Paul Janisch

Oliver at four

Perhaps I was mistaken; I really expected the terrible twos to end on Oliver's third birthday. They didn't!!!

Still it has been another fantastic year with Oliver achieving so many milestones and creating mayhem and happiness across the board. He's no longer a toddler; he's now a little boy at nursery school. He's developed his own character traits and idiosyncrasies that have made him the most unique little boy in the eyes of his mother and father.

It's been quite a year for adventures, ranging from escapades at the park, going to America to visit his cousin Julia, playing soccer, swimming and camping and developing a passion for pirates. He is quite possibly the most passionate swimmer in the world; the swimming pool entertains him for hours (as it did his mother). It is a task to extricate him from the pool even when he is blue all over. Soccer hasn't really captured his imagination yet, but rugby has – here follows a typical interaction with his father:

Oliver: Daddy come play rugby with me

Dad: OK, I'll throw the ball to you, you catch it and run

Oliver (forthrightly): NO DADDY!!!!!!!!!! That's not how you play rugby!!!!!

Dad (perplexed): Oh?

Oliver: You are supposed to chase me, and then push me onto the ground and take the ball away from me

Dad: What about passing the ball?

Oliver: That is not how you play rugby!

At this point his old man picks up his wayward child and hauls him in front of the TV to watch a proper (Dad's definition) game of rugby.

Dad: Do you see that Oliver. They are passing the ball (it's very likely we weren't watching the Boks play)

Oliver (defiantly): No Dad, That's not how you play rugby in real life

We went camping a few weeks ago. My friends at the ATKV generously arranged a campsite at Buffelspoort for us. We had the best time ever, there is so much to do there and we did it all. We went on the big slide and swam in all the pools and ate lots of ice-cream. The best pool at Buffelspoort is the heated indoor pool, I have no idea what they put in the water but it relaxes you instantly. To get the best out of this pool you need to lie back and drift. Oliver was very happy to drift but he wanted to drift in numerous directions and jump in and splash. When we phoned his mother the next morning the first thing he told her was that he had had Appletiser before breakfast. On the way home he made me promise that I wouldn't tell his mother about how much Green Zodo (see below) he had drunk.

And so the fucking fours approach us, frankly I can't wait. His sense of logic is about as solid as his mother's and mine, it'll make for interesting negotiations over the next 12 months (or is that 12 years). His fourth year also heralds the arrival of his next sibling who is due to join us in the next four weeks. Our little boy now has the added responsibility of being a big brother too.

Oliver has developed his own vocabulary too – a few examples are

Struckening – lightening

Green Zodo – cream soda

Backson - a character from Winnie the Pooh (he was convinced it existed)

Cavavan – no we are not going to get one

Gum – gun

Pinksy dust – pixie dust.

Marzan – see below

 

Tradition dictates that I post two songs on Oliver's birthday.

Ollie Halsall - Airplane Food

 

Oliver sings this song at the top of his voice, his version of the chorus goes "I'll fly to marzan (perhaps Marzan)". He's been very secretive as to where Marzan is. This is off the only solo album Ollie produced (it was released after he died).

10 - John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers - The Same Way

 

Each night after his story, I play him a song on my guitar. He often sits up and stretches his arms out wide and asks me to "play a lonn Peter Green song" (when quizzed as to who the best guitarist in world is he'll tell you it's Peter Green – although he has mentioned Ian Carpenter on occasion). I play this song every now and then. It's taken off the Bluesbreakers album, "A hard road" and is one of two PG originals on the album. I've always loved the guitar solo, it sounds like Peter Green doing Eric Clapton who in turn is doing Peter Green.  It's also Peter Green's birthday today (coincidentally).

Dearest Oliver thank you for another year. Remember that I love you all the way around the Milky Way and back

 

Oliver at three

 
It is hard to believe that another year has passed.  As you read this we'll be travelling back from a holiday at the coast.  It's been a hell of year for all of us especially Kath.  We needed the break.

We have hopefully lived through the terrible twos (I am told that the fucking fours are worse) - I am also expecting them to end today!  Every sentence is peppered with "why?" so much so that I have had to revert to a technique that my father used on me which I vowed never to use and that is "because I SAY SO!!!".  There is no guarantee that this will be a successful response.

Still - it has been a wonderful year for us and him.  He is no longer a baby - he's a little boy with a growing sense of reason and an even greater vocabulary (probably as a result of the perpetual "why").  He is a total character and stands out where ever we go.  And he is absolutely adored by everyone - especially his mother and father.  Next year he's off to nursery school.

There are too many highlights in the last year to even begin listing.  I really look forward to walking him to school in the morning - he's a companion who loves to tell me stories about Lunar Jim and his hover scooter (Lola Jim as Oliver calls him).  This hover scooter is so important that we have been tasked to go and find one in America at the end of the year. I'll be sure to report back on our success.

As many of you will know, Oliver was born on Peter Green's birthday (I have Green's and Oliver's birth certificates mounted on my study wall).  And the tradition is to post one Green and one Ollie Halsall song to celebrate the day.

