A very enjoyable day with producer Greg Fitzgerald and mastering engineer Mike Thorne at the Rimshot Studios in Sittingbourne, Kent. We collectively worked on the first side of my album, set for vinyl release, with Mike’s expertise superbly bringing out the nuances of Greg’s production.
Tag: News
Parliamentary jazz
Norma Winstone MBE, Claire Martin, Georgia Mancio, Jas Kayser and Nubya Garcia were among the recipients of the event, streamed online from Pizza Express, in London’s Dean Street.
Top gear track
A special treat for Ben this afternoon as we had arranged for him to drive around the junior section of the Top Gear track with the Car Chase Heroes company. His chosen vehicle was a Chevrolet Camaro Bumblebee. ‘Great drive’ said his instructor!
DCMS Report
The MU, The Ivors Academy and #BrokenRecord Campaign have today welcomed the ‘revolutionary’ DCMS Select Committee report into the ‘Economics of music streaming.’
Theme recording
A relaxed session with Greg at the studio today, as we compiled the closing title theme for the album, Waterloo Sunrise. This involved selecting parts from both the completed tracks and from the solos delivered by our marvellous team of session players.
Waterloo market
Photographer Jonathan Stewart and I toured Waterloo once more this afternoon, this time capturing the final locations and shots we had identified during our previous site-finding visits.
MU & FAC guidance
The MU and the Featured Artists Coalition (FAC) are delighted to share a joint guidance for session musicians and featured artists.
Sheffield studios
As part of the preparations for the MU Delegate Conference, I travelled to Sheffield today and visited the Yellow Arch Studios of the Northern Cowboys to meet up with the team who would be producing our event online: Mark Lewis, Thomas Dibb and Elinor Jenkins.
Record Store Day
A marvellous day in the company of long-term friend and business colleague Mark Batchelor which began at 10.30am this morning in Denmark Street, where we met ahead of a series of visits to music-related sites across the West End.
Tour of Waterloo
Jonathan Stewart and I had been discussing the options for my album’s artwork and mooted trips to Bournemouth and Whitstable, amongst others, with a view to capturing a set of seaside scenes.
The Musician (summer)
The summer 2021 issue of the MU magazine, The Musician, is being dispatched in digital format by email to all members this week.
Canterbury shoot
I drove down to Canterbury this morning in the company of photographer Jonathan Stewart, to visit Greg Fitzgerald’s rurally-located studio once more.
London Bridge
I caught a train from Beckenham to London Bridge this morning to attend a site visit at the Hilton Hotel in Tooley Street with my MU colleague Jane Austin.
Guitar parts
A further trip to the wilds of deepest Kent today, visiting Greg Fitzgerald’s studio near Canterbury. A very productive session resulted in the basics of a new song, The Girl I Never Had, benefitting from a layering of acoustic and lead guitar parts.
Head above water
The latest session with Greg Fitzgerald saw the recording yesterday of the lead vocal for ‘Head above Water’, a revised mix of ‘Promises at midnight’, plus the first performance of ‘The girl I never had’, the lyric for which was completed early this morning.
The Musician (spring)
The spring 2021 issue of The Musician magazine is being dispatched in print format to members this week and also included with this edition is an insert containing the Motions for Conference and the call for Conference Delegates.
Brooklands Radio
I was interviewed last week by Roger McCormick for Brooklands Radio and the show was broadcast this evening. I was joined online by long-term colleague Ian Smith of Frusion and Fizzion International Music Agencies, and we discussed in-depth the issues facing working musicians looking to tour Europe in the future.
BCB Radio 2021
Bradford Community Broadcasting (BCB) is a volunteer-led, community organisation that uses engagement with Community Radio as a tool for personal development, empowerment and social change.
Richmond swing
A very pleasant in the company of family and friends. First, I met my nephew Steve in Kingston-upon-Thames, and we walked along the riverbank discussing plans and ideas for the artwork of my album.
Canterbury tale
Another fulfilling day working on songs for the album. This time progress was made via the guitar, arrangement and initial lead vocal for ‘Promises at midnight’; an additional brief electric guitar solo for Quids in; approved mixes of Caring soul and Nashville, Tennessee; plus tweaks to the mixes of ‘Girl on the Train’ (guitar) and ‘In the comfort of strangers’ (lead vocal).
Brexit deal
The Musicians’ Union has today expressed its concern that the Government’s Brexit deal as it stands does not adequately cover arrangements for touring musicians.
Guitars and bass
Two visits to Greg Fitzgerald’s studio in Canterbury have resulted in excellent progress for my new album. The 11th December produced a lead vocal for Caring Soul, plus parts for a number of the nine tracks we have worked on so far.
Call for theatre
The Musicians’ Union, Equity and Bectu are collectively calling on the government to exempt theatre productions from the Tier 3 regulations and to allow them to open to socially distanced audiences.
Disability awareness
I completed an online disability awareness course today in the company of MU colleagues from across the UK. I made mention during the day of my stepdaughter Lisa, who was born profoundly deaf.
Grassroots action
I joined the online meeting of the Kelsey & Eden Park Branch of the local Labour Party this evening.
The Musician (winter)
The winter 2020 issue of The Musician is being dispatched in print format to members this week. This the first print edition since the spring, and we lead with an eight page feature summarising the Union’s work since the initial lockdown was implemented in March.
National Jazz Archive
It was a pleasure to join the AGM of the excellent Jazz Archive this evening. An engaging range of subject matter was discussed, with two items relating to the MU proving of interest to the Trustees.
Difford & Tilbrook
I joined the ‘Up The Albert’ online event this evening, which featuring a magical line-up of host Chris Difford, his Squeeze partner Glenn Tilbrook, the beguiling Emily Barker, plus rising local star, Katy J Pearson.
Leytonstone online
Film maker William Ambler-Shaw’s documentary on the Leytonstone Unplugged event in August, which very kindly raised money for the MU Coronavirus Hardship Fund, is now available on YouTube.
Americana online
The UK Americana Music Association (AMA-UK) has revealed the nominations for the seven member-voted categories of the UK Americana Awards 2021.
