A poet, teacher and composer, Gregory Skovoroda is most famous in the field of philosophy, even earning the sobriquet of the ‘Ukrainian Socrates’.
Skovoroda was born on 3rd December 1772. His musical talents were discovered early in life, and he joined the imperial choir performing in Moscow, St Petersburg and in the Hungarian Empire. The love of travelling never left, and he spend the last part of his life walking around Ukraine, rarely staying in one place too long. Skovoroda adopted a simple, hermit-like existence, writing and studying.
A good video introduction may be found on YouTube. Skovoroda’s writings are described as “simple and straightforward.”
Themes of moralising, the inner struggle between good and evil permeate his metaphysical philosophy.
A piece of music attributed to Skovoroda may be accessed here:
Skovoroda died on 9th November 1794. In 2006, his image was placed on a Ukrainian bank note.
Considered the national poet, Taras Shevchenko was born in 1814 in central Ukraine. He was born into serfdom, not becoming free until 1838 when some friends were able to purchase his freedom.
Shevchenko wrote novel and dramas, as well as being an artist, but is best known for his poetry. His first collection, Kobzar, was published in 1840. A contemporary poet referred to the collection as “a new world of poetry … (an) artistic expression not previously known in Ukrainian writing.” (Ivan Franko).
Haidamky, an epic poem, followed in 1841. By now, he was living in St Petersburg, but made several trips to Ukraine in the 1840s, capturing the scenes in oil and watercolour.
Kateryna, 1842. National Museum, Kyiv
Shevchenko was arrested in 1847 after Tsar Nicholas I read the poem Dream, which he found offensive. The poet was forced to march from St Petersburg to Orsk near the Ural Mountains. He was later sent to a severe penal settlement before being released in 1857. The years of exile and imprisonment contributed to his death in 1861, just days before the emancipation of serfs was announced. He is buried in Ukraine at Taras Hill, neat the Dnipro River.
Will and Testament
When I die bury me in the middle of the steppe of my Ukraine. So I can seize broad the broadback field and Dnipro, twisting, so I can see and hear it roar, roaring, carrying
thieves’ blood to the ocean. Then I’ll toss the fields and mountains and me and burn them all like prayers. I won’t know God till then.
Stash me away then stand, split your chains and spatter the soil with blood and fury, having your body back. Now
in our vast family, the free one, the new one, don’t forget to remember me in good-willed words, a word unangered, quiet.
Alexander Dovzhenko is, along with Sergie Eisenstein, Dziga Vertov & Vsevolod Pudovkin, one of the great silent filmmakers from the Soviet era.
Dovzhenko was born in Ukraine on 10th September 1894, and began his cinema career in 1926. He is most famous for his ‘Ukraine Trilogy‘, the final part of which, ‘Earth‘, is regarded as one of the greatest silent films ever made.
Alexander Dovzhenko
Zvenigora 1928
Zvenigora 1928
Dovzhenko’s films are characterised by elements of avant garde, camera tricks, slow motion and unsettling framing, most notably in the incredible cinematography of ‘Arsenal‘. “Sequences of invigorating speed and motion are contrasted with images of deathly stillness.” (BFI.org.uk)
Here is a short list of modern Ukrainian writers that are achieving wider recognition. Before that, I can recommend an anthology called ‘From Three Worlds: new Ukrainian writing’ from 1996.
The collection has short fiction and poems by, among others, Vololdymyr Dibrova, Oksana Zabuzhko and Bohdan Zholdak.
Oksana Zabuzhko
One of my favourites was a tale entitled ‘To Find Yourself in a Garden‘ by Halyna Pahutiak (born 1958 in the Lviv region, graduated from Kyiv). She has published four books of prose, as well as a novella, ‘The Sun‘.
In 2021, three Ukrainian writers were shortlisted for the EBRD Literary Prize: Andrey Kurkov, Andriy Lyubka, and Oksana Zabuzhko for ‘You Ad Could Go Here‘.
