Juniper

Can’t wait for this, love this show. The only current show I care about other than Stranger Things ...and also House of Cards before Kevin Spacey fucked it all up.

Christ, I hope Yorkie bars aren’t next.

First Man 7.5/10 Quite enjoyed that, a biography about Neil Armstrong. Looses some marks as the relationships between the characters didn't feel well developed and the lead up to Apollo 11 felt rushed in some places, but I'd put that down to the sheer volume of material they had to get through. Some great scenes inside the various planes/spacecraft. It felt very Christopher Nolan/Dunkirk & Interstellar in those scenes. Very, very well done. The first few minutes of the film had me on the edge of my seat nearly. Also the scenes on the moon were worth the ticket alone. It felt very, very real. Despite that, I felt that I didn't really 'get to know' Neil Armstrong. The human element felt missing from this. Ryan Gosling did well with what he was given though. Worth a watch

For more straight trio Jazz check out the album ‘Double Booked’ by Robert Glasper. More Bebop stuff is the album ‘Standard of Language’ by Kenny Garrett. He very much channels his inner Elvin Jones in places on this record so I have a feeling you’ll especially like this one. Try and keep away from the Adele/Justin Bieber stuff he’s done though.....

I like Oasis but then I like other stuff too. I also think Noel is a bit of a prick.

Black Peaks - ‘All that Divides’ 9/10 Only 9 tracks but one word I’d describe it is, Epic. Each song has so much happening, a multitude of time signature changes...etc all played by brilliant musicians and the album ticks all the boxes for me. It’s a massive body and an impressive collection of work for only their second album. I’ve listened to it quite a few times since it’s release on Friday and I’m finding lots of new things each time. Even if prog metal isn’t your thing (it’s not really mine at all) there’s somthing in this album for most people. The theme around the album seems to be a statement on how hate and divide is affecting society, nice positive message and they seem like a good bunch of lads too. Check out the guitar solo and bass/drum interplay on the below number. Brilliant. Most talented band in the UK currently, for me.

It’s been a great series and I’m sad to see it end. Brilliant it helped people understand the role of the instrument and its/certain rhythms backstory. Hoping we’ll see another series at some point, will be asking for an update on that down the line when things should be more definite. Great show.

Latest Black Peaks album ‘All That Divides’ dropped today. Its a fucking belter of a follow up album. Best release of 2018, for me. Seeing them in two weeks. Can’t fucking wait. Favourite band at the moment by a long mile.

Ah right, stand corrected. Was wondering how they got away with a PG but that’s not the case.

I mean it’s not perfect, I can see some of the criticism being valid (mostly around the pacing really and the love interest) but it’s decent when it kicks in. It’s definitely not a bad film like some of the reviews would have you think and for a CGI heavy blockbuster with such a small budget it’s a good introduction to Venom/Symbiotes. Everyone I think expects it to fit into the Marvel mould but it does it’s own thing and I think it works fairly well. Also, even though it’s a PG I’d probably not take small kids to see it. Can see it being slightly upsetting in places.

Venom 7/10 This film I’ve been waiting to see since 1991 after discovering Venom in The Amazing Spider-Man comic and after the horror show of Venom in Spider-Man 3 I was desperate for it to be decent. Its good, it has its flaws (takes a while to build up and get going) but when it does get going it’s a lot of fun. The interplay with Eddie Brock and Venom is brilliant, more comedic in places than I expected but the whole Dr Jeckell and Mr Hyde setup is well done. Tom Hardy was the perfect casting. His Eddie Brock (and Venom) is less brooding/moody than the comic book version but again its done well. Despire being a low budget blockbuster (only around 70million) the CGI is actually pretty good. Couldn’t pick out many flaws. I really enjoyed it despite some shortcomings and I’d love to see a sequel or two, let’s hope it does well so we see more as there’s potential in this now. Not sure I like Sony’s direction for their planned Spider-Man villain universe so that could be another issue. I enjoyed it and now the story has been established I’d love to see more as it has potential.

Yeah I’m not a fan of Thomas Lang, fair play to him for his dedication and the hours he’s put into getting to his level but his playing has no soul. For example, in last nights episode he briefly played a beat inbetween all his technical playing and even then it didn’t have any feel to it and had way too many notes. I’m in awe of his skill but not his musicianship. The best bit for me last night was watching Russ Kunkel play simply and with feeling with brushes to the recording he did with James Taylor. That’s what it’s all about.

Ah nice. Just seen your exchange. I’ll be sure to ask him about the possibility of a second series at some point from what he’s said there. Sounds very promising.

I think the periods they covered in depth, from 1917 all the way up to 1961 had so much culturally. From the 1st and 2nd World Wars, The Great Depression, racial tensions/segregation... etc there was only so much they could have covered for the remaining years. They did have the final episode from 1961 - 2001 but obviously shoehorned 40 years into one episode. Still, it's a massive piece of work and a great series and they covered a lot in 19 hours of material.

I see what you mean but they'd need another series really to cover off the Jazz Roots. No mention of Chick Webb, Elvin, Jo Jones for example also. They wouldn't be able to touch Ken Burns 'Jazz' series for in-depth information on some pioneers. No mention of brush work and the players that took that form forward, would that be interesting to the general public though? I doubt it. I guess they have to make it relevant and so far it's been more about the instrument and rhythm as opposed to individual players. The final episode highlights influential Drummers themselves so that might well be covered more in depth.