Illegitimate New York

Monday I went to the flicks to see Motherless Brooklyn, a neo-noir film about a detective (Edward Norton) with Tourettes syndrome attempting to solve the murder of his best friend and mentor (Bruce Willis). Norton does a very Gene Wilder like performance in the (sort of) title role and the portrayal of Tourettes is more …

The Return of the Discontinued Sandman

I am back after a nice week's break in Norfolk with my beloved and it was nice just to be able to spend a week with just her. We stayed in an Air BnB which was in West Runton very close to Cromer and Sheringham and a five minute walk from a beach. There was …

Bark for Barksdale

Let's kick off with a look at some of my recent musical purchases: Two of these albums are 'lost' albums, namely "Blue World" by John Coltrane and "Rubberband" by Miles Davis. "Rubberband" is quite a famous lost album having being mentioned in several liner notes for later Miles albums and some of the trumpet work …

I Guess I Will Have to Change My Plans

I am currently eating my lunch on my split shift and have got my Spotify discovery playlist running as I type this, as before I will not the tracks as I go along (Oh Look at Me Know- Lee Whiley, Bobby Hackett). The week got off to a very good start for me with a …

Quantum of Cinderford

Helloooooooo, Yes I am still here, much to your dismay I guess. So what has the Sandman been doing? Heather and I had a minor argument the other day as I had spent way too long looking up the Chibnal situation and getting nowhere fast but it is all sorted. We have been out for …

A Tune A Day #18

I am in a cold war thriller mood today so here is the opening theme to the 60s spy thriller the Iprcess File https://youtu.be/i2Jw6_Xgszk

And Now A Massage from the Swedish Prime Minister

Upton Jazz Festival 2019 is done and dusted and feels like a distant memory despite it happening just over two weeks ago and once again the sentimental Sandman is back grafting. A Short Piece on the Festival This year I stopped in a B and B in Holly Green which is less then half a …

The Week that Was

First up, I will address the two sucky things which have happened this week, namely the deaths of Jazz singer Leon Redbone and the actor Paul Darrow. While the former only recently came on my radar, his contribution to the scene was amazing, his warm yet laid back vocal stylings were the ultimate in cool... …

Mission to the Cinderford Unknown

I had a nice week off in which I visited my pal Alan down in Gloucestershire. He lives in Cinderford which is in the centre of the Forest of Dean (Dennis Potter country) and while the surrounding area is nice, the town itself is a bit run down. Alan and I have been corresponding with …

Mask of Dust (1954)

Mask of Dust (or A Race for Life as it was called for release in the USA) is a 1954 film produced by Hammer Studios, directed by Terence Fisher and stars Richard Conte, Mari Aldon and George Coulouris. This is an example of a film produced before Hammer Studios took its place as the home of …