I have often read over the years of the benefits of transcribing jazz solos, and how it can help improve aural and improvisational skills. I have decided I would quite like to reap some of those benefits myself, and for this reason I hereby instate a new tradition: Transcription Tuesday But On A Wednesday!
Every week I will choose a recording from a noteworthy jazz musician, and spend some time listening to it and notating the solo part. I will then share the fruits of my labour with the entire internet-connected world via this blog, just in case anybody out there is in the least bit interested. Over time this should grow into a substantial collection of transcribed solos from some of the greats of the genre, whilst allowing me to reap all the associated benefits.
To start us off, then, I shall present you with Lester Young’s 1946 recording of ‘Sunday’, captured on the page for eternity. Click the below link to download:
Everything That’s Happened to Me Since January, in Chronological Order
Good afternoon world. It has come to my attention that I have been neglecting my hordes of adoring fans lately, with many of you (presumably) wondering and caring deeply about what I’ve been up to since my last update. So I thought now was the time to fill you in on all of my comings and goings over the last 9 months. Now let me see if I can do this all in one breath…
January
On 25th of said month I went to Whitby to do some busking with The Jelly Roll Jazz Band but I don’t remember anything about it or if we made much money, then on 30th and 31st I was in Wales rehearsing for concerts with the Welsh Musical Theatre Orchestra…
February
…And then on 1st and 2nd February I played clarinet, alto saxophone and tenor saxophones for two concerts with the Welsh Musical Theatre Orchestra, in Cwmbran and Cardiff respectively, and then on 4th I spent the day travelling from South Wales to Egham and back in order to play flute for a funeral, and then on 6th I got a lift to Heathrow and a plane to Malta, before spending 7th and 8th rehearsing then playing four concerts in two days over 9th and 10th with the Welsh Musical Theatre Orchestra in the Manoel Theatre in Valletta,
(Rehearsing with the Welsh Musical Theatre Orchestra in Valletta’s Manoel Theatre)
and then on 11th I got a plane back to England and then I moved to Manchester and then I played for a Great Gatsby themed birthday party in Driffield on 23rd with The Jelly Roll Jazz Band, before playing another gig with them the following day at Pickering’s Forest & Vale Hotel to accompany their Sunday lunch, and then on 28th I went to Barrow-in-Furness with the Jelly Rolls to play for the opening of some kind of office space…
(Some of These Days, performed by The Jelly Roll Jazz Band in Barrow-in-Furness on 28th February)
March
…And then in March I sat in on a couple of touring musicals (Matilda in Bradford on 20th and Les Misérables in Manchester on 28th) and spent a lot of time arranging showtunes for a quartet version of the Welsh Musical Theatre Orchestra and also recorded the two piano parts for Act I of my new musical It’s Not Really the Apocalypse (available here),
(Recording the two piano parts for Act I of my new musical It’s Not Really the Apocalypse (available here))
and then on 30th had another gig with The Jelly Roll Jazz Band playing for a birthday party in Scalby in a barn where Chris Barber once performed…
April
…And then on 3rd April I went down to London to sit in on Follies at the National Theatre, before doing a gig at The Hole in the Wall in Scarborough on 6th with The Jelly Roll Jazz Band, then recording the two piano parts for Act II of my new musical It’s Not Really the Apocalypse (available here) before spending 7 days rehearsing and recording all four vocal parts for my new musical It’s Not Really the Apocalypse (available here) over 17th-25th, and then going back to Pickering to play at The Forest & Vale Hotel again for Sunday lunch with Jelly Roll on 28th…
May
…And then on 4th May I was in Scarborough to perform in various parts of the town for The Tour de Yorkshire with The Jelly Roll Jazz Band, but it was very very windy and rainy so we got a bit windswept,
