Surfing Sixties
Jack Eden at Tristan’s Gallery

Exhibition on 60s surfing photographer in Cornwall – found via Pacific Longboarder:

Surfing Sixties

Jack Eden

This summer Tristan’s Photographic Gallery in Wadebridge, North Cornwall, takes advantage of both its status as one of the few international fine art photographic galleries outside of London and its sunny location amidst the surf beaches of North Cornwall to present a collection of rare, hand-printed, black and white images by the founding father of Australian surf photography, Jack Eden. Described as the ‘photographic biographer’ of Australian surfing history, Eden shot the majority of the images displayed between the late fifties and late sixties mainly around the beaches of Sydney for use in his magazine ‘Surfabout’ learning developing and printing techniques by correspondence with legendary American landscape photographer Ansel Adams.This period was a time of great transition, growth and development in surfing, as both new materials and designs allowed for great progression in the water and more young people pursued a relaxed and carefree lifestyle after the war years such as that offered by the beach. Jack Eden captured both the action taking place on the waves and also the fashions, cars, musicians and attitudes of the blossoming Australian beach scene which has since developed to become a national stereotype. The sixties were the decade when Australian came of age on the waves – the surfing evolution and revolution.…

Tristan’s Gallery
Wadebridge, Cornwall

Wrecking Crew News

From Wrecking Crew News:

Hi Wrecking Crew supporters!

After playing to great response at SXSW, Buffalo, Nashville and Seattle Film Festivals (see reviews), we are thrilled to announce that ‘The Wrecking Crew’ documentary will have it’s Los Angeles premiere on June 28th, 2008. The film will play under the banner “Movies That Matter” as part of the Grand Performances Program in downtown LA at 350 S.Grand. Ave.

This is a free, outdoor festival-style screening under the stars. You can bring a picnic, deck chairs, blankets and even white wine, they don’t allow red wine as it can stain the granite in the Festival area. If a picnic is not your speed, there are some great restaurants in the area. Even though tickets are free, please make sure you allow yourself plenty of time to eat and find a place to sit. Don’t forget a chair or blanket.

We are also very honored to announce that the presentation of the film will be followed by a live performance by Wrecking Crew alumni Hal Blaine (drums), Carol Kaye (electric bass), Don Randi (piano) and Chuck Berghofer (upright bass). Vocals by Julia Fordham and other guest aritsts.

Please Help Us Spread The Word. Its Very Important That Musicians And Music Lovers Know Of This Event. Thanks For Your Support.

I wrote a bout the Wrecking Crew movie here earlier.

Great Quotes From a Legendary Jazz Drummer

These quotes are from a recent interview Evolution of Media made with Chico Hamilton, who happens to be one of my favorite drummers.

…I hear many drummers today, who have amazing chops, but who ultimately leave me cold because they never settle down long enough to get a pocket going, to keep some time. Some consider it old fashioned, but for my own listening pleasure, I enjoy hearing a band that swings. I think you will enjoy it too.

I’m told that people still dance to my music in nightclubs. There’s no greater compliment than that!

…But I can tell you one thing that I do know, which is that if this ‘so called’ industry becomes more about the format, than it is about the music, then it’s a dead end industry.

Chico Hamilton on iTunes and MySpace

A Different Shortboard

Hawaii 1963. A guy walks down to the shore with his red 5′ board in hand, paddles out and catches some waves. And rides them well, like he does so every day. A shortboard! In 1963! OK, it’s a paipo board which is usually ridden on the belly. It’s radical! Check out how close he rides to the wall towards the end. His body english is very relaxed there. Phew!

PAIPO Boarding 1963, Val Ching

Book on Miki Dora

Legendary Surfers highly recommends this. So I’m sure this is a good read. If you don’t know who Miki Dora was you haven’t seen many sixties surf films. He was one of the original Malibu locals until he was so pissed off by the crowds that he left to tour the world. He worked as a stuntman in the Beach Party movies. He was not known for riding big surf, but he would do it, like in Ride The Wild Surf. If I remember correctly, there are rides from that season in Endless Summer. Of course he’s also featured at Malibu in that film, were he displays his perfect command of that classic California right hand pointbreak. When I mixed the first Surf me Up, Scotty! album, they sent me a short audio clip of Miki Dora talking on the beach, to mix it under the music. Where they found it I have no idea.

