The Oscar Winner Composer John Barry Has Died

John Barry the Oscar Winner composer died suddenly yesterday (30th January 2011) of an heart attack, he was 77 years. John Barry was best known for his James Bond soundtracks, including 'Dr No', 'Goldfinger' and 'You Only Live Twice'.   He also composed scores to other films  including  'Born Free', 'Midnight Cowboy' and 'Out of Africa'.  His most recent film score was in 2001 for the war thiller film 'Enigma'. MORE

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-12321610

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Barry_(composer)

Music And The Chill Factor

A recent study by scientists at the ‘The Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital – The Neuro at McGill University’ have found that listening to music releases dopamine, a neurotransmitter in the brain that is more closely related to the pleasures that go with rewards like food, drugs and sex.  If a volunteer enjoyed a particular piece of music this produced a chill like response in them which in turn increased the volunteer's dopamine level.  It also resulted in an increase in the volunteer's heart rate, breathing and sweating.

".....this is the first demonstration that an abstract reward such as music can lead to dopamine release. Abstract rewards are largely cognitive in nature, and this study paves the way for future work to examine non-tangible rewards that humans consider rewarding for complex reasons.”   MORE

Mick Karn: In Memory Of The Former Japan Bass Player

In memory of the multi-instrumentalist of Mick Karn who died on  4 January 2010 after suffering from cancer, he was 52 years old.    He came to prominence in the early 1980's as bass player with the band Japan who he helped to co-founded along with David Sylvian and his younger brother Steve Jansen in  1974.  After Japan broke up in 1982 he went on to have a solo career and released a number of albums.

....... .was an English multi-instrumentalist musician and songwriter, who came to fame as the bassist for the art rock band Japan, from 1974 to 1982. In June 2010, he was diagnosed with advanced stage cancer, and died in January 2011. "  

"The band Japan, whose other members included David Sylvian, keyboardist Richard Barbieri and Sylvian's brother Steve Jansen as drummer, began as a group of friends, who all studied at the same school. As youngsters they played music as a means of escape, playing Sylvian's two-chord numbers – sometimes with Karn as the front man, sometimes with Sylvian at the fore, guitarist Rob Dean joined the band later. "

source:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mick_Karn

Other Links

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-12118209

Mick Karn offical home page :  http://www.mickkarn.net/

Captain Beefheart: Few Words In His Memory

In memory of Don Van Vliet better known as Captain Beefheart who died on the 17th December 2010 aged 69.

He certainly was one of the great original geniuses of popular music of the 20th Century. With his gritty and growling voice and his fusion of blues, jazz and psychedelia  he carved out sound that was uniquely his.

" His work, whether in music or drawing, was never mainstream and only ever gained a relatively small following, but he was a larger-than-life character who pushed the boundaries of his art in a way which influenced many who followed in his wake "

quoted from  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-11811289

Other Links

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-12024652

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/captain-beefheart-dead-at-age-69-20101217

Gerry Rafferty The Musician, Songwriter and Singer Dies Today

Gerald Rafferty The Musician, Songwriter and Singer Is No More.  He died earlier today of  liver failure after a long illness.  


Goodbye Gerry, your music gave me a lot of pleasure over the years   http://bit.ly/dQSk9J

"Gerald "Gerry" Rafferty (16 April 1947 – 4 January 2011) was a Scottish singer and songwriter best known for his solo hits "Baker Street" and "Right Down the Line", and "Stuck in the Middle" with the band Stealers Wheel."

It was publicly known that Rafferty was battling with alcoholism.^[11] In November 2010, Rafferty was admitted to the Royal Bournemouth Hospital, Bournemouth, Dorset, suffering from liver failure. He died at home on 4 January 2011, of liver disease.^[19] He is survived by his daughter, Martha.^[20]

The irony of the success of "Baker Street" was that the lyrics reflected Rafferty’s disenchantment with certain elements of the music industry. This was elaborated by music journalist Paul Gambaccini for BBC World News:^[11]

“

His song "Baker Street" was about how uncomfortable he felt in the star system, and what do you know, it was a giant world hit. The album City to City went to no. 1 in America, and suddenly he found that as a result of his protest, he was a bigger star than ever. And he now had more of what he didn’t like. And although he had a few more hit singles in the United States, by 1980 it was basically all over, and when I say ‘it’, I mean basically his career, because he just was not comfortable with this.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerry_Rafferty



"Gerry Rafferty's Baker Street provided a welcome relief from the wall-to-wall disco that dominated the UK charts in the late 1970s."  .....   http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-11728112

The How And The Why On Music !

A fascinating book on the how and the why of music and why it is so important to human beings.

  "All human cultures seem to make music - today and through history. But why they do so, why music can excite deep passions, and how we make sense of musical sound at all are questions that have, until recently, remained profoundly mysterious."  ....... MORE

Snippets of Some Rambling Reflections - Part 1

You get what you give and you give what you get. !

Although verbal communication ie speaking and writing is important, the non-verbal aspect of communication should not be under estimated.

"Some studies show 60 per cent of any dialogue is made through nonverbal means – such as gestures, posture ......."   MORE   

All verbal communication is affected by the non-verbal communication that accompanies it. Face to face, expression  ......."   MORE 
 
If people spoke less and listen more perhaps we would have a better world ! ! !  .....  MORE  

If no one speaks there would be no need to listen. Perhaps human beings might then regain the art of telepathy !   Well it is just a thought !

"Communication was an important component of life in the ancient world, and could be divided up into three ....."   MORE    

  "According to some studies, communication between people is more that 50 percent nonverbal. That being the case ....."  MORE    

"Some studies show 60 per cent of any dialogue is made through non-verbal means – such as gestures, posture ......."    MORE         

"Colour is so deeply imbedded in our psyche that it's like the air that we breath… we don't notice the power, ...."    MORE      

 "Colours, like people have different personalities and these are perhaps the reason why we are attracted to ........ ."    MORE      

 "Everyone likes to imagine they are rational, fair, and free from prejudice. But how easily are we   misled by ...."     MORE     

............................    too be continued    ...........................