Andriy Lyubka
‘Carbide’ has been describes as a tragicomedy, the story of an alcoholic teacher who decides to build a tunnel and smuggle the Ukrainian population into the EU. I have not read this novel, but it is certainly on my ‘to read’ list.
Finally, there is Andrey Kurkov
‘Grey Bees’ is set in the ‘grey zone’ between Ukraine and Russia. The story’s protagonist moves to the Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014.
Born in Lviv, Tania D’Avignon emigrated with her parents to the USA in 1949. She has worked on several National geographic projects, and her art has been reproduced in books in Europe, Ukraine and the States. Tania has exhibited in many USA and Canadian cities, as well as Ukraine and Poland.
Marchuk was born on May 12th 1936 in Moskalivka, Ukraine. The Daily Telegraph (UK) listed him as one of the 100 geniuses of today.
Requiem 1993
Marchuk graduated from Lviv Institute of Applied and Decorative Arts in 1965, and his work was exhibited in Moscow, Kiev and other Soviet cities but it wasn’t until 1990 that he was officially recognised by the Soviet artistic establishment. His work has now been displayed in New York, Toronto, Detroit, Philadelphia, Massachusetts and Sydney, Australia. The Boston Herald wrote that Marchuk’s paintings “Expressed the desire for independence, the pain and anger, the pride and hope of [his] people.”
Source: Hogan, E (editor), ‘From Three Worlds’, New Ukrainian Writing, 1996, GLAS Publishing
Forest Fairy
A Couple
For me, art – is life and revelation. There is no alternative. Simultaniously, art – is a hard labor. I work 365 days a year, and without it I can not exist. This is destiny, karma, judgment, doom.
From mid 1966 – 1967, Brian Wilson recorded tracks for the ‘Smile’ LP, while The Beach Boys were on tour. For years, ‘Smile’ would be regarded as the greatest LP never released.
Brian Wilson with Van Dyke Parks working on the Smile LP. The LP wouldn’t be released until decades later.
On the 24th November 1966, The Beatles went into Abbey Road to begin work on ‘Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band’.
Resting after a motorcycle accident in July 1966, Bob Dylan spent the spring of 1967 writing songs with The Band in his house near Woodstock, New York. In June 1967, they switched to Big Pink, a house The Band shared, and began recording in the basement. These recordings were heavily bootlegged, and finally released in 1975. Dylan’s first LP since ‘Blonde on Blonde’ (June 1966) was released at the end of 1967.
The Band at Big Pink
Also in 1966, Peter Green officially replaced Eric Clapton in John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, before leaving to form Fleetwood Mac. Green in turn was replaced by future Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor.
Peter Green
The new year was only days old when out of LA came the debut album by The Doors …
Please note, most dates are from Wikipedia so there may be some errors. Also, UK and US release dates varied; I have usually given the UK date. This is a selective discography, showcasing just some of the amazing music of 1967.
December 23rd 1966 Buffalo Springfield ‘For What It’s Worth’ single (charted in Spring 1967)
December 1966 The Electric Prunes ‘The Electric Prunes’ LP
January
4th The Doors ‘The Doors’ LP
4th The Doors ‘Break On Through (To The Other Side)’ single
9th The Byrds ‘So You Wanna Be A Rock ‘n’ Roll Star’ single
9th The Monkees ‘More Of The Monkees’ LP
13th The Rolling Stones ‘Let’s Spend The Night Together’ / ‘Ruby Tuesday’ double A-side single
20th The Rolling Stones ‘Between The Buttons’ LP (UK). Album released Feb 11th USA.
23rd The Supremes ‘Sing Holland-Dozier-Holland’ LP
February
1st Jefferson Airplane ‘Surrealist Pillow’ LP
3rd Herman’s Hermits ‘There’s A Kind Of Hush’ single
3rd Death of Joe Meek (record producer. Produced ‘Telestar’, the second British song to top the US charts)
Joe Meek
6th The Byrds ‘Younger Than Yesterday’ LP
10th The Hollies ‘On A Carousel’ single
12th Keith Richards & Mick Jagger arrested for drug possession at Redlands, home of Richards.
