Dipped my toe back into the old jazz roots yesterday at the Clocktower Cafe in Croydon. I've been doing this lunchtime gig pretty regularly ever since I left Guildhall in 2004, and I'm happy to say, I always get a pretty good response - there aren't many places you can say that for! Plus, it's kind of grounding to tap into those musical roots every so often - particularly when it's with Nigel Price, one of the most swinging guitarists around (also on my album, as it happens), and the esteemed George Trebar (of Rythme Futur fame) on bass.
We had a good old play and gave those jazz standards a workout. I enjoyed not being at the piano for a change - gave me a chance to boogie about a bit more!
I also decided to experiment with public transport, bringing my AER amp with me - supposedly portable - just to see how portable it really is. Well, I can now report it's about as portable as a sack of bricks. I felt like a human swingball, with a very heavy lump of concrete attached instead of a ball. That's not really how I want to feel before a gig. Somebody get me a roadie!! I could get vertigo. There were also a fair few people who had a go at thwacking it as well, on the tube - it was just too tempting. Still, it all means I never have to go to the gym or do aerobics - that's my excuse, anyway. And I think I definitely deserve a massage after that...
The next listening gig is in Winchester at the Discovery Centre on Saturday 31 January. I'm getting together with the guys over the next week for various plays and rehearsals, and it's all shaping up to be a tidy gig. Plus, there is support from an amazing, up-and-coming singer Nina Schofield. Even more reason to ditch Strictly (or whatever it now is on a Saturday night) and come out to play...
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