Listen to some tracks from both of Keith's CDs and Nicki's voice-over tracks
Just click once on the JUKEBOX icon and navigate your way through the list, Nicola's five pieces lead off, followed by Keith's selection.
Happy listening!
Keith's notes on the various tracks on both CDs are in full on each relevant CD page of this site. However here are his ramblings on the six songs included on the JUKEBOX.
peace in my time
originally titled the shining mountains and written for the famed Canadian singer and good friend, John McDermott, this piece sat around for a few years. Flicking through my old song jottings I came across the peace in my time chorus I had discarded and suddenly it felt more appropriate than the chorus of the shining mountains did. Perhaps if people are sufficiently interested I could put the alternative section on the web site when I update it. Lots of love songs have been written; many peace songs have been written. Hopefully this means that these topics are on the mind of many people. Translating love songs into action, however seems to be much easier than propagating peace through words and music. Needs more work and diligence from everyone.
destination: you
(written with Alan Rhody)
action! move it! make a decision! own up, because no one can judge you like you judge yourself! Thank you again Alan Rhody. And in all of this where will my granddaughter Indigo, the precious little backing singer, be in twenty, thirty years? Hope I’ll be around to find out. Likewise my grandson Pascal, the bold and talented artist who contributed the inner sleeve painting. I own two of his rare works created before he decided to tread the path of connectivity that eschews paint and paper. Long may they both hit the ground running with my little strand of bloodline somewhere in that double helix within them. Finished! Done!!
denmark sunset (instrumental)
the secret about this is that it has nothing to do with the country Denmark, though in 1972 I witnessed a sunset in the west coast harbour city of Esbjerg. It has everything to do with that old karri town, Denmark, in Western Australia. There, sunsets abound and the birds swish their formations across the richness of the clouds, heading over the water to their nesting grounds near Wilson Inlet. Some clouds bring the cleansing, recuperative rain that closes this piece. However, let the CD play through until the stillness of the night gives way to the birth of a new day, contributed by my granddaughter, Giulia. Such joy is irresistible to me and I am so blessed to have another precious life to observe from my humble position filled with privilege.
shanty town
(lyric by Frank Howson)
not a real shanty town of course, this is a destination where destiny plays a mean hand. This could be the mythical end of the line, but when the story gets going with a jaunty bunch of notes you may start to get suspicious. The thumb piano, more correctly known as the mbira or kalimba of Southern and Eastern Africa that you hear at the start and throughout, is not a toy but an instrument many hundreds of years old. It has value in religious ceremonies where its repetitive or cyclical rhythmic phrases are thought to be helpful in communicating with ancestor spirits. “In their sea of sadness you can drown”. An Ashanti town is not to be confused with this. The Ashanti are a masterful race of the Gold Coast region of Africa and their towns do not have seas of sadness, so drowning does not constitute a major health hazard there.
there was a time
(lyric by Frank Howson)
“long time ago now” is the wistful imagery that covers the frame of this song. Playful little celeste, sonorous old cello trade lines. The tone is sepia but “ah, what a time”. There’s that capricious breeze again, evoking “such a sweet and bitter time”. Listeners really listen to this song. It whispers and lilts to them and they drift and meander in return. There will always be a time, but not the same time for all ways. Let’s meet on the station and talk about where we’re going.
oli-v and me
(lyric by Frank Howson)
what sweetness that breeze evokes. There must be memories floating on every blush of wind because even the smallest breath of recalling can fill the mind. Bitter-sweet, though, at times that breath can be; borne of lingering longing that forlorn dreams enlist on their way to wakening. Proffer this: “May you always know how much you’re loved” but do not follow what the breeze may do with it. Cherish the evocation.
Keith's notes on the various tracks on both CDs are in full on each relevant CD page of this site. However here are his ramblings on the six songs included on the JUKEBOX.
peace in my time
originally titled the shining mountains and written for the famed Canadian singer and good friend, John McDermott, this piece sat around for a few years. Flicking through my old song jottings I came across the peace in my time chorus I had discarded and suddenly it felt more appropriate than the chorus of the shining mountains did. Perhaps if people are sufficiently interested I could put the alternative section on the web site when I update it. Lots of love songs have been written; many peace songs have been written. Hopefully this means that these topics are on the mind of many people. Translating love songs into action, however seems to be much easier than propagating peace through words and music. Needs more work and diligence from everyone.
destination: you
(written with Alan Rhody)
action! move it! make a decision! own up, because no one can judge you like you judge yourself! Thank you again Alan Rhody. And in all of this where will my granddaughter Indigo, the precious little backing singer, be in twenty, thirty years? Hope I’ll be around to find out. Likewise my grandson Pascal, the bold and talented artist who contributed the inner sleeve painting. I own two of his rare works created before he decided to tread the path of connectivity that eschews paint and paper. Long may they both hit the ground running with my little strand of bloodline somewhere in that double helix within them. Finished! Done!!
denmark sunset (instrumental)
the secret about this is that it has nothing to do with the country Denmark, though in 1972 I witnessed a sunset in the west coast harbour city of Esbjerg. It has everything to do with that old karri town, Denmark, in Western Australia. There, sunsets abound and the birds swish their formations across the richness of the clouds, heading over the water to their nesting grounds near Wilson Inlet. Some clouds bring the cleansing, recuperative rain that closes this piece. However, let the CD play through until the stillness of the night gives way to the birth of a new day, contributed by my granddaughter, Giulia. Such joy is irresistible to me and I am so blessed to have another precious life to observe from my humble position filled with privilege.
shanty town
(lyric by Frank Howson)
not a real shanty town of course, this is a destination where destiny plays a mean hand. This could be the mythical end of the line, but when the story gets going with a jaunty bunch of notes you may start to get suspicious. The thumb piano, more correctly known as the mbira or kalimba of Southern and Eastern Africa that you hear at the start and throughout, is not a toy but an instrument many hundreds of years old. It has value in religious ceremonies where its repetitive or cyclical rhythmic phrases are thought to be helpful in communicating with ancestor spirits. “In their sea of sadness you can drown”. An Ashanti town is not to be confused with this. The Ashanti are a masterful race of the Gold Coast region of Africa and their towns do not have seas of sadness, so drowning does not constitute a major health hazard there.
there was a time
(lyric by Frank Howson)
“long time ago now” is the wistful imagery that covers the frame of this song. Playful little celeste, sonorous old cello trade lines. The tone is sepia but “ah, what a time”. There’s that capricious breeze again, evoking “such a sweet and bitter time”. Listeners really listen to this song. It whispers and lilts to them and they drift and meander in return. There will always be a time, but not the same time for all ways. Let’s meet on the station and talk about where we’re going.
oli-v and me
(lyric by Frank Howson)
what sweetness that breeze evokes. There must be memories floating on every blush of wind because even the smallest breath of recalling can fill the mind. Bitter-sweet, though, at times that breath can be; borne of lingering longing that forlorn dreams enlist on their way to wakening. Proffer this: “May you always know how much you’re loved” but do not follow what the breeze may do with it. Cherish the evocation.