Lovelock is named after James Lovelock, co-discoverer of the 'Gaia' theory, 
which views the Earth as a living organism; a wonderful antidote to the present 
ascendancy of faith-based viewpoints of how it all happened. Bulan and Khek 
Borates are two pieces found in an old book of Siamese songs. We treat them 
as found objects. Facade--facades are to be found everywhere, especially in 
Amsterdam. Baltimore Oriole is a beautiful tune by that master of pop, blues,
jazz, and country & western songwriting. Little French Boy is from the Casino 
Royale soundtrack, which is much better than the movie. Selat Sunda is the 
strait between Java and Sumatra. The music is inspired by Javanese, Balinese,
and music from the Karo Batak highlands of Sumatra. How people in such hot
places can play such fast music I can't understand. Jackdaws and Blackbirds
is an improvised portrait of the sounds in my garden. A humming melody in the
background that you only notice when not listening to the sounds in the fore-
ground: loads of jackdaws singing their descending lines ("krah, krah, krah,
krah, krah, krah, krah...") with blackbirds and other birds singing pretty melodies
on top in short bursts. Duke Ellington's 1938 recording of Braggin' in Brass 
knocked out Available Jelly's brass section completely. Was there more to be done
with good old Tiger Rag? Wollic is written to feature Wolter Wierbos. Mad is a 
'fake' Madagascar tune. Colima is the name of a city and state in Mexico where 
I have never been. In the Secret Garden was written in a barren, concrete play area
in the middle of Amsterdam which we called the scret garden, perhaps for
motivational purposes. For me, Bilbao Song tends toward stasis. 


"Despite his work with Han Bennink in Clusone and with other leading  
Dutch improvisers, American reeds-player Michael Moore remains too  
little-known.  As a member of Available Jelly he plays with Tobias  
Delius on tenor-sax and clarinet; Eric Boeren, cornet; Wolter Wierbos,  
trombone; Ernst Glerum, bass; and Michael Vatcher, drums.  Moore wrote  
most of the compositions for Bilbao Song, recorded in 2004 at Weesp,  
NL.  The group cover an huge stylistic range, and Moore has that rare  
balance between Apollonian and Dionysian – and between the composed and  
the improvised – that enables him to draw on tradition in exploring  
radical new directions.  
 
There's an intriguing South-East Asian theme in that "Bulan" and "Khek  
Borates" are from an old book of Siamese songs – "We treat them as  
found objects", comments Moore – while "Selat Sunda" is inspired by  
Javanese, Balinese and Sumatran music. Hoagy Carmichael's fine piece of  
avian anthropomorphism, "Baltimore Oriole" features the  
beautifully-vocalised trombone of Walter Weirbos, who's impressed so  
much in his recent work – it comes across as a chamber equivalent of  
Gil Evans' classic "Where Flamingos Fly" with Jimmy Knepper.  "Little 
 French Boy" by Burt Bacharach, from the film Casino Royale, is a treat.  
  After touches of Dutch slapstick from Michael Vatcher and others,  
Moore comes on like Ellington acolyte Johnny Hodges with creamy tone  
and over-the-top note-bending – hokey, affecting and utterly beguiling.  
  "Jackdaws and Blackbirds" is a gentle free Improv sound-portrait of  
Moore's garden, where jackdaws "krah" and blackbirds burst into melody  
on top.  The disc concludes with the title-track, which I recall Gil  
Evans arranged too.  Moore's unique interpretation, though slow-moving  
– and despite his comment that "for me, 'Bilbao Song' tends toward  
stasis" – is also very busy.  Like the rest of this fabulous disc, it  
illustrates the truism that those who see furthest into the future are  
those who can see furthest into the past.  Get it while Jelly are still  
Available."

By Andy Hamilton, The Wire Magazine.