A TALK ABOUT JAZZ VOCALS WITH IMOGEN RYALL

Imogen Ryall at the Verdict in Brighton, with Rod Hart piano, Dave Trigwell drums, Mark Bassey trombone and it looks and sounds like Paul Whitten on bass. Notice how Mark drifts out of sight when the others are playing to give them the stage. But does Rod take an unexpected extra chorus of solo?. Dave Trigwell is a master at picking up lines from the soloists. He only does it once with Rod's solo, at 3.31 minutes. 


This girl does her own thing with a jazz song. She plays with it, she messes with the phrasing, moves the melody around, makes the song her own. You can't take your eyes off her either.

So many things about Imogen's style. The voice is exceptional.  She feels the lyrics. Technique is effortless.

Her jazz idiom is highly creative, she uses her voice in the same way as an instrumentalist. She has wonderful stage presence. Charming manner, approachable. She is truly nice. You can tell that by the number of people who come just for her gigs. She must have had a personal following about over 20 in the pub in Hove last week.

I asked her the same questions I ask instrumentalists.
"Rhythm, harmony, tune are all equally important really, but for me it was the rhythm I noticed first. When I was little I used to sing little rhythmic phrases. For jazz singers rhythm is so often underrated."

Here is a surprising thing to hear a jazz singer say, "I need to listen to the drums and the bass. The melody is always there anyway." At the gig the bass, keyboard and Imogen all interacted together with little phrases.

"When improvising over a chord sequence I rely almost entirely on my ear and obviously knowing the song and chords"

"I will sometimes try to sing 'outside' the harmony in the way an instrumentalist does but it takes some practise because as a singer you've always got to create the notes unlike an instrumentalist who has them at their finger tips and generally speaking, ones natural instinct is to resolve!"

"It's important to learn the vocabulary of jazz and over the years, I've listened to everything from Scott Joplin to Charlie Parker to Pat Metheny and everything in between! I've learned instrumental solos by ear and transcribed some which is also extremely useful."

"I always tell students (when asked!) to spend a good percentage of their practise time just listening to music, particularly the rhythm section. What's the bass doing? What's the rhythm pattern of the hi-hat? What's the piano player doing in his left hand?"

"Also when learning new songs, once I've learned the melody and lyrics, I'll listen to as many instrumental versions of it as I can so that I don't get stuck singing Ella's or Sarah's version for example (as brilliant as they are!) It's absolutely essential to explore one's own voice and style".  

John
Ps. Imogen is the leading jazz vocal tutor in the South. If you want to contact her then use
imogenryall@gmail.com


The Jazz Smugglers bands in Sussex
The Jazz Smugglers workshop, Bosham, Sussex


The workshop will be opening again on Sunday September 8th. We can take one extra front line player, possibly. If you would like to try out you would be welcome that evening, but let me know in advance.
This site is to help the Jazz smugglers workshop group and provide informtion about the following weeks work. We will be working on widening our range of playing styles as individuals, working together in a band, and practising the more difficult things. You need to be able to read.

If you have a Facebook account can you LIKE our band page on Facebook please, 
FACEBOOK JAZZ SMUGGLERS SUSSEX BAND 
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jazz-Smugglers-band/203722132977929?ref=hl
and LIKE our workshop page as well.
FACEBOOK JAZZ SMUGGLERS WORKSHOP BOSHAM
https://www.facebook.com/pages/JAZZ-Smugglers-workshop-to-help-your-Jazz-playing/275919089138712?ref=hl

In this blog We will produce tips for jazz piano, and jazz guitar together with jazz saxophone. We will cover jazz chords, jazz guitar chords, and we will deal with jazz scales. We will cover jazz songs. This site is all about jazz improvisation. you can sign up directly to this blog site as a FOLLOWER, bottom rh side panel, you'll get all the posts.

TALKING ABOUT JAZZ WITH IAN PRICE

Ian Price website

I listened to Ian Price play tenor and clarinet in the Nigel Thomas trio with Terry Seabrook last week.

