Ray's Jazz Cafe

Ray's Jazz Cafe is on the First floor of Foyle's bookshop Charing Cross Road, London.

It's a great place to have coffee and browse the jazz, blues, roots Cd's. It also has jazz gigs periodically.

Benn Clatworthy

Last night Googlies jazz club saw a guest appearance by tenor saxophonist Benn Clatworthy. As a sax player myself I am always looking to learn from the technique of others, particularly the professionals. But there was nothing I saw last night that is going to help me with my playing. Clatworthy plays in his own strange but effective style. He holds his tenor low down in front of him so that he has the appearance of someone holding a heavy weight around his neck. He contorts his face in an expression of severe pain and even his exaggerated leg movements suggest he is in a great deal of discomfort.

But this is only the visual side of this wonderful jazzman. To my ears his music is just superb. I watched and listened all night in sheer fascination. He fills his solos with a myriad of harmonics squeaks and barks from every compass range of his instrument. From the highest note to the lowest he made sounds that were not only musical but also challenging to the aural senses. His use of extended cadenzas without the accompaniment of the house band at the end of many of the numbers was a major part of the night’s entertainment. They were packed full of emotion, tension and excitement. I felt exhausted just watching him.

The only down side of this was that I don’t feel that this type of jazz mixed well with the standard modern swing style of the house band. It is not that the Colin Peters Quartet are not good musicians. They are very good and I always enjoy listening to them. It’s just that their style did not blend well last night with Clatworthy’s more free method.

Still a great night though!

Hank's Guitar Shop

Situated in London's Denmark Street, this is a wonderful place to buy an acoustic guitar.

There are hundreds to choose from and the staff are very helpful.

Denmark Street, London

The centre of London's music trade.

Macari's music shop

Macari's at 92-94 Charing Cross road, London.

A large new and secondhand musical instrument shop.

Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club

London's premier jazz venue in Frith Street

Funkydory

Last night we went to the Half Moon PH in Bishops Stortford, Hertfordshire. The pub hold a blues club every Wednesday entitled Bluesalive. Most weeks they hold a jam session which I intend to go along to very soon. However, last night they had a gig with a band called Funkydory. As can be seen from other entries to this blog, my preferred listening pleasure is jazz rather than funk but I do enjoy live music and am willing to give anything a try. I am so glad I did. From the outset I knew this was going to be a great night. The four band members were clearly competent musicians which made me sit up and study them very closely.

At the front was vocalist Lorna Reilly. The Funkydory web site (www.funckydory.com) describes her as being “blessed with the voice of an angel”. I don’t know whether angels ever sang this type of music but if they did the gods were no doubt tapping their feet. Lorna’s voice is extremely powerful. Her style of delivery is energetic. Both these attributes give a great presence to the band and ensure that the listener’s attention is on the band and nowhere else.

Lead guitarist is Jules Fothergill. This guy can play. Oh boy can he play. His rhythm was spot on and not too repetitive with each number. His solos were fantastic and I could not help thinking that he would be just as comfortable playing in a jazz band. With each song he varied his sounds and riffs so that we were never sure what was coming next. Music should have a little predictability but not too much. If you get the chance go see this man play.

On the bass was Ian “Lillian” Maurico. Maurico is a left handed player but could not be described in the derisory sense as a south paw. His support play was of the highest quality and kept the funky feel going throughout the night. I was particularly impressed when he and Fothergill played in unison it was a very good sound.

On the skins was a visiting drummer. Unfortunately I did not catch his name but he was great to watch and was clearly enjoying himself as deputy to regular Hayden Doyle. There were a couple of times when I noticed he went out of sync with the band but this can be expected with any substitute. He did give us a treat though when he played out a tremendous drum solo at the end of the evening. He included a lot of variation including playing the rims of his drums quite extensively.

Finally, the one lasting impression I got from this band was that they had fun. They played with smiles on their faces (something we don’t always see at the jazz club) and judging by the long encore did not want the gig to finish. The audience agreed.

