I completed “The Robin-chat”.

Following the discovery of my Cape robin-chat Cape batis confusion, I have at last finished “The Robin-chat” (previously, “The Batis III”). The image below shows how the composition developed: “The Batis III” version is nearly complete just before the image of the bird (evidenced by the neatness of the verses); then, a new wave of exploration, prompted by the discovery of my error, as the poem becomes “The Robin-chat”. I am delighted to report that I have since also completed “The Leaves” (previously, “Poplars”) and have tentatively started revising a sketch titled “The Pines”.

I spoke to David Armes about the artwork for the first Lonely Swallow label release.

Last month, I mentioned that I had briefly spoken to letterpress artist David Armes about the cover art for the Origins album by Affan. This month, we had a detailed conversation about the nature of the visuals, how they are to create the aesthetic of the label, and how this will apply to visuals for artists and their releases. Our objective is to present in the artwork the concept of the music and the minimalist philosophy of the label. This will be the challenge in the coming month.

I spoke to Garreth Broke about transcribing Origins.

For his first album, Affan has composed a collection of six contemporary classical impromptus that effortlessly move from theme to theme with elegance and ease. Not only do I think of these pieces as beautiful and engaging to the ear, but also to the eye and hand; and so I have asked one of my favourite pianists in the genre, Garreth Broke, to transcribe them.

Mentioned in this post:

Haemanthus coccineus, blood lily (Wikipedia)
Red Plate Press (Official Website)
Garreth Broke (Official Website)
Affan (Soundcloud)
Lonely Swallow (Official Website)