Half-term holidaying and harmonies.

Half term used to be a time for sitting on a sofa, sleeping in, staying up late and trying to stop thinking about the children in my class.  Now it's a time for jetting around the country, visiting jazz clubs and catching up with family.

The week has started in Newcastle - for my return visit to The Cherry Tree.

Photo by Lance Liddle

I last was here in May, as part of a UK tour supported by Jazz Services.  I had brought my band up from London on that occasion, so this time I was a lone traveller ready to meet the local musicians - Paul Edis (piano), Mick Shoulder (bass) and Adam Sinclair (drums).  They were great - Paul was imaginative, listening and responding beautifully to my musical ideas; Mick was fast-fingered and fun and Adam created a wonderfully different timbre to a couple of ballads with soft sticks.  Ballads were a little bit lost on this audience - there was a large party of girls that staggered down the stairs at the end of the night a little worse for wear - but nevertheless we persisted!

The evening was reviewed by Lance Liddle - read his review here.

So that was Monday.

Tuesday = college reunion and relaxing with sister, niece and nephew.

Wednesday involved chilling out with another sister (there are 3 altogether: one identical twin and two elder), and singing at a new-ish jam session in Manchester at Indigo.  It's run weekly by Ed Kainyek - a terrific saxophonist that I met when I was living in Lancaster.

It is brilliant!  Packed to the rafters, bursting with students and older jazzers alike, and quality musician after quality musician getting up to jam.

On Thursday I made a short train journey to Wigan to sing with the Sounds 2000 big band at Wigan Cricket Club.  Run by Jim Ashcroft and formed in 2000 (hence the name), I've been invited to sing a few numbers as there is no regular singer with the band.

My first professional work was singing with NYJO, so I love the sound and exhilaration of singing with a big band - and I'd forgotten how much I miss it now that I mostly work with a quartet.

I'm announced in Wigan accent as "Sarah Helen Use" (reminiscent of Eliza Doolittle's elocution lessons about 'ertford, 'ereford and 'ampshire where 'urricanes 'ardly hever 'appen).

It's great stuff, but this gig is grossly unsupported considering the quality of music going on here.  Only 4 members of the band have full heads of hair - which includes 2 women (I've never sung with a band like this, having started out with NYJO, and subsequently performing with Military bands and and other big bands half full of the 'youth'), but it occurs to me that these are musicians that were learning their craft while the greats e.g. Sonny Rollins and Freddie Hubbard were doing their thing - so no reason why an older band shouldn't be a better band.

The quality of ensemble and the individual skill is excellent.  The band leader, Jim Ashcroft, is an advocate for little-known and well-arranged tunes, hence him selecting a handful of NYJO charts from my pad for me to sing.  The program is exciting, varied and current.  However, its excellence is not reflected in the disappointing patter that follows each tune from only a small number of hands.

I've unfortunately been involved in too many gigs where the band outnumbers the audience - more likely with a big band but still, so unfair.

An incredibly dynamic (not loud) band, Jim runs a tight ship performing the music he loves for only £2 entry including raffle.  The band rehearse here weekly and perform on the last Thursday each month.  If you're even a stone's throw away from Wigan, it's well worth checking out.

I was given a lift home to Manchester by the legend that is Ernie Garside - trumpeter with the band.  It was a hilarious journey with tales of Johnny Dankworth and playing with Maynard Ferguson, and as much effin' and blindin' as you can fit into 45 minutes.  A great way to end my enjoyable week of jazz.

Tour dates 2010 - UK SOUTH

"Beyond the Hatfield Tunnel" is a NYJO tune, recorded on their 1990 album "Cookin' With Gas". The title of this tune refers to the belief of NYJO members that the North of England starts when the lights change colour in the middle of the tunnel. Therefore, all gigs listed here are those which can be accessed without having to venture towards the Hatfield Tunnel.

Please invite local family and friends to whichever may be closest...

For more specific details of each gig, please visit my website gig guide: www.sarahellenhughes.co.uk/gigs

14^th May ROBERTO’S JAZZ BAR Savoy Hotel, Jersey 7pm

15^th May WATERFRONT BRASSERIE, Radisson Hotel, Jersey 7pm

16^th May GRAND HOTEL Jersey 12:30pm

25^th May DEMPSEY’S 15 Castle Street, Cardiff 9pm

1^st June JAZZ CELLAR AT BIG BANG Oxford 8pm

2^nd June SPICE OF LIFE London 8pm

19^th June SWINDON JAZZ FESTIVAL Various locations 11-5pm

25^th June CARSWELL COUNTRY CLUB Farringdon, Oxon 8:30pm

Tour dates 2010 - UK NORTH

"Beyond the Hatfield Tunnel" is a NYJO tune, recorded on their 1990 album "Cookin' With Gas". The title of this tune refers to the belief of NYJO members that the North of England starts when the lights change colour in the middle of the tunnel. Therefore, all gigs listed here are those which can be accessed once one is beyond the Hatfield Tunnel.

Please invite local family and friends to whichever may be closest...