Henry Purcell

The area around Westminster Abbey, London has a connection with English Baroque composer Henry Purcell. He was born on 10 September 1659 into a family of musicians. His father sang in the Chapel Royal and sang at the coronation of King Charles II. Most of Henry’s brothers were also employed as musicians at some point in their lives.

After his father’s death, Henry became a chorister. He attended Westminster school which is situated next to Westminster Abbey. Not much is known about his early life. He did compose as a young boy but the earliest manuscript that exists that was written by him is dated 1670. In 1676 he became organist for the abbey and continued to compose sacred music. He died at the aged of thirty six in 1695 and was buried next to the organ in Westminster Abbey.

On the corner of Victoria Street and Broadway, SW1 stands a monument to Purcell sculpted by Glyn Williams erected in 1994. Nearby are Westminster Abbey and school. Within the school is Dean’s Yard where Purcell is said to have died.

Pictures from Jazz Course at Benslow Music Trust

Just a selection of some of the shots I took at the Jazz course I attended at the Benslow Music Trust in Hitchen, Hertfordshire.

A mixed quartet check their tuning.

Viktor Obsust giving a lecture

A mixture of reeds and brass in this ensemble

Some students are getting ready to perform with Viktor Obsust supervising.

Paint Your Wagon

Last night was the first band rehearsal I have attended for three weeks, it was good to get back. I am still struggling a bit with my sight reading and playing tenor saxophone which I find can be difficult with some of the fast passages. However, I do feel that I am improving each week and certainly the intensive playing last week has helped. Because of the squeaking I experienced I have bought a new BG leather ligature and am trying a slightly stronger reed (3).

A major part of our rehearsal last night was with a medley of tunes from Paint Your Wagon. It did not look too difficult on the score but a few people found it hard to play. I think it was the odd change of time signature. At one point it went from 2/4 to 3/2 and then split common time. We intend to play this the year with a view to get the audience to sing along to the most famous of songs from the show, Wandering Star.

La Traviata

On Valentines night last Thursday I took my sweetheart to the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden to see Verdi's, La Traviata. Neither of us had seen grand opera before and found this to be a magnificent experience. The venue, the sets the singing everything was just magical. Our seats in the Upper Auditorium gave us good views and although we took a small pair of opera glasses we did not really need them. I thought we were going to struggle to get through the three and a half hours without suffering from numbus bumbus but there were two lengthy intervals so we were able to stand up and give our bottoms a rest. The seats were also comfortable which helped although they were a bit narrow, we will need to lose a few pounds before we go again. The only thing that spoilt the evening was when a fight broke out behind us during the performance. It would seem that someone was sitting in another persons seat. The world is going mad. Even here we can't get away from yobbish behaviour.

Victor Obsust

I got back yesterday from the Benslow Music Trust and had a fantastic week learning how to play jazz with Viktor Obsust. There were around twenty of us on the course with various kinds of instruments and levels of experience.

I was very impressed by Viktor’s approach to the subject. He told us that we should play the music that is within us. ‘Making the sound is first, and then comes the theory’ he said. This was very much the theme of the course. My first attempts at improvising sounded dreadful because I did not have the knowledge of what notes to play. I needed the tools to give me a better choice. That’s where learning chords came in. I did lots of work on chords beforehand but had not developed the skills required to use this knowledge whilst actually playing. Viktor coached us to just play and the right sounds would come. If we didn’t like the sound change the note until you did. It may only be a semitone away.

The course was structured in such a way as to allow as much time as possible for playing. At each session we were split into groups of five and given a book containing 557 standard tunes and sent away to a small rehearsal room to practice a couple of tunes. Once this had been done we then reconvened in the main hall and performed our choice of music o the other groups complete with a chorus or two each improvising. This is when I realised that whilst I had some ideas on phrases I had no idea what notes to play within them. I tried to just mess with the melody which is fine if the melody has plenty of notes per bar, but some were a bit simple and therefore I did not have many notes to choose from.