(I’ll See You In My Dreams, performed by The Jelly Roll Jazz Band at Scarborough’s Open Air Theatre, for the Tour de Yorkshire on 4th May)
and then the next day Jelly Roll headed up to Middlesbrough to play for a post-wedding party in somebody’s garden, and then on 11th Jelly Roll went up to Kendal to perform at a birthday party,
(Sunday, performed by The Jelly Roll Jazz Band in Underbarrow on Saturday 11th May)
then that evening I got the train down to London so that on 12th I could attend a rehearsal for Sedos’ production of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying at the Bridewell Theatre, and then I came back to Manchester and on 18th I played 2nd bassoon for a concert with Alderley Edge Symphony Orchestra (doing Dvorak’s New World Symphony, Poulenc’s Flute Sonata, a couple of excerpts from Copland’s Rodeo, and something else which has slipped my mind),
(Me performing bassoon 2 in Poulenc’s Flute Sonata (orch. Lennox Berkeley), mvmt. 3, with Alderley Edge Symphony Orchestra on 18th May)
and then on 21st I went back down to London and spent 21st-25th playing flute, Bb clarinet, Eb clarinet, alto saxophone and kazoo for Sedos’ production of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying at the Bridewell Theatre (fitting in some Jelly Roll busking while I was down there and potentially getting a gig with Stephen Fry),
(Various Eb and Bb clarinet excerpts from How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, at The Bridewell Theatre, 21st-25th May)
before travelling to Shepton Mallet on 28th so I could spend 29th and 30th performing with The Jelly Roll Jazz Band at the Royal Bath and West Show and we all drank a lot of cider and had a merry old time…
(Ja-Da, performed by The Jelly Roll Jazz Band at the Royal Bath & West Show on 30th May)
June
…And then it was June, so I thought I’d celebrate by going to Malton on 2nd to play with The Jelly Roll Jazz Band at a charity auction for the Injured Jockeys Fund, and then on 5th I went to Beaky Jazz Club in Ashton-Under-Lyne and joined in for a couple of tunes, and then on 15th I went to Gilberdyke of all places to perform with Jelly Roll at a wedding, and on that same day I officially released the cast recording of my new musical It’s Not Really the Apocalypse (available here),
(I Never Did Expect That It Would End Like This, from my new musical It’s Not Really the Apocalypse (available here))
and then Jelly Roll had another gig on 21st but this time in Bury, playing for a Great Gatsby evening in a restaurant, and then the next day we all of us went down to Leominster to play at a wedding reception and then on 29th I played 2nd bassoon for a concert with Hazel Grove Orchestra (Beethoven’s 8th Symphony, some Mozart violin concerto and a Schubert overture I can’t remember), and then the next day Jelly Roll once again found ourselves at Pickering’s Forest & Vale Hotel playing for Sunday lunch…
July
…And then as sure as June follows May, July followed June and I gave the month a kick start by heading to Hereford on 6th to perform at ‘Beer on the Wye’ with The Jelly Roll Jazz Band, and the next day we played at a birthday party in someone’s garden near Evesham, and then I came back to Manchester, and then on 17th I played with a quartet-sized version of the Welsh Musical Theatre Orchestra at Driffield Show to publicise our concert at Bridlington Spa in February, and then on 18th I went to Ribchester so that I could spend 19th, 20th and 21st performing with The Jelly Roll Jazz Band at the Royal Lancashire Show and meeting celebrity chefs and goats, and then on 27th I went down to Cambridge to perform with Jelly Roll at someone’s wedding anniversary in Pembroke College…
August
…And then to my surprise it was August and time for The Jelly Roll Jazz Band to go to Whitby in order to perform for Yorkshire Day on 1st, where we led a big parade consisting of three busfulls of dignitaries around the town whilst playing traditional New Orleans funeral marches, and then on 3rd we went to a small village near Malton to eat cake and perform for a wedding reception,
(Little Lawrence, performed by The Jelly Roll Jazz Band in Huttons Ambo Village Hall on 3rd August)
