Hilary Seabrook - writer, podcaster, musician

Last weekend took me up to Derbyshire, on the last sunny weekend of August. Despite excellent, interesting visits to both Hardwick Hall and Haddon Hall , the highlight was definitely a visit to Creswell Crags and a fascinating tour of the caves to view some art going back over 11,000 years. This was the view that surprised us as we walked towards the cliffs and to enter the Church Hole cave where several pieces of carving were discovered in 2003. It actually took our breath away as we moved out of the woods and into a clearing that contained this beautiful lake. Deep inside the caves of Creswell Crags lies evidence of creativity in people we often think of as hunter gatherers and little more. Clearly, these were activities that formed an important part of life, beyond simply staying alive. Looking at the examples below, it may be hard to see what the depictions are, but these are carvings that laid undiscovered for thousands of years and which are now only visible with a guide.  ...

August was another great month for Harmonious World , including some outstanding artists, sharing what they are good at. Take a listen and let me know which was your favourite.

The latest episode of Harmonious World , marking the centenary of George Gershwin's composition of the phenomenal Rhapsody in Blue, features pianist Norman Krieger. His latest album includes the Prague National Symphony orchestra, conducted by Neal Gittleman. It's a wonderful album and wonderful to chat with him about it. I hope you enjoy listening to Harmonious World. Please rate, review and share: click on the link and subscribe to support the show. Don't forget the Quincy Jones quote that sums up why I do this: "Imagine what a harmonious world it would be if every single person, both young and old, shared a little of what he is good at doing." Remember that you can support the show by becoming a subscriber .

  Catching up on albums that have been in my 'To Be Heard' is as difficult as whittling down the books on my 'To Be Read' pile, but we're getting there! I'm also getting better at sharing my reviews on social media. There's also lots going on over KindofJazz.com:

It's amazing that I've reached episode 230 of Harmonious World . As usual, I'm asking my guest to share some of what they're good at, in the hope of making the world more harmonious. This time, I'm joined by accordionist Glenn Hartman , one of the founding members of the New Orleans Klezmer All Stars . Their new album - Tipish - is out now. Thanks to Glenn for allowing me to include some clips from Tipish alongside our conversation. Thank you for listening to Harmonious World. Please rate, review and share: click on the link and subscribe to support the show. Don't forget the Quincy Jones quote that sums up why I do this: "Imagine what a harmonious world it would be if every single person, both young and old, shared a little of what he is good at doing." Support the Show. Thanks for listening to Harmonious World. You can support the show by becoming a subscriber .

This was my second conversation with Danae Xanthe Vlasse , a composer who is simply extraordinary. Her album Mythologies won a Grammy in 2022 and now Mythologies II is out, featuring the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra , sopranos Sangeeta Kaur and Hila Plitmann , tenor Omar Najmi and pianist Robert Thies . Danae Xanthe Vlasse I was so fortunate in being present at Abbey Road studios when some of this album was recorded, thanks to Danae and Maestro Michael Shapiro , my dear friend who invited me along to see him conduct this magnificent music. This conversation was a delight to record and I'm looking forward to travelling to New York at some point to see Danae again and hopefully experience this music on stage. Thanks to Danae for allowing me to include some clips from Mythologies II alongside our conversation. Thank you for listening to Harmonious World. Please rate, review and share: click on the link and subscribe to support the show. Don't forget the Quincy Jones quote that ...

A day of meetings and interviews once more brought inspiration. There is something inherently freeing in entering a new coffee shop for drinking tea and working either online or in the old-fashioned way with pen and paper. I'm fortunate when I find podcast guests who know the best coffee shop near where they live or work.  

A day spent wandering around Norfolk turned into hours of research for my writing. There are two novels and a collection of short stories on the way - as well as the non-fiction Harmonious World: Musicians in Lockdown - and today was a useful source of research and inspiration.

In this very special episode of Harmonious World I speak to the team behind the Great British Music Camp, as well as tutors and campers. GBMC is a very special place and if the quality of recording is not always perfect, I make no apology for the background noise of young people having fun and making music. GBMC is all about collaboration and creativity and I hope this helps you get a taste of how amazing the last week has been. Thank you for listening to Harmonious World. Please rate, review and share: click on the link and subscribe to support the show. Don't forget the Quincy Jones quote that sums up why I do this: "Imagine what a harmonious world it would be if every single person, both young and old, shared a little of what he is good at doing." Support the Show. Thanks for listening to Harmonious World. You can support the show by becoming a subscriber .

 One of my favourite activities is recording a podcast episode live and in person, and today’s was a joy. As I’m currently tutoring on a music camp, I have taken time to interview some of the organisers, tutors and campers. There will be an episode out soon.

One of my passions is living healthily. I love doing what I do (writing, podcasting, playing music and educating) and I can’t do any of that if I’m not living my best life, For me, that means a plant-based diet, plenty of water and sleep. Driving north for just over three hours meant plenty of snacks, and I have rediscovered the greengage (a small, sweet plum). I bought a punnet of these little green delights from my local greengrocers and devoured them on the car journey.  Getting plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables is a vital part of my diet and I try to avoid ultra processed food as much as possible, so treats like this are a delight. On arrival at a service station for a top up of tea, I deposited the greengage stones in the bushes. One of them just might sprout and produce fruit in years to come. Now I have arrived at the music camp I tutor on every year, I know that I’ll have freshly prepared, healthy food three times a day - without any effort on my part.  Tutoring cam...

