Taken...

With all the rushing around and decorating (yes, there's still more stuff to go up!), I didn't see the news that Dave Brubeck had died until this morning...

While most of my classmates were brought up on the Beatles and Stones, our house had Basie, Shaw, The Hot Club de Paris and Brubeck. It's only when I started playing guitar that I really appreciated just how good a composer he was - you try riffing in 5/4 time!

I passed up the chance to go to the Cork Jazz Festival years back when he was playing there. You'd think I'd have learnt after Queen at Slane...

And then there's also the death of Oscar Niemeyer at 104, the last of the iconic modernists. Not always my cup of tea, but head off and google his cathedral in Brasilia or the art gallery in Niteroi and you can't fail to be impressed with the style and grace.