and then I spent a lot of time arranging music for The Welsh Musical Theatre Orchestra (Like Love, Matchmaker Matchmaker, You’ll Never Walk Alone, It Might As Well Be Spring, Music What Goes At the Start of the Programme, and Music What Goes At the End of the Programme), and then on 20th I played alto saxophone for Global Grooves Brazilian carnival band at a charity event at Manchester Children’s Hospital, and then on 23rd I sat in on the touring production of The Book of Mormon in Manchester, and then on 25th I went all the way to Aylsham so that I could spend 28th performing with The Jelly Roll Jazz Band at Aylsham Agricultural Show, and then on 30th I spent the afternoon travelling to Cambridge where I stayed overnight in a hostel so that I could get an early flight on 31st from Stansted to Bologna, then a shuttle bus from Bologna airport to the centre, then a coach from Bologna to Florence, then a tram to a venue where, on the evening of 31st, I played clarinet and baritone saxophone with The Sam Jewison Orchestra as part of the New Generation Festival…
September
…And then the next day was 1st September and I was still in Florence (which was strange because it didn’t feel like I’d been there a whole month) and I spent the afternoon and evening getting a tram from the hotel to central Florence then a coach to central Bologna then a bus to Bologna airport then a plane to Stansted then a train to London then a tube to Euston then a train to Manchester Piccadilly then a bus to wherever it is I live these days, and then I died but it was fine because the next day I came back to life so that I could go to Bolton and play at Eagley Jazz Club with stunning trad. jazz band The Dixie Beats, and then on 3rd I got the train at stupid-o’clock down to The South so that I could play some classical clarinet at a wedding in Epping and I found love which was delightful
(Finding love in Epping)
and then I went to stay with my friend Crispy for a few days so that I could recover, and shortly after that it was 7th and time for the annual Hutton Buscel Village Show which I wouldn’t miss for the world, so I went and played for that with The Jelly Roll Jazz Band and then on 14th it was time for us to do a concert at Lund Village Hall which was truly excellent and featured a number of new gimmicks including Sidney the Opera Spider, The Nosepeg Vocal, and The Magical Growing Flower,
(Autumn Leaves, performed by The Jelly Roll Jazz Band in Lund Village Hall on 14th September)
and we also sold some branded fridge magnets (available here)
(Jelly Roll branded fridge magnets (available here))
and then I went on holiday for a bit to recover from the ordeal, and then on 25th it was time to go to Southport to perform at a jazz club there with The Dixie Beats, and they let me play some claves as well as clarinet, and then I did some more orchestration for The Welsh Musical Theatre Orchestra…
October
…And before I knew it it was October, so I made the most of the occasion by going to Scarborough on 8th to play at a birthday party in The Palm Court Hotel with The Jelly Roll Jazz Band, and then that same group played for a wedding near King’s Lynn on 12th, and then we were all very tired but nonetheless travelled back up to Scarborough so we could play at Pickering’s Forest & Vale Hotel once again on 13th for Sunday lunches, and it was Pickering’s annual 1940s weekend as well so we played some classic Vera Lynn and came up with an excellent new gimmick involving a top hat and some merchandise…
…And then it was today and I thought I’d write a massive blog post all in one sentence that maybe somebody somewhere someday somehow somewhy somewhom will read and find amusing or informative, and then I woke up and it was all a dream.
THE END.
‘Red Stripe, Red Stripe’ – coming soon!
On Saturday I made an excursion to Huddersfield with self-professed next-big-thing Mister James Ure, to record some saxomophone solos for his upcoming debut single! Due out this Valentine’s Day, ‘Red Stripe, Red Stripe (Why Won’t You Be My Wife?)’ is the story of one man’s love affair with his favourite canned beverage. I can promise you’ve never heard anything like it before.
