SJF

Share this post

Forté #12

ohayo.substack.com

Discover more from SJF

A newsletter that follows curiosity wherever it leads, written by composer Simon James French aka SJF.
Continue reading
Sign in

Forté #12

A few things that have inspired me lately and what I've been working on..

Simon James French
Oct 6, 2023
6
Share this post

Forté #12

ohayo.substack.com
Share
a quick rest stop. photo: Stephen Taylor

🍃 Stephen, the gentleman I bought my trusty Dawes Galaxy touring bike from, went on a very long cycle tour starting in London, down to Dijon in France, up through Germany, zigzagging in and out of Belgium and Netherlands and ending up back in the UK (via my hometown of Felixstowe!). Check out his lovely tour notes here if you’re into that kind of thing.

🍃 Another tour notes blog that I thoroughly enjoy reading is good friend William Smith’s blog in which he writes all about the skiing, cycling, and climbing adventures he gets up to. He’s moving to New Zealand in a few days, so no doubt there’ll be some great posts on the horizon.

photo: Morgan Salen

🍃 I’ve been digging this track Equanimity from Ancient Infinity Orchestra recently. It has that smooth spiritual jazz sound that I’m a huge fan of. Alice Coltrane & Matthew Halsall vibes wash all over this track from their upcoming album River of Light. It’s no surprise then that the band are signed to Halsall’s own label Gondwana Records.

🍃 I created a video for the release of my album Meditations which I recorded whilst in Prague last week. I burned one of the sticks of incense from the BRANCH INCENSE collaboration and filmed the smoke dancing in the morning light. It’s beautiful and hypnotising to watch. The track is the closing track from Meditations; Obligation. The album and incense set is available to purchase over on Bandcamp.

🍃 I’m making a list of 52 uncomfortable things to do in 2024. The idea is that getting out of my comfort zone will ultimately help me strengthen my emotional immune system. Strike up more conversations with strangers; that kind of thing.

What would you put on your uncomfortable list if you made one? Let me know in the comments below. I’ll share mine here once it’s finished.

🍃 Talking of Prague, I loved it—it’s a beautiful city with wonderful people and a deep & rich history. I was only there for four days but it was four days full of food and beer which is exactly how a holiday should be I guess!

Thank you for being here, let me know what’s inspiring you recently. Hitting subscribe is always welcome of course and please do share with someone who might enjoy.

SJF x

SJF is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

6
Share this post

Forté #12

ohayo.substack.com
Share
Comments
Top
New
Community

No posts

Ready for more?

© 2023 SJF
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start WritingGet the app
Substack is the home for great writing