Scotland tour 2002

9 Oct 2002. Day Before Leaving.
Much to get together. Chased promoters for signed contracts, sorting directions for venues and accomodation and downloading from net where none exist (most gigs).Check all contracts, directions, make checklist for packing, pack, sort music pads for musicians, phone both deputy pianists. Go to collect hire car from Avis Euston with Andy Hamill. As it's my wife Madelyn's birthday on 11th Oct while I'm 600 miles away, we go for meal out in the evening in a great restaurant near Bond St in London called Providores. Fabulous food, lovely evening. It's one of the downsides of being a touring musician that one is away from home and loved ones at important times, but I guess that's part of the gig.

10 Oct 2002. Travel Day.
Marc Parnell arrives bang on time at 9.45 am and we pack the car ready to go.We've travelled a lot together on tour and have refined into a fine art the packing of his drums and all our gear into my car. We get his kit, my sax and flute, several boxes of CDs, all our personal bags for 2 ½ weeks, and I can still see out of the rear view mirror! A good start. It is a long drive. 472 miles today to be precise. A huge lorry with its entire load of hay had an accident and blocked the road on the A66 by Brough (near Penrith in Cumbria). Police cars, ambulances and helicopters - so it looks like people have been badly hurt. 45 mins later we move off again. Lunch and dinner in Motorway services. V. expensive and not very good, but a chance to test out the RAC 20 % discounts in Little Chef. It works! Hurrah. Arrive in Perth, Scotland after 11 hours on the road. Comfortable B+B. After a day like this, it really does make a difference!

11 Oct 2002. Gig - Eden Court, Inverness.
Drive of only 2½ hours, but tired from previous day. The rain came down big time. Met Andy H. at venue and Paul Harrison who had come from Edinburgh and was dep'ing on piano just for this gig. Checked into hotel and had splendid big lunch. On these tours it is always difficult fitting in the evening meal, as we usually soundcheck 6 - 7.30 ish then gig at 8.30pm, so there is never enough time for dinner, and gigging when you've finished a big meal 10 mins before you start is not good. So recently I have been trying the big late lunch approach. It worked well, but a bit peckish after the gig. Paul H did a very good job. Fine player. Gig went well and got a 4 star review in the Scotsman which was a plus. The audience seemed quiet at first, but were just a relatively undemonstrative lot, though speaking to people, they enjoyed it a great deal. We played "the Book" as the encore - a quiet waltz/ballad which ended the gig in a mellow mood, rather than whip them up into a frenzy. It seemed to work. Marc came up with some new, interesting and unexpected ideas in his drum solo on 21st Century Schizoid Man, which was great. Hung out after gig. Andy introduced us to some Swedish Schnaps he had. Much laughter.

12 October 2002. Gig - Northern Sands Hotel, Dunnet.
Porridge for breakfast again. Excellent, except it seems in Scotland they make it with water not milk, so a special request was sent to the chef for porridge made with milk. Much better. Left Inverness to drop Paul H at railway station and then to Airport to collect Phil Peskett who had got up at 5 am and flown up from Luton that morning. He made it! Much relief from me. So we drove up to Dunnet on the north coast of Scotland (near John O' Groats) where we checked in to the hotel where the gig was also taking place. Andy H. is turning into the intrepid explorer and marched off with his binoculars to check out the local wildlife. The gig was organised by the excellent Willie Wilson of Lyth Arts Centre, who seems to have the complete trust of his audience. Nearly everyone had pre-booked for the concert though not been to the venue before, and about an hour before the gig, he started ringing the audience up at home to check they were coming! And they did. I was particularly looking forward to the gig, and pleased to have Phil P back as he is the quartet's regular pianist. However good a dep' is , there is so much rapport and cohesiveness musicians gain from playing lots of gigs together that simply cannot be instantly replaced. It is all the more so, when the musicians are friends. Everyone played great. Again Marc P. particularly creative. Several examples on the gig of people stretching the bounds of their normal playing. It is much less safe to do this and can lead to insecurity and dissatisfaction in one's own playing - but more often than not, the actual result is more interesting, and the effort, committment and willingness to dare - comes through. Great audience - appreciative , warm and filled the venue. Great stuff. Lots of CDs sold tonight too.