For further details of each gig, please visit my website gig guide: www.sarahellenhughes.co.uk/gigs

BHT (North) East

25th April CLARE JAZZ Clare College, Cambridge 9pm £4 2nd May SEVEN JAZZ Seven Arts Centre, Leeds 1-4pm £5/4 9th May PAVE BAR Hull 2-5pm Free 19th May SCARBOROUGH JAZZ CLUB 8:45pm £6/5 20th May SEWERBY HALL Church Lane, Bridlington 2pm Donations 20th May HX7 JAZZ CLUB The Trades Club, Hebden Bridge FEATURING DAVE O’HIGGINS on saxophones 8pm £12/9 4th June MALTINGS THEATRE Berwick-upon-Tweed 8pm £10 6th June THE LION Nottingham 1:30 Free 13th June GROVE INN JAZZ CLUB Leeds 8:30pm £4/3 28th June THE CHERRY TREE Newcastle 7:30pm Free 29th June BISHOP AUCKLAND TOWN HALL 8pm £8 30th June LESCAR JAZZ Sheffield 9pm £3

BHT (North) West

3rd June BURGUNDY’S Kendal 8:45pm Free

6th May MATT AND PHRED’S JAZZ CLUB Manchester 9pm Free

27th May SOUTHPORT JAZZ FESTIVAL Pizza Express 7:30pm Free 30th May SOUTHPORT JAZZ FESTIVAL Wayfarer’s Arcade 3:30pm Free

NYJO - worth saving

The future of NYJO is uncertain in today's financial climate. The main trouble it faces are expressed in the following Times article

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article6988522.ece

which hosts some interesting discussion from NYJO members both past and present, and representatives from the jazz-loving public. Feel free to add your own views!

NYJO for me has been the foundation upon which I have been able to build my jazz singing career.

Through NYJO I have learnt how to front a band (in terms of singing, speaking between numbers and even what to wear - to my first NYJO gig, I turned up without any make-up to the horror of then-principal singer Annabel Williams, who dusted and drew on me until I looked stage-presentable. The following rehearsal, Bill Ashton gave her 20 quid to take me to the market and buy me the necessary war paint. Now I'm a fully-fledged fake-eyelash-sticking, eye-liner-painting, red-lippy-sporting, wig-wearing band-fronter).

I have learnt a host of songs - over 350 at the last count - which have given me endless enjoyment on countless gigs, and the ability to turn up to many a gig and be able to sing whatever the band leader called.

But the main two things that I can thank NYJO for are these: I have met 90% of musicians in London through its very impressive alumni list, and I have learnt how to be a better jazz singer by watching and being inspired by a host of talented NYJO singers.

Earlier this year, the "Sponsor A chair" appeal was launched, in order to secure the necessary funds for the organisation to keep running. Guy Barker was there and made a short speech, attributing much of his success as a professional trumpeter to NYJO and its excellent foundation.

I expect many a past and present member would whole-heartedly agree.

If you feel that you would be able to contribute to the Sponsor A Chair appeal, then please contact Nigel Tully by email: info@nyjo.org.uk

Learning to sing jazz

People have recently been asking me about my background in vocal training and how I came to be a jazz singer. I have never had any formal training, although in my late teens I had several lessons with a family friend (Alison Bryan) who taught me things about vowel pronounciation and breath control which shaped and improved my singing technique. This had a classical focus - Alison was not a jazz fan - but it was an essential and valuable education. I grew up in a household listening to Radio 3 and The Carpenters. Many jazz musicians spend their childhood with Ella Fitzgerald or Miles Davis in the background, but my parents - despite being excellent musicians themselves - were not into jazz, nor were they very knowledgeable on the subject (my Dad had never heard ‘My Funny Valentine’ until I sang it at a gig last year). It was when singing in The Orpheus Choir of North Herts, that one day we were rehearsing an arrangement of ‘Every Time We Say Goodbye’ and I remember thinking ‘This isn’t how it’s supposed to go!’ I longed to be freer with the melody - putting an emphasis on the important lyrics. The jazz was in me! My secondary school housed a jazz band (North Herts Youth Jazz Orchestra) for weekly rehearsals, and I joined as a flautist (although it started off as a way to kill time whilst waiting for a driving lesson. I soon changed my driving lesson time!). One day the singer was absent. I thought to myself, ‘Well, I can sing,’ but had never before sung jazz, or listened to anyone singing jazz, so I wish I’d thought twice before volunteering. The song was Billie Holiday’s beautiful ballad ‘Don’t Explain.’ I’m good at sight-reading, so I sang exactly what the copy said - complete with full semi-breves and crotchets rigidly in time. Where had my inner-jazzer gone?! The following week, the band’s singer returned and sang it properly. I was very embarrassed at the thought of my attempt! But still I didn’t learn. Another time the singer was absent and this time the song was ‘Wave,’ a Jobim bossa. The melody on the copy starts on a B above middle C, and quickly rises to a top G/A. As I shrieked out the notes, the bandleader stopped the rehearsal and quickly relegated me back to my flute seat. My first exposure to real jazz was hearing an old NYJO album - Shades of Blue and Green - which I found to be a fine record: exciting, moving, thrilling and awesome. By this time I had made new friends with other jazz musicians, and they introduced me to recordings of Natalie Cole, Carmen McCrae, Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee and Sarah Vaughan. My jazz education had begun. It soon developed with the discovery of Nancy Wilson, Shirley Horn and Kurt Elling. As a professional I have had lessons from several singers whom I admire and find inspiring, including Claire Martin and Georgia Mancio. And still I continue to learn - at every gig I go to you’ll find me scribbling notes at particularly inspiring moments. I try to listen to a wide range of vocalists performing different genres, so that I might emulate the things I enjoy about what I’m listening to. Hopefully in the future, young singers will be listening to me for the same reason!