No degrees of separation...

I've just returned from a jazz summer school at CODARTS, the Rotterdam Conservatoire. It's a funny world jazz - a small world. So small that you can end up on a summer school with tutors such as Billy Hart, Harold Danko, Hein van der Geyn, Philip Catherine, Carlos Werneck, Dena DeRose, Cyro Baptista, Rick Margonitz, Gerard Presencer. These people played with Shirley Horn, Chet Baker, John Abercrombie, Lee Konitz, Gerry Mulligan, Dexter Gordon, Charles Mingus, McCoy Tyner, Stan Getz, Gilberto Gil, Astrud Gilberto, Herbie Hancock, Caetano Veloso, Ivan Lins, Milton Nascimento... amongst others. That's a fairly good covering of jazz history in one swoop. There are no degrees of separation in jazz. That's one of the best things about it. You end up playing with the legends. You also play with amazing young talent. Some of the guys on the summer school were 15 and 16 years old yet playing drums and piano like you wouldn't believe. I was lucky to be in a great international combo with bari sax, two flugel horns, piano, bass and drums coming from the Netherlands, Slovenia, France and the UK. Now that's what I call an outfit. Brilliant.

Massive thanks to Hein van der Geyn for being chief instigator and top man and to Frank Tomei for being the most laid back yet simultaneously brilliant organiser and top bloke. And to Cyro for making rhythm hysterical and addictive - and for his glasses. And to Billy for being such an excellent, perceptive human being. And to Harold for helping everyone realise that jazz is a collective, shared thing not a show off thing. Oh, and for singing that Lester Young solo. And to Dena for some excellent insights. And to Carlos for just smouldering the whole week. And to Gerard for being our band leader par excellence. And loads of other stuff but you would get bored.

You will soon see a few choice pics added to the photo gallery. I think I'll call the new collection 'No degrees of separation'...

Rx