In 1970 I recorded "Song under a Tree" in Paris with Didier Malherbe( He was one of the founders of the Canterbury sound band Gong.In the ambiance of the renaissance in Paris in May 1968, he met Australian singer, guitarist, and poet, ex-Soft Machine member, Daevid Allen, with whom he was to create Gong. This international community band incubated in Deya, Majorca, and toured France and Europe before it was taken on the British scene starting at the first Glastonbury festival in June 1971.)and Gerry Field..(Gerry Field - fieldviolinworkshop.com/ - In the first Gong line-up & a Bananamooner) we were called Morning Calm and I think we captured the spontaneity of that period quite well.We often performed outside the Coupole in Montparnasse,sharing the stage with Philipe Petit,who later became the first busker to walk across the twin towers on a high wire and not getting the chance to pass the hat.(Philippe Petit is a French high wire artist who gained fame for his illegal walk between the Twin Towers in New York City on August 7, 1974.He used a 450-pound cable to do so and also a custom-made 26-foot (7.9 m) long, 55-pound balancing pole. Tight-rope walker, unicyclist, magician and pantomime artist, Philippe Petit was also one of the earliest modern day street jugglers in Paris in 1968. He juggled and worked on a slack rope with regularity in Washington Square Park in New York City in the early 1970s.) Storytelling minstrels,vagabond poets and sometimes Julien Beck and the Living Theatre, if they were in town would all participate in the creation of a unique and expressive event..Patti Smith,Pierre Clementi, (Pierre Clémenti, 28 September 1942 – 28 December 1999. Cult actor from the 60s who aroused admiration by his choices and his intense acting, Pierre Clementi left behind him a remarkable film work that we highly recommend. As a genuine artist, rejecting both mainstream career and stardom that he could have entered owing to his film-star looks, he preferred to get very much involved in working with demanding filmmakers (Bunuel, Bertolucci, Pasolini, Tarrell) as well as directing outstanding fringe films. He was fatefully sidetracked into an acting career that became symbolic of so many aspects of European cinema of the time: experimentalism, anarchy, androgyny, anti-heroism, surrealism and pariah culture.)Samuel Becket and Jean-Paul Sartre were among fans of our unique brand of improvised word flows and total disregard for structure.Often our good friend Nicolas Petrovic would jam along with us on his magnificent flute.Only recently did I learn he was a king in waiting.(Prince Nicholas Petrovic Njegoš of Montenegro,born 7 July 1944, is the Head of the House of Petrovic-Njegoš and pretender to the throne of Montenegro. He is known to Montenegrin monarchists and traditionalists as King Nikola II of Montenegro. Prince Nicholas is the Hereditary Grand Master of the Dynastic Orders of St. Peter of Cetinje and Prince Danilo I of Montenegro.Prince Nikola was an active participant in the Campaign for the restoration of Montenegro's independence, preceding the referendum on the separation of the former Kingdom from the Republic of Serbia.Prince Nikola II has made public pronouncements of his willingness to return to the Montenegrin Throne if that is the wish of his people.)He never once mentioned his bloodline,and to us he was a good hearted occasional cider drinking normal Breton.Hail the King.Also in this period I had the great fortune to meet and share some magical sessions with the master oud player and poet, Fawzi Sayeb,who introduced me to the space between notes,the silence of infinity and a few grains of eternity,amongst other things.. "Masters of Oud"FAWZI SAYEB : MASTER OF TAQSIM
(Master of music, Fawzi Sayeb is also the master of silence on two accounts, whether through the long meditative long pauses that articulate his musical discourse, or through the fact that he has waited a few long years (he's over sixty years old now) before confiding to the disc a glimpse of his art. Born in Tunisia, Fawzi Sayeb plays on the lute-'ûd, the noblest instrument of Arab music, the taqsîm, an Arab oriental scholar music improvised in solo. He draws his inspiration from the Egyptian Nahda masters. But disappearance of the great masters leads him to rely on his intuition to recreate this demanding and austere art./Henry Lecomte.).In the early 70's I also recorded an album in Dublin with George Kaye-fiddle;Dermot O'Connor-mandolin and Pat Gibbs/clarinet-sax.We were called the "Permanent Cure",but were'nt permanent enough for the record to be released.It was an historic event which I suppose got lost in the archives and entered a parallel universe.But if anyone in Trend Studio comes across a dusty reel to reel with permanent cure written on it,let me know,it could have been a contender.It was the days of our folk club upstairs in the Baggot Inn,where Keiron Halpin,Barry and Eilish Moore,Dave Murphy,Jimmy Faulkner...