Bilbo

I have three gigs next week with three bands, two of which I have never played with. Estimated 50+ tunes over three nights, most of which I don't know, and no time for rehearsals. Of course I use a music stand :-D

My important albums Heavy Weather by Weather Report. What's Up by the Dixie Dregs. Journey To Love by Stanley Clarke Product by Brand X Champions by Jeff Berlin Grasshopper by the Wayne Johnson Trio Iron Maiden 1st. Machine Head by Deep Purple And 1m more

I have been working on a Latin version of Bach's second Cello concerto all month. The themes are all written out but it is too complicated for me to play and my PC is playing up and I couldn't record it in sections so I didn't enter it. Sorry guys. I bit off more than I could chew!!

It's been a few years since I did one of these but I always find this interesting. I have done 34 gigs this year. My best year ever, numbers-wise, was 120 (about 8 years ago?) but I decided to separate the wheat from the chaff and now only do gigs that I want to do because I like the players and know the music will be good. This year, I have played with Adam Glasser (chromonica), Chris Batchelor (tpt), Delta Groove (blues band fronted by Richard Everitt), Derek Nash (sax), Paul Higgs (tpt), Pete Long (clarinet), Gareth Lochrane (fl), Alan Barnes (sax/cl), Sara Dowling (V), Kate Williams (p), Joanna Eden (v), Jazz at The Movies, Brandon Allen (sax), Brigitte Beraha (v) and a host of good quality musicians from the East Anglia/London region. I have long sought quality over quantity and can now say that, whilst I could not even begin to say that I was anywhere near making a living from music, I genuinely enjoy every gig I do. I am looking forward to next year as I have some nice stuff in the diary, both live and in the studio. How is everyone else doing? Are you working a lot? What gigs are you doing? What venues? Any highlights?

Just thinking this through. The reason I do it is because it allows me to mute all four strings whilst still allowing for some degree of facility. Pianist do a similar thing when muting the strings inside a grand piano. It's a lovely additional texture.

I find a lot of beauty in Anderson's lyrics. They work for me in the way that James Joyce's stuff did. Depth in implication rather than literal content. Life changing? Probably not. Life affirming? Definitely.

To my mind, any suggestion that original compositions are not as good as covers is a ridiculous position to take. My material rests on me and me alone to guarantee it's value. The 'covers' contingent can call upon every composer and songwriter ever. What possible chance have I got to convince anyone of the value of my scribblings if that is the baseline for comparison? :-D

Opinion - yes, I never pretended it was anything else. It's a discussion and I was contributing. Generalisation - of course. It's the nature of the beast but it is informed by 37 years of gigging, including periods spent playing covers and not enjoying it. The whole post was about ME! ;)

Thanks, Pops. I do try to 'play the music' despite the reputation that Jazz has for random noodling. It is a nice trio with no egos on show. Michael composes all of the tunes and Tom and I agreed that we should maintain the integrity of the ensemble by remaining focussed on those tunes with none of ours (Tom is a pianist and arranger for big bands as well as a drummer) and no standards/covers. A lot of the playing is understated and there is a LOT of space in the performances with no-one inclined to fill it unnecessarily. My favourite gig at the moment.

I have always preferred originals and, as a consequence of my conditioning as a fledgling player, cannot help but consider an excess of covers to be a bit 'cabaret'. I do the occasional covers gig with friends but I tend to do them for the social aspect rather than the musical and can't help but think of a life spent playing covers as a bit, well, pointless. I accept that I am in a minority but I think that time spent learning covers should be spent writing originals and that, were people to spend time learning how to compose instead of learning thousands of tunes by other people, then the quality of their composing would improve exponentially and then their originals might not be so poor. Self fulfilling prophecies and all that. I think covers bands tend to be the shortest distance between starting a band and earning money and it is that which drives the thing rather than the creative aesthetic. I completely understand why people do it but, personally, I just can't get excited about another run through of 'Ain't Nobody', 'Signed, Sealed, Delivered' and 'Son of a Preacher Man'.

A trio I perform with. Not the strongest piece in the set but the video was the only one I could upload without editing a massive 30GB file!

It's another tone to be used as one sees fit. Anthony Jackson uses the technique a lot.

Jazz: Bass Instincts by Marc Johnson Landmarks by Joe Lovano Identities are Changeable by Miguel Zenon. Conference of the Bird's by Dave Holland. Feels Good to Me by Bruford Rock: Seconds Out by Genesis Going For the One by Yes Permanent Waves by Rush Marauder by Magnum

The John Mclaughlin Trio with Trilogy Gurtu. I could do that. I could.

Pat Metheny Group. No brainer.

I played a Palladium. It was very easy to play but I found it too light for a Wal player like myself. Had the same thoughts about an Alembic Stanley Clarke I once played too.

My weekly Jazz East events are about 200 yards up the beach. I can actually see the Spa venue although it is usually in darkness when we are playing. The punters won't go there on a Sunday because the Jazz is so good and they hate to miss it ;-) oh. and our gig is free entry whereas the Spa is expensive. Ps I did a 'Brief History of Jazz' night a couple of weeks ago. Got a Herbie Hancock tribute lined up (one gig) next week. It's all good, even if it's a bit stinky poo. :-D

My weekly Jazz East events are about 200 yards up the beach. I can actually see the Spa venue although it is usually in darkness when we are playing. The punters won't go there on a Sunday because the Jazz is so good ;-)

Rearranging pieces for strings like the Joni/Mendoza thing is totally different to adding strings to an existing recording.

Women? Maria Schneider is an incredible talent. Mary Laughs Williams, Nadir Boulanger (not sure of the spelling). How about Richard Bona? Pat '17 Grammys' Metheny? Or the new kid on the block, Jacob Collier? There are so many, it is impossible to choose. As for Prince and Michael Jackson. Entertainers, yes, but most musically talented? Can't see it. How about George Martin? I don't think L&M would have been half as lauded without him. Steve Morse? Listen to the genre busting Dixie Dregs. John Paul Jones, a massive talent over and above his bass playing. I am grateful that I haven't got to choose

Have you TRIED F&M's brioche burger buns?....

Felixstowe Spa Pavilion. December 2017 to May 2018. 24 events. 15 of them are Tribute Bands. Elton John, Rat Pack, Soul Legends, Elvis, Carpenters, Pink/Winehouse/Gaga, Barry White, Four Seasons, Johnny Cash, Lionel Bart, Vintage Vixens (Girl Power), Bob Marley, George Michael, The Drifters and The Bee Gees. The rest includes 80s Mania, Aladdin, Kenny Lynch, Chubby Brown, the Circus of Horrors, G4, The Good Old Days, The Wizard of Oz and a hypnotist. All that is missing is a Medium. I know. It's only rock and roll but I like it.

My love of Jazz started with TV and radio theme tunes. The links and themes on The Friday Rock Show included the Dixieland Dregs, Al DiMeola, the Mahavishnu Orchestra. Weather Report's Birdland, Cagney and Lacey, TSOS, Hill Street Blues... The list is endless.

Oh, dear. A bit thin on the ground. Will try to get something in next month.