2012 Charity Christmas Song

This year, I'm releasing a Christmas song for charity.  It's called Let the Light Shine Down, and I have recorded it with the children from the primary school where I'm working at the moment.

It'll be released on 2nd December 2012 and I urge you to buy it when it's ready!!  It'll be a digital release only, and all the proceeds will go to Music as Therapy.  We're hoping to get into the UK top 40 for the first week of December.  Please help this to happen!

You can start by connecting to our online sites:
https://www.facebook.com/RiversideChristmasSong
https://twitter.com/RiversideXmas
http://www.riversidechristmassong.blogspot.co.uk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRSifKPW5TI

Thank you!!

CHARITY TEA PARTY!

Lovely friend Daisy Coole is launching her cake-baking business on Sunday, at a charity tea party.  Here's the info:

SUPPORT NATIONAL BAKING WEEK IN AID OF GREAT ORMOND STREET HOSPITAL CHILDREN’S CHARITY

On Sunday, 21^st October 2012, Hampstead cake company Coole Cakes will host a ‘Mad Hatter’s Tea Party’ in aid of Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity.

From 3pm to 5pm at the Kentish Town Community Centre in Busby Place, children and adults alike will be able to drop in for a delicious array of cake, cupcakes and bite-size treats.

The Tea Party shows support for National Baking Week (15^th – 21^st October) during which cake enthusiasts across the country will be asked to bake and sell scrumptious treats to raise vital funds for Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity.

Daisy Coole, founder of Coole Cakes says:

“I can’t think of a better way to launch our business than by supporting National Baking Week and Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity. We hope to raise lots of money for a wonderful cause.”

Hayley Richardson, Senior Fundraising Executive at Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity says:

“We’re delighted to be teaming up with National Baking Week this year and would like to thank Coole Cakes for organising the Tea Party. The money from National Baking Week will make a real difference to patients at Great Ormond Street Hospital by helping us to deliver our world class care in 21^stcentury facilities. We are improving our facilities and increasing our capacity so we can treat more children.”

For more information on National Baking Week 2012 please visitwww.nationalbakingweek.co.uk or the work of Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity, visit: www.gosh.org

The Sector7 tour commences

Sector7 on the road

The Sector7 tour is underway!  So far we have been to the  Scarborough, Leeds, South Devon, Cheltenham and Milton Keynes. 

Scarborough was amazing and thank goodness the weather was good.  The last time I had been there, the sea was so violent that waves had been crashing over the entire car park after our gig, and we had to leg it to the car to not get drenched (it didn’t work).

A stroll on the beach - the next album cover?!

I have to say that this was one of the best jazz festivals I have ever played at, and credit to Mike Gordon for organising such a fantastic weekend of acts and bringing jazz to a wider audience in Yorkshire.  The place was packed throughout the whole weekend, and it was a pleasure to play there.

Scarborough was the first gig for two new Sector7 members: Mayfair Arts Club resident Paddy Clarke and beatboxer Billy Boothroyd.  We incorporated beatbox for the first time in the set… which was brilliant!  And went down really well.  It took some people by surprise but I think, hope, that they loved it as much as I did!  We were interviewed later for a feature on the festival, and there may be some footage up on the web soon, so I’ll add it to the facebook page when it comes out.

After staying the night in Scarborough we took advantage of being in a classic seaside town, spending our morning on the 2p machines in the arcade and getting ice cream.  Then it was a journey to Leeds – which is relatively short – so we decided to explore north Yorkshire with a stop-off in gorgeous York, for a stroll down The Shambles and a look at the Minster. 

York Minster

Our gig in Leeds was at the Sela bar, which is a hip underground bar with an old-school vibe and the best pizza in town. 

The following weekend we travelled down to South Devon to my old stomping ground.  My Grandma lived in Dawlish, a very sweet little seaside town on the South Devon coast, and Ashburton is about 20 miles inland, on the edge of Dartmoor.  We were playing at the St Lawrence Chapel, a concert venue promoted by local musician Andy Williamson.  It was a fantastic night, not least because we were treated to a home-cooked meal from Andy’s wife (including the best cheese-cake I’ve had in years!)

