Nicola Walker Smith: The Garden

I requested this for Christmas sometime in the early '90s having heard an interview with Mrs Smith on the late lamented Mixing It. As you know, Christmas day has its longueurs, and these are often passed by rifling through other family members' stashes of presents. My dad skims a chapter of every book I get. So my grandmother, who would have been a mere 86 or so then (she's 102 now), starts flicking through the booklet for this CD, until she starts to recite — with a chuckle — some of the lyrics transcribed therein:

the sun seduces me
my breasts are sweet and ripe
and i am full of juice
like oranges

Perhaps she was being mischievous and hoping to stir some embarrassment. Or perhaps she was being tactful, for she could (if her glasses were up to it, as the typeface is smaller) have read the lyrics on the previous page, with their translation of an Aborigine text, which I won't quote here, but the text is an account of a "copulation and circumcision ritual" that the sleevenotes describe as "graphical and literal".

Back to Mrs Smith, who is (was?) the partner of Mr Geoff Smith (I can't be sure whether it's this one or not), and commissioned some interesting compositions from not just hubby but from leading British composers of the time such as Gavin Bryars and Michael Finnissy. (The latter is a bit intimidating, and possibly the inspiration for some of those spiky and alienating comments about contemporary music). Interesting but not particularly enjoyable to me, possibly because my ear hasn't been trained to appreciate trained soprano voices. And there's one other thing: a suspicion that the songs have been chosen with an ear for what would showcase the voice and the singer, ahead of what would make a coherent and distinctive album.

One curious thing about this album, which was released on Kitchenware (catalogue number KWCD 017), the same label as Prefab Sprout: I think it's the first of which I can find no official trace anywhere on the web. It's mentioned on Gavin Bryars' discography and the clarinet player's discography, but that's it. Which is quite unusual these days.

Comments

[Eric Reda]

Hey Friend ... have been looking for this album for AGES after having fallen in love with 15 WILD DECEMBERS shortly after its release in the 90s, and later BLACK FLOWERS [after finally hunting down a used copy online].

I wonder if you have a copy of this recording [MP3, FLAC or other] uploaded anywhere to the web ... I as well can find no record of it anywhere other than in Bryer's discography.

And it is not that Geoff Smith [the dulcimer player]. The Geoff Smith in question helped to found the Bath Spa University [http://www.bathspa.ac.uk/] in the UK in 2002. He then retired in 2008.

As well, Geoff and Anna have written an amazing little book of interviews with American avant garde composers [info here: http://www.glasspages.org/smithbk.html].

It is quite strange how completely these 2 have dropped out of the scene.

Thanks for your time and the post!

Eric

[PS - I found this little blog page a while back with a little more info and rapidshare links to the previous albums: http://saltyka.blogspot.com/2008/12/geoff-smith.html]

[David]

Eric, thank you, in turn, for the extra info you've provided. I've sent you a message on FB in response to your request. Cheers, David

[Phil Roche]

Hi:

I too am a big fan or these two. Managed to track Geoff down at his latest academic post and email him--he replied that he has some new tunes in the works that he plans to record in the near future.

I would love to get my hands on a copy of the above-mentioned CD as well as "Gas, Food, Lodging" (listed on the Kitchenware Web site), but so far, no luck. I did locate a copy of "Black Flowers" in the massive Amoeba Music store while vacationing in Southern California last week.

[Stephen Whitaker]

Gas - Food - Lodging is available on Amazon.co.uk

[David]

Thanks, Stephen, to save anyone the trouble of ploughing through all the other albums called Gas - Food - Lodging, here's a direct link http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gas-Food-Lodging-Smith-Geoff/dp/B000057UD5.

[The MadLP]

Thank you all. I've been trying to hunt down Geoff Smith G F L for almost 20 years maybe longer. I even had a friend living in the UK at the time scour record stores for the obscure Kitchenware label to no avail. As others have commented, very little info on Geoff Smith and Nicola Walker Smith. There was one piece in particular that I really wanted to hear again. I think its some poems in French, I can't remember. I was listening to it on a long gone new music Radio show hosted by Other Minds founder Charles Amhirhanian sitting in my car I think! I put up a "looking for" on the original GEMM site years ago and in all these years its never popped up. THat label never made it to the US as far as I know. But I checked your amazing uk link and it appears there are a couple copies available?! I'm really excited -- of course after all these years it could be a let down, but I feel like I just want that damn CD since I've been trying to get it for so long! :-) thnx to all in this thread for key info!

[Phil Roche]

Hi:

Yes, many thanks folks for the links to the used copies of G-F-L!!! MadLP...have you purchased a copy yet? If so, was it worth all the trouble??

~Phil