02 - Fleetwood Mac - If You Be My Baby

 

I've always loved this tune and I think we'll attempt to cover it at some stage.  Before the band starts playing Green calls the tune in C (a tone lower than the studio version).  The band turns this into a BB King  (with a hint of Buddy Guy) number with Green packing in the maximum amount of innuendo.  A stunning rendition from 1969.  Happy birthday Mr Green (64 today).

 

Patto - Holy Toledo BBC 2-12-73

 

Patto fans don't like this track because of the sax.  I love this song, admittedly it would be better without the sax (because it does detract from Ollie's guitar playing), but it is a great song about a smitten 17 year old (27 is not that old you know).  It never made it onto an album so we have to do with the BBC version.

Happy birthday gorgeous Bun, thank you so much for choosing us as parents and we look forward to every day with you.

(PS - that's Oliver with his paternal grandmother - no she's not his sister)

Mary Rorich

Maybe you knew Mary as a lecturer at Wits in the music department, you might have heard her on Classic FM, you may have gone to one of her many external lectures, perhaps you were being coached by her or maybe you are one of the many people who call her a very close friend.

I remember meeting Mary for the first time so many years ago.  She was at party with her daughter and I happened to be at that party too.  She had a presence that you couldn't ignore - a sort of hip and happening confidant.  You could tell from the outset that she was special and showed an interest in everyone around her.  I have never forgotten that meeting.  As it turned out I ended up marrying her daughter a few years later.

Unfortunately Mary died early on Saturday morning (27 Feb, 2010) and it has shaken the hundreds (literally hundreds) of people who regard her as a mentor and close friend.  It seems that everyone who meets her regarded her as a close friend.

There will be many tributes written about her over the next few weeks and as I pick up on them I'll tweet them or post them on the blog.  But there are things about her that the other tributes won't pick up on - so I'll talk about those.

Mary was diagnosed with melanoma two years ago (just after Oliver was born).  The melanoma was quite developed at that point so we knew that she would probably die as a result of it.  The doctors couldn't give us a life-expectancy, all they could say was that she could live for three weeks or for three years.  At this point Mary went headlong into the treatment going through every type of conceivable cancer related treatment.  There was no ways that she was going to allow this thing to get in the way of her relationship with her family and friends.  Everyone rallied around her.  And it did seem that she was doing very well - in fact at the beginning of the year we were convinced that she might come with us to the States at the end of the year.

Mary the mother

In the last two years Kath would speak to Mary almost every single night for an hour.  Mary was an adoring mother and Kath an unconditionally supportive daughter.  All those odd little issues that children have with their parents were dealt with - and I think the two became good friends.  We spent many long hours with Mary and any parent and child would be fortunate to have had a fraction of that relationship.

Mary the grandmother

My long lasting memories of Mary will be her relationship with Oliver.  When we discovered that Kath was pregnant Mary called me with such excitement.  She was ecstatic!!!  She threw herself into the task of being a grandparent - from buying almost everything a newborn could ever need to ensuring that each of the three grandmothers (Oliver has three) had special names.  But this was grade school in comparison to when Oliver actually arrived.  She got involved!!!  Oliver was spoiled with love, clothes, toys, books, more toys, more clothes (in fact Kath jokes that Mary has kitted Oliver out until mid 2014).  Her chronic buying syndrome got so bad that she would keep the toys at her house so that Oliver would have something to play with when he went around there.

Oliver was a few months' old when Mary was diagnosed with cancer.  And I think Oliver's presence played a huge role in her fight against this disease.  She can now rest knowing full well that she had made a huge impact on the young Oliver - and that we will continue telling him about his extraordinary grandmother.

We are now planning a funeral for her - it looks like we'll need a full time project manager to keep the numerous people who want to help in check.  We suspect that Ellis Park might not be big enough to contain the number of people who want to come to this event - trust me, it will be an event.

To me, Mary was a musician (her correct title was Professor Mary Rorich) who had an incredible amount of patience with me playing her my music so that she could teach the correct time signature.  She never once dismissed my naive musical tastes and in fact even mentioned Peter Green in the speech she made at our wedding.

The doctor said she was a fighter and she fought hard until the end.  Mary was my mother-in-law and I miss her.

O2 on the 29th

 
Another year has passed and Oliver has graduated to the terrible twos.  This year has shot by, last year this time he could walk with a little assistance and now he is running around at a pace that no one can match.  He can talk the hind leg off a donkey and has learned to throw expert tantrums.  I am now the proud father of a little boy.  I think he migrated from a baby to a little boy when we sent him for his second haircut.  The first was so traumatic for him (as it is for most babies) that he didn’t get much taken off.  The second one was a proper haircut and he was almost unrecognisable. 

We are now having a lot of fun.  We live close to a park and he regularly plays there and it is extraordinary how quickly his confidence has built up and he clambers up and down the various jungle gyms (no not that one) like a pro.  He was given his own jungle gym for his birthday which has been a total hit.