He was stunningly brilliant. The whole trio was. They were all listening to each other and picking off ideas from each other. At one stage during Ian's solo, Nigel stopped his walking bass line to breaking the time with long notes on the bass. Terry immediately switched the piano chords to the same pattern. Just a few bars then they went back to their swing patterns. Lovely idea.

I listened to Ian Price backing Sarah Oschlag on her CD a couple of weeks ago. They were all stunningly brilliant. No, I mean it.

I asked Ian first to separate harmony, melody and rhythm in order of importance to him.

"They are equally important to me. When I first heard jazz, it was the rhythm that
attracted me - the swing, and in particular, the walking bass. Jazz harmony is a thing
which requires much study, and the ear becomes accustomed to the (sometimes
complex) sounds over time. Melody is your 'musical diction' - your words, phrases,
sentences, etc. The three things combined are what (hopefully) makes it sound like jazz!"

"I transcribe a lot, mostly aurally, although written transcription does wonders for your
reading.

Regarding playing 'outside', I use a number of devices. Sometimes I'll superimpose chord
changes on other changes - like Coltrane's 'Countdown' changes, for example, where the
key centre moves through three different keys, descending in major thirds, over a II-V-I.

Sometimes I'll use fourth patterns or sometimes I'll just use my ear."

He said that for him practise is the thing, listening, copying, selecting the bits of their solos he likes. That is really key. Wasn't it ever thus jazz players?

John

The Jazz Smugglers bands in Sussex

The Jazz Smugglers workshop, Bosham, Sussex

The workshop will be opening again on Sunday September 8th at 7.00. We can take one extra front line player, possibly. If you would like to try us out you would be welcome that evening, but let me know in advance.

This site is to help the Jazz smugglers workshop group and provide information about the following weeks work. We will be working on widening our range of playing styles as individuals, working together in a band, and practising the more difficult things. You need to be able to read please.

If you have a Facebook account can you LIKE our band page on Facebook please, 

FACEBOOK JAZZ SMUGGLERS SUSSEX BAND 

and LIKE our workshop page as well?

FACEBOOK JAZZ SMUGGLERS WORKSHOP BOSHAM

In this blog We will produce tips for jazz piano, and jazz guitar together with jazz saxophone. We will cover jazz chords, jazz guitar chords, and we will deal with jazz scales. We will cover jazz songs. This site is all about jazz improvisation. you can sign up directly to this blog site as a FOLLOWER, bottom rh side panel, you'll get all the posts.

Recording Maria next Sunday

Maria will be surprised I've got this photo. Hope she likes it. 

We are slowly getting back to normal in the workshop. It starts again on Sep 6th. New plans, new ideas. Had a preliminary recording session last Sunday with Maria, Geoff, Vic, Dave, and Bob. We also tested out a dozen newish songs to find the right keys for her.  It went well, Geoff put down some nice tracks so it is all go for next Sunday. Maria is going to do her version of "It could happen to you"

One of the things I really admire about Maria's voice is that you hear every word, clearly. At one stage she said she was a bit unhappy about one take. "I lost the feeling for the words then, I was thinking too much about other things" She really feels the lyrics, and that is a big thing. Not so many jazz singers do that.

This song was made famous by a lady called Jo Stafford. This is her version of it in the late 40's. I remember Jo Stafford. All of us 13 year olds were in love with her. They don't sing like this any more. The song has a lot more life in it when Maria sings it. 

FESTIVAL OF CHICHESTER 2013 JAZZ SMUGGLERS PRESS RESULTS

LESSONS LEARNED

Call it Festival of Chichester Jazz Concert?

Don't run mobile workshop nor the Jazz competion. Too much work, no return

Don't bother with Facebook without audience group. We added only 33 likes

Bring picnics and drinks to concerts

2 waves of advertising 3 weeks, final week

Only 9 bookings at door, after a lot of pressure in last week

Boosting F/b posts might work £2/day budget suggesting like page and free gigs.

