bLOGOS/HA HA: T.G.T.T.

David Jones, artist and poet (1895-1974) begins his PREFACE TO THE ANATHEMATA :

'I have made a heap of all that I could find.' (1) So wrote Nennius, or whoever composed the introductory matter to Historia Brittonum. He speaks of an 'inward wound' which was caused by the fear that certain things dear to him 'should be like smoke dissipated'. Further, he says, 'not trusting my own learning, which is none at all, but partly from writings and monuments of the ancient inhabitants of Britain, partly from the annals of the Romans and the chronicles of the sacred fathers, Isidore, Hieronymous, Prosper, Eusebius and from the histories of the Scots and Saxons although our enemies . . . I have lispingly put together this . . . about past transactions, that [this material] might not be trodden under foot'. (2)

(1) The actual words are coacervavi omne quod inveni, and occur in Prologue 2 to the Historia.
(2) Quoted from the translation of Prologue 1. See The Works of Gildas and Nennius, J.A.Giles, London 1841.

06 August 2014

T.G.T.T.

T.G.T.T. by Duke Ellington must surely be both our favorite Title and meta-Title-with-twist :
Too Good To Title

T.G.T.T. is track 10 on Ellington's Second Sacred Concert album, 1968. Wordless, sung by Alice Babs. An echo of the ineffable, the nameless, the un-namable, perhaps.
As in NNFA, No Name For Art, for _rt.
As in NNFG, No Name For God, for G_d,
YHWH
T.G.T.T.

The final track of Second Sacred Concert is Titled : 'Praise God And Dance'.

Praise ___ and Dance fits well with this chromo
-lithograph (1880-1900) that we've recently had on show in the office here.

Our staff artist - who was at Festival Hall, Melbourne in January 1970 when Duke Ellington and his all-star orchestra played at that famous barn - has now re-presented the joyful scene above as 'The Piper of Bonzaview with projection-space ideogram dancers'.

En mesure, mesdemoiselles!

click image to enlarge

And did our artist know about the 2003 compilation Duke Ellington - Never No Lament: The Blanton-Webster Band 1940-1942 when colouring the 'Label Music' notation yellow, red and blue? We asked. Apparently not.