[Dixielandjazz] Reality is an Illusion...

[Ken Mathieson]

Hi All,

The Albert Einstein quotation "Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one" reminds me of an incident when I was touring many years ago with the marvellous Scottish jazz singer, Carol Kidd. We'd had a great concert in Aberdeen, so a party broke out in the hotel afterwards. Fast forward a few hours and I came to feeling pretty seedy, so I got up went out for a walk in the fresh air. It was about 5:30 on a summer''s morning, when I came across a poster in a "Wayside Pulpit" display cabinet outside a church. In my hazy condition I found myself reading the profound statement that "Reality is an illusion brought on by the lack of alcohol." Given that moderation in all things is supposedly a virtue, I immediately resolved to keep reality moderately rationed.

Incidentally, after too many years of absence from the studio, Carol has a new CD in preparation. I heard an preview track of "Happiness is Just A Thing Called Joe" on BBC Radio recently and it reinforces my opinion that her ballad singing is just about as good as it gets.

Cheers,

Ken Mathieson
www.classicjazzorchestra.org.uk