(Jimmy’s career spanned over five decades and during that time his innovative and original style of guitar playing was part of some of the best blues, rock, jazz, country and traditional music ever to come out of Ireland. He played blues with Red Peters and The Dublin Floating Blues Band, rock ‘n’ roll with Jangle Dangle, Ditch Cassidy’s Freak Show, Paul Brady’s band and with his own band, The Houseshakers. He played jazz with Hotfoot, country with Frankie Lane and he also accompanied Christy Moore, Mick Hanly and Finbar Furey. He wasn’t just versatile, he was excellent in all these different genres of music and as such was recognised and acknowledged as one of Ireland’s finest guitarists),Don Baker,Davey Spillane,Smiley Bolger and many others would participate in a pint or a song. The "Good Karma",the first vegetarian restaurant to be opened in a disused downtown factory in Dublin,magical sessions by the big open fireplace,young Neil Jordan blowin'his alto sax..(Best known for his enormously successful independent film The Crying Game, Irish director Neil Jordan has made sixteen feature films since 1982. Even after achieving commercial success and critical acclaim with such films as Interview with the Vampire and The Butcher Boy, Jordan remains a curiously elusive figure in the era of the celebrity filmmaker. Maria Pramaggiore.)and Martin Law..(After decades of coping with the feeling that either I’m born in the wrong time or else on the wrong planet it is a timely evolvement to have an exponentially expanding perspective on the matter. Indications are, and I greatly simplify this for clarity; that we are at present four-fifths of the way through the transition between two major eras of life on this planet. We are four-fifths of the way through a twenty-five year period; 1987 to 2012 and only six years from the end of a cycle of 5,125 years measured by the Mayan Calendar. We are that close to a galactic alignment that happens only once every 26,000 years! For vastly more precise information study the book by Geoff Stray, ‘Beyond 2012’, and relax, it’s not the end of the world. Remember, we are four-fifths of the way through a universally predicted turbulent period of wars, earth changes, social unrest, intensification, planetary purge and purification. So take heart./martin law) Demonstrating creative transendence,catching floating moonbeams,following a shooting star,seeing the space between forever in the moment that we are.It was the days of Ronnie Drew in the Baggot Inn and Neil Toners Sackville String Band in Tailors Hall,it was the time of the Pecker Dunne and his outragious,spontaneous appearances when you least expected him to wave his wand.(Biography of the Pecker Dunne. The Pecker Dunne is a member of one of the oldest Travelling families in Ireland and a well-known character throughout Ireland. The Dunnes are a well-known musical family who, for the past hundred years, have brought their unique style of Traveller music to audiences all over the length of breadth of Ireland. This book traces Pecker's upbringing on the road, his travels in a horse-drawn caravan to country fairs, race meetings and sporting events and the development of his own unique ballad-style of singing. It also gives his insight into many aspects of Traveller language and culture and the Traveller fight for self-recognition as a distinct cultural group in Ireland. He gives a glimpse into many aspects of Traveller culture which are under threat today and discusses the history of his own group, the fairground or showpeople. His moving description of his battle with alcoholism, the hardships of life on the road, and the prejudices and racism endured by Travellers give a special poignancy to his life story.Publisher: A. and A. Farmar Press, Dublin.)The Universal folk club which paved the way for many a future legend,and the Projects Art centre which was always a good stage for experimentation.There was some kind of change in the air and it was putting words on our our plates.Dermot tells me that Bono was a big fan of ours in his student days,and was often down in the basement of Toners during a happening.In Baggot Street,we too, were almost famous for a few days.So,between Paris and Dublin there was enough renaissance going on to keep me quite busy.Though,of course episodes continue to evolve,I was content to have been an eager apprentice in those intensely productive sparkling early days. I also have another web page,very much like this one but with slight variations-www.myspace.com/leogillespiesong and if you want to contact me, [email protected]