13 October 2002. Gig - Woodwick House, Orkney.
Driving rain. Ferry to Orkney. Marc not well all day with bad stomach. During dinner it looked like he might not be able to play the gig, so I was a little concerned. Curiously, he played a blinder - not only bags of energy (you'd never know he felt less than 150% well), but imaginative and creative too. It's funny the resources one can muster to play music when unwell. Actually my throat had felt like sandpaper before and after the gig, but I was fine on it. So many times have I seen the physical manifestations of the "healing power of music" - actual not just metaphorical. Amazing. Some people a few rows back found the gig loud, but the people on the front row by the drums were totally fine and happy. We even bumped into two women when out in the main town (Kirkwall) the next day and they said how much they'd enjoyed the gig. Quite a mixed age group which I like. It was (as it often is) very hard to work out why the audience claps after certain solos and not others. There seems no logic to it at all. Something to ponder on in the future perhaps.......Anyway it went well.

14 October 2002. Day off. Orkney.
For the first time - sunshine! Hurrah. Went into town shopping and for tea and for a walk to explore Orkney. In the Orkney town of Kirkwall it seemed we were minor celebrities as got spotted and congratulated on the gig two or three times in the street. Fame at last! Nice meal in the evening and fun hanging out. Phil P slaughtered me at chess.....and then seemed to hypnotise a cat with a keyring laser beam!.

15 October 2002. Gig- Lochinver Village Hall.
Early start. Breakfast at 7.45 am. Arrived at ferry to be told the one we were booked on didn't exist! I'd been told it left at 9.30 am but it actually left at 8.30 am. The next one was 3 pm - meaning we'd miss our gig. Panic. The first crisis. Luckily there was another ferry running from a different part of the island, which had spaces and meant we could make the gig. We got a refund for the non existant ferry, drove to the other one and got on. During the crossing we saw several seals and a whole school of dolphins. How cool is that on the way to a jazz gig! My cold was getting worse and I had a big drive ahead. Drove right across the north coast of Scotland east to west then down the west side to Lochinver. Stunningly beautiful scenery. Just staggering. If only I hadn't felt so rough and we hadn't had a race against time to get to the gig...Despite my cold Lochinver gig was great. There is something particularly warm about the Lochinver audience. We were told some people had been at our gig there 4 years ago, and had made a special trip to be there for the return gig. At the end of our second set, there was a loud stamping of feet, and people gave us a standing ovation demanding an encore. So of course it was given and we played "the Book" . One audient particularly enjoyed the echo flute intro to "Everything Matters" and explained he played sax and lived in a valley with rocks that sent back both a 3 second and 5 second echo - so he plays outside to the natural double echo. Sounds great. Immediately after the gig my cold hit me with a vengeance - as if my body had agreed to keep the full effect of the cold at bay for the 15 hours of getting to the gig, soundcheck and doing the gig, on the condition that as soon as the gig ended it could release its full force all at once. Wow did I feel it then! I couldn't breathe, my head throbbed like a pressure cooker and I was exhausted - but hey.......it was worth it! I got through the gig and it was a good ' un. Thank you Lochinver.

16 October 2002. Gig - Ceilidh Place, Ullapool.
Let's get one thing clear. I love the Ceilidh Place. It is the best, and Jean and her son Jock who run it are the business! Sunny weather for a change. When the sun lights up the Highlands, it is transformed into simply the most beautiful place on the planet (in my humble opinion). Great gig. We all had a few brandies before the gig as an experiment. We don't usually drink till after the gigs, but as we were staying there and things were relaxed it seemed like a good idea. The result was much merriment on the gig and we were definitely in particularly high spirits and in a playful mood during the gig, which did give it a certain vitality. Phil P. has some new theories/methods relating to playing "outside" ie improvising in a way less directly related to the chord changes - and these were in evidence on the gig. As we'd talked about them, it seemed all the more apparent. Dinner discussion included the issue of "be open to musical possibilities and things will happen of their own accord / no - whether things happen or not is a matter for discussion/ decision / decree", and the question of how the parameters of change and improvisation happen. Some sections of tunes eg the opening of Lulworth Night and Here's that Rainy Day were tightened up. 21st Century Schizoid Man was wild tonight! The sax solo often feels like flying a plane that is taking off and not having any idea whether it will land safely and neatly or crash! Definitely close to the edge. It is definitely good to have danger , risk and "edges" in music rather than everything being too smooth - especially within a small group of improvising musicians who have sufficient technique to be flexible "on the fly" and have good musical ideas.

