A sample of a commercial cobalt blue pigment

Cobalt Blue
— Color coordinates —
Hex triplet		#0047AB
RGBB	(r, g, b)	(0, 71, 171)
HSV	(h, s, v)	(215°, 100%, 67%)
Source		[1]
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)

Cobalt blue is a cool, slightly desaturated blue color, historically made using cobalt salts of alumina. It is used in certain ceramics (historically, especially Chinese porcelain) and painting; the different cobalt pigment smalt, based on silica, is more often used directly in tinted transparent glasses. The pigment is extraordinarily stable.

Chemically, cobalt blue is a cobalt(II) oxide-aluminium oxide, or cobalt(II) aluminate, CoAl₂O₄. The compound is made by sintering the stoichiometric mixture of finely ground CoO and Al₂O₃ (alumina) at 1200°C.

Cobalt blue in impure form had long been used in Chinese porcelain,^[1] but was independently discovered as a pure alumina-based pigment by Louis Jacques Thénard, in 1802.^[2] Commercial production began in France in 1807. The first recorded use of cobalt blue as a color name in English was in 1777.^[3] The leading world manufacturer of cobalt blue in the 19th century was Blaafarveværket ("blue-color works," in Dano-Norwegian) in Norway, led by Benjamin Wegner. Germany was also famous for production- especially the Blaufarbenwerke ("blue-color works," in German) of Schneeburg. The dye is not to be confused with Prussian blue, which is an intensely-blue pigment based on iron and cyanide, that contains no cobalt.

Cobalt blue in human culture[link]

Bristol blue glassware. The color is due to cobalt ions in the glass.

An example of Cobalt Blue Hue (Not Pure Cobalt Blue).

Art

• John Varley suggested cobalt blue as a good substitution for ultramarine blue for painting skies.
• Maxfield Parrish, famous partly for the intensity of his skyscapes, used cobalt blue, and cobalt blue is sometimes called Parrish blue as a result.
• Cobalt blue was the primary blue pigment used in Chinese blue and white porcelain for centuries, beginning in the late 8th or early 9th century.^[4]

Construction

• Because of its chemical stability in the presence of alkali, cobalt blue is used as a pigment in blue concrete.

Glassmaking

• The blue seen on many glassware pieces is cobalt blue, and it is used widely by artists in many other fields.
• Cobalt glass almost perfectly filters out the bright yellow emission of ionized sodium, common in most flames (as even the most trace amount of it is very overpowering).

Ophthalmology

• "Cobalt Blue" is used as a filter used in ophthalmoscopes, and is used to illuminate the cornea of the eye following application of fluorescein dye which is used to detect corneal ulcers and scratches.

Sports

• Major League Soccer's Kansas City Wizards have had cobalt blue as the secondary color of its home uniforms since 2008.^[5]

Vexilology

• Several countries, like the Netherlands and Romania, have cobalt blue as one of three shades of their tricolour.

Toxicity[link]

Cobalt blue is toxic when inhaled or ingested. Potters who fail to take adequate precautions when using cobalt blue may succumb to cobalt poisoning.

See also[link]

• List of colors
• Cobalt glass
• Smalt

References[link]

1. ^ Kerr, Rose; Wood, Nigel (2004), Science and Civilisation in China Volume 5. Part 12, Ceramic Technology, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 658–692, ISBN 0-521-83833-9 .
2. ^ Gehlen, A.F. (1803). "Ueber die Bereitung einer blauen Farbe aus Kobalt, die eben so schön ist wie Ultramarin. Vom Bürger Thenard". Neues allgemeines Journal der Chemie, Band 2 (H. Frölich.). http://books.google.de/books?id=UGsMAQAAIAAJ&pg=RA1-PA506.  (German translation from Thénard, L.J. (1803, (Brumaire, XII)), "Considérations générales sur les couleurs, suivies d'un procédé pour préparer une couleur bleue aussi belle que l'outremer", Journal des Mines 86: 128–136, http://annales.ensmp.fr/articles/1803-1804-1/71-75.pdf .
3. ^ Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill Page 91; Color Sample of Cobalt Blue: Page 131 Plate 34 Color Sample L7
4. ^ "Chinese visual arts » Stylistic and historical development, 1206–1912 » Yüan dynasty (1206–1368) » Ceramics." Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Accessed 14 May 2009.
5. ^ "Wizards unveil new look for '08 season," Kansas City Wizards Media Relations, January 20, 2008.

