Spot

I wrote this piece in 2012. At some point it got lost from the website. I have edited this version a bit. At first it was just graffiti. A few grotesque figures painted with a fine brush in red ink, around doorways. Each work had an ethereal beauty. Each work was signed Spot. There were … Continue reading Spot

A Simplified Approach To Soloing On 7b9

In my last post (You Can Constructively Ignore Harmony) I talked about simplifying harmony by removing unnecessary chords. Often people use pentatonic scales to reduce the complexity of a scale. The removal of notes from a scale makes a stronger, more defined sound. In this post I'll talk about simplifying approaches to dominant chords by thinking … Continue reading A Simplified Approach To Soloing On 7b9

You Can Constructively Ignore Harmony

Following on from yesterday's post Too Much Harmony?, a good approach to learning to solo on a standard would be to have in your mind a version for soloing that weeds out as many chords as possible, leaving only the most important. So taking the first 8 bars of I Thought About You as an … Continue reading You Can Constructively Ignore Harmony

Too Much Harmony?

When I was at best an improver at jazz, a tutor who I very much respected told me that he was hearing too much harmony in my solo playing. My first reaction was surprise – how could you possibly have too much harmony? Wasn't that what we'd been taught to do? Play through the changes … Continue reading Too Much Harmony?

Sourdough Pizza Base

A pizza on a perforated pizza tin

I made pizza on a sourdough base. This post is to document what I did, so I can remember it. See this post for the basics of how I make sourdough bread. This recipe is enough for an 11" pizza or 2 x 8" pizzas. The night before you want to make pizza, take 50g … Continue reading Sourdough Pizza Base

Beginner Sourdough Bread

Update: This post is now superseded. See Simple Sourdough Bread. What is this? I've been baking sourdough bread for a few months so I'm by no means an expert. I've written this blog mostly as a response to people asking me what I do, and also to keep a record for future reference. It is … Continue reading Beginner Sourdough Bread

White Sourdough in the Bread Machine

White loaf on a cooling rack with a knife for scale

UPDATE: This post is out of date. Please view this post instead. This series of posts is meant as a record of my experimentation with sourdough and bread machines, plus various ways of hand finishing and baking. I am not an expert but I've found a way that is really very simple, although you do … Continue reading White Sourdough in the Bread Machine

Sourdough 100% whole wheat using bread machine

A loaf of bread on a cooler with a mixing bowl in the background

UPDATE: This post is out of date. Please view this post instead. Who is this for If you've never made bread before, this is probably not the place to start. Maybe make white bread first, or 50/50 strong white / stone ground wholewheat flour, using active yeast. Also, practice makes perfect, you shouldn't expect your … Continue reading Sourdough 100% whole wheat using bread machine

100% Whole Wheat bread baked in a casserole dish

Loaf of bread on a wire tray

UPDATE: This post is out of date. Please view this post instead. During the 1977 Baker's strike I started to make my own bread, and did so for years, but at some point it dropped away. Maybe because we could get decent bread locally, and then because we had a bread machine. But inspired by … Continue reading 100% Whole Wheat bread baked in a casserole dish

Chilli Pickle

I made chilli pickle, based on this recipe, found by Jonathan Kahn. It's quick and simple. Remove stalks and chop up 15-20 finger chillies (I used 10 and it wasn't quite enough for the liquid ingredients). Toast in a dry frying pan or skillet , for one minute, 1 teaspoon each of: cumin seedsblack mustard … Continue reading Chilli Pickle