For more information and updates, stay tuned to James’ Facebook page: www.facebook.com/jamesuremusicianartist
Nimbus 2000
Here’s a little video clip for anyone who’s into Harry Potter, bassoons, or any combination of the above! This is a recording I made at a recent concert with the Irish Film and Pops Orchestra, showcasing the woodwind section in all its glory.
‘Nimbus 2000’, from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Suite for Orchestra)
by John Williams
by John Williams
I dread to think what the ‘Firebolt’ music must be like! : )
July and August in review
Well, how time flies! It appears that I haven’t updated you wonderful people since the beginning of July, and an awful lot has happened since then. Therefore I would now like to present a review of the past six weeks, which I hope you will find interesting.
Week 1 (2nd July)
After returning from my excursion to Dublin, it was straight in at the deep end with three gigs in three days. First up was a funeral with The Jelly Roll Jazz Band on the Friday (yes, we do those as well!), followed by an excursion to Berkshire on the Saturday for a very pleasant gig in the sunshine with The Sam Jewison Orchestra. Finally, I was back in Berkshire on the Sunday to play flute, clari, alto saxophone and recorder ( : / ) for a ballet school performance, which gave me a good sight-reading workout I can tell you!
Week 2 (9th July)
The Jelly Roll Jazz Band explored new territories this week, with a gig at a tinnitus clinic (no, really…) in the Kent town of Broadstairs. Here’s a little video clip featuring some of my slightly adapted lyrics:
Week 3 (16th July)
This week saw The Jelly Roll Jazz Band go on tour to Ribchester, to play for three days at the Royal Lancashire Show! It was a great success, and we got to jam with Jodie Prenger too:
Here’s a static video from the weekend, taken from the Lancashire Telegraph (http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/16368429.videopictures-royal-lancashire-show-2018/#gallery2):
Week 3 (23rd July)
Having had my fill of trad. jazz for a few days, I made my way to South Wales to play clari, alto saxo and tenor saxo with the Welsh Musical Theatre Orchestra. Over three days we performed in Blaenavon, Hereford and Cwmbran, and the shows marked the premieres of a number of new orchestrations from yours truly.
By the way, if you’re northern and would like to see WMTO performing, make sure you’re in Bridlington Spa at 3:30 on Sunday 11th November (https://www.bridspa.com/events/?eventid=99002)!
The week concluded (as many of the best weeks do) with a Jelly Roll gig in Pickering, playing for the first of a series of Sunday lunches at the Forest & Vale Hotel. It looked a little bit like this:
If you like the look of this motley bunch (and like the idea of a posh Sunday lunch), here are the rest of our dates for this year:
Sunday 19th August
Sunday 23rd September
Sunday 28th October
Sunday 25th November
See the hotel’s website for more information and to book your place: http://www.bw-forestandvalehotel.co.uk
Week 4 (30th August)
Didn’t do nowt this week. Actually that’s not true – I’m sure I did some things, I just can’t remember what. No performances though.
Week 5 (6th August)
Yet more Jelly Roll gigs this week, in all sorts of weird and wonderful shapes and sizes! For a bit of variety, I’ll list these ones in a bullet-pointed format:
- On the Wednesday we performed in Scarborough’s ‘Weird Fish’ shop, to celebrate the first anniversary of its opening. Here’s a clip (never say I’m not good to you!):
- The Friday saw us performing at the wedding of an old friend of ours in Scarborough, initially outside the church after the ceremony, and then on top of an open-top bus for a very windswept journey to East Ayton!
- On Saturday we made our way to a farm in the middle of nowhere (i.e. near Driffield), where we entertained punters at a little camping festival.
