A funny thing happened on the way to The Library

The sunny weather has been a welcome distraction from most things. That said, here are some pics from my last Freedom of Expression gig in north London not long ago, courtesy of Tom Nicholls.

As you can see, I was joined by Sam Chaplin, who played some inspired lines on the flugel horn. It was a memorable night, not least because some people actually went to the local library, as opposed to The Library venue we were playing at. An easy enough mistake to make, really. Apparently it caused quite a ruckus among the librarians, who bristled at the idea that their rival outposts might be having more fun than them, putting on concerts and the like - imagine! Might have started something there ... Fortunately, said punters made it in the end, I'm not quite sure how, and didn't miss my slot. Our set was fairly short and sweet, with another outing for the new song, which is still without a title. I'll get there soon.

You and the night and the music

When people ask me how things are going, I sometimes forget that they have not been party to the same conversation I've been having with myself about what I do and what I plan to do next. I tell people I've been doing a bit more "jazz" lately, and forget that to some, that's what I've been doing all along.

What I mean by that is that I've been gigging the kind of repertoire known as "standards", either on jobbing gigs or with outfits such as Rythme Futur. I put a lot of that stuff on hold last year to do my own material and get my album out, but somehow, it's been creeping back in via various sources. In fact, although I swore I'd had it with jazz, I've really enjoyed just getting up and singing, without the pressure of thinking I've got to sell albums. At least not my own, at any rate.

Last week I played Club Chat Noir with Rythme Futur at the Hanbury Club in Brighton. It was another album launch, of sorts, for them. The place was heaving and it was great to see so many people dancing to music that doesn't even have drums! Shows you it's still got that special something if people are in the mood for a good time.

I also played a scratch gig with Toby Nowell's band at The Lamb in Surbiton. It was a breezy and off-the-cuff affair, with some colourful guests sitting in - one of whom had a remarkable likeness to Roy Wood from Wizard (but younger). Among the musos were multi-instrumentalist Charlotte Glasson, who also plays with the Lost and Found Orchestra, and Dan Redding, a great guitarist who amazed me by jamming on Lush Life (one of the most difficult - but beautiful - ballads out there) before we started. Now that is class.

Back to the originals, I joined in on Jazmine Ava's Candlelight Songwriters' Night in Colchester on Friday just gone. It was nice to see some Saint FM faces there - Anver and crew, plus Tersha, who sang on the Unsigned show's first birthday bash last December. I played a solo set, doing songs from the album, plus my new waltz, which has yet to be named - although I did get a few suggestions on the night. Am still deciding ...