Brian Lavelle » www.brianlavelle.org

Released today on French label taâlem is my latest disc, The Petrified Forest. This is comprised of a couple of pieces recorded in February 2007. As with the other releases on Jean-Marc Boucher-Ancelle’s wonderful imprint, this is a 3″ disc with beautiful colour artwork from Cyril Herry based on a photograph I took in the woods surrounding Inchmahome Priory on the Isle of Menteith:

My thanks to Jean-Marc for the release of this disc; and to Cyril for capturing in his design what I intended to convey in the sound of this work.

This is my first post in relation to the tea part of this blog: an attempt to set out my (very amateur) thoughts on real tea, the tea ceremony and the many ideas and emotions that spring from these things. What’s behind this is that I’ve been so inspired by the large number of excellent and diverse blogs on the internet that I felt if you can’t beat them, then why not join them in a cup of life-affirming tea? The Tea Links section on the right will list as many of these sites as I can find; all have something positive and unique to offer to this subjective area. Some are very learned whilst others are just honest, essential diaries into tea life and the life of tea.

I’ve been drinking and enjoying Japanese green tea for several months now – principally sencha, gyokuro and matcha, but also some others. I confess I’ve amazed myself by how much I’ve got to know over this period, and equally by the many fundamental mistakes I’ve made in the same time frame. I’m a novice and will remain one, which is fine, but learning just a little, day by day, is enough for me. That, too, seems to be an important part of the discovery and the enjoyment of tea.

I’m hoping soon to make a start on Chinese teas too, particularly oolong and pu-erh, which intrigue me and make me want to know so much more. The sheer number of these teas and the wealth of information available on them is bewildering yet intoxicating.

So, with great excitement and some little trepidation, here I go plunging from the Great Tea Learning Curve into the Great Tea Unknown, mixing metaphors as if there’s no tomorrow. Expect more mistakes; I’m quite sure of that. But I hope I’ll find new experiences, new knowledge and new friends united under the banner of Great Tea.

[In case you're wondering, the name of this journal comes from a nice little quotation from the short story by Saki, aptly named Tea.]

I’m delighted to report that I’ve just released today (on Dust, Unsettled) a long field recording of mine recorded in Italy last year. This is the fourth release on the label, after two very limited private discs: The Extraordinary Silence of Winter and Alessandri’s Dream.

This single recording is entitled Torrente Resco and lasts for almost 70 minutes. It’s a continuous field recording piece, captured using binaural techniques in the afternoon sunshine on 18 June 2007 from a hammock by the river Resco, between the towns of Canova and Pian di Scò in the Valdarno region of Italy. I edited this here in Edinburgh on 7 July 2007 but, apart from some minor equalization and gain, the recording is unprocessed. It’s probably best heard with decent headphones. For those who are used to my electronic recordings, please note this is purely field recording-based.

Write to me if you’re interested in getting hold of a copy.