Mike Cooper has traced a path completely his own for the past 50 years as an international musical explorer, lap steel guitarist, singer, improviser and composer, performing and recording, solo and in a number of inspired groupings and a variety of genres. stretching the possibilities of the guitar with an eclectic mix of the many styles he has practiced over the years.
Oceans Of Milk And Treacle | Mike Cooper | Room40 (bandcamp.com)
Oceans Of Milk And Treacle by Mike Cooper, Room40, 2021 on #neuguitars #blog
From Mike Cooper
This is a soundtrack for an otherwise silent film. The title of the album, and of course the film, is borrowed from my late friend Fred Hardy’s book The Religious Culture of India – Power, Love and Wisdom, considered to be one of the most important books on the subject. In this book Fred wrote…
“In 1835 the historian Macaulay investigated whether there was anything in the traditional Indian systems of learning and education that could be used in the training of native personnel. In fairness to Mr Macaulay, we must remember that those were days long before the writings of a Tolkien or a Mervyn Peake. He came to the devastating conclusion that people who believe in oceans of milk and treacle had nothing to offer to a modern system of education. A straightforward, realistic assessment in an age that believed in science and realism! The effects were far-reaching. Traditional Indian ways of looking at the world were written off as obsolete. India was provided with three universities (Calcutta, Bombay and Madras, founded in 1857) as the hothouses to nurture a custom-built, English-speaking Indian intelligentsia.
credits
released January 14, 2022
Mike Cooper plays Electric Lap Steel Guitar. Acoustic Brazilian Viola Ciapira and Virtual Pedal Steel Guitar, Double Bass, Koto, Strings, Percussion and Drums.
Viv Corringham – Voice.
Tim Hill – Baritone Saxophone.
Aaron Hawkins – Tenor Saxophone.
Geoff Hawkins – Tenor Saxophone.
Lol Coxhill – Soprano Saxophone.
Roger Turner – Percussion.
Ambient and Field Recordings from Bali, Cambodia, Vietnam, Martinique, Crete, Sri Lanka, Australia.
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