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There are two main things happening musically with me at the moment… one is the Spanner Big Band is back after our August break, and will be gigging regularly through December. The other is, I’ve been working on new material with the “new” Reliables (guitarist Robert Pfeiffer and myself have been writing new material for our duo + laptop configuration). We’ll have a new demo coming out soon and are working on some video etc.
Meanwhile here are some upcoming gigs with the Spanner Big Band:
Hello! I’m doing a number of gigs in May, June and July 2023 – with the Spanner Big Band, with a new incarnation of the The Reliables (me & Robert as a duo, with a laptop!), and, a solo gig in mid-May at the Arcola Theatre Bar, where I’ll be doing a one-man-band thing with sax, EWI (Electronic Wind Instrument) and laptop!
Hello good people. As 2019 draws to a close I thought I’d reflect upon the past year. It’s been a bit of a rough year for me personally, and for the world in general it seems; but it was also a very productive year for me from a creative standpoint.
In March I released a new original concept album I’m very proud of, called “The Species That Knew Too Much“, with songs about timely topics such as climate change, human conflict, and our tendency to remain in denial about these and other important issues. Here’s a Spotify link to the album:
Also around that project I released a video of one of the songs with my esteemed collaborators Mark Schleunes and Margaret Boehm, entitled “Apocalypso”, which seems as timely as ever in light of the current political situation in the U.S. and U.K.:
In 2019 I also released a jazz record through my independent label, with my musical collaborator Robert Pfeiffer, co-leader of our jazz quartet called “The Reliables“… the record is entitled “Fuzzy Math” – here’s a link to that album:
I also did a lot of gigs on alto with The Spanner Big Band, which has been great for my playing and general musicianship. We’ve got a gig coming up Jan. 15 at the Gunners pub in Finsbury Park.
Also toward the end of the year I’ve started working in an engineer/producer capacity with a young singer/songwriter called Honey Ryder, who I think shows great promise. Here’s a song where she recorded the vocals in my home studio; she’s got other songs I’m helping her produce.
I did a few gigs as a saxophone sideman this year with singer/songwriter Drew Jam.
And I’m proud to be a part of the new album from Tim Jackson, “Better Late Than Never” –
I’ve also continued my study of the saxophone and trying to be a better saxophone player; I’ve nearly finished learning a tricky Charlie Parker solo on “Cherokee”, as well as having played with a classical saxophone quartet, played some Brazilian choro music, and sat in on a few jam sessions here and there.
Finally I’ve continued my work toward developing a solo act with a laptop; whilst this seems eternally a “work-in-progress” I actually made good strides this year, and hope to finally bring it out and do some local London gigs in the new year.
Thanks, love and best wishes to all my friends, family and fans for your continued love and support. Happy 2020 to you!
This online album release is the culmination of a 3 year labour of love. As I say in the liner notes to the CD:
“I felt compelled to write these songs as I became convinced that if we continue on our current path of overexploiting our planet, causing climate change and loss of biodiversity, our own species will become extinct. Scientists have been raising the alarm about these issues for some time and yet, incredibly, many people continue to deny the facts, while the rest of us stand by helplessly. We are the most intelligent species on the planet, but we’re still primates persisting in violent and self-destructive behaviour that makes our extinction more likely. This album is dedicated to a perhaps impossible dream – that we might somehow, as a people, finally stop fighting each other and instead start working together to save our planet and survive as a species.”
So, this is my “apocalyptic concept album” that talks about the climate emergency and how it’s part of a set of existential threats to our species that we are facing. But, we’re not standing by helplessly anymore; instead we’re taking to the streets and pressuring governments to finally start taking it seriously. I took part in the recent protests in London by donating part of my album proceeds to Extinction Rebellion (XR); by appearing on Sky News with XR to talk about it; and playing in Parliament Square with the Spanner Big Band; and (for those who are still in denial, or unwilling, or unable to accept the science on these issues), I’ve started a blog post, which I’ll add to over time, to collect links to articles supporting the science; it’s sobering reading, but if you’re interested, that blog post is here.
Since this record is meant to be a “concept album”, I’d be grateful if you’d listen to it like we used to listen to albums in the old days… from beginning to end. And remember, independent music these days is a numbers game, so any support you can give me is much appreciated – please consider “liking” and “following” me on facebook, Twitter, Spotify etc.
Thanks for your interest and attention. Peace, love and science.