17 October 2002. Gig - Aultbea Hall.
First time there has been jazz put on by the promoter here. The promoter Caroline hadn't taken advance bookings, so was taking a considerable gamble and was quite nervous prior to the event. A good crowd turned up and they loved the gig so everyone was happy. In the first set we played all my original compositions - so here we were, in a tiny remote village, a band no-one had heard of, playing music no-one knew, and presumeably not knowing what to expect, as part of a series of events that had not included any jazz previously. That seems an unusual and strange context to play a gig. The reception was in fact rapturous. It made me think about what it is people were responding to. It's difficult to get information from an audience about what they like - but the bottom line is it worked - and that is good enough for me. However, I have my theories.....Had to drive slowly back to the accomodation in Ullapool, because of the danger of wild deer jumping in front of the car, and lazy sheep refusing to get out of the road. It makes a change from London traffic anyway! Got back and sat up in the bar hanging out with Marc P, Jock U. and Mike Whellan - blues singer/guitarist who'd just played at the Ceilidh Place. Excellent chaps. Many stories, jokes, anecdotes and general chat, and a few drinks. Bed 3.30 am.

18 October 2002. Day Off - Ullapool.
Stayed at the Ceilidh Place. Decided to take it easy - then changed my mind and hired a mountain bike for the afternoon for £5! Cycled up hill and into quarry which was the quietest outdoor place I can ever remember. Inside it there was zero sound. Weird. Then I checked out the echoes and there were three. Impromptu clapping song with triple echo performed then headed off towards nearby loch. Weather was sunny so could see the full golden glow of the Highlands in its amazing late afternoon almost surreal light. One of those great times when it felt truly magical to be alive. A real feeling of awe. In the evening we went for a curry and were invited as evening guests to the wedding ceilidh happening at the Ceilidh Place. Good band on and good to see a traditional Scottish celebration with the pipes and dancing etc.

19 October 2002. Gig- Moorings, Fort William.
Big room in smart hotel. Small audience. Free entry to the gig, so there were people who chatted through it. I guess people don't value what they haven't given value for. We were treated very well which was much appreciated. There was a strong sense of fun on the gig - many musical quotes, playing with each other's musical catchphrases, excess frivelous energy. The echo flute intro to "Everything Matters" went well but my solo in the track was not so good. In "All I know" I felt I could have done with a kick up the bum from the band and afterwards, mentioned to Phil P. that I was happy to be "thrown more stuff" to play off if the mood took him. "Fast Life" and "21st C Schizoid Man" both flew...

20 October 2002. Gig - Corran Hall, Oban.
Very nice studio theatre. Small but appreciative audience (have I said that before..?). We tried a new improvisation -tenor sax and Marc singing vocal percussion as a free intro to "Full Moon Rising" It worked well, but was better on the rehearsal, although we all collapsed in laughter twice trying it! I think it will be something good to develop. On three occasions I found myself talking nonsense on the microphone while talking to the audience. I would think I was going to say one thing, then hear something different come out of my mouth, leading to something else. It was kind of funny and the audience did laugh, but it is weird not having control of one's own mouth. "All I know" is developing in interesting ways. The sax solo is turning into a group improvisation in a way we don't do on other tunes. Moving harmonies and textures, band dynamics as one and unfolding structures - like a band spontaneous composition - as opposed to a solo over a rhythm section fulfilling traditional roles. Pleasing , enjoyable and definitely good music.

21 October 2002. Gig- Iona library.
Two ferries and a drive to get to this amazing small island. The island's entire population is 90 so there was never going to be a huge turnout. We play in the library (shhh!) that is about two hours a week. The island seems rather magical and any gig here is a special event. We played at 7 pm to finish in time for people to go to the church service at the famous Abbey at 9 pm.That is most definitely a first for us. The gig went so well that some people who had been keen for us to end early so they could go to the service, stamped the floor demanding an encore and then not going. The devil's music indeed! Being such a small room we started the gig with a ballad "the Book" rather than the steaming "Fort Dunlop" and it put an entirely different feel over the whole set. An interesting musical moment happened in the cadenza at the end of "Off the Wagon". I finish my cadenza and Phil P. did a cascade of chords and runs to fit over the final chord over which I usually improvise. I usually end on a major chord, but for some reason I ended on a dominant seventh chord. Phil had worked out all these phrases that fitted over the one note that differentiates a major chord from a 7th chord - remote substitutions you might call them - but I had not played that major chord note.The result was an amusing dischordant clash that caused much merriment, but eventually resolved when we wormed our way out of it. A sort of "mistake", but interesting musically and amusing - so what's wrong with that? Probably more interesting than a lot of "correct" stuff.

