365 Albums 121-135

1. Jan Akkerman 3 Jan Akkerman 1979 
2. Modern Vampires of the City Vampire Weekend 2013
3. Poland Tangerine Dream 1984
4. Cosmo's Factory Creedence Clearwater Revival 1970
5. Violunar Kagermann 1992
6. Tangram Tangerine Dream 1980
7. Adrenalin Rush Gareth Pearson 2006
8. Oceanic Vangelis 1997
9. All that you can't leave behind U2 2000
10. The Memory of Trees Enya 1995
11. Noise of Art Jan Akkerman 1990
12. Hymns III Page CXVI 2010*
13. Beyond the Storm Edgar Froese 1995
14. Happy to meet - Sorry to part Horslips 1972
15. Rubber Soul The Beatles 1965

Billie Jean

Billie Jean was written by the late Michael Jackson and inspired the above jam in Holland by Jan Akkerman and Gareth Pearson last May. The orginal has been described as revolutionary for its time. See here. I remember reading once that Michael Jackson sat enthralled at Focus concerts in the seventies.

Akkerman in Haverhill

On Saturday I went with Rhodri to see Jan Akkerman and Gareth Pearson at Haverhill arts centre. They'd been in London on Wednesday but that's prayer meeting night and in a very short tour this was the only reasonable prospect, although I was a little cagey about using a Saturday night like that. Anyway in the end we made something of a trip of it travelling the 66 miles by way of Saffron Walden. We also took pictures of each other at Ugley and had a little look at the impressive Audley End, which is shut up at this time of the year. Saffron Walden is oozing with history and this was a good bit of reconnoitring for a future trip. It has several old buildings (Tudor, Georgian, etc) lots of antique shops and a nice market square. Everything was about to close by the time we got there and so we had a quick look around then had some chips and headed off across country and over the Essex/Suffolk border to Haverhill.

I saw someone describing Haverhill as the ugliest town in Suffolk - which is rather unfair but you can see their point. We looked for somewhere for a coffee and there wasn't really anywhere we could see so we went into a Wimpy. Rhodri had coke which was fine and I had a coffee which was not. He decided he wanted ice cream. They brought this very nice looking ice cream but it was tasteless. Rhodri was sat with his back to the counter but with a mirror in front of him. Through the mirror he could see a tub of Sainsbury's Basics ice cream. That's what they'd given him! I guess such a product is aimed at shutting little kids up but shame on Sainsbury's for producing it and on Wimpy for serving it.

The arts centre is actually a lovely old place inside and out and we had a great concert. Pity there weren't more there. It was good to see Graham, Gareth's dad, who I was in school with, and who goes to my home church. The Akkernutters (Leigh, Lloyd, Jim,etc) were out in force. Gareth did a nice set and talked a bit as he does. It's a shame that great talent and personality are not enough to win you fame and fortune. It was good to see Gareth again and pass on a copy of Steve Nichols' Getting the Blues which seemed appropriate. I also gave one to Jan later (plus a copy of my own book) and had a chat ranging over the happiness of sea lions, Rabindranath Tagore and the Rabbi's tunnel, etc. His own set was superb. He wandered on stage picked up his battered Lowden and said it was cold waiting upstairs so he'd decided to come down (!). He then sat (Gareth had stood) and got going. First we had what he called a medley of old Dutch carpenter songs (ie Focus stuff - beginning with bits from Eruption, unheard until then the Akkernutters told me, Le Clochard, Sylvia, Anonymus, etc). He then played two of the suites from his acoustic album and rather different version of Tranquiliser. I think it was Firenze and something else next (probably not) and then a bit of Django type stuff plus another track. He then got into a storming version of Hocus Pocus that was mesmerising. Sadly (though not surprisingly) a string broke part way in and so we never got to hear the whole thing. Instead he called Gareth up to do another number while he re-strung. They finished off with a fascinating duet playing with Michael Jackson's Billie Jean which Gareth had tackled earlier. Slightly surreal, Jan ended thanking Gareth then Graham (who's been driving Jan around - usually with his head out of the window trying to have a smoke!) then me (!) then Leigh. He would have named the whole audience if he could have - or at least the Welsh ones!

