You just can’t tell

After almost calling it a day at 10am and setting off home, because of the relentless rain and grey skies, we soldiered on and were rewarded eventually with the rain stopping and the sun brightening the skies. We had a lovely walk along the beach at Whitley Bay. This is the beach, the sea, the brightening sky and the sun just catching the lighthouse. A scene you will have seen many times, blipped by the blippers who live around here. They catch splendid sunrises, I just caught a very welcome glimpse of the sun.


Last night
We were at the Sage for the 'Songlines Music Awards 2014 Winners’ Concert' and what joyous, energetic music from all around the world this was.

However, the most wonderful section of all was when just two musicians took to the stage and gave a remarkable performance that had the audience mesmerised. Catrin Finch and Seckou Keita won the award for best Cross-Cultural Collaboration. And what a collaboration – a West African kora and a Welsh harp.

I have always loved the kora and have seen several live performances of some amazing musicians creating the most beautiful music from this instrument. But when you add a Welsh harp and the cascading notes blend with each other, often seem to talk to one another, that is a different thing altogether. And when the two personalities also gel and you can sense their enjoyment of playing together . . . well it just has to be one of the most magical things I have ever seen and heard.

This is a link to them performing one of their pieces. It’s quite long, but is well worth a bit of your time. Even the first few minutes will give you an idea of how the two musicians work together. The piece starts with a bit of a kora solo, which will be interesting to anyone not familiar with this instrument. Don’t worry, the harp comes in eventually.

Oh and for those who don’t know the Sage, here is a picture taken this grey wet morning of the Sage concert venue, Gateshead and some of the several bridges across the Tyne to Newcastle.