Keith Richards & Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones
13th The Beatles ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’ / ‘Penny Lane’ double A-side single
16th Miles Davis ‘Miles Smiles’ LP
Two Miles Davis LPs released in 1967
17th John Mayall And The Bluesbreakers ‘A Hard Road’ LP
Simon & Garfunkel
27th Simon & Garfunkel ‘At The Zoo’ single
27th Elvis Presley ‘How Great Thou Art’ LP
February The Mamas & The Papas ‘Dedicated To The One I Love’ single
February The Left Banke ‘Walk Away Renne’ LP
February Gene Clark ‘Gene Clark With The Gosdin Brothers’ LP
February The Mamas & The Papas ‘Deliver’ LP
March
3rd The Walker Brothers ‘Images’ LP
7th Sandie Shaw ‘Puppet On A String’ single (Sandie won the Eurovision Song Contest with this song, the first time the UK won the contest)
8th The Monkees ‘A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You’ single
10th Pink Floyd ‘Arnold Layne’ single
clip from the ‘Arnold Layne’ video.
Syd Barret of Pink Floyd in 1967
12th The Velvet Underground “The Velvet Underground and Nico’ LP
13th The Byrds ‘My Back Pages’ single
16th Otis Redding with Carla Thomas ‘King & Queen’ LP
17th Jimi Hendrix ‘Purple Haze’ single
17th Grateful Dead ‘The Grateful Dead’ LP
24th Manfred Mann ‘Ha Ha Said The Clown’ single.
31st The Move ‘I Can Hear The Grass Grow’ single
March The Dave Clark Five ‘You Got What It Takes’ single
March Neil Diamond ‘Girl, You’ll Be A Woman Soon’ single
March Frank Sinatra And Nancy Sinatra ‘Something Stupid’ single
Carnaby Street in London
April
1st Jefferson Airplane ‘Somebody To Love’ single
7th Lulu ‘The Boat That I Row’ single
‘Pictures Of Lily’ Japanese single cover
14th Bee Gees ‘New York Mining Disaster 1941’ single
21st The Yardbirds ‘Little Games’ single. This is the last UK single by the band, and it failed to chart.
22nd The Who ‘Pictures Of Lily’ single
24th The Doors ‘Light My Fire’ single
29th Aretha Franklyn ‘Respect’ single
Aretha Franklyn
29th The 14 Hour Technicolour Dream, a concert held at Alexandra Palace, London. Pink Floyd are the headline act.
April The Mamas & The Papas ‘Creeque Allee’ single
April Anti-Vietnam War protests in Washington DC, New York and San Francisco
1st Pat Martino ‘El Hombre’ LP recorded. Released later in 1967
Debut LP by the Jazz guitarist
Pat Martino, Jazz guitarist
May
1st The Association ‘Windy’ single
5th Jimi Hendrix ‘The Wind Cries Mary’ single
5th The Kinks ‘Waterloo Sunset’ single
11th Country Joe And The Fish ‘Electric Music For The Mind And Body’ LP
The 1967 Bond film
Theme song by Nancy Sinatra
12th Procol Harum ‘A Whiter Shade Of Pale’ single
Procol Harum
Scott Mackenzie
13th Scott Mackenzie ‘San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Flowers In Your Hair)’ single
13th The Grass Roots ‘Let’s Live For Today’ single
19th Traffic ‘Paper Sun’ single
Strawberry Alarm Clock
19th Strawberry Alarm Clock ‘Incense And Peppermints’ single
22nd The Byrds ‘Have You Seen Her Face’ single
22nd The Monkees ‘Headquarters’ LP
26th The Hollies ‘Carrie Anne’ single
26th The Beatles ‘Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band’ LP
26th Mothers Of Invention (Frank Zappa) ‘Absolutely Free’ LP
29th The Tremeloes ‘Silence Is Golden’ single
June
1st David Bowie ‘David Bowie’ LP
1st Elvis Presley ‘Double Trouble’ Soundtrack LP
6th Moby Grape ‘Moby Grape’ LP
Debut LP by Moby Grape, featuring Skip Spence on rhythm guitar and vocals
8th The Association ‘Insight Out’ LP
16th Pink Floyd ‘See Emily Play’ single
16 – 18 Monterey International Pop Festival
Jimi Hendrix
Jefferson Airplane
Performers include Simon & Garfunkel, The Byrds, Grateful Dead, The Who, Big Brother and The Holding Company, Buffalo Springfield, The Jimi Hendrix Experience and The Mamas & the Papas. Electric Flag, comprising Mike Bloomfield on guitar and Buddy Miles on drums, made their live debut. The band’s first LP, issued in 1967, was the soundtrack to the film ‘The Trip’
Electric Flag
Grateful Dead
The Who
23rd The Small Faces ‘The Small Faces’ LP
24th Jefferson Airplane ‘White Rabbit’ single
25th Our World TV. The Beatles perform ‘All You Need Is Love’ from Abbey Road, EMI studio. The program was broadcast by satellite, and watched by more than 400 million people in 25 countries.
