Whistling

Archive

October 8, 2018 by Simon Sweetman

RNZ Feature: Music-related novels

I’m usually on RNZ once a month to have a chat about some new albums. But the other day I got the call up to present a Music Feature for the Afternoons show. This topic was Music-related novels – books written about music and musicians that are not biographies, not non-fiction. We played some songs and talked about […]

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May 12, 2018 by Simon Sweetman

RNZ Feature: Whistling

I’m usually on RNZ once a month to have a chat about some new albums. But the other day I got the call up to present a Music Feature for the Afternoons show. This topic was Whistling – songs with whistling; what is it about whistling in a song? Is it happy, sad, both? Is it joyous and infectious […]

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August 22, 2016 by Simon Sweetman

R.I.P. Toots Thielemans

Toots Thielemans has died. The 94 year old harmonica virtuoso was also a guitarist and – intriguingly – a whistler. He wrote standards. He played sessions with rock, pop and jazz superstars as well as performing his own shows and leading groups. And even if you haven’t heard the name before you have heard him […]

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October 20, 2015 by Simon Sweetman

Andrew Bird: Echolocations – Canyon

Andrew Bird Echolocations: Canyon Wegwam Music Co. There was always something very painterly to me about Andrew Bird, I thought this the first time I heard him – I felt it very much when I saw him perform. Firstly, most obviously, the way he worked as one-man-band/accompanist, using the loop pedal to set up guitar […]