Track 2: Dolor de Muelas and Manic Management...

The second track that we are going to look at is called, 'Dolor de Muelas'.
In case you are bemused about the title, I should explain that when translated it means, toothache.
The reason being that it was composed and recorded when Robin was suffering from a particularly painful bout of toothache!
However, that isn't apparent in the music, as the piece is in a freewheeling samba groove, with much improvisation.

The Samba is one of the most popular forms of music in Brazil, and surprisingly also in Japan. The genre combines several different cultures, especially the musical aspects of African and Latino heritage, and continues to evolve within Brazilian culture today.

Originally the Samba was a generic term depicting the choreography of 'circle-dances' imported from Angola and the Congo.
A characteristic element of the Samba is the 'umbigada', which is an, 'invitation to dance', by the touching of the couple's navels!
Gradually, by the late 19th Century, the dance became urbanized, with the urban versions differing substantially from the rural folk sambas.

The Samba continued to gain notoriety as a distinctive kind of music, at the beginning of the 20th Century, in Rio de Janeiro.

On this recording Robin is also playing some of the percussion. So feel free to get into the Samba groove and dance along...

Today I am calming down after a particularly stressful couple of days.
On Wednesday evening I took a call from our London agent asking if Robin would be able to get to India by Monday.
The dates were fine, but, a visa is required for entry to India.
I consequently spent most of Wednesday evening, and all of Thursday, trying to resolve the problem.
After many 'phone calls between me, London and America, the only way forward would be to extend the trip and unfortunately due to previous commitments we were unable to do so.
I certainly couldn't expect Robin to arrive home from an overnight flight and perform the same day.
So despite our best efforts, on this occasion we had to concede defeat.
Still, you can't say we didn't try.

Cochin - India and Classic FM

Friday, so it must be Cochin, India. The good news is that it's also the day that Robin will start his journey home. Not that he gets here until Saturday evening, but at least he's on his way.
The last guitar concert on Crystal Symphony was yesterday, and the message that I got from Robin was that it had been fine. From many years experience, I know that this actually means that it went very well, and he had been pleased with the outcome.
He's always very critical of his own performances, so fine, means excellent.

I was very pleased to read Richard Alleyne's article today, 'Teens tune in to Classic FM'. Apparently, their initial interest in classical music stems from film scores, such as Star Wars, but they are now tuning in to help with their homework. For more details follow the link.

I have also discovered that 'On classical music', over in Finland are enjoying following Robin's life, so hello to everyone there!

As if by Magic - The Bay of Bengal

As Robin left Myanmar he sent two further pictures.
The first is of this rather beautiful lady and her child. She explained that the face paint was made from wood pulp and worn mainly by the women and children. It's function is not only decorative, but also, to help protect from the vicious sun.



Secondly, an image of a lovely flower:



But now, Crystal Symphony is back at sea, crossing the Bay of Bengal on its way to India.
Robin left home so long ago that his return flight tickets weren't yet available.
I had to pass on a message that I found rather amusing.
When he arrived on board Symphony he had to find the magician, who was bringing out Robin's flight details and tickets, and as if by magic, he would be able to return home.
As it turned out, the magician, Brett, found him, and they immediately got on very well. They have enjoyed many evenings discussing music and found they have very similar tastes.
Robin has also been amazed by some late night, private viewing, of some spectacular card tricks.
His guitar practice will be stepping up a gear now as his second concert is on Thursday.