Price it at £15 next year to allow for Vat on Ticket office sales.

THE FESTIVAL TO DO LIST

This is what you have to do to get the results. The to do list, xxxx completed

xxxx EMAIL locals and cold with DRAW OFFER June 2.

xxxx listings chi observer.

XXXX POSTER/SHOP CARD FOR WORKSHOPS

XXxx POSTER FOR JAZZ COMP 

XXXx POSTER FOR HILLIER ALL GIGS 

XXXX BUSINESS CARDS GARDENS ETC.

xxxx KINGA jasik licence july 13 Sat busk ordered ring her 01243 777100 Administrator, Community 

xxxx POSTERS FOR duncan.burgess@chichester.ac.uk and hugh mail him some posters for the workshops/jazz competition

xxxx milland start at 2 if poss june 22 on calendar to remind band

xxxx mail for jazz competition/mike birch

xxxx tickets and banners to hillier

xxxx poster graffham, complimentary ticket mailing graffham, facebook graffham and advertise

xxxx send band/workshop tickets 1 or 2

xxxx facebooks draws

XXXX jazz comp charts list and free tickets to band and to others

xxxx song list for workshops.

xxxx weekly wherecanwego entries Graffham done. jun 16

xxxx invite sanger etc to open workshops.

xxxx articles chi observer do one on last minute promotion if sales are slack/WORKSHOP/GRAFFHAM

xxxx facebook event page graffham

xxxx tony harrison  free ticket

xxxx GRAFFHAM WHERECAN WE GO nostalgia

xxxx duo page done

xxxx AA SIDLESHAM WORKSHOP email musicians

xxxx keyboard players got chris paxton

xxxx band to share facebook events

xxxx got izzy guitar

xxxx fix video filmaking

xxxx correct jazz co poster

xxxx posters for Hilliers gigs and street signs.

xxxx article for trio gig

xxxx door hsandlers at competition night

xxxx interview with phil hewitt.

xxxx facebook event posted

xxxx facebook advertising. 34 day limit four days

xxxx crtn to enthusiasts site for duo

xxxx milland details, colin recruited.

xxxx MIKE door at competition Nems too

xxxx jazzenthusiasts site. left hand mastr box add duo

xxxx 2nd DRAW for a FREE Festival of Chichester ticket on Friday 7th june at 21.00

xxxx THIS COMING SATURDAY poster for ticket office.

xxxx PROMOTE 1st hillier gig FOR £4 each premium listing 

XXXX price T shirts for busking

xxxx ten licence re-application

xxxx lyrics for songs workshops/jazz jam

xxxx Blue Monk, Autumn Leaves, Blue Moon, All the things you are Summertime, How High the Moon.

xxxx bass player busking

xxxx songs for workshops/jazz comp

xxxx Missing scripts

xxxx amanda referrence

xxxx mail songs to donnington

xxxx Trio Facebook event page. Poster to nigel

xxxx jackie video no go

xxxx bosham site trio done

xxxx wherecanwego entry trio done

xxxx donnington circulated

xxxx bognor circulated

xxxx jazz comp article sent

xxxx facebook festival trio page posted.

xxxx new time bognor advised band

xxxX facebook event page donnington

xxxx blog donnington

xxxx Facebook Festival donnignton 

xxxx email  competition and julian nicholas school

xxxx email to Terry's list.

xxxx website duo and amanda quote

xxxx facebook amanda quote

xxxx trio facebook and blog posting festival of chi

xxxx donnington last minute facebooked

xxxx busking licences ok Cty cncl/CDC/police/environment

xxx jazz competition facebook event/blog

xxxx email musicians list for jazz comp again with comp ticket 

xxxx sinatra article for phil.

xxxx donnington done

xxxx advised rachel soothill

xxxx last minute facebook soloist competition

xxxx change key Black coffee for polly

xxxx page SINATRA posted blog and three facebook pages

xxxx last min signs road hillier

xxxx print words for Fly me +hand out.

