Words and Music

On Sunday I played in the grounds of a beautiful house in Wolverley, Worcestershire. The plan was to play one set outside and then move into the billiard room, but in the event the weather was so gorgeous that no-one wanted to go inside. So having set up the PA and the drum kit in the billiard room we didn’t actually use it. The drummer used only a snare, and the bass player played tuba. Vocals were a problem without mikes, but we managed a group bellow now and then.

The gardens were exquisitely landscaped, with streams and ponds all over the place. We were invited to help ourselves to beer (which miraculously didn’t run out) and the buffet was unbelievably wonderful. All in all a pretty good gig.

Yesterday’s gig was slightly unusual in that it took place outside a butcher’s shop in Ombersley, Worcestershire, which was celebrating its centenary. There were speeches by local dignitaries, including the Mayor of Kidderminster, and the aristocracy was represented by Lord Sandys (pronounced Sands), a charming gentleman whose speech was a rare combination of brevity and wit.

Two other events made this gig memorable: in the last set, between 8 and 9 pm, we had to compete with the sound of bell-ringing practice from the church across the road; and in addition to our cash fee the members of the quartet were each presented with a bag of sausages.

This is an experimental blog whose prime purpose is to find out how to do it so that I can pass the information on to my lovely daughter-in-law, Janice Day. She has entrusted the development of her website to my tender care, and the thing she wants to do above all else at the moment is to blog.

If I decide to carry on with this for my own purposes, it will cover the traditional jazz scene in England and Wales, as seen by a working musician.