So I changed my strategy and just listened to the harmony and let the music flow. I can’t say it was good but I did feel a lot better and I felt that I was making better progress. The course did have a theoretical content. But it was more discussion than textbook work. We spoke about 3rds and 7ths and how they related to the sounds we wish to make. I must admit I found this all very inspiring and am determined to learn more about theory so that I can make a more informed decision on how to make interesting music.

But what of the man himself? Viktor Obsust is a classically trained pianist from a very strict eastern European background. He taught piano and double bass at the Bratislava State Conservatoire. He told me that he started to learn piano at a very early age but taking up the double bass was his act of rebellion. He is now runs workshops on jazz improvisation and world music. I found his teaching methods both fascinating and enjoyable. As one might expect his knowledge of harmonies and jazz chords is extensive and he passes on this knowledge with a smile on his face and a passion that is contagious. Added to which he has one of the most remarkable goatee beards I have ever seen.

If you want to improvise and want to learn in a fun and supportive atmosphere I would urge you to take this course.

My Jazz Course

Well now is the time. Tonight I am off for a three day jazz course. I have worked hard on my theory learning scales, modes and chords. I have listened to hours of jazz music and now is the time for me to have ago. My saxophones and I are off to the Benslow Music Trust. Viktor Obsust is the principal tutor who apparently is very good and very supportive. I am quite nervous but looking forward to it immensely. I just hope I know enough to join in and not find I am out of my depth.

Wish me luck!

Happy Birthday Googlies

Last night Googlies Jazz Club had their sixth birthday party. Lots of guests were invited whose presence gave a tremendous atmosphere to the evening. The party food was good but the icing on the cake was the entertainment provided.

There were no clowns here only seven superb musicians conjuring up a feast of jazz music. The hosts, as usual, were the Colin Peters Quartet who used the festivity to launch their new CD. Sales seemed to be good as most of the guests went home with one in their little post party goody bag. The quartet’s main job last night though was to support the very special guests Trudy Kerr, Steve Waterman and Derek Nash.

All birthday party’s have their characters and this was no exception.

Derek Nash on saxophones, (Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Baritone) was the little dynamo of the group. He clearly wanted to get involved with every game. He never stopped running around playing solo or joining in with the others. I love the tone he gets on the baritone. It just hits a spot that makes me tingle.

The quiet sensible one in the corner was Steve Waterman on trumpet. This man’s jazz just bursts with energy. His fingers seem not just to press the valves on his instrument but literally hammer them down. His phrasing is intellectual as well as lyrical and his top notes raised the roof.

The pretty little flower of the party was Trudy Kerr (vocals). It cannot be easy playing with noisy boys but she did and gave as good a she got. Her voice was like listening to silk. It was smooth, soft but when the time came to sing above the racket of sax and trumpet she made sure she was heard.

At the end of the evening we all got or coats thanked everyone for a great time and caught the ‘A’ Train home.

Happy birthday Googlies.

The Mikado

On Saturday night we saw the Carl Rosa Company’s production of the Mikado. It was fantastic and we both enjoyed it very much. Everything about the show was impressive. The set design, costumes and singing. I think what added an extra dimension was that it was located at the Gielgud Theatre, London which has a beautifully decorated auditorium. It gave the show a Victorian music hall feeling.

Through listening to CD’s and radio I am very familiar with the majority of the songs but it was good to see them sung in the context of the story. And I was pleased that they put in an updated version of ‘they’d none of them be missed’. I also enjoyed the way that the opening and closing of the Japanese fans was used throughout the show to give dramatic effect. Although I have read in a separate review that this is now old hat to Mikado aficionados.

This version of the opera also included a couple of guest artists namely Alistair McGowan as the Mikado and Nicola McAuliffe as Katisha. Both were excellent particularly McAuliffes singing voice. McGowan did put in a couple of impressions such as Prince Charles which added to the music hall effect.

All in all a great night and now we look forward to seeing Pirates of Penzance in a few weeks time.