26th The Hollies ‘Evolution’ LP
The Hollies
30th The Who ‘The Last Time’ / ‘Under My Thumb’ single (the single was recorded just two days previously, to support the legal fees of Mick Jagger & Keith Richards.
June Cream ‘Strange Brew’ single
June Captain Beefheart ‘Safe As Milk’ LP
Captain Beefheart & his Magic Band
June The Kaleidoscope (USA band) ‘Side Trips’ LP
July
7th The Beatles ‘All You Need Is Love’ single
7th Dave Davies ‘Death Of A Clown’ single (solo from Davies of The Kinks)
7th Simon & Garfunkel ‘Fakin’ It’ single
13th The Byrds ‘Lady Friend’ single
14th Bee Gees ‘Bee Gees 1st’ LP
17th Death of John Coltrane
John Coltrane
24th The Beach Boys ‘Heroes and Villains’ single
28th Keith West ‘Excerpt From A Teenage Opera’ single
July The Monkees ‘Pleasant Valley Sunday’ single
The Yardbirds with Jimmy Page (2nd from left). Page would later go on to form Led Zepplin
July The Box Tops ‘The Letter’ single
Alex Chilton of The Box Tops
July Canned Heat ‘Canned Heat’ LP
July The Yardbirds ‘Little Games’ LP (USA only. This lineup has Jimmy Page as sole guitarist)
August
4th The Flower Pot Men ‘Let’s Go To San Francisco’ single
4th The Small Faces ‘Itchycoo Park’ single
4th Pink Floyd ‘The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn’ LP
18th The Rolling Stones ‘We Love You’ single (UK)
19th Jimi Hendrix ‘Burning Of The Midnight Lamp’ single
21st Bobbie Gentry ‘Ode To Billie Joe’ LP
23rd Big Brother & the Holding Company ‘Big Brother & the Holding Company’ LP
Big Brother & the Holding Company with singer Janice Joplin
23rd Jimi Hendrix ‘Are You Experienced LP
25th The Move ‘Flowers In The Rain’ single
27th Death of Brian Epstein (Beatles manager)
Brian Epstein
28th Merle Haggard ‘Branded Man’ LP
August Traffic ‘Hole In My Shoe’ single
August Glenn Campbell ‘Gentle On My Mind’ LP
August The Seeds ‘Future’ LP
The Seeds
Vanilla Fudge
August Vanilla Fudge ‘Vanilla Fudge’ LP
September
1st John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers ‘Crusade’ LP, featuring new guitarist and future Rolling Stone Mick Taylor.