External links[link]

• "History of Cobalt blue". Pigments through the Ages. WebExhibits. http://webexhibits.org/pigments/indiv/history/coblue.html. 

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2009)

Laurence Juber
Background information
Born	12 November 1952 Stepney, East London
Genres	Pop, rock
Occupations	Guitarist
Instruments	Guitar, lute
Associated acts	Wings, Al Stewart
Website	Official website

Laurence Juber is an English-born guitarist who lives in California. Born 12 November 1952 in Stepney, East London, he was raised and went to school in North London. Often considered most famous for playing lead guitar in Wings from 1979 to 1981, he has since had a distinguished career as a solo fingerstyle guitarist.

Biography[link]

By his own account, Juber began playing guitar the week that "I Want to Hold Your Hand" by The Beatles was released.^[1] Beginning on a cheap acoustic guitar, he learned to read music early, figuring out the system of music notation for himself. He began to earn money playing the guitar at 13, and began to study classical guitar at the age of 15. Enraptured by the sounds on records of the mid- to late-60's, he set his sights on becoming a session guitarist in London's music studios. He earned his music degree at London University (Goldsmith College) where he expanded his horizons playing the lute. Upon graduation, he immediately began work as a session guitarist, working on his first project with producer George Martin on an album for Cleo Laine.

Juber gave up a lucrative and highly successful studio career when invited to join Paul McCartney and Wings. He played on recordings that were to become Back to the Egg, as well as the subsequent tour. From these sessions he garnered his first Grammy Award, winning Best Rock Instrumental for the track "Rockestra Theme" from Back to the Egg. He was miscredited as Lawrence Tuber on the album sleeve. From this period dates his first solo album Standard Time (only released on vinyl). Ex-fellow Wings members Paul McCartney and Denny Laine played along on the track Maisie.^[2]

When Wings disbanded, Juber moved to the United States of America. In New York City he met his future wife, Hope, and soon moved to her native California. He subsequently resumed work as a studio musician and played guitar for numerous television shows, including Happy Days and Family Ties, and for movies, perhaps most famously playing the James Bond theme for the movie The Spy Who Loved Me.

In 1990, he released his second solo album, Solo Flight. During the next decade he would begin to explore altered tunings. In 2000, Juber released the solo album LJ plays the Beatles and The Collection and in 2003 the album Guitarist was released to critical acclaim. Juber's credentials as a top-tier fingerstyle guitarist continue to grow. Having been voted "Guitarist of the Year" by readers of Fingerstyle Guitar magazine as well as one of the top acoustic players of all time by Acoustic Guitar magazine, Juber is an ambassador for his instrument as well as his own music. He has released nineteen critically acclaimed CD's to date, and has earned a second Grammy for Best Pop Instrumental for his solo guitar arrangement of "The Pink Panther Theme" on the CD Henry Mancini: Pink Guitar. Juber has also released a series of instructional CD's that teach basic music theory and arrangement techniques for guitarists.

In addition to his own recording and performances, Laurence Juber has produced and played on Al Stewart's albums Between the Wars (1995), Down in the Cellar (2000), A Beach Full of Shells (2005) and Sparks of Ancient Light (2008), and occasionally performs with Stewart.

