I recently attended an interesting Workshop at Canterbury Christ Church University, organised by Peter Vujakovic. One of the participants, Sheila Sweetinburgh, has included a brief report of this event on her blog (you have to scroll down a bit until you see a picture of me teaching the group how to draw the chlorophyll…
Continue readingGrass blindness
My paper for the ‘Plant Blindness’ special issue of the new journal Plants, People, Planet is now available online. Here are the Societal Impact Statement and the Summary. Societal Impact Statement Lolium temulentum (darnel) is an almost‐forgotten species that combines the characteristics of a weed, a pasture grass, a cereal, a medicinal herb, a hallucinogen, a…
Continue readingLinks to albums and tracks
Here’s the current state of play concerning music by Sid Thomas on streaming platforms (Spotify and iTunes are listed, but tracks can be accessed on all the major sites – Amazon, Google play, Deezer, Tidal…) Albums and tracks available on Spotify Songs from The Fossil Box: https://open.spotify.com/album/6K4YzIK4jqFTnuJD0DjPrl Giuoco Piano: https://open.spotify.com/album/6b2SPkrE5YS0CExm7YZrxB Reeding Aloud: https://open.spotify.com/album/3UbUKG541jPJQXdWS1shhY Tracks from…
Continue readingA new paper, on trees, roots, soil, evolution and more
Here’s the publication arising from my presentation at the Exeter Conference. Thomas H. 2019. The evolutionary origins and subsequent histories of soils and trees. Arboricultural Journal DOI: 10.1080/03071375.2019.1562794 Abstract: The evolutionary relationships between forests, grasslands and humans have exerted profound terraforming influences, not just on and through readily visible landscapes but also (and perhaps especially) below ground. This…
Continue readingA new album from Wilson and Thomas
Nance has posted tracks on her Soundcloud page. The two originals are available through Distrokid. Nance is now based in Melbourne, but you haven’t heard the last of Wilson & Thomas!
Continue readingNew upload – Giuoco Piano
Continuing my campaign of emptying my musical filing cabinet, here’s an album of contests (one fall, one submission or a knockout) with the piano. Also includes some contributions from clarinet and wind synth.
Continue readingAuthor of the Month!
This is very nice – my distributor, Summerfield Books, has made me Author of the Month.
Continue readingStreaming Part 4
I thought I might explain the how and why of the tracks on the album Reeding Aloud, and others that are likely to be uploaded in the near future. They date from my past, when I had a real, pretty demanding, day job and music was some kind of relief (even therapy on occasions). I…
Continue readingStreaming Part 3
For the best part of 60 years I’ve been trying to tame the beast that is jazz clarinet – aiming to escape from the all-enveloping shadows of Benny Goodman and Buddy de Franco while simultaneously avoiding the carnivorous species of the saxophone family. My ‘style’, if that isn’t too grand a word, tends towards the…
Continue readingRoots
I was a speaker at the 2018 Arboricultural Association conference held at Exeter. Videos of the talks (including mine) are here. As I explain, my presentation was built on The War Between Trees and Grasses, this time focusing on underground warfare and the evolution of roots and soils. It turns out that events in the…
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