Chris Cox

I have long wanted to try this on the mandolin - the first of JS Bach's famous Preludes and Fuges for keyboard (in C Major). It's less than 90 seconds long but as a collection of notes and chords represents musical perfection (IMHO Bach had one of the most remarkable musical minds ever). I offer this in hope that this crazy time will soon pass....

‘Cowboy Boots ’ is a tribute to the Flying Pig - a wonderful music venue in Cambridge that we played at many times in pre-Covid lockdown days. Landlady Justine has been unfailingly supportive of local live music and we fervently hope that when this madness is over we’ll play there again. Oh and there’s those boots....

Sometime back in the Era 1 BC (Before Corona) four chaps from Oxford went into a studio - all at the same time, together with an engineer and wearing no facemasks (GASP! - I know this is now hard to imagine) - and recorded the following tunes, 'Cruising' and 'On the Hook', playing simultaneously with minimal social distancing and minimal post production. The noises we made are hereby offered as light relief in these uncertain times. Enjoy....

I've been asked to upload this tune - from the archives of the Telephone Bill days. An old pop - soul song of mine, here beautifully sung by Steve Reynolds who was in the band at the time. Steve still sings with bands in Cambridge and is in as good a voice as ever. Enjoy, and a Happy Christmas to all

"To be or not to be" is kind of a companion piece to"Frozen in Motion" - uploaded earlier this year - in that they bookend a life between them. "Once upon a time" is in one of the classic American Songbook formats - a single verse beginning and ending the tune with a mandolin instrumental sandwich filling (that perhaps rather less classic!). Polymath Jazz pianist Kenny Hung does the honors on the keyboard chops here. Feedback as ever welcome!