22 October 2002. Gig - An Tobar Arts Centre, Tobermory, Isle of Mull.
One island nearer the mainland. Nice arts centre run by the most excellent Gordon Maclean. Mull seems to be quite a creative place with an excellent small theatre company, musicians, artists, and arrangers. The vibe felt like an audience more urban and "savvy" than one would expect. I used a new sax reed on the gig, and it made a huge difference to me to how the sax felt/responded - but I'm sure absolutely no difference to anyone else. Ended the gig with encore of "the Book" - which made neat bookends to the Iona and Mull gigs. Good gig. More rain. Stayed in lovely B+B where the husband of the proprietor was the ex- lead guitarist with Gene Vincent.

23 October 2002. Travel day.
6.30 am start to get to ferry to mainland in time. Not a good get up time for jazz musicians. We did it though and made the ferry fine. A little concerned about one of my tyres that still seems to be losing air. Then drove to Glasgow airport to drop Phil P. who had to return to London, before driving to Edinburgh for a night off. Edinburgh is in my eyes one of the UK's most beautiful cities and having lived there as a child, it has a special resonance. Marc and I went for a meal and to see a not good movie about crop circles, aliens, religion and err....I'm not sure what really. Disappointing.

24 October 2002 .Gig- Bridge Bar, Edinburgh.
Picked up David Beebee, our third pianist of the tour(!) from railway station. Storms had caused floods and a landslide near Berwick, so his train had been transferred to a coach for the remainder of his journey. Our gig was one of three in town that night, so audience was probably split between them. The gig went well and a couple of members of the audience came up to me after and said how much they'd been enjoying Heart of the Sun - particularly the compositions and panoramic soundworld of it. Most pleasing! We shared the bill with the drummer Bill Kyle's band. Some very good players in his band. Of particular note was an electric bass player called Kevin Glasgow (from Edinburgh) who has developed a two handed tapping soloing technique like nothing any of us had seen or heard before. Amazing. Lovely laid back feel too. And he's only 19! Definitely a name for the future. Watch out! We were all taken out for a nice Chinese meal by a friend which was generous of him. David Beebee did a very good job.

25 October 2002. Gig- Macrobert Arts Centre, Stirling.
Soundcheck from hell. Bad piano. Cold sounding room. Inexperienced sound engineer. Bad howling feedback. Strange stage layout with plug and leads sockets in ridiculous places. I feared the worst. Gig started at 10.45 pm. However.....big crowd. Great crowd. Young crowd! Mainly university students. Amazing response. I watched as people's faces lit up and jaws dropped and beamed big smiles. It was a pleasure to see! It was great to play to a room of young vibey people. I think many had not really heard much jazz and had few preconceptions about what they were about to hear. So they just heard it at face value and loved what they heard. Sometimes I do find jazz audiences can tell you what they like, what they think you should be playing (!) and how much they like other people playing what they play (!?). Several positive comments about the echo flute on "See Emily Play" . "21c Schizoid Man " got great response too. People often seem just happy that we play it. Great night. Who would have guessed it was going to turn out like that?! It just goes to show...

26 October 2002. Gig- The Gate, Goole (Yorkshire).
Six and a half hour drive to gig. We'd estimated four hours. Oops. Typical, the one day we get sun all day we are driving and it's in our eyes. Was feeling tired by the latter part of the gig. Everone played well and David has got the set great now. It's a shame now he is fully up to speed we're all off home now as this was the last gig of the run. Late night hanging out, whisky, laughter and messing about. Hysterical and fun. Probably the best porridge of the tour at breakfast.

A great feeling of satisfaction at the end of the gig/tour. No hitches or car breakdowns (which was probably my major worry). No problems with logistics. All the guys had been really great. Good times, fun, music, people, and stunning places. Profitable too. A most excellent tour........Roll on the next one!