1st Procol Harum ‘Procol Harum’ LP
4th The Doors ‘People Are Strange’ single
15th The Kinks ‘Something Else’ LP
16th Scott Walker ‘Scott’ LP
18th The Beach Boys ‘Smiley Smile’ LP (USA). The ‘Smile’ concept was abandoned, and this LP was cobbled together to fulfil record company commitments. The Album was released in November in the UK
19th Bee Gees ‘Massachusetts’ single
22nd The Hollies ‘King Midas In Reverse’ single
25th The Doors ‘Strange Days’ LP
The Doors ‘Strange Days’
End of September John Coltrane ‘Expression’ (First posthumous release) LP
The launch of Radio One
September Gene Pitney ‘Something’s Gotten Hold Of My Heart’ single
30th Radio One starts broadcasting in the UK. The first song is ‘Flowers In The Rain’ by The Move.
October
3rd Death of folk singer Woody Guthrie (a major influence on Bob Dylan)
Woody Guthrie
6th David McWilliams ‘Days of Pearly Spencer’ single
10th Elvis Presley ‘Clambake’ Soundtrack LP
13th The Who ‘I Can See For Miles’ single
13th The Kinks ‘Autumn Almanac’ / ‘Mr Pleasant’ single
13th The Troggs ‘Love Is All Around’ single
20th The Byrds ‘Goin’ Back’ single
23rd The Beach Boys ‘Wild Honey’ single
23rd Miles Davis ‘Sorcerer’ LP
25th The Monkees ‘Daydream Believer’ single
The Monkees
25th The 13th Floor Elevators ‘Easter Everywhere’ LP
27th Ten Years After ‘Ten Years After’ LP
31st Phil Ochs ‘Pleasures Of The Harbour’ LP
Phil Ochs
November
1st Love ‘Forever Changes’ LP
2nd Scott Walker ‘Jackie’ single
2nd Cream ‘Disraeli Gears’ LP
Cream
Eric Clapton in Cream
6th The Monkees ‘Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd’ LP
10th Moody Blues ‘Nights In White Satin’ single
10th Moody Blues ‘Days Of Future Passed’ LP
18th Buffalo Springfield ‘Buffalo Springfield Again’ LP
24th The Beatles ‘Hello, Goodbye’ / ‘I Am The Walrus’ double A-side single
24th Dave Davies ‘Susannah’s Still Alive’ single
24th Traffic ‘Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush’ single
24th Kaleidoscope (UK band) ‘Tangerine Dream’ LP
The UK band Kaleidoscope
November The Dave Clark Five ‘Everybody Knows’ single. Their first Top 10 hit since July 1965
November the Lemon Pipers ‘Green Tambourine’ single
November Glenn Campbell ‘By The Time I Get To Phoenix’ LP
November Country Joe And The Fish ‘I Feel Like I’m Fixin’ To Die’ LP
November The Hollies ‘Butterfly’ LP
November Lee Morgan ‘Delightfulee’ LP
Jazz trumpeter Lee Morgan
November Van Dyke Parks ‘Song Cycle’ LP
Van Dyke Parks, who had collaborated with Brian Wilson on the aborted ‘Smile’ project
November or December The Doors ‘Love Me Two Times’ single
December
1st Jimi Hendrix ‘Axis: Bold As Love’ LP (UK. Released 1968 in USA)
8th The Beatles ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ double EP (in USA, this is released as an LP with the inclusion of all singles and B-sides from 1967)
8th The Rolling Stones ‘Their Satanic Majesties Request’ LP
8th Traffic ‘Mr Fantasy’ LP
9th Jim Morrison of The Doors is arrested onstage at New Haven, charged with obscenity and incitement to riot. He becomes the first rock star to be arrested onstage.
10th Death of Otis Redding
Otis Redding
13th Jimi Hendrix ‘Foxy Lady’ single
15th The Who ‘The Who Sell Out’ LP
17th Bob Dylan ‘John Wesley Harding’ LP
18th The Beach Boys ‘Wild Honey’ LP
18th The Beach Boys ‘Darlin” single
26th The Beatles ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ broadcast on the BBC. The film, which is shown in black & white, is poorly received. A colour version in screened on 5th January 1968
27th Leonard Cohen ‘The Songs Of Leonard Cohen’ LP
Leonard Cohen
Dave Gilmore
December The Loving Spoonful ‘Everything Playing’ LP
I recently had some friends ask what I meant by Math Rock, and I must admit it is a type of guitar music about which I am still learning.