The Daffodil.  This view is from behind one of the old
cinema projectors - both antiques are still in situ in
the gallery.

Next day we travelled to The Daffodil in Cheltenham, a converted cinema, now a posh restaurant.   They promote jazz every Monday, and attract some fantastic acts from all over the country.   Then this small section of the tour ended with our first ever performance at The Stables in Wavendon.  I’ve performed there before, with NYJO at one of the “Jazz in the garden” events.  We were lucky enough to have Sir John join the band for a number of tunes.  This was couple of years before his death, and even as an octogenarian, he was as sprightly and amusing as ever.

The tour continues on WEDNESDAY at Swansea Jazzland, followed by The Pound Arts Centre in Corsham on Thursday.

September gigs

SEH September Experience

The SEH experience in September started with a gig at Huddersfield jazz club, with Dave O’Higgins joining my Northern quartet for the night.  I love doing gigs with Dave – he’s played on both my albums and we’ve developed a great way of playing together over the years.  Book us for a gig here! 

Blurry pic, but believe me it's Dave O'Higgins!

My big band had a gig at Ruislip Sports and social club the following day, and considering that my Saturday night was spent sitting on a megabus from Huddersfield, I couldn’t do the classic night-before-big-band-gig of staying up til 4am printing and sticking.  Instead, it was a last-minute panic to finish the charts and email them home to my sister who helpfully printed them out ready for me to sellotape at 8:15 that morning when I arrived home!  The gig was fantastic, and the first time that I’ve felt proud of my big band pad, like it’s a set of music ready to be performed in public.  So book my big band here!

Another amazing experience in September was playing for the “Diner en blanc,” event in Covent Garden.  Apparently, this was a kind of ‘secret cinema’ event, where diners knew the theme (wearing white) and what to bring (portable chairs and tables) but they didn’t know until the last minute where it was going to be held.  We had to set up at about 6pm, and even the band had to fit in with the ‘wearing white’ theme, but we felt a bit daft in the middle of the piazza at Covent Garden in our white outfits in the middle of the rush hour.  But about an hour later, the whole place filled up with swarms of white, and suddenly we felt part of a very exclusive club.  It was great fun, and definitely an event that I’d dine at in future!  Here’s their promotional video to get you interested…

I finished off the month with a lovely gig at Jazzy’s jazz café in Sandbanks, Poole, where we had to face absolutely torrential weather to get there – and marvel aghast at the kite surfers going for it on the breaking waves.

L to R: Me, Nina Ferro, David McAlmont, Juliet Roberts.

 Then back to London for a night at the Hideaway where I was thrilled to be invited along with three other amazing singers to be part of the “Diva” series, a celebration of voice curated by pianist Janette Mason.  It’s on the last Saturday of alternating months, and I highly recommend it as a great night out.

Top ten tunes about... Geography!

Last Friday I performed with the Mark Armstrong Big Band, on a marvellous gig entitled "Swinging Around the World."  It was a superb gig, supporting two fantastic local charities (click on the links to support them: Pepper Foundation and the Rotary International (district 1260)

So, this month's top ten is a selection of songs related to countries/cities around the world.

1. April in Paris
2. Manhattan
3. Corcovado
4. Indian Summer
5. New York State Of Mind
6. A Nightingale Sang
7. A Foggy Day
8. Lullaby of Broadway
9. Autumn in New York
10. Airegin (Nigeria)

4 out of 10 of these are about New York of course - and there are many more songs about that city.  For those of you who don't know, Corcovado (which means "Hunchback" in Portuguese) is the name of the hill in Rio de Janeiro upon which the statue of Christ the Redeemer stands.