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The Permanent Cure†began life as a band in the year of our lord 1976 on St. Stephen's Green in Dublin, Ireland. The band comprised George Kaye, Dermot O'Connor, Leo Gillespie and Pat Gibbs. They attracted huge crowds throughout that long hot summer and after just a few short months they had moved into the mainstream music venues.They appeared on prime time Irish Television and played theatres in Dublin, Cork and Galway. With their singular mix of virtuoso Bluegrass, BeBop, Blues and surrealistic comedy routines they became firm favourites in experimental theatres and clubs such as The Gaeity Theatre, The Universal Folk Club and The Project Arts Centre in Dublin. They were never afraid to experiment and incorporated whatever objects they could find in various places into the performance – something for which they received glowing critiques in the high-brow arts publications of the day.They even recorded an LP The Permanent Cure "WORKS" and had attracted the attention of a top English management company. Their heroic acts became legend but eventually management problems and contractual hold-ups led to disaffection amongst the band and when George received a very lucrative offer from the USA he had very little option but to accept. Whilst they remained friends, this inevitably lead to the break-up of the band. But little did they know, there were to be other days…….The Permanent Cure 1976George Kaye - Singer/songwriter, fiddle, Guitar.Dermot O'Connor – singer/songwriter, mandolin, guitar.Leo Gillespie – singer/songwriter, guitar, blues harp.Patrick Gibbs – singer, clarinet, saxophone, piano, chromatic harmonica.While George was in the USA playing with Casterbridge Union, Pat and Leo became a duo "Half Cured" and toured hotels, clubs and theatres both in the North and South of Ireland until they finally split up and returned to their respective careers – Pat returned to London whilst Leo resumed his travelling and becoming a globe trotting troubador playing in such diverse places as Iceland and Cambodia and many places in between.(Dermot O'Connor) ///Im Jahre 1975 gündete George Kaye die Gruppe "Dr.Kayes Permanent Cure" zusammen mit Dermot O'Connor, Leo Gillespie und Pat Gibbs.Sehr schnell wurden sie in der Dubliner Folk Szene bekannt und traten in großen Konzerthäusern ebenso auf wie in Stadien und Irischen TV Shows.Mit Ihrer einzigartigen Musik und dem Humor, der zwischen Wahnsinn und typisch schwarzem Insel-Humor schwankt, bekamen Sie schnell den Ruf der "Welt einzigsten akkustischen Punk Band".Plattenlabels begannen sich für die Folkband zu interessieren und das erste Album " The Permanent Cure..works!" entstand für das Label Chrysalis.The Permanent Cure andvancierte zum Kult-Status und Zuschauer kamen von ganz Irland in die Hauptstadt, um die wöchentlichen Konzerte der Band zu verfolgen.
(Number 24/leo gillespie) ONE YOUNG GIRL I NEVER SANG A SONG FOR,HAD A NUMBER FOR A NAME-SHE WAS CALLED 24.JUST A YOUNG GIRL,NOTHING MORE,I SAW HER PHOTOGRAPH-NUMBER 24.JUST A YOUNG GIRL BORN TO LIVE,BORN TO GROW,BORN TO GIVE.MAYBE HER DREAM TO THE WORLD,MAYBE HER DREAM TO THE WORLD...
Leo GillespieTil þess að kynna buskið hafa aðstandendur fengið tónlistarmanninn KK til liðs við sig. Hann stundaði busk lengi erlendis, meðal annars à SvÃþjóð þar sem hann bjó um þrettán ára skeið. Hann hefur fengið sér til halds og trausts einn þekktasta busker à Evrópu, Leo Gillespie. Sá hefur vÃða farið, m.a. komið nokkrum sinnum hingað til lands, spilar á gÃtar og syngur rámri viskÃrödd lög eftir sjálfan sig og aðra ([email protected] ). Þá mun æskuvinur og meðspilari KK til margra ára Þorleifur Guðjónsson, bassaleikari, einnig leiðbeina á námskeiðinu.(Below is me and Þorleifur in Cafe Rosenberg,Reykjavik.Photo by Olikristinn)
BELOW IS SONG UNDER A TREE,A TOTALLY IMPROVISED MUSICAL CREATION I RECORDED WITH DIDIER MALHERBE AND GERRY FIELD IN PARIS AROUND 1970(Rare original album by well-known Frenchtrio featuring Leo Gillespie and 2 members of GONG-Didier Malherbe on flute and Jerry Field on violin-. On this album they played a beautiful and deepbluesy/country/folk/rock music a bit similar to the mightySUBWAY with Graham Smith-like omnipresent scorchedviolin,deep emotional mouthharp,stunning acoustic guitarbacking and great Michael Chapman-like vocals...One part ISB three parts Dylan circa Desire, though this predates that LP by some years...
