Twitter Weekly Updates for 2012-03-25

  • Playing @FelliniHove solo classical & Jazz guitar 1pm til 4pm, Church rd, Hove 🙂 #
  • Rob Leake Quartet,Fri 23rd March,Brighton BN Jazz,63 Church Rd,Hove http://t.co/ovsxKHiw #
  • Rob Leake Quartet,Fri 23rd March,Brighton BN Jazz,63 Church Rd,Hove http://t.co/lHTeh7Lh @jimwhyte drums,Terry Pack Bass,Myself Guitar #
  • Rob Leake Quartet,Fri 23rd March,Brighton BN Jazz,63 Church Rd,Hove http://t.co/84enpq8x Terry Pack bass,Jim Whyte drums,Myself guitar #

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Guitar Lessons, Brighton & Hove

Paul is a highly respected teacher and offers guitar lessons in the Brighton & Hove area.  He tutors a range of students. He is a trained teacher holding a PGCE teaching certificate and works for the local council music services teaching whole class music and guitar and bass lessons in local schools.  Paul is a guest lecturer at Brighton jazz school.

Amongst Paul’s students are professional performers and advanced players in the Jazz and classical fields of music.  Many players have come for lessons to prepare for auditions for London Universities on Jazz degrees and for final performances on the Jazz course atChichester college.  You will receive thorough, concise yet fun guitar lessons adapted in a way for you to excel in your chosen area of playing.

For those students wishing to pursue the formal grades, Paul is able to tailor guitar lessons accordingly and has had a 100% pass rate with students so far.

Paul will help you make sense of complex jazz and classical music by breaking it down into easy to follow steps and manageable goals.

Topics covered generally include….

  • Theory and harmony
  • Improvising over chord changes
  • Chord voicings
  • Creating chord melody arrangements
  • Studies and exercises
  • Modes, Scales and more
  • Detailed tune analysis
  • Making practice fun!

I have met many promising young guitarists at a popular night I run called the Brunswick jazz jam who are local or staying in Brighton whilst studying at Brighton institute of modern music.  Many of my jazz guitar students have gone onto University to study jazz and it’s great seeing the improvement when they return for holidays.  I have taught many jazz guitarists for preparation for auditions on Jazz courses in London and also for preparation for the final performance at Chichester college on the Jazz course.  Many of my guitar students now have the ability and confidence to go out and play professionally themselves in jazz duos, trios and full on jazz bands and I have seen some brilliant performances in Brighton and Hove lately.  I also encourage my students to play at the jazz jam session I run at the Brunswick, Hove to get used to playing as part of a jazz band and in public.

Other students, going down the more classical guitar route have passed their graded exams.  With the classical guitar lessons I teach technique, theory and how to memorize classical guitar pieces by understanding the underlying structure of the tune regarding key centres,  identifying chord inversions and chord progressions and how the melody lines relate to the harmony.  These lessons which will stand you in good stead if you are looking to play guitar professionally at weddings, events, parties and functions.

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Rob Leake Quartet,Fri 23rd March,Brighton BN Jazz,63 Church Rd,Hove

Rob Leake grew up in the North-East and began gigging in and around Newcastle after leaving school. In 1995 he left to go to college at Leeds College of Music. The next 3 years provided a great period of study and playing that ultimately lead to a move to London. Here, Rob landed gigs with Polar Bear, Oreille and extensive work on the salsa scene. The influence of this period was formative. A visit to Hastings brought him into contact with the legendary saxophonist Trevor Watts. Following extensive rehearsals and study with Trevor, Rob toured Europe and the USA with the Celebration Band: a continuation of’ Moire Music’ featuring 4 saxophones and a heavy ‘World music’ component.

Rob is now based in Hastings and enjoys a varied life of playing, teaching and family. Rob’s music is firmly rooted in jazz, but reflects his passion for ‘World’ influences such as Latin and Funk. Rob’s debut album, ’Present Time’, was finished in 2010 and is all of the above. It features Liane Carroll, Pete Wareham, James McMillan, Terry Pack, Nick Peck and Jim Whyte. Currently, I am part of The Paul Busby Big Band, The Hastings Horns, Chacon y su Timba among others.

On drums making his Debut at this venue we have Jim Whyte.  Born in Dumbarton, Scotland in 1970, Jim Whyte’s musical interest never got fully underway until his Secondary School days, where he first indulged his passion for composition and songwriting. As a student of the Scottish jazz vibraphone and tenor sax player Jimmy Feighn, Jim began performing at the age of 16, as a tuned percussionist with the Clydebank Burgh Band; a championship Scottish brass band at the time.

In 1989 he began a degree course in music at Salford University. It was during this time that Jim decided to move away from orchestral percussion and concentrate on drum-kit.

Jim spent 5 years as a drummer on the jazz scene in Manchester, alongside contemporaries such as Dave Hassell, Steve Brown, Steve Gilbert and Luke Flowers (Cinematic Orchestra). And played with many of the top jazz musicians in the area, such as; Mike Gorman, Mike Outram, John Ellis, Andy Schofield, Les Chisnall, Steve Berry, Stuart McCallum, flugal horn player Richard Isles and legendary guitarist Mike Walker.

In 1996 he moved to London, and was awarded a scholarship to attend the post-grad jazz course at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. It was here that he had the opportunity to perform with great jazz musicians such as Kenny Wheeler, Carla Bley, John Taylor, and James Williams.