xxxx Friday ressults check

xxxx new jazz smugglers signature

xxxx facebook event and shared

xxxx lunch phil

xxxx post blog facebook thanks

xxxx youtube video post competition graham

xxxx email local and cold lists for sinatra gig

JAZZ SMUGGLERS AT THE FESTIVAL OF CHICHESTER

· 3 big band concerts

· Maria with the trio

· 4 workshops

· Jazz competition

BIG BAND CONCERTS IN AID OF Guide Dogs for the Blind

Tickets sold 

ok Jun 15 Sat 21 Graffham big band playing GERSHWIN and friends £12 8.00  check should be 21 tickets

okJun 16 Sun Jazz workshop at Sidlesham in the Church Donation 7.30

ok Jun 22 Sat 41 NOSTALGIA songs at Hillier Garden Centre Bosham £10 7.30 Rose Festival

ok Jun 23 Sun Jazz workshop at Fishbourne Woolpack Free 8.00pm

Jun 28 Fri 26 Maria sings with the trio Hillier Bosham £5 7.30  JAZZ NOSTALGIA. Lovely songs of the 60’s with the Jazz Smugglers trio     

OKJun 30 Sun Jazz workshop Donnington village hall £5  8.00

ok Jul 5  Fri 3 Jazz Soloist of the year competition Hillier £4  7.30

ok Jul 13 Sat 20 35 Maria sings the songs that made SINATRA famous £10 7.30

Tickets from www.chichestertickets.co.uk available online    

Call or write Cloisters Shop, Cathedral Cloisters, PO19 1PX

or phone 01243 813595  

 get £4 premium listing back from band fund wherecanwego

3 TICKET DRAWS

xxxxxxxentries for 1st draw

/linda stratford/dick pratt/jax williscroft   WINNER 1ST DRAW

lucy phillips/steve north/dil davies/festival of chichester /sue jackson/mikw jackson/maureen flynn/carol moore

/shirley smith/mark berry  

/nicky smith/alice mj/Katherine Hogg <hoggkatherine@gmail.com> 

/jade quinnell/butler jen john /sue redshaw  WINNER 2nd DRAW

/steve christopher/maureen flynn/flic masters/HELEN fitch/maria wilson/jack cooper

tony harrison WINNER 3rd draw

LIKES for draw: (was 11 now 28 at may 18) steve/dave/mike/geoff/vic/bob/ linda stratford/dick pratt/jax williscroft/tony harrison/lucy phillips/festival of chichester/sue jackson/mikw jackson/maureen flynn/carol moore/shirley smith/new one/mark berry linda stratford/nicky smith/alice mj/Katherine Hogg <hoggkatherine@gmail.com> by email 22nd may/ jaxwilliscroftplus since may 31 jade quinnell/butler jen john / jun 4 tony harrison shared/tracey ann honey jun8. Winners Jackie williscroft 1/Sue Redshaw 2/

JAZZ COMPETITION

PLAYERS

(Colin and a pal. no)

Don Walker sax

(michael phillips not now)

polly meynell vocal

Lucy phillips vocal

Richard Craik tmp

clive willoughby vocal

Tony Dudley harmonica

IDEAS FOR NEXT YEARS FESTIVAL

Use websites yahoo/westsussex/wherecanwego etc.

Charge venues, venue sign.

Display outside ticket office; cafe

Commercial service for signs www.supersignsltd.co.uk 01243 532045

No dty enquiry for ticket office

Meeting amongst promoters re getting participants to do their own promotion properly. Helps all. 

Web piece too long/needs search by place and search by venue

It could have a Festival of Festivals section (eg chi coll food festival jazz festival) or Festival of Fetes.

Circul 27k readership probably 100,000 reach 50%

Our gigs. 24 41 27 35 tickets sold

JAZZ COMPETITION VIDEO. POLLY WAS THE WINNER

Graham Rawlinson took this. Did a wonderful job with limited equipment. This is brilliant editing, and titling.
Congratulations to everyone taking part.