Shadows On The Boulevard(leo gillespie)… early buskin' days in paris when the boulevards were aglow with poetry and anarchy, we shared a pitch with philip petite, samuel becket and jean paul sartre were regular customers
This was 1969/71 in Montparnasse the time that Patty Smith was hanging out with us,writing me reams of poetry,taking photographs of anything that moved(she was the only one who had a camera), getting some street cred by passing the hat and crashing out in our tiny little room in Campagne Premiere.Amazing sessions in the American Centre on boulevard Raspail, (Alan Stivell was one of the pillars of the American Center, where the “hootenanies†organized by Lionel Rocheman took place which was attended thereafter by other guitarists like Marcel Dadi and Pierre Bensusan) Then over to Canards place on Rue Lhomond where you could expect to meet anyone from Edouard Boubat(Edouard Boubat /September 13, 1923, Paris, France – June 30, 1999, Paris/ was a well known French art photographer. He started making photographs in 1945 or 1946, in reaction to the banality and horrors of the Second World War. He sought to make photographs that were a celebration of life. He worked as a freelance photojournalist on contract to the magazine “Réalités†in the 1950s and 1960s and travelled widely throughout his career. The French poet Jacques Prévert called him a "Peace Correspondent.")to ex members of the "resistance"reminiscing over a glass of wine or two.Next to Canard was the atelier of Camillo Otereo...
( some of the most respected names in the Parisian art world such as Camillo Otero and Edouard Boubat).where we spent many an hour philosophising and poeticising while he patiently carved away,creating another masterpiece. My good friend Herve is hard to find but always good to see.He is wide awake,but spends most time asleep.He accompanied the man on that walk through perceptions door...shared that last taste of whisky,as the Door crashed through the floor.('Jim Morrison: Mort ou vif' by Herve Muller - French Import Jim Morrison: Mort ou vif This original 1991 printing had little distribution due to the printer going bankrupt right at publishing time. It is considered by many to be one of the rarest books by someone who knew Jim personally.) They talked about films and poetry, and Jim gave Hervé a copy of his An American Prayer poetry book. Hervé had his camera on him and he and Yvonne were busy taking pictures of Jim's every move. Eventually Morrison threw himself onto the 'art nouveau' iron bench in front of the Alexandre, yelling: "Where're you taking me? I don't wanna go!"Jim Morrisons Quiet days in Paris by Rainer Moddemann../Pere Lachaise is a kind of Hollywood for the legends who are presently dead,if you don't have a map when you look for somebody...you'll find someone else instead.And it was the memorable time that Pierre Clementi,bless his eternal shining soul, presented me with his Gibson guitar...
(HISTORY OF THE WITH...) The Origin of the Name of Gillespie...The Gillespie name is ancient, its origins dating probably from 5th century Ireland. It is widely thought to be made up of two Gaelic words, "Filid," a druidic bard, and "Asbuig," a bishop."FilidAsbuig" = GillespieThe Filid were druidic bards, attached initially to the courts of the Irish tribal kings, who were called the "Rig" in their Celtic communities. Each Rig had an 'honour price' in a legal system where the weight of testimony depended on the witness's aristocratic pedigree. In applying the ancient law of the Celts, the "Brehon" code, a Rig's Filid recited in court from memory his master's genealogical origins to ensure that the Rig's testimony would take priority over that of any of his subjects.The Filid also entertained their kings' guests with poetry and with tales rich in moral content on the winter nights between Samain (1st November) and Beltain (1st May.) These poets were clearly able to perform remarkable feats of memory in a society where nothing was written.A History of Medieval Ireland -A.J. Otway-Ruthven, Barnes & Noble, 1993 .... ///BELOW IS MY OLD FRIEND PHILIP PETIT WALKING THE TWIN TOWERS....On August 7, 1974, shortly after 7:15 a.m., Petit stepped off the South Tower and onto his 3/4" 6×19 IWRC steel cable. The 25-year-old Petit made eight crossings between the mostly-finished towers, a quarter mile above the sidewalks of Manhattan, in an event that lasted about 45 minutes. During that time, in addition to walking, he sat on the wire, gave knee salute and, while lying on the wire, dialogued with a gull circling above his head.Below.
PIERRE CLEMENTI...("I believe they are the direct descendants of the spirit of the Renaissance. They have the sense of the beauty and the finesse, but they are not cut off from the people. They don't conduct themselves like an elite, an aristocracy of artists who would live like parasites due to the largesse of the system."In his life as in his work, Pierre Clémenti was not an ordinary person, he was an atypical idealist, groomed in the school of Pasolini, Visconti and Bunuel. "A mainstream career? I could have survived in mainstream films, but that wasn't my story. I have no regrets. I don't have the will to be part of films that don't even deserve to be made... I've always worked alone and I ruined nothing but myself.")
EDOUARD BOUBAT/Premiere neige Jardain Luxembourg..(In a career that spanned more than fifty years, Édouard Boubat (1923–99) captured the magic of fleeting moments with tenderness and warmth. A contemporary of Robert Doisneau and one of the most influential French photographers of the twentieth century, Boubat made elegant, poetic images, beginning with pictures of everyday life in his native Paris and moving on to striking photographs taken on his travels to Africa, India, Spain, Portugal, Brazil and China.)
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