The day started with that Fifths piece again � its so easy to put the file on loop and see what it suggests. Maybe the piece needs a proper name � lets try �Fifths-echo�. It�s partly about two long delay echoes rippling away as the instruments move through various combinations of fifths at different intensities. Maybe some D-horn is the next step � it felt quite good first thing

Obituaries today in the Guardian for Gus Dudgeon, Alan Lomax and Marian Montgomery. The Lomax story especially wonderful � what beneficial scholarship underpinned by strongly held values.

``The essence of what makes America lies not in the headlined heroes ... but in the everyday folks who live and die unknown, yet leave their dreams as legacies.''

Last night I played the Island Introduction to ND � in the wake of writing the last entry about the heritage of Jansch Renbourn and Graham. I was intrigued by the order in which they had placed the songs on the Introduction � the way that Things Behind The Sun is placed in with earlier tracks for example. Still searching for D Henderson but here�s an extract from a site which surfaced as I looked round http://renbourn.camhosts.net/sohoyears.htm

"The one all-nighter with a permanent home was a club called "Les Cousins", in the basement of 48 Greek Street, that became the meeting place for guitar players and contemporary song writers, people who were unwelcome in the traditional clubs. Visiting Americans used to play the 'Cousins' and I had the chance to hear some great players. Derrol Adams, Sandy Bull, Jackson Frank, Paul Simon, Spider John Koerner, Danny Kalb and Stefan Grossman all showed up at some stage and there was a healthy interchange of ideas.

Around that time, 1963 or '64, I ran into Bert Jansch who was down from Edinburgh and playing truly exceptional original material, both songs and guitar pieces. We shared a number of living places and played a lot of music together. We both admired Davey Graham who had just made a ground breaking record of guitar duets with Alexis, that included the original version of 'Anji'."

Anyway I was so taken by this site that I mailed to see if anyone there could tell me what happened to Dorris. (I used to have that Graham/Korner EP) . This era is still so potent � I used to think maybe it was just my age-group being that age at that time. But I think the attraction is now more universal. Mark�s story from today�s diary � hungover beat produces exquiste combination of delicacy and fire � how one definitely remembers it all.

This morning I listened to Paul Wheeler�s first album � Rain Over The Island � which is a retrospective work covering several different styles and several different levels of recording and production technique. The music goes back to at least the early 70s � one or two songs before that.

Production is on my mind as I have been given a couple of �amateur� CDs to look at � one by a colleague here � a live gig � and another by a band of James� friends, the latter very variable and all the more interesting for that. (Of course, its funny using that term when one doesn�t earn one�s living professionally.)

�Rain� has a few tracks which you might describe in those terms whereas the production values on Paul�s second �Seachanges� tracks are immaculate throughout. Sometimes I wonder whether we over-produce now � I suppose that�s implicit in what I was saying about the early Jansch albums. It�s a hard call though � things can certainly be too rough but sometimes smoothness undermines the material, I suppose it depends a lot on how you feel about the unproduced material. That certainly affects my attitude to, say, Hazey Jane I.

I suppose my attitude to some tracks on Seachanges is complicated because I produced some early demos of some of the songs. One of these demos opens Serious Music and so I opened Plundafonix with the same track more fully produced. My attitude to "Rain" is complicated by the fact that I have liked the music for so very long - no getting away from that, at all.

Gilbert mailed about how he is developing Face - he is thinking of a chordal improvisation zone. That's fine with me - but I also feel like taking forward the written thing that I already have received from him and taken into Cubase. I started to arrange this and took about 7 minutes out onto a MD so that I could fool around with it upstairs. I also spent about half an hour trying some flute improv - it feels like it is pushing me to new technical limits - a great sensation.

An odd sensation - I keep delving into my own past pieces - say stuff I have done in the last three years - and feeling like I want to take it forward - as if it still has some promise or potential. Tonight I was looking at some arrangements I did from Bach's 2 part inventions for example. But I also like lots of the arrangements of Webern and Schoenberg short pieces I have tucked away. Time to go.