After a quick chat and some photos we headed off into the wet night and got home just outside my personal curfew looking forward to the Lord's Day.

Akkerman Pearson

So I was off to South Wales yet again this week. My dad's still in hospital so I was glad of the opportunity to visit him in Newport. I then headed for Cardiff where my sister-in-law was kindly providing a bed for the night again. My main reason for being down was the concert in The Point, Cardiff Bay. As mentioned I had a double reason for being there. The support for Jan Akkerman was an 18 year old who is not only from Cwmbran but son to old friends from my schooldays. (His grandfather is/was a deacon in my home church). Gareth has been professional for just under a year and is really quite competent. I really enjoyed his set including (would you believe) an egregious Jackson 5 number and the very attractive Beauty of Discipline. Great title. It was nice to meet Gareth and catch up with his dad. Jan was very friendly as ever. It was nice to meet two "Akkernuts" - Leigh and Lloyd, who I know through the website, gladly helping out on the road. (There's always someone more keen than yourself).

I've not seen Jan Akkerman do a full acoustic set. He did about 8 or 9 pieces, none over long and mostly medleys. It was very enjoyable. He started with "No wonder", "CS" and Suite 1 from 'Passion' which understandably was the main source for his material. A lovely Focus medley followed (Focus 4, I think, Sylvia, Anonymus I spotted). We also had Djangology (dedicated to some gypsy kids he's got to know recently), Firenze/Virgin Mary and an acoustic Hocus Pocus. For an encore we had Dowland's Britannia (loved that) with Gateway to Europe and Tranquiliser. Great night - and not too late to get the bus back across Cardiff.

Jan Akkerman Gareth Pearson

I noticed a while back that Jan Akkerman was planning a very brief solo tour this week appearing with a young man from my home town (Cwmbran) called Gareth Pearson. I've managed to arrange to get down to Cardiff to see them Thursday and as the date has come nearer my curiosity has grown and I've started to dig regarding a hunch I had from the beginning - that this 18 year old might be the son of Graham Pearson a fellow I knew chiefly because we were in the same class at school. Graham was into Leo Kottke and Rev Gary Davis and all sorts of other people we'd never heard of and played chiefly rag time guitar but was rather shy about it although I saw him perform at a social in our church once (I think Gareth has too according to my sister). Anyway Graham's just contacted me following a reference I made to all this in the Jan Akkerman Guestbook. There are good things to be said about the internet. Here's a snatch of Gareth in his bedroom:

Down to South Wales

Down to South Wales for part of the weekend. The weather was just turning so the sunshine added to it all. We headed off to my sister-in-law and family in Cardiff first and had a lovely time with them. We also visited my wife's cousin and family (where it's half in Welsh and I struggle to keep up) and I was able to visit my dad who'd been taken into hospital with gall stones the day before. He looked quite well by then but morphine is wonderful thing.

The main purpose of our visit was to be in Hill Park Evangelical Baptist Church, Haverford West, for the ordination and induction as evangelist of Ian Middlemist who, after 2 years at LTS was my assistant for seven months last year and this. The fairly elderly church is pastored by Gareth Edwards. They recently sold their original premises that had been used as Sunday School rooms and are using the proceeds mainly to finance Ian for two years. That shows vision.

I preached from Acts 26 and Paul's commission - a good place to turn I felt, though not one I've heard preached from in that context before. See it here. There were about 60 present - church members, local ministers, family, friends, etc. There was a nice tea to follow nearby. I did preach in Hill Park one summer about 5 years ago. I'd forgotten that I had a broken leg at the time - but they all remembered, of course, and were glad to see I'd recovered! Going back to Wales is always slightly strange for me. It's like you know it all (what they haven't changed) yet you don't belong in it. I tend to feel like that anyway so when there's real reason to do so its even stranger.

I'm planning to be back in Cardiff again this week - to see Jan Akkerman who is performing solo and is supported by a young man from Cwmbran (Gareth Pearson) who it turns out is the son of a fellow I was in school with.