Here are the videos:

1. April in Paris, performed by Kurt Elling:

2. Manhattan, performed by Ella Fitzgerald:

3. Corcovado performed by Lisa Ono:

4. Indian Summer, performed by Sarah Vaughan:

5. New York State of Mind, performed by Tony Bennett and Billy Joel:

6. A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square, performed by Manhattan Transfer:

7. A Foggy Day in London Town, performed by Tony Bennett:

8.  Lullaby of Broadway, performed by The Andrews Sisters:

9.  Autumn in New York, performed by Ella and Louis:

10. Airegin, performed by Lambert, Hendricks and Ross:

Proper cast

In August, I was invited by Proper Music to join a discussion panel, talking about 3 new jazz releases.  It was an incredibly interesting experience, and I feel honoured to have been asked to be amongst such great company: Ronnie Scott's Paul Pace, LondonJazz Editor Sebastian Scotney, and engineered by award-winning presenter Trevor Dann.


Here is the link on the Proper site:
http://blog.propermusic.com/propermusic-com-podcast-52-jazz-review/


And here it is on Soundcloud:
http://soundcloud.com/proper-music-distribution/propermusic-com-podcast-52

Top 10 Stevie Songs

Sector7 is preparing for a UK tour, and we've got two new singers on board.  As rehearsals get underway, the most common comment is "I love that song... I've never heard it before!" - referring to Stevie Wonder's brilliant Superwoman.  Superwoman is from the album Music Of My Mind, and is the first half of a song which then moves straight into Last Winter - another beautiful and little known Stevie composition.

So for this month's top ten, I've sought out versions of Stevie songs (some sung by Stevie, some sung by others) that are fantastic - and possibly slipped under the radar among his greatest hits.

Enjoy!

1. Stevie Wonder - Ribbon In The Sky (from the album Natural Wonder - first on Original Musiquarium)
This live version is so fantastic, and so spontaneous that at one point Stevie is about to bring it to an end, but then some of the crowd start singing along so, saying "Oh, OK!" Stevie launches into a call and response with his band and the crowd before bringing it to a close with one of the best and most spine-tingling vocal lines I've ever heard.
It's about 15 minutes long so it's in two version on YouTube... and the best bit is in the second video at about 5 mins.

2. Stevie Wonder - Visions (from the album Innervisions)

(I also really like this version from the SF Jazz Collective)

3. Carmen McRae - Last Winter (from the album Music Of My Mind, actually entitled Superwoman - Where Were You When I Needed You)

4. Ian Shaw and Claire Martin - Knocks Me Off My Feet (from the album Songs In The Key Of Life)
The perfect jazz duo!  Light-hearted yet touching.  Recorded live (legally?!) at the Purcell Room at their annual Christmas concert a few years ago.

5. Stevie Wonder - For Your Love (from the album Conversation Peace)
Stevie is the king of key-changes, and this has no less than 4.  Incidentally, here's a question for you: how many key changes are there in the entire Beatles catalogue?  Answers on a postcard! (or in comments below!)

6. Nina Ferro - Creepin' (from the album Fulfillingness' First Finale)

7. Stevie Wonder - Dancing To The Rhythm (from the album Natural Wonder)
This excerpt is from a Japanese broadcast of a concert which was later to become the album Natural Wonder.  (So there's an interview at the beginning that you have fast-forward through!).  At about 4:40 you'll see the string section command an absolutely ridiculous soli which is probably the hardest thing they've ever had to play in pop!  They nail it though.

8. Gretchen Parlato - I Can't Help It (from the Michael Jackson album Off The Wall)

9. India.Arie - Wonderful (from the album Acoustic Soul)
This song is India.Arie's tribute to Stevie Wonder, which she wrote using as many title from Stevie tunes as she possibly could.  This video is a live version, and India is actually singing it to Stevie in the audience (cringe!)

10. Sector7 - Superwoman (from the EP Sector7: The EP)
Here I am again!  - well it's my top ten after all!  So here is Sector7's version of Superwoman.  Arranged by me, but made incredibly hip by the genius that is Shakka.  Enjoy!