There’s only one thing I hate more than the “hockey arena sound”: the sound of the bass drum in a hockey arena. I never considered Paul Simon as a hockey arena act, but that’s what it sounded, unfortunately. Why mix Paul Simon like a rock band (in a hockey arena)? Anyway, I enjoyed it as much as I could, without hearing the nuances. That recognizable voice was there from the start.

The setlist was a mixture of old and new songs, obviously. I remember when I saw U2 in Helsinki in 1997, many people reacted strongly to their ’80s stuff, and when they played songs from the Pop album, the reaction was lame. A shame, because Pop is U2’s best album by far. I don’t like what they did in the ’80s… Well, the same happened at Paul Simon’s concert: all that Simon & Garfunkel and early Paul Simon stuff got the greatest applause. No problem there, I pretty much like everything Paul has done during his long career, but still, I miss the Gadd, Tee & Brecker years.

But it’s never easy – not even with Ubuntu. I tried to configure ING Home’Bank application to access my bank account, and after a couple of hours I was ready to give up, until I found out other people had problems with it too. The good thing is that the community is always there to share the problems and to help.

I also bought a new camera, Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18, and an mp3 player, Cowon iAudio7. I’m very happy with both of them: if you need an easy to carry SLR-like bridge camera (with 18 times optical zoom!) that takes good photos, this is what you need. As for the mp3 player, an 8 Gb iAudio7 is cheaper than iPod Nano, and it supports the file formats I need (namely OGG, FLAC, and mp3, of course).

In fact, it’s much more relaxing to take photos and listen to music than writing to blog (this is my third post this year) ;-)

Messiaen’s monumental piano work, Vingt regards sur l’enfant-Jésus (“Twenty Contemplations on the infant Jesus”), has been recorded many times before (Hakon Austbo, Yvonne Loriod (the composer’s wife) and Pierre-Laurent Aimard, to name just a few). I’ve heard Austbo’s and Aimard’s versions, and now there’s a new live recording of that work from Alba Records, performed by pianist Jaana Kärkkäinen. I’m promoting the CD here not only because she’s my sister ;-) but also because it’s a very good recording that captures the excitement and atmosphere of a live performance!

Helsingin Sanomat, the biggest subscription newspaper in the Nordic countries, selected that CD as one of the best recordings of 2007 (worldwide). You can buy the CD here.

Most of these concerts took place outside Brussels. Now, is that just a coincidence? Or is it a consequence of a lack of money, concert venues, or interest on the part of arts management people in Brussels? I don’t know, but I do think Belgium is a good country to live in, when it comes to cultural activities :-)

Gothenburg is one of those places that always make you feel good; people are very friendly, funny and laid back. I had such good fun with many of my friends who are still living there.

Gothenburg is full of talented musicians and personalities. I find the atmosphere there particularly positive and encouraging. It’s a place that has made a lasting impression on me, so I try to visit the city whenever I can. In fact, every time I go there, it feels like I never left!

Belgium is where I live and work — and I love Brussels too –, but Gothenburg has a special place in my heart. You can see my photos on Flickr, taken in Gothenburg and Helsingborg during my trip.

There seems to be some frustration in the air over music industry practices. More and more artists use direct channels to reach their fans (remember Prince giving away copies of his latest album with a newspaper in the UK!). I think this is a good trend. It’s all about going back to the roots: music is all about communication. The web is a good tool in bringing artists and fans closer. There is a lesson to be learned here for big record companies.

This is a good day for music. Go get the album now and support the band!

I’ve been listening to Weather Report half of my life. There is something in the music that never dies. Thank you Joe Zawinul for all the inspiration and joy you brought us. You will be remembered forever.

After hearing the latter half of Chris Joris‘ gig, I went to see Karl Seglem’s group. Karl is a Norwegian tenor saxophonist and composer who combines folk music traditions and world beat with jazz expression. I had never heard of him before Brosella festival, so I was curious to hear the gig. Norwegian groups are usually very good, and Seglem was no exception. The band understood how to use space in music, to make songs breathe naturally. Great concert.

Organisers had set up the smaller stage further down the hill. This was a big improvement as it allowed people to move more easily between the two stages and food/drink area. Philip Catherine was playing on main stage, but after Karl Seglem’s concert I didn’t have the energy to listen to his trio for more than 15 minutes. He plays anyway quite often in Brussels (I hope).

I really like the setting and atmosphere of Brosella Folk & Jazz. Looking forward to next year’s festival!

There’s a lot to see and experience in Brugge, but this time all I cared about was the band. Wayne was hanging around on the stage before the gig, shooting confetti over the audience. I was quite close to the stage so I could clearly see — and hear! — their psychedelic show. I wish they would have played a bit longer though (they had to respect their time slot). Secondly, it would have been interesting to hear “extended” versions of some of their best songs — but what we heard was brilliant too!

Personal highlights were “Do You Realize??” from Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots and “The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song” from At War with the Mystics. The latter song included a long rant against George Bush, the worst president in history.

I spotted the guys on the street in Brugge the next day, and thanked them for a great gig. They were pretty relaxed and cool. Don’t miss their next gig in your town!

These guys breathe the music, and spice it up with strong lyrics and political messages. I’ve been wanting to experience The Roots live ever since I first discovered them in 1997. As you can imagine, yesterday was a very special day for me.

It is always a joy to hear people who are committed to their music. ?uestlove’s backbeat is just so incredible, and the rest of the band is great too. The sound could have been better (and the weather was horrible as usual in Brussels), but nevertheless The Roots offered a good show that I will remember for a long time. I hope you will remember it too!