A very brief summary is that Math Rock is a sub-genre that emerged from the Hardcore scene of the mid 1980s. Some bands moved away from the distorted loud guitars and steady 4/4 beat of Rock ‘n’ Roll, to incorporate different time signatures and tempos, stopping and starting songs mid-way through, or changing the rhythm entirely. I also notice that a lot of bands use similar chords as Jazz musicians.
The term Math Rock was coined due to the musicians having to count the beat, for example,
“1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 1, 2, 3, 4 …” etc
Instead of the conventional,
“1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4 …”
However, as the adage states, ‘show, don’t tell,’ so here are but a few examples.
To kick off, a band I did know, Slint, formed in Kentucky, USA in the late 1980s. This track, ‘Breadcrumb Trail’ is from their seminal second album, ‘Spiderland’ (1991).
In the same year, Don Caballero were formed, in Pittsburg, USA, and are purely instrumental. Their third album, ‘What Burns Never Returns’ (1998) is highly regarded, and I’ve chosen one track from that LP.
At the end of the 1990s, a band from Illinois called American Football formed, released a self-titled debut album, then split up. This song, ‘Never meant’ is much praised among fans.
Now let’s move over to my neck of the woods, Asia, because Math Rock is global.
Tricot is a band that I mentioned in an IELTS blog. They were formed in Kyoto back in 2010, and have so far released six LPs including ‘Jodeki’ from December 2021. This video is for the song ‘Setsuyakuka’.They play music with stronger lead lines, pop-music hooks, and make a perfect introduction to Math Rock.
Also from Japan are Paranoid Void. The following video is a track from their LP ‘Literary Math’ (2017). This album may require a few plays to be fully appreciated. A lot of reviewers feel it lacks a certain punch, but try it for that laid-back feel, or if you need to study.
The video also show the guitarist’s pedal board, a collection of effects to create different guitar sounds.
Finally, let’s go to Taiwan and listen to ‘Elephant Gym’, a band blending bass lead lines and irregular, angular guitars. This is a live video and you can see how the bassist uses a technique called tapping, sometimes playing the strings on the neck of her bass with her right hand.
Be sure to let me know what you think. Are you in a Math Rock band, or are you interested in starting one ? Or is it simply not your cup of tea ? Thank you for taking the time to read this blog.
Happy Year of the Tiger
Please Note: All photos are taken from Google Images or free photo sites, and are used for educational purposes only. No copyright infringement or offense is intended. If I have used your photo or image, and you wish me to remove it, just ask. This site is not monetized, I run it on my own dollar. Thank you.
Living overseas, I sometimes miss news from the UK, one such example being the passing of British actor Paul Ritter back in April of 2021.
People in the UK will know him from the sitcom ‘Friday Night Dinner’ which ran for six series starting in 2011.
‘Friday Night Dinner’, a sitcom on Channel 4 in the UK
International viewers may recognise him from the HBO miniseries ‘Chernobyl’ from 2019.
‘Chernobyl’ miniseries on HBO
Mr Ritter also appeared in the 2008 Bond film ‘Quantum of Solace’ and a film in the Harry Potter franchise, ‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince’ from 2009.
Paul also performed in Shakespeare demonstrating his versatility, from comedy to drama, excelling in both.
I was very sad to hear of his death, and I’m not alone. Apparently some fans posted how they were in tears watching the sitcom after he died.
Tasmin Greig, his co-star in ‘Friday Night Dinner’, wrote “We all miss him terribly, an incredible actor, a true friend and a lovely human being.”
Paul Ritter 20th December 1966 – 5th April 2021
Please Note: All photos are taken from Google Images or free photo sites, and are used for educational purposes only. No copyright infringement or offense is intended. If I have used your photo or image, and you wish me to remove it, just ask. This site is not monetized, I run it on my own dollar. Thank you.
Thay Paul's Notes 