Saturday night shuffle....

Otherwise known as sermon procrastination...

Paul Winter • Whole Earth Chant
Annie Lennox • O God
Holberg • Suite, No. 1
Santana • Black Magic Woman/ Gypsy Queen
Rey Ruiz • Mega Ruiz Mix (Extended Version)
Limahl • Never Ending Story
Tinawiren • Eh Massina Sintadoben
Kostia • Sunrise
Brahms • Tragic Overture III: Adagio non troppo
Carlos Nuñez • El Viaje (Mar Adentro)

Actually, this is a pretty good set.

That's an old Paul Winter song but his soprano sax always soars over everything.

Annie Lennox's O God is one of the most heart-breaking and honest expressions of a totally messed-up life.

I first heard the Holberg Suite at Wigmore Hall in London in 1979 at a Sunday morning concert with my father. At the interval (intermission), we had sherry. Oh so, proper, but given that the concert began at 11.00, one would have had to go to church at 8.00, which in those days I was not into doing.

I laugh about the Santana song because it has to be one of my mother's favourites. I am never really sure if she knows what the lyrics are about.

The Rey Ruiz is a bachata mix, off one of my bootlegs.

The Never Ending Story always takes me back to a hot, steamy, muggy summer in Princeton, NJ during my doctoral days when I would live in the library during the day, go swim at the community pool around 5.00 and then go back to the library before returning to my hot, hot room late at night.

Tinariwen's music is a wonderful mix of guitar, blues, exotic and rhythmic songs that really defies categorisation.

Kostia's Sunrise comes off a Narada label collection of piano music, new age-y but still decent.

Brahms is Brahms, no? But the first version of this overture I bought in Hong Kong 25 years ago so I could try out my brand new Walkman (remember those?).

Finally, Carlos Nuñez plays the Spanish version of Celtic bagpipes. When you get to Santiago de Compostela, you see all sorts of Celtic designs and can buy DVDs of Celtic music. It's fascinating. Nuñez combines traditional and modern music; this piece comes off his collection of movie music that he transforms with his bagpipes.

Isn't this much more fun that writing a sermon?!