Here’s the author’s (David Rensin) page.

Here’s a Miki Dora interview on YouTube.

Arthur Lyman Re-Releases

I knew about this big back-catalogue re-issue being planned before, but I somehow never could view the web-page until now.

Arthur Lyman died a couple of years ago, and it was a great loss to the people into Exotica and Tiki as he was still performing. He used to play with Martin Denny before he ventured out with his own group. Both artists released similar styled albums, but Lyman kept more Hawai’i in his music as the sixties went on, being hawaiian might be a reason. He had some of the deepest, most atmospheric and soulful Exotica recordings, combining authentic ethnic instrumentation with modern jazz. Another interesting point of note are humorous tunes he often selected to appear towards the end of his LPs. He may not have had a Sandy Warner on the covers, but many are very beautiful, classic Exotica designs. Taboo 2 had an authentic shrunken head on the front, until it was repackaged with a shot from the Pele roll of film.

Kevin Crossman writes on the Exotica list:

Collectors has released 18 Lyman albums in their entirety as 9 two-fer CDs.

Don’t be fooled by lame, generic cover art. each release has the cover of both LPs printed in full color. All you have to do is take the front booklet out and fold it backwards to show the cool orig Lp cover art! The CD also contains a reprint of one of the Lp back covers

Look for the double titles separated by a slash. Steer clear of the Greatest Hits package – it is not bad but I’m sure you would rather have the full experience of a Lyman lp in its original format

go to Collectors’ Choice Music

Surfwise
Paskowitz Family Documentary

Every once in a while a man takes his life into his own hands. I can’t wait to see this! I guess Paskowitz should be a household name to a guy with a 9ft Malibu in the corner of his home office, but I’m afraid you have to look elsewhere for further info on this obviously very special family. Wait, the movie should make me that much wiser.

Surfwise – A film by Doug Pray

Midcentury Modern Show (UK)

Welcome info about this design show in UK from Jacquelin on MySpace:

Our next Dulwich Midcentury.Modern show is on Sunday 30th March 2008, Dulwich College, Dulwich Common, SE21 7LD. View location on Google Maps.

Set in the light and bright 60’s concrete and glass Christison-designed refectory and the South Cloisters at Dulwich College. Situated on the A205 South Circular near College Rd, SE21 7LD. Nearest train – West Dulwich (trains leave Victoria BR and take approximately 10 minutes). 5 minute walk to college. Other local galleries and museums include The Horniman and The Dulwich Picture Gallery. Refreshments on site. Car parking with college boys showing visitors to spaces

Opening times, 10am–4pm (admission £5). Early admissions for trade from 9am

(£7). Children under 14 are welcome and do not have to pay.

Email us for our latest designer and dealer updates. Designers and dealers, apply to take part.

If you are looking for the best in design from the last century or the latest in future collectables from this one, look no further than Midcentury.Modern. Recognising the eclectic way people dress their homes Midcentury.Modern has fast established itself as the number one destination for sourcing the antiques of the future without the huge retail mark-up. …

read more here

Turn Me Up!
Bringing Dynamics Back To Music

Wow! A website dedicated to bringing back dynamics into modern recordings. I applied there with Tiki Traveling. Hopefully they accept that recording. I will do my best to support the project. I recorded TTWKK in the consciousness of making an anti-loudness record. Being mainly for soundtrack use, I could more easily fight the temptation of being competitive with music recorded for radio, music-tv or a teenager’s music collection, but aimed for the late fifties/early sixties hifi stereo sound instead. Think Command LPs with Bauhaus covers (Enoch Light’s label). I mixed and mastered for a good, enduring listening experience.

command lp klein

These records say: Turn me up! Your stereo deserves being turned up as much as your guitar amp or vehicle. Simply sounds better. Dials are more precise up the scale, too.

I wrote about the so called loudness wars earlier on this blog.

Quote from Turn Me Up!

Turn Me Up!™ is a non-profit music industry organization
campaigning to give artists back the choice to release more dynamic records. To be clear, it’s not our goal to discourage loud records; they are, of course, a valid choice for many artists. We simply want to make the choice for a more dynamic record an option for artists. …

Turn Me Up! | Bringing Dynamics Back To Music

Here’s another link to an article on over-compression of music.