Moons, Masons and M&S

I love taking photos of bridges over water. 
This was my first view of beautiful Norwich on the way to the hotel.

There was a chaise longue in my hotel room!  A chaise longue is
definitely one of my favourite things.

Kate Williams and I were booked to perform under this art installation of the moon during the full moon.  Unfortunately the windy conditions meant the artwork was moved inside and we perofrmed outsidebut it was absolutely stunning.

Soundcheck - done!  Just a few minutues until the seats were filled
with jazz fans fo all ages. We had fun!

Really enjoyed working with these guys.  Kate Williams, Cosimo Keita, Tony Kofi & Oli Hayhurst.
We also got a great review here

David Preston and I on our way to Bath for the Bath Festival to perform the new
collaboration project with performance poet Zena Edwards!
(I'm definitely #teamnero #properitaliancoffee)

Another beautiful bridge - this time spotted on the way to the hotel in Bath.

We spent the day before the show rehearsing in a small theatre above a church. 
David and Zena working on one of her songs.

And this was our venue - Masonic Hall which is part of the Old Theatre Royal.
A really stunning room.

I had a great time working with Zena on our project and we got lots of wonderful
feedback from the audience.

The next day David and I did an impromptu performance for the shoppers in M&S.  Some bewildered looks as we set up next to the lingerie!  Lots of nice comments from the surprised shoppers.  And another bonus is that I found these gorgeous sparkly shoes.

Next on the agenda are some London performances and a return to Oxford.  Hope to see you there!

08 June:  Bond to Bowie @ Bar Zedel, London
25 June:  Special Guest with house band at Summertown Wine Cafe, Oxford
28 June:  Divas of Jazz @ Bar Zedel, London
29 July:  Nina & Other Divas @ Boisdale of Canary Wharf, London

Arrivederci Roma, Hola Odessa!

November was a busy month filled with new people, places and experiences.  :-)

I had a really amazing time with 6 gigs in Italy, then numerous gigs over the EFG London Jazz Festival including a live performance from the Barbican for BBC Radio 3's Jazz Record Requests and a great family-friendly performance at Cadogan Hall.  I also returned to one of my favourite places (Oxford), at the Summertown Wine Cafe.

And it won't be long until I'm off to foreign climes again as I've been invited as a guest artist for New Year's Eve celebrations at an amazing new venue in Odessa!  I've checked the weather and it doesn't seem too cold at the moment but I'm keeping everything crossed that there'll be no snow.

We played 2 nights at Gregory's Jazz Club - the oldest jazz clubs in Rome

Downstairs at Gregory's there is a tiny bar where regulars have special name plaques.  I asked about Vittorio and if I remember correctly, he is a sailor from Sicily who visits Rome and Gregory's often and keeps his place at the bar reserved.  Love this idea!

The Italian Quartet!  Max (bass), Rudy (drums) and Daniele (piano)

I spent some time in Genoa and was amazed at how wonderful the climate is - there are PALM TREES!

Love Pisa!  Here I am in front of a gorgeous Keith Haring mural.

With the Family Jazz All Stars (Tony Kofi -sax, Kate Williams - piano, Oli Hayhurst - bass, Cosimo Keita - drums) just before we stepped on stage at Cadogan Hall

On stage at Cadogan Hall.  A stunning venue!

Finally, Trevor Hoggett did a really nice interview with me about Spellbound Stories and it's out now in December's Jazz Journal magazine.

And my name is on the front cover - second name up from the bottom in red - woo hoo!

Finally, (really this time), here's a seasonal joke for you:

Q:  What do you call a bunch of chess players bragging about their games in a hotel lobby?
A:  Chess nuts boasting in an open foyer.

Spellbound Stories - Chapter One is Over...

Photo by Tony Brown

The UK tour is now over - and we had a blast!  Huge thanks to Arts Council England for making it all possible.  And to all the promoters/venues and amazing musicians I've worked with.  The October dates included a sell-out show at the Royal Albert Hall (Verdi), a great gig with the house band at The Spin in Oxford and two fabulous dates in Cornwall.  It was my first time in St Ives and I've fallen in love with the place for sure!

So if that was Chapter One... I guess Chapter Two is the completed album.  I'll be putting the finishing touches to it in the next few weeks and hopefully it should be released at the beginning of next year. 

More exciting news is that I'm now on the books of two new agents.  UK bookings will be taken care of by Mo' Connections (A Boutique Jazz Agency) - and I'm very pleased to be the latest addition to the roster alongside amazing musicians Phil Robson, Robert Mitchell and one of my favourite bands, Kairos 4tet.  For European work I will be part of Idris Media, an agency based in Germany with a huge roster of excellent artists.  Fingers crossed that 2015 will be a gigtastic year!

Next month I'm excited to be part of the EFG London Jazz Festival.  My family-friendly afternoon concert at The Purcell Room, South Bank Centre is already almost sold out!  If you'd like to be there, make sure to book your ticket very soon.

Almost better than my name in lights... my name in chocolate!

Tom and Eddie watching the surfers at St Ives.  The weather was fabulous.

You couldn't really go to Cornwall without sampling a Cornish pasty now could you?

Nick Ramm by Craig Taylor-Broad at Bosuns Charlestown (Restormel Arts)

Eddie Hick by Craig Taylor-Broad at Bosuns Charlestown (Restormel Arts)

Tom Mason by Tony Brown at St Ives Jazz Club

Juliet Kelly by Tony Brown at St Ives Jazz Club

UK Jazz Tour - Gigs 7 & 8 of 12 - London & Oxford

I became an honorary Pole on 5th March and it was fabulous!  The Polish hostess for the show at Jazz Cafe POSK in Hammersmith was the gorgeous Mariola and we were even treated to Polish cakes during the interval.  And I've discovered a new favourite drink... Zubrowka aka Bison Grass Vodka!   Absolutely delicious served with chilled apple juice.  And I've heard that you can also serve it over vanilla ice-cream.  Double yum!





With the lovely Mariola





George, Milo and Dave tucking into Polish cakes!

 

The audience were lovely and although we had to compete at times with a rather noisy birthday party happening in another section of the room, the audience seemed to enjoy themselves and there were lots of happy smiley faces.




Some of the happy smiling faces

 


Next was a return to Oxford - one of my favourite cities.  Unfortunately I got delayed by an accident on the M40 and although I left London at 4.30pm to get there for 6.45pm, I didn't arrive at the venue until 8.20pm...  Ten minutes before I was due on stage!  Other complications were that I had a call from Milo, the drummer, that day and unfortunately, due to no fault of his own, he was unable to do the gig so we had to get a dep in with very short notice.  Luckily, Charlie Stratford - a local drummer - was available and he acquitted himself extremely well and was a joy to play with!





George, Charlie and Oli

 Joe's Bar & Grill is a another great venue.  It's a shame they don't advertise the music more as with a decor that includes a beautiful chandelier and black and white photos adorning the walls, it has the makings of an excellent jazz club.




Joe's Bar & Grill

 



Lovely Layla and husband
(And more smiling faces)