I attended the funeral of an old musical buddy's mother today. Paul Downes is a unique musical talent and a consummate performer on any stage but today he played the toughest gig of them all. He had good friends Steve and Phil (aka Show of Hands) and Mick Ryan to help him out and the music was exquisite...easily the most appropriate and moving I've heard performed live at a funeral. These were potent songs already, but performed to an audience who were reflecting on the big issues of life and death, their power was at least quadrupled.

Last Wednesday saw Victoria Klewin and the Truetones playing at Boisdales, the new flagship jazz club in Canary Wharf, London. these guys are just so tight now live, it's a complete pleasure to join in. Victoria is stunning live, taking things right to the limit without any loss of control, totally looking the part, living every song, really fronting the band. An excellent gig, though slightly stressful knowing that it was being recorded for broadcast on Jazz FM. You can hear it on the Discovery Show next Tuesday evening, 11th October.
www.jazzfm.com/
FM in London, Digital radio throughout the UK and on the internet across the world and for a period after published broadcast time.

busy with the first week of teaching of the new school year, but Finding Stars with Oliver sadie and Passionate Touch with Shauna hamilton have been getting a great reaction from listeners over on Soundcloud. Last night I managed to record a honking alto line for Penguin Fawkes' Eclectic Electric and a few bluesy fills for Bob Cairns' Firewater Slowburner. The former is a rip-roaring trancy number, the second a real soulful blues ballad. And tonight a fun rehearsal with Hazaar....we've been playing short festival sets lately so some of the second line tunes in the set had become a bit rusty. Also did some promising work on max's new ska style number.

Intense but hugely enjoyable couple of days, last night a good ol' Klezmer stomp with the unstoppable Hazaar, and immense fun on my first live gig with the fabulous Vicky Klewin and the Truetones...lovely to see old friends too. Today, matinee and evening performances of Oliver on clarinet and bass clarinet...great to meet some local musicians I hadn't come across before too.

And this evening, two collaborations released on Soundcloud, Firstly, Oliver Sadie's lovely Finding Stars. I sent him alternative alto and tenor sax versions and he's done a beautiful job of blending the two together in his dreamy mix, along with his super piano playing, bass and drums.
Finding Stars

And Shauna hamilton has named her tune Passionate Touch and that's now out as well. I love this because of the strong melody and the very simple direct feel. The communication between sax and piano is spot on too; hard to believe they weren't recorded in the same room let alone the same country.
Passionate Touch

Spent the morning recording sax part for Shaun Hamilton's beautiful piano piece....I didn't really have to add much...her playing is beautiful and the melody is delicious as it is....just zipped it off to Jamaica so hopefully that will pop up on Soundcloud soon. Then did a couple of sax solos for Mello...that's Jasmine Bee and Pete Owen up in London. Both songs demanded intensity, which isn't that easy on a rainy Tuesday morning so it's headphones on and close your eyes...difficult also to find the balance between technical quality and passion when you're really pushing it. Anyway...that's gone off too. Hope it does the trick.
Just finished my Isles of Scilly Suite...final movement St Martins got written in about 2 hours last night....recorded that and St Mary's on wind synth this afternoon and evening...technically difficult with the fast pace and 5/8 beat alternating with 3/4. All five pieces are now up on Souncloud and are getting a better reception than I expected. I felt they were just a bit on the cheesy side though technically pretty good. I've warmed to Bryher though and I'm pleased with St Martin's because it's quite unlike anything I ever wrote before.