All Things Considered

London Calling

Paul Catherall's "Battersea Brick" linocut is just one of the many prints that form part of our latest exhibition at St. Jude's.

'London Calling' is an exhibition of limited edition prints that take the capital as their inspiration.

We'll be featuring work by Gail Brodholt, Christopher Brown, John Bryce, Paul Catherall, Anne Desmet, John Duffin, Linda and Peter Green.

If you're in Norfolk, please join us for a glass of wine between 11am and 4pm on Saturday 28th June 2008 to celebrate the opening.

We have a number of exhibitions planned for the rest of 2008 - our next features the work of emerging artist Emily Sutton, whose work will be profiled soon in World of Interiors.

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Esbjörn Svensson

It was a strange experience hearing the sad news of Swedish jazz pianist Esbjörn Svensson's death last night in similar circumstances to those in which I came across his music in the first place. I was in Scotland at the time and had more or less drifted off to sleep listening to Stephen Duffy's excellent 'Jazz House' show on BBC Radio Scotland - he played the Esbjörn Svensson Trio (E.S.T.) track 'Seven Days of Falling' and within seconds I was wide awake. I'd never heard the Trio before and had to scrabble around trying to find a pen and paper.

In this Guardian obituary, John Fordham describes Svensson as a rare phenomenon in the jazz world: "A hero to the hardline critics, and a bankable international star.". You'll also find an extensive obituary at The Independent's website.

Find out more about the Trio's output at their website. And here's a live version of 'Seven Days of Falling' via YouTube...

Black Cab Sessions

I came across this quirky site via the Guardian Blog Roll where it was featured last week.

The concept of the Black Cab Sessions is simple, 'One song. One take. One Cab'. The producers of this unique and intimate gig, Hidden Fruit, select talented musicians to play a song in a taxi while the cabby weaves through the streets trying to concentrate on the road and not the live show on the seats behind.

So far there have been forty-five performances of which I have viewed a handful. I am a fan of Seasick Steve, predictably he is my current favourite. See what you think.

The Smithfield Nocturne

If I lived in London and were to use public transport daily, I would most definitely buy a folding bike. I remember my dad owning one when I was a youngster - he thought he was so cool yet his children thought him so uncool. Interestingly, my brother now rides one in Northern Ireland where I believe it is rare ride and cause of great amusement.

This Saturday, the 7th June, cyclists and non cyclists are getting together to share their enthusiasm for the two wheel mode of transport at The Smithfield Nocturne. There are many races taking place as well as music and stalls and entertainment to suit most. Just one of the many events is the folding bike race where the competitors will dress in their business garb and take on the challenge of biking around Smithfield streets in the hope of being crowned Folding Bike Champion 2008.

If you fancy riding on the safety helmet of one of last years competitors, have a look at the clip below.