August Round-Up

It's been a good August, although perhaps not as hot as we would have liked!

I made my first visit to the Princess of Wales, Chalcot Road in Primrose Hill.  There is jazz every Sunday with the Pete Chapman Trio + guests.  A very enjoyable gig followed by a very good roast.  (Incidentally, the Princess of Wales is the site for the latest Banksy (or is it a fake?) and I forgot to go down and take a look!  I guess I'll have to return for some more jazz)


On Monday 16th, I was invited to attend the 2010 London Jazz awards, to report on the evening in my role as a contributor to the LondonJazz publication.  It was a wonderful evening, and you can find the report here: http://londonjazz.blogspot.com/2010/08/london-jazz-awards-winners.html

My quartet's August gig was at the Bull's Head in Barnes.  A wonderful venue, and well-attended (which can be unusual for a weeknight here), it was great to be playing again with the band.  We haven't performed all together since mid-June when we were on tour, so it was fantastic to get an hour or two of playing together.  The gig was recorded by UK Jazz Radio, and will be broadcast on Sunday 12th September at 8pm.  Visit www.ukjazzradio.com to listen.

And finally, August saw the birth of my new jazz group Sector 7.  A jazz trio fronted by 4 vocalists, we're still in the rehearsing stages as yet, but it will be going places soon.  Watch this space.  It's going to be filled magnificently.

News - January

Snow! What an exasperating weather condition. A sprinkling too much, and our transport system shuts down, we run out of grit, and people are forced to stay in. Such a situation presented itself in early January, coinciding with my first gig at Pizza on the Park. A stalwart few were in the audience, including a gentleman who I happen to share a birthday with, making the total tally of shared birthdays in the room 3 (including my twin sister). My next, and last performance at Pizza on the Park is Thursday 18th February. Hopefully snow will not be a problem. This month, I visited a great new jazz venue called the Hideaway in Streatham. The performance was from Julian Stringle and his band. Breathtaking. The Hideaway is a fantastic little place, aptly named because it’s hidden away from the hustle and bustle of Streatham High Road. Top-class London jazz acts are featured here every Friday, Saturday and Sunday night. More information is on www.hideawaylive.co.uk. This month’s Tomorrow’s Face gig at the Bull’s Head was very successful - a bigger audience than usual, and it gave me a chance to practise my piano skills as our pianist didn’t show. This venue still needs great support, and we’ll be there again on Sunday March 28th.

NEWS - November and December

The most exciting news during these two months is that I have been awarded funding from Jazz Services for my UK Tour next year, which will be to promote my new album. The tour will see my quartet and me visit venues in Bristol, Cambridge, Swindon, Birmingham, Manchester, Cardiff, Kendal, Scarborough, Hull, Leeds, and many more including a long drive to Berwick-upon-Tweed, and probably a shorter flight to Jersey!

The tour will take place in April, May and June, and the tour schedule will be up on my website before the end of January.

In order to secure these gigs, I have spent most of November on the Internet/my phone acting as my own agent in order to meet the Jazz Services funding deadline at the end of November. Therefore, there aren't many gigs to report on, but the ones I did do are definitely worth the blog-space, so here goes...

October 31st - Mark Armstrong Big Band, Wycombe Swan

A wonderful group of musicians, a wonderful theatre, and a wonderful opportunity to sing with a big band again, now that I no longer have NYJO to regularly feature with. I truly miss fronting a big band, as it's the first jazz experience I ever had, so it will always be my favourite kind of jazz singing.

As always, it was a pleasure to sing with Mark's band - he's a fantastic arranger, and had put together a very enjoyable program: for both the band and the audience.

I was thrilled that on that evening, pianist Simon Wallace kindly gave me a songbook of songs that he has written with Fran Landesman. I've been enjoying getting to know them. Certain songs, e.g. "When Your Computer Crashes" will certainly be entertaining the family at the Christmas sing-song!

November 6th - Mark Armstrong Quintet at Blackheath Halls

This evening was in aid of Epilepsy Research, and a very successful evening it was too. Blackheath Halls was packed, and hundreds of pounds were raised for the charity.

November 29th - Tomorrow's Face at Bull's Head

The Bull's Head in Barnes is a great venue. Lovely piano, lovely acoustics, lovely pub and Thai restaurant attached. NYJO's Tomorrow's Face (the small band) play there once every two months on a Sunday evening. The music is always brilliant - NYJO-influenced high-adrenaline tunes played by a small ensemble of 9 musicians is incredibly stimulating. Even more so, you know that you are watching the cream of London's musicians, who are the future of British jazz. So why do we struggle for an audience?! It's only a short (very short) walk from Barnes Bridge station, and the afore-mentioned lovely piano/acoustics/pub/Thai food/musicians should be enough to secure at least half a room full. But alas.

This is a door-take gig, meaning that if we're lucky we'll make a tenner each which will just about cover travel and an interval drink, never mind our fee for playing!!

So if you're reading this, please spread the word that NYJO's Tomorrow's Face will next be at the Bull's Head on Sunday 31st January.

13th December - Jazz Duo at La Porte Des Indes

I used to sing every Sunday at La Porte Des Indes - a gorgeous Indian restaurant near Marble Arch. Then came the dreaded credit crunch, and we were demoted to once a fortnight, then to not at all! This Christmas, we have been booked for two weeks only. Unfortunately, I have only been able to make one of these, as the second coincides with a short weekend break. So, if any of you fancy a bit of the best Indian food I have ever tasted, pop down next Sunday (20th December) and witness some jazz courtesy of pianist Martin Blackwell plus guest singer.

Better still, why not call up with the following conversation?:

"Hello, I'd like to book a table for January... for (6) people. We'd like to sit near the jazz musicians."

"I'm sorry, we no longer have jazz at this restaurant."

"Well I don't want to come then."

Help to re-instate us!

Thanks for reading my November and December news.

Best wishes for a Merry Christmas!