Kath bought a few cup cakes for his birthday this morning and these were far more interesting to him than the presents he got.  There is so much that you could write about parenthood – and they move between the phases so quickly that you tend to forget what the last one was like. 

Happy birthday Oliver – you’ve proved to be very up to the task of being  part of our family and I suspect that you are now going to teach us what it’s like to be part of your family.  Lots and lots of love and many more.

And in keeping with tradition at this time of year it’s important to remember that one PA Greenbaum (or Peter Green) happens to be 63 today as well.  I’ve posted up the song that demonstrates his extraordinary capability as a musician.  This song is taken from the Blues Jam at Chess album and is essentially a jam track (check out the out-of-phase PG sound at 53 seconds).  Fleetwood Mac recorded this song earlier on the Original Fleetwood Mac, that version was a lot more manic and upbeat and actually starts off with the “Love that woman” verse.  In this version Green is a little more foreboding in his vocal delivery and his guitar work is simply superb.  Long been a favourite of mine.  

Fleetwood Mac - Watch Out

 

And then there is Ollie.  Ollie Halsall has been a fantastic discovery, his music is completely removed from anything Green did.  You could almost regard them as chalk and cheese.  I can’t quite put my finger on why Ollie moves me as much as he does – his playing is manic and incredibly fluid (more fluid than Jeff Beck?) and it doesn’t ever bore me.  He was a great vocalist and very interesting songwriter.  This track is taken off Tempest’s Living in Fear album.  Ollie made one album with Tempest replacing Allan Holdsworth.  Ollie’s contribution to the band was significant, he was the lead vocalist, guitarist, keyboardist and song writer.  I love this song it has a very strong Queen-like feel that predates Queen by a few years, in fact I am convinced that Queen were aware of this album because it sounds like one or two famous Queen songs.  I have sent a few emails to Brian May asking him about this – when he answers I’ll be sure to post it here.  Ollie later reprised this song on Boxer’s Below the Belt album.   

Tempest - Waiting For A Miracle

Oliver a year later

There's no Caird logo this time.  It's a year since our son was born.  Both Kath and I have gone through the wildest learning curve imaginable with this young man.  It's so funny how much you learn about babies within the first few months.  You become an old hand very quickly. 

Oliver has been everything that we expected and more and he has a number of adults running around him and laughing hysterically at his every move.  He is also very lucky in that he has the most amazing support mechanisms available through numerous adoring grandparents and Thuli who has taught his own parents so much about raising a little boy.

The people who have benefited the most from knowing him are his parents.   It's actually difficult for us to remember what it was like without him and everyday is another experience that we thoroughly enjoy.

He is showing great musical tendencies, his grandmother (who is a professor of music so she should know) says he's very musical.  He's grown up listening to me sing almost every Beatles' song ever recorded and the compulsory Gnome by Pink Floyd.

I mentioned in the post a year ago that Oliver shares his birthday with Peter Green who is 62 years old today (Kevin Lester's son also shares the same birthday).  I thought I'd post a Green song from the seventies because so few people do (other than Big Al from Rockcast).  Being a blues musician there aren't many happy songs that Green recorded (if any) so I decided to post this one.
Peter Green - It's gonna be me

Seeing that this is actually a BEE blog, Barry Monks sent me this picture of Ollie Halsall playing in a bee outfit in the seventies.

Here's a live Kevin Ayers track that the great Ollie Halsall played guitar on (thanks Barry).  Ollie was a left handed guitarist who apparently learned to play that way because it seemed logical when compared to the piano.  A phenomenal musician and guitarist who died about 15 years ago. 

Kevin Ayers - May I (solo)

Check out Barry's Ollie Halsall archive.

Thanks for this year Oliver (or The Bun as he is best known).  You've made such a difference to our lives.

It's the Oliver

I know there's a big thing about the Oliver Empowerment Awards.  But Kath and I have just been dumbstruck by something bigger than anything we have ever known.  Today our son Oliver Colin Hudson was born.

And today is the 29th of October 2007.  If you look at the picture you'll notice he has incredibly long and (we think) creative fingers.  Very similar to one Peter Allen Greenbaum aka Peter Green.  And the interesting thing about Green is that today is his birthday - he's 61.  It took Kath a little bit of time to get her head around the fact that her son would be born on my biggest hero's birthday.  Ever since she has known me, she has had to tolerate my never-ending passion and appreciation for this Cockney genius.

And so Oliver is born on the same day - I hope he develops the same love for Green (or at least a working tolerance) that I have.  He is going to listen to a lot of Green whilst I am still around.  This could actually push him in the opposite direction.

Rienzo figured that Oliver was named after another hero of mine, Ollie Halsall.  Actually this isn't true either.  Ollie's real name was Peter, and the name Ollie was derived from his surname, Halsall - Hallie - Ollie.

You'll notice Ollie is left-handed.  So am I, that is where our musical similarities end.

Welcome to our world Oliver.  Your parents cannot believe how precious you are and we are absolutely looking forward to having you around.