desert, Spacetime is Cool, A Day in the Life of a Sherpa...I just let it wash over me.

Drawing attention

Drawn 2015, The open submission show at the RWA, taking up most of the late Bristol spring, follows on from Drawing On, which featured such luminaries as Edward Burra, Cecil Collins, Henri Gaudier-Brzeska, Mary Fedden PPRWA, Elizabeth Frink, Barbara Hepworth, Keith Vaughan, Henry Moore, John Nash, Ceri Richards and Stanley Spencer - and has been well worth catching for a wide variety of reasons, not least as a nudge in the ribs if you've forgotten what drawing is for.