CD almost done, great gig in Appledore and fab Christmas presents...

It's almost the end of January and I can remember all the Christmas presents I got this year.  I know that sounds a bit weird but I would be lying if I said I had never gotten to 1st Feb having forgotten my Christmas haul.  What an ungrateful old bag.  Still, the reason I can remember this year is because I got the best Christmas presents ever. I got a set of Sabatier knives which I use every day; a giant (and I'm talking colossal) beanie bag which I sit in every day - and in which I have broken the world record for falling asleep in front of the telly; I got the most brilliant Gaggia capsule coffee maker which makes real coffee from capsules - great name then - with no fuss and no mess, something else I use every day; I got a brilliant mug from my niece, Lottie, which says on it "I'd rather be adored, spoiled and pampered" - she picked this out especially for me and bought it herself and it slightly concerns me that she has me so totally sussed at the age of 9; and I got a case on wheels which I cunningly got before Christmas to replace a trusty, well worn servant - he was just wheezing and couldn't keep up.  So, my life has been thoroughly enriched by fab pressies from fab family.  Thanks x million.

Great gig at North Devon Jazz Club in Appledore last week.  Fab band - Craig Milverton, Al Swainger and Gary Evans - and a top crowd.  Nice one.  I might have mentioned my new CD once or twice... possibly more.  It's going to be called "Find Yourself In My Shoes" and is currently in second mixing tweak stage - that's a technical term and I don't expect you to understand it.  I'm having photos done this weekend.  Wish I'd managed to maintain my cake free regime...  We might have to talk airbrushing or use jaunty angles.  Then it's artwork, mastering and manufacture.  Oh, and purchase - that's you by the way.

And one more thing, my excellent neighbours have just launched the holding webpage for their gorgeous new B&B.  I urge you to check out www.homehousecroyde.co.uk immediately and book a room before they are full up.  They are right next door to me so we get to do stuff and if you stay there, I don't have to do any cleaning up once you've gone.  Erm, I mean you get your own bathroom. Really gorgeous and by far the best front door in the whole of Devon.  

Watch out for more news on the CD.  I'll be sure to let you know when it's ready for action.

Rx

It's Autumn so that must mean piano practice...

I say that because I remember that going back to school after the summer holidays often coincided with a new term of piano lessons, and that usually meant piano practice.  Or at least thinking about piano practice.  Funny how good we become at preparing for or contemplating that which we ought to be doing.  I say 'we' although I do, of course, mean 'I'.  Having said that, I was just talking to my Barcelona buddy who had just completed a precision strategy for doing the copious amounts of work he has on at the moment.  He hadn't quite started the work yet...  I likened it to the staggeringly brilliant revision timetables I used to prepare for myself when preparing to revise.  Putting the final touches to my revision timetable usually justified a long break, just no revision.  I was a bit the same with piano practice.

Anyway, the slight nip in the air has put me in focused frame of mind and I decided to order a couple of jazz piano tutors - that's books, not people, although if you're a jazz piano tutor and fancy popping round, please do.  I'm making a sort of determined bid to do some proper piano practice so I can up my jazz piano skills.  It feels horribly like preparing a revision timetable and I do, strangely, have quite a lot of jazz theory/exercise/how to practise books already.  Just not these ones.  Hey, I got an email from jazzwise and it compelled me to purchase.  I think I'm what you call a marketer's dream.  Anyway, I thought it might give me a little theme to follow through on a bit of a blog push.  I can describe how well I'm doing... Hahahahahaha.

Looks like I might finally have a tentative date for recording in November.  Just have to finalise the studio, musicians and tunes so it's not entirely in the bag yet but I do have a producer.  Hooray.

Oh, and just to keep you up to date, I've now lost 2 stone 6 and a half pounds since I started my weight loss thang in February.  Bloody brilliant.  

Don't forget to come to The George in South Molton on Friday 26th September for a great gig with Philip Clouts, Al Swainger and Gary Evans.  Top band, top venue, top gig.

Rx