The Underground of Happiness

Matthew Bourne's Montauk Variations is one of my favourite albums of the year so far - you can read more of what I think about it on this link. http://theundergroundofhappiness.blogspot.com/2012/01/matthew-bourne-montauk-variations-leaf.html News today that Matthew has begun a residency in China . He's started a blog about his stay there - it's entertaining and self-deprecating (a bit like his music really) and it'll be interesting to follow him over the course of the six weeks. Here's episode 1, which features photos of some huge meals. http://matthewbourne.com/blog/?p=94 As we're in Oscar week, and given that a silent film has just swept the boards, let's remind ourselves of Matthew Bourne's sublime version of the Charlie Chaplin tune Smile .

I'm no jazz afficionado. I probably know as much about jazz as the average pop music fan. Which is why I'd previously only been aware of the pianist Matthew Bourne at arm's length, through references in regular mailings from the Leaf record label. Now, Leaf are releasing what is apparently his first ever solo studio album, and his first outing with the label. From what I read about Bourne, it sounds like he doesn't wear the jazz tag easily; he's been a serial collaborator over the last decade - piano trios, free jazz/noise groups and even a project seeking out broken pianos, Songs from a lost piano (which sounds intriguing and I must check it out this minute). I've no intention of attempting anything like a review of this album. I'm not qualified and I hate it when people wander into territory where they're clearly out of their depth. However, there is an obvious "way in" for me here - a version of the Charlie Chaplin tune Smile , which ori...