Showing posts with label arts council england. Show all posts
Showing posts with label arts council england. Show all posts

Tuesday, 29 July 2014

Back in the Studio at Last... and I'm a Cover Girl!

 

I'm a Cover Girl!  Very excited to be on the front cover of the latest Jazz UK magazine.   I'm interviewed about Spellbound Stories ahead of my UK tour which is possible due to the support of the Arts Council, but I also owe a huge debt to Jazz Services as they supported my very first tours and are such an important part of the jazz landscape.  They've recently lost some of their funding but there has been such a huge show of support from the jazz community (including this specially set up Facebook Page) for all their excellent work that I'm hoping it will lead to a refresh and reboot of this important organisation that will enable it to carry on doing so much good for both jazz musicians and volunteer promoters.  Anyway, thank you Jazz Services!

And more great news...  It's been a looooong time but I'm finally back in the studio!  Really exciting about recording the new songs.  Have decided to release an EP to start, with the full album coming up in the not too distant future.

While we were in the studio we also recorded an impromptu version of the Kate Bush song, Wuthering Heights.  Really pleased with how that turned out too considering we didn't rehearse and just went for it.  Being spontaneous is fun!

You can hear snippets of the new tracks in the player below.




Thursday, 27 February 2014

Playful Puns and Spellbound Stories

Great news!  My grant application to Arts Council England was successful and I've been offered funding for my new project "Spellbound Stories".

Spellbound Stories is a set of songs I've written that are inspired by some of my favourite novels. Novels used as inspiration include "Vanity Fair" (William Makepeace Thackeray), "The Colour Purple" (Alice Walker), Veronika Decides to Die (Paolo Coelho) and "White Teeth" (Zadie Smith). 

I'm really looking forward to working with my great band - Nick Ramm (piano) Oli Hayhurst/Ben Hazleton (bass) and Eddie Hick (drums).  Our premiere performance will be at The Forge in London on 22 May 2014.  I've almost finished all the songs now - just a few bits and pieces to finish. I've aso been working on setting up a tour for later in the year and already have several dates confirmed.  Exciting!

While I was waiting to hear my fate I busied myself by searching out some excellent puns.  Here are a few of my favourites.  

  • No matter how much you push the envelope, it'll still be stationery.
  • Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.
  • Two hats were hanging on a hat rack in the hallway. One hat said to the other: 'You stay here; I'll go on a head.'
  • A vulture carrying two dead raccoons boards an airplane. The stewardess looks at him and says,  'I'm sorry, sir, only one carrion allowed per passenger.'
  • Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly, so they lit a fire in the craft. Unsurprisingly it sank, proving once again that you can't have your kayak and heat it too.

 This also made me chuckle.