Discography[link]

• 1982: Standard Time
• 1990: Solo Flight
• 1993: Naked Guitar
• 1995: LJ (Remastered and reissued in 2002)
• 1997: Winter Guitar
• 1997: Groovemasters
• 1998: Mosaic
• 1999: Altered Reality
• 2000: LJ Plays the Beatles
• 2000: The Collection
• 2001: Different Times
• 2003: Guitarist
• 2004: Henry Mancini: Pink Guitar (2005 Grammy Award-winning compilation of Henry Mancini songs, compilation)
• 2005: One Wing
• 2006: I've Got the World On Six Strings
• 2007: PCH
• 2008: Pop Goes Guitar
• 2009: Wooden Horses
• 2010: LJ Plays the Beatles Vol 2.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Laurence Juber at the Internet Movie Database
• Official Website

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (December 2010)

Michael Brook (born 1951 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada) is a Canadian guitarist, inventor, producer, and film music composer. He plays in many genres, including rock, electronica, world music, minimalism and film scores.

He was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1996 for his production work and as a co-artist on Pakistani singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's album Night Song.^[1] Another notable collaboration was Sleeps with the Fishes with Clan Of Xymox member Pieter Nooten (4AD, 1987).

He toured as a member of the Sylvian and Fripp tour group, with the final concert at the Royal Albert Hall in December 1994 documented on the album Damage: Live. He also opened the concerts with a solo set, featuring the Infinite Guitar with effects and sequencer backing. In 1998, he produced the album "Volcán: Tributo a José José", a tribute album to singer Jose Jose. In 2006, the solo album RockPaperScissors was released, with an ambient remix version following in 2007. Brook toured small venues in Canada and the United States in late January/early February, 2007.

Selected discography[link]

Studio & live albums[link]

• Hybrid (1985 EG) – solo material with Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois collaboration.
• Sleeps with the Fishes (1987 4AD) - collaboration with Pieter Nooten from Clan of Xymox.
• Mustt Mustt (1990 RealWorld) – collaboration with Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, record is credited only to Ali Khan.
• Cobalt Blue (1992 4AD) – solo record, mostly electric guitar.
• Live at the Aquarium (1993 4AD) – recording of a live concert, sometimes packaged together with Cobalt Blue.
• Shona (1995 Sine) - an unofficial release, recorded live during the Lanzarote Music Festival, December 1989.
• Damage: Live (1994 Virgin) - with Robert Fripp and David Sylvian
• Dream (1995 RealWorld) - collaboration with U. Srinivas and Trey Gunn.
• Night Song (1996 RealWorld) – second collaboration with Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.
• Star Rise (1997 RealWorld) - last collaboration with Khan, remix album of tracks from Mustt Mustt and Night Song.^[2]
• Black Rock (1998 RealWorld) - collaboration with Djivan Gasparyan.
• Assembly (2002 RealWorld) - collaboration with Hukwe Zawose.
• RockPaperScissors (2006 Canadian Rational) – most recent solo record.
• BellCurve (2007) – a remix of the album RockPaperScissors by James Hood.
• Penumbra (2008 Canadian Rational/bigHelium) - collaboration with Djivan Gasparyan.

Soundtracks[link]

• Captive (1986) – co-writer/producer with The Edge.
• Heat (1995)
• Albino Alligator (1997)
• Affliction (1999)
• Crime and Punishment in Suburbia (2000)
• Mission Impossible 2 (2000)
• Black Hawk Down (2001) - music composed by Hans Zimmer
• charlotte sometimes (2002)
• India: Kingdom of the Tiger (2002)
• An Inconvenient Truth (2006)
• Tre (2007)
• Into the Wild (2007)
• Americanese (2008)
• Road, Movie (2009)
• The Fighter (2010)
• Country Strong (2010)
• EL Infierno (2010)
• Darwin (2011)

Soundtrack albums[link]

• Captive (1986 Virgin) – co-writer/producer with The Edge.
• Albino Alligator (1997 4AD) - with guest vocals by Jimmy Scott and Michael Stipe.
• Affliction (1999)
• India: Kingdom of the Tiger (2002)
• An Inconvenient Truth (2006)
• Into the Wild (2007 Lake Shore) - currently available only as a download.

As sideman[link]

With Jon Hassell

• Power Spot (ECM, 1986)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Michael Brook's Official Website
• Michael Brook at the Internet Movie Database
• Unofficial Michael Brook Website (featuring exhaustive historical discography)