Vocalist and composer  Aaron Jensen  joined me for the latest episode of Harmonious World. Aaron discusses his role as Artistic Director of Countermeasure and their latest album - Orchestral Sessions . Thank you to Aaron for allowing me to play a selection of tracks from Orchestral Sessions alongside our conversation. Thank you for listening to Harmonious World. Please rate, review and share: click on the link and subscribe to support the show. Don't forget the Quincy Jones quote that sums up why I do this: "Imagine what a harmonious world it would be if every single person, both young and old, shared a little of what he is good at doing." Thanks for listening to Harmonious World. You can support the show by becoming a subscriber .

As if it's not enough that Aleksi Glick has appeared twice already on Harmonious World ( in 2020 and in 2022 ), but this episode features two separate interviews: one online a few weeks ago and then a brief chat over a cuppa in Cambridge earlier this week. Aleksi and I had a good chat online about his latest album - World Traveler . Then in person I asked him the question that I'll now be asking of all my guests: "What piece of advice or learning would you share to make the world a little more harmonious?" Thank you to Aleksi for allowing me to play a selection of tracks from World Traveler alongside our conversation. Thank you for listening to Harmonious World. Please rate, review and share: click on the link and you can support the show by becoming a subscriber . Don't forget the Quincy Jones quote that sums up why I do this: "Imagine what a harmonious world it would be if every single person, both young and old, shared a little of what he is good at doi...

The British Library's latest exhibition (on until 26 August) is ' Beyond the Bassline: 500 years of Black British Music ' and it's an extraordinary collection of artefacts and art that celebrates this vital contribution to our collective culture. I would argue that the influence of black British music extends far beyond our shores, with music and artists from this island spreading their influence and their output around the world. For many years, we seemed to believe that the best music (especially popular music) came from the United States, but this exhibition proves the falsehood of that assertion. Divided into clear sections, the exhibition is curated to take the visitor from Tudor musician John Blanke (the earliest recorded black musician in Britain) through to the present. Ending with the five-channel film and sound installation  iwoyi: within the echo , the exhibition includes photographs and music clips (most of which comes through headphones). If you're blac...

My first online chat with pianist and composer Craig Urquhart took place in 2022 and we discussed his album 'Dreams Remembered'. I was delighted hat our second conversation took place in Schweizes Cafe in Berlin at the end of July 2024, when we discussed his 2023 album 'Renewal', which was in composition at the time of our earlier call. You can hear a snippet of our conversation here . Renewal is Craig’s response to the Covid19 pandemic and it conveys a sense of lyrical reflection alongside a sense of purpose as we move forward into a new existence. It continues the stream of compositions that one senses are his raison d'etre on this - album number 14. One of the most delightful tracks that entranced me from its opening notes is The Old Rocking Chair . The sense of movement is hypnotic and is reminiscent of some of those moments during the various lockdowns that gave us time to pause - sometimes enforced time, when there was little else to do but sit in a chair and...

Now we’re well into the fifth year of Harmonious World, there’s a huge amount of knowledge and advice in the podcast episodes where musicians have shared what they are good at. I’m really using the hashtag #ShareHarmony across social media. Two museums Richard and I visited in our train travels across a Europe were the resistance museums in Copenhagen and Berlin. Both were immensely inspiring in terms of people who often paid the ultimate sacrifice of their lives while standing up for what they believed to be right. Coincidentally, we have also been watching the TV series The Man in the High Castle , which has resistance at its heart. It’s the tiny (and sometimes huge) acts of doing the right thing that can change the world and maybe some of the pieces of advice in this podcast could just help others and make the world more harmonious.  One of the questions I’ll be asking all my guests now is this: “What piece of advice or learning would you share to make the world a little more ha...

There really is something deeply poetic and soul-searching in the latest album from international duo In These Trees  (Binnie Klein) and Tartie - The Quiver delivers engaging music to enjoy and maybe even bring the need to dance into your life. The title track especially brings something of a thrill and quickly became my ear-worm. Almost a pop song, there is nevertheless a depth to the enthralling production and high quality performances. Behind this album is a wonderful collaboration between two women with more than three decades and 10,000 miles between them. The story goes that Australian singer songwriter Tartie sent some of her tracks to the more experienced writer and US alternative radio show producer  Binnie Klein . Tartie’s song,  Winter's Girl , so captivated Binnie that she sent back one of her own poems and the collaboration began. The two women have still yet to meet in person. The first single from the album was Orchard  and the album followed, w...

August for some industries means a slow-down, and although some venues are quieter now, there's no letting-up of the great live music you can hear. If you hear of anything I'm missing, please let me know. Check out some of these venues and events below, especially those featuring past guests on the Harmonious World podcast: Monday 19 August: Pizza Express, Dean Street, Soho London W1 Ineza & ‘Women’s Words, Sisters’ Stories’ - the Belgian/Rwandan vocalist comes to this key London jazz venue with her ongoing celebration of the repertoire written or co-written by the great jazz divas themselves, with the Alex Webb Trio. Click here for tickets & info Saturday 24 August: Shambala Festival, Northamptonshire, Sankofa Stage Ineza & ‘Women’s Words, Sisters’ Stories’ - the Belgian/Rwandan vocalist comes to this much-loved music and arts festival with Rosie Turton (trombone), Alex Webb (piano), Charlie Pyne (bass) and Katie Patterson (drums)., exploring the jazz repertoire wr...