As we all know, there have been a fair old number of Obituary threads on Mudcat over the past few months. And a common response to those obits is something like, "Oh no, not another one gone", or words to the effect that, one by one, the Old Guard is dwindling.

Well, that's a perfectly natural response, especially from a set of Mudcat members of a certain age group. The older we get, the more of our friends and acquaintances - musical and non-musical - will leave us as time goes by. That's life - or should I say, death...

Sad though it is that well-loved and respected musicians leave us, I'm one of those people whose glass is, generally speaking, half-full rather than half empty (when it's not completely drained in one long swallow). And yes, I wonder sometimes how long I've got before I go to the natural burial ground in the shadow of the Jack & Jill windmills (on Clayton Down in Sussex*). I'm 73 this year so... 10 years? 20? Next year? (!). Who knows.

Having a half-full glass, I read all these obituaries - and then I look around me at the young musicians I know, giving pleasure to their own audiences. Last night, at the Brighton Acoustic Session (which I MC), our guest was John Copper, assisted in the last set by members of the family. John spoke with tremendous warmth about Bob Copper and the closeness of the family which Bob engendered, the spirit of which lives on in old and young members of the family today. It was another excellent night. The usual Aged Suspects were out in force as floor singers - Vic & Tina Smith, Tim Broadbent over from France for a a few days, meself with my old friend and luthier Ian Chisholm, the every youthful Stuart Reed, etc.

But the bonuses were young bloods like Tom Evans playing a lovely accordion piece, and a trio of young "blokes singing folk", called Bond Of Union, who sang great harmonies with panache and skill. All good stuff, and when we Aged Suspects have all popped our clogs, these performers and many others like them will be around to keep it all going.

So, while we feel justifiably sad about the old ones leaving us, let's also celebrate the young ones joining us and reinvigorating us.

*Jack & Jill