Week 6 (13th August)
Nearly there…
On Monday it was time for yet more Jelly Roll, as we performed our regular stint in Farrer’s Bar & Brasserie at Scarborough Spa Complex, to a particularly large and appreciative audience. ☺ This is how awesome we looked:
If you’d like to experience the joy of our Farrer’s gigs, here are the other dates for the rest of this year (all from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.):
Monday 17th September
Monday 12th November
Monday 17th December
AND FINALLY… Since Tuesday I’ve been in Aylesbury, playing flute, tenor saxophone and (some fairly fiendish) piccolo for Vivo d’Arte’s production of ‘Whistle Down the Wind’! There are three performances left by the way, so if you’re near Aylesbury or are capable of travelling extremely fast then you still have a chance to catch it: https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/stage-experience-whistle-down-the-wind/aylesbury-waterside-theatre/#showinfotabs=showtimes
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is all for now! Told you I’d been busy.
Video: ‘Jaws’, with the Irish Film & Pops Orchestra
I went on a little excursion across the Irish Sea this weekend, to join in a workshop with the Irish Film & Pops Orchestra – and what’s more, I’ve got a video to prove it! Here is us doing an initial run-through of the theme from Jaws (particularly good fun for the bassoon section…)
[EDIT: Oh no! This video has since disappeared. I’m sorry. Here’s someone else playing the music though, so you’re not too disappointed… – MG, 4/4/23]
If you enjoyed that, make sure you’re in Dublin on Sunday 2nd December, when we’ll be performing this along with a whole host of other wonderful film music! Keep a beady eye on this blog for details of the concert timings and location.
Video: At the End of the World
Here’s a little something that I’m sure all of the card-carrying members of the Michael Grant fanclub (and maybe some of the non-card-carrying as well) will enjoy. It’s a clip from Saturday’s gala with the Welsh Musical Theatre Orchestra, in which Broadway star Wade McCollum sings ‘At the End of the World’ from new musical ‘It Happened in Key West’ (soon to be opening at London’s Charing Cross Theatre)…
[EDIT: Sadly it seems this particular video is no longer available! Oh dear. But if you’d like to listen to the song anyway (without me in it), here’s the recording from the London production… – MG, 4/4/23]
‘Copacabanana’ in Southend – 9th to 12th May
Last week’s run of Sweeney Todd has inspired me to go on a little excursion, and spend this week down ‘By the Sea’! So I’ll be heading off to Copacabana to play in a musical about Southend-on-Sea. Wait… Strike that – reverse it. The point is, I’ll be joining Leigh Operatic & Dramatic Society to play flute, clari and tenor saxofoam for this celebration of all things Barry Manilow:
Copacabana
Wednesday 9th May – Saturday 12th May
7:30, with 2:30 matinees on 10th and 12th
Palace Theatre, Westcliff-on-Sea, SS0 9LA
For further information, click here.
Note that I’m sharing this production with the inimitable Tracy James, who will be holding down the Reed 3 chair on 11th and 12th while I’m away gallivanting in the North.
Sweeney Todd, in Stockwell – 2nd to 6th May
This week’s adventure takes me to Stockwell, where I’ll be attending the tale of Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Wandsworth Road. I’ll be playing the shrill combination of piccolo, flute, Bb clarinet and (for 4 bars only!) Eb clarinet. Do make an effort to attend if you can – yesterday’s sitzprobe sounded pretty darn gooood.
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Wednesday 2nd May – Sunday 6th May
7:30, with 3:00 matinees on 5th and 6th
Stockwell Playhouse, London, SW8 2JU
For further information, click here.
‘Kiss Me, Kate’ in Southend – 18th to 21st April
You’ll never guess what I’m doing this week!
Oh wait, maybe the title of this post was something of a spoiler… Never mind. If you happen to find yourself in the appropriate vicinity, do come along to see what I’m sure will be a marvellous production from Southend Operatic & Dramatic Society (abbreviate at your own risk). I’ll be hiding away under the stage playing a combination of flute, clarinet, tenor saxomophone and The Instrument That Must Not Be Named.
Kiss Me, Kate
Wednesday 18th April – Saturday 21st April
7:30, with 2:30 matinees on 19th and 21st
Palace Theatre, Westcliff-on-Sea, SS0 9LA
For further information, click here.
