Since getting back from Stamford I've been revisiting my Blake collection in most spare moments. I've concluded that Ari plays Blake better than Blake. For years I've thought that the first thing I'll do when they invent the time machine is to travel back to a Blake recording session and see how he did it. Now I've seen how he did it - but I still can't do it! I now want the time machine to fast-forward me to the time of the appearance of Ari's Blake video. Hopefully not too long now? I agree that Ari did a superb job with the new, old, Harmony (It's the painted art deco parlour size model with tailpiece that you sometimes get to see on eBay). It has that great ladder braced sound. Ari said that just prior to coming onstage it had been pointed out to him that the bridge had moved to a jaunty angle and needed to be hastily returned to a playing position. The guitar builders out there will probably be able to diagnose? What that says me (taken together with the string popping) is that there's not enough string tension on the bridge, either because the guitar's top has dropped, or because somebody has shaved the bridge right down to achieve a comfortable action when the neck has moved. Still sounded great in Ari's hands, and he really worked it into the act, extracting maximum wry, dry humour, and finally offering to give the guitar away to anyone who wanted it! Wonder if he did? With some work, the guitar should be a killer, and it certainly looks amazing. All in all, performances and workshops I'll remember for a long, long time.
