I should have reported on this before now. Very remiss of me. Well, beter late than never.
On Sunday 8th June, Pete (Number-2 son) & I made an epic trip north up the M6 to Lancaster; a staggering 66 miles. This was to meet my
Big Brother Bill, whom I don't get to see very often. Bill plays piano. BILL PLAYS PIANO. Where d'you
think I get my "grand" ideas from, eh? Well, enough of the puns. Suffice it to say that Bill - 10 years my senior - was my inspiration to learn to play "proper" piano - ie jazz - from about the age of 8.
Bill has a regular Sunday lunchtime slot at the
Stonewell Tavern in Lancaster, playing background piano for the punters. All the old standards are in there, and after approximately two hours solid he's still barely halfway through his repertoire. (Phew!)
That's him at the top of this column, at the Broadbent.
The Stonewell is run by an absolutely charming and talented couple, Rohi and Jerry who, among other things, serve up delicious home-made Italian dishes. Here's Rohi (centre - obviously), with Bill (right) and Pete:
And (below) Jerry (right), with Bill (left) and Pete (centre - obviously):
When I say "talented": Jerry is a formidable vocalist, pianist, guitarist, bongoist(?) ... etc etc. Not that I actually heard him on this occasion, as he was far too busy looking after his customers. But I have it on VERY good authority that he is one
serious musician.
But back to Bill for a moment: I took a short video clip with my digital camera. Unfortunately that meant the sound quality left a lot to be desired, but at least it gives an idea of Bill's playing:
Pete and I were fortunate enough to be allowed to grace the stage after Bill's slot, and we did about four numbers. From memory, I think they were "Song for Margaret" (my composition), "Wish You Were Here" (Pink Floyd's), "Country" (Keith Jarrett composition) and another one. Can't remember what that was. We had a great time. The pub was still only just beginning to fill up, but those who were there seemed to appreciate it, and we weren't booed off. A few shots of us in action:
It appears Lancaster is a haven for musicians of all kinds, and many of the pubs put on live music each week. The Stonewell is no exception, hosting bands most evenings; and on Sunday afternoons there is a real treat - a jam session. It started soon after we and Bill had done our "turns". The jam was led by an extremely accomplished jazz guitarist named Sam. At one point there were some eight musicians on the tiny stage, including Sam on guitar, three saxes, a trombone, bass, drums/percussion and keyboards (not me, I hasten to add!).
Their ages ranged from "mature" (shall we say) to around 16, and their musical ability was, in my humble opinion, outstanding. Here they are ...
And a couple of video clips, for good measure ...
Not bad eh? And to cap it off, the atmosphere in the Stonewell is superb. If you get chance, do pop up (or down, across, whatever) and see/hear for yourself. Oh, and of course, tuck into a plate of delicious pasta!
In case you missed the URL above, it's
The Stonewell Tavern.
Cheers
Mike