In 1998 Jim formed his own hybrid jazz/folk/rock quintet, which has featured legendary British jazz musicians such as saxophonists Stan Sulzman and Julian Seigal, Partisans bassist Thad Kelly, vituosic guitarist Mike Outram, Eryl Roberts on drums and percussion, and Jim on drums, piano, guitar and vocals.

In 2006 on the Scottish scene in Glasgow, Jim formed his latest quintet ‘Sonic Butterfly’ and recorded the debut album with some of the finest young musicians on the Scottish jazz scene, including guitarist Kevin Mackenzie and saxophonist John Burgess. During all this time, Jim was also very active as a singer/songwriter, writing mostly for guitar and voice and began performing them on the Glasgow singer/songwriter scene, as a way of developing his own sound on drums and in composition, and to which he still performs at present.

Jim lives In Brighton, East Sussex, and is currently involved in a number of musical projects, eg: the alternative jazz trio ‘Full Circle’, Afro/Jazz group ‘The London Bridge Ensemble, Brighton based Indie band ‘The Miserable Rich’, electro/folk/rock group ‘Oddfellows Casino’, the reformed 1970’s prog rock band ‘Marsupilami’, his own Scots/Russian collaborated project ‘Under the Saltire’,and also works on the Brighton music scene, as an in-demand jazz drummer and session musician, among various other projects, including his own group ‘Sonic Butterfly’.

In his career so far Jim has played and performed with many great jazz and musical names including; Scottish jazz saxophone legend Bobby Wellins, pianist Nikki Iles, saxophonist Dave O’Higgins, American saxophonist Frank Perowski, Scottish jazz piano legend Brian Kellock, pianist Liam Noble, Pete Wareham (Acoustic Ladyland), Keith Emerson (ELP), Dame Evelyn Glennie, jazz singer Anita Wardell, legendary saxophonist Julian Arguelles, trombonist Mark Bassey, Guy Garvey (Elbow), Martin Slattery (The Hours) Australian singer Trudy Kerr, saxophonist Geoff Simpkins,The Ryan Quigley Big Band, guitarist Stuart McCallum (Cinematic Orchestra), Andrew Philips and Marcus O’Dair (Grasscut), 1970’s Prog Rock band Marsupilami, as well as the great James Brown’s band, including performances on radio, television and at some of the finest venues and festivals across the country and around the world.

Jim currently plays on vintage Slingerland drums, and uses Zyldjian, Sabian and Istanbul cymbals, and Vic Firth sticks.

Returning to Brighton Blue Note, on double bass we have Terry Pack – with a career that spans the decades he has played with a multitude of bands across the world.  He is also a profilic composer – check his latest album “Palimpsest” featuring an all star cast of UK talent.

I’ll be on the guitar and am really looking forward to playing in this combo!  It’s at Doug Ellingford’s bar “The Brighton Blue Note” under the Greenhouse Effect, 63 Church Rd, Hove, BN3 2BD. Band starts at 11pm til late, free entry all night!  Bar open until 4am.

 

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Twitter Weekly Updates for 2012-03-18

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Richard Beesley Quartet, Fri 16th, 11pm

Since he graduated from London’s Guildhall School of Music, Richard has gone on to become one of London’s most versatile session players. He has recorded and played with diverse artists such as Michael Buble,  Mark Ronson, Madness, Kyle Eastowood, Rebecca Ferguson, Dionne Bromfield, Candi Staton, Suzie Quattro, Tony Hadley, Kevin Rowland, Adriana Evans and Leroy Hutson. He has also toured with many soul legends such as The Funk Brothers, The Stylistics, James Ingram, Deniece Williams, Freda Payne, The Supremes, The Three Degrees, Ashford and Simpson, Martha Reeves, Peabo Bryson and The Temptations. Around London Richard plays with top funk outfits “Dotfunk”, and the PB Underground with the Hit Horns, and regularly plays with newly formed world music group “Bansangu Orchestra”.

Richard’s an outstanding musician and as most of his work is in London playing with all these outfits, it’s a rare treat to see him  in Brighton in a quartet setting playing a selection of choice jazz standards including Wayne Shorter tunes and more!  He’ll be using his tenor sax tonight and and will be accompanied by regulars Nick McGuigan on bass and myself on guitar.

Also tonight we have great drummer Tony Shepherd.  I really enjoy Tony’s drum work especially his Latin side.  We were in a Brazilian / Latin Jazz band 8 years ago playing Brazilian Choros and Sambas as part of Auro Quartet so hope to sneak some of that into the music!  As well as being a drummer,  Tony is a percussionist, keyboard player and songwriter who has played with the likes of Oasis (gigs and BBC TV’s Later with Jools Holland), Boo Hewerdine, Dave Stewart, Bobby Wellins, Jim Mullen and The Blues Corporation. He played Keys with The Bible, enjoying extensive TV, radio and live appearances in the UK and abroad, and was signed to Chrysalis Records as a recording artist and songwriter.  He is a course leader at Brighton Institute of Modern Music (BIMM).  In fact a lot of BIMM students regularly support the Friday jazz nights.

The music kicks off at 11pm until 1.30am, doors early, closing time 4am – free entry all night!  Thanks to Jack Kendon, Loz Thomas, Nick McGuigan for a most enjoyable gig last week!  It’s BBN Underneath the Greenhouse effect, 63 Church Rd, Hove, BN3 2BD.

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