A love letter…

(This was written in November 2020 but still holds true.)

Maaaaan, I miss performing with a full band. I had a gig booked with some of these fine people at the beginning of November, and then we went into our second lockdown and my dreams were dashed once more.

This recording was taken back in 2015. It features a lot of wonderful talent, including Lorne Cowieson on Trumpet and Stu Macdonald on Saxophone.

OH the stories I could tell about either of these guys..

I met Lorne on a gig in Edinburgh. It was maybe 2014. I had been booked for a Lindy Hop gig and needed a trumpet player. There was little point bringing one from Yorkshire, as the band had gigs in Northumberland on the way to Scotland that didn't require a 6th player, so I decided to book a Scottish player instead, having never met.

I got SO lucky with Lorne. He's a phenomenal player and blended in musically and personally with the band instantly. He plays in the SNJO and has since got me backstage at the Sage to meet Kurt Elling during the interval of one of their joint performances. That's right; I am 1 degree of separation away from being in a band with my favourite singer. 

Stuart is Yorkshire based. I first gigged with him when he was booked by a previous Saxophone player as a dep. That gig was AMAZING. I felt so supported by Stu - he was encouraging and full of energy, and an incredible player - playing exactly what is required of him within the genre of the gig. I soon decided he was to be my go-to Sax player, rather than a dep!

One of the first non-Lindy gigs I performed with Stuart was in a Jazz cafe in Scarborough. He was often encouraging me to scat a chorus, despite my nervousness. Occasionally forced my hand by just not playing, leaving me to fill the gaps! On this particular gig, he told me he was going to ask the trio to stop playing for the next chorus. I was terrified - what did that mean!? The band stopped and Stu and I weaved our improv around each other, to the click of my fingers. When I went high, we went low, and vice versa.  It was so liberating and fun. You will see us do the same thing with Lorne in this video.

Not to leave the other players unaccounted for, on Piano is Andy Cholerton. I first met Andy in Betty's, Harrogate. I was working and he was setting up for a gig. I was desperate to be performing, having recently graduated, and probably made a right fool of myself (have you seen the Betty's uniform?!) Anyway, a few years later we were performing regularly together. 

On Drums and Bass are 2 of my Johns. I love my Johns. John Marley on Bass is exactly what you need from a bassist - dependable, creative, talented and downright lovely. 

John Arnesen is on drums and is again one of my favourite musicians. Whenever I turn to him, he's smiling. He brings my music to life, and is one of the most dapper-dressed on any gig. In fact, he's the reason I stopped asking my musicians to wear all black - I didn't want to stifle his creativity. Incidentally, the last time I did asked him to wear all black was on a gig for the National Trust. He missed that part of the text and arrived in cream slacks, a claret-coloured and a cravat. 😆

Wow, this really reads like a love letter to my band, doesn't it. 

Well, I guess it is..