We ran this Jazz Soloist competition as part of the Festival of Chichester, for fun. Polly Meynell was the winner, and took a cash prize of £20 and the title.

Well done to everyone taking part.
Don Walker sax Runner up.
Polly Meynell vocal
Lucy Phillips vocal
Richard Craik tmp
Clive Willoughby vocal
Tony Dudley harmonica


The Jazz Smugglers bands in Sussex
The Jazz Smugglers workshop, Bosham, Sussex

The workshop will be opening again on Sunday September 9th at 7.00. We can take one extra player, possibly. If you would like to try out you would be welcome that evening, but let me know in advance.
This site is to help the Jazz smugglers workshop group and provide informtion about the following weeks work. We will be working on widening our range of playing styles as individuals, working together in a band, and practising the more difficult things. You need to be able to read to try us out.
If you have a Facebook account can you LIKE our band page on Facebook please, 
Facebook Band page
and LIKE our workshop page as well.
Facebook Jazz Workshop sussex page


In this blog We will produce tips for jazz piano, and jazz guitar together with jazz saxophone. We will cover jazz chords, jazz guitar chords, and we will deal with jazz scales. We will cover jazz songs. This site is all about jazz improvisation. you can sign up directly to this blog site as a FOLLOWER, bottom rh side panel, you'll get all the posts.

WE ARE ALL JAZZED OUT NOW.

We are all jazzed out now. Festival of Chichester is over. What a time!

The Arts dept of the Chichester Observer got a standing round of applause for organising the Festival at our sell out gig last Saturday at Hillier Garden Centre. A huge effort went in to it all. From a standing start they got 230 events organised. That is absolutely amazing.

This is Phil Hewitt the Arts Ed of the Observer busking with our guys. Geoff Valenti on trumpet and Mike Pappenheim on tenor, at the opening of the Festival.

Thanks Phil for arranging all that. A triumph, for you and Barry Smith. Special mention and thanks to Rachel Soothill for running the Facebook site and letting us all pile in. A labour of love for all of you, that was.

PLEASE SHARE AND LIKE US IN FACEBOOK.

Other pics from the two busking gigs at the Festival.

We had a big crowd at our opening concert in the lovely village of Graffham, the GERSHWIN concert, and they did look after us well. 

Hillier Garden Centre, and the general manager Nigel Budgen were magnificent, couldn't do enough for us, put out signs, sold tickets, arranged chairs, did everything. It is a wonderful venue, great sound, and so pleasant in there. About 20% of the takings went to their charity, the Guide Dogs for the Blind.

We ran the next big band show, COOL JAZZ NOSTALGIA based on songs of the 50's and 60's, then Hillier took Maria and the JAZZ SMUGGLERS TRIO for one evening, and the final night was MARIA SINGS the songs which made SINATRA famous.

We also ran a jazz soloist competition, and three separate workshops around the county.

Whew! I'm bushed. Don't know about you.

Thanks everyone who helped. In the bands and helping us were Andrew, Geoff, Maria, Vic, Bob, Mike Pappenheim, Steve Evitts, Nemone, Mike Wilson, David Whitelely.

John

Ps. In the middle of it all we also did a private trio event, a Fete at Milland village and we helped to launch the Bognor car rally. Madness, absolute madness. (Good name for a band that....)

UNDOUBTEDLY THE FINEST FREE ONLINE JAZZ COURSE EVER.. From BERKLEE

Our Jazz Smugglers friend, Steve Evitts signed up for this free online jazz course devised by Gary Burton for Berklee Uni. This is his report on it. This introductory video has had 5,500 hits on YouTube. Thousands have signed up for it in the past few months.

I’ve finished the Gary Burton improvisation course, now. Very demanding but definitely worth doing. I learned a lot – although it’s probably going to take years for me to incorporate all the ideas into my playing.

You and your smugglers may be interested to know that the next 5 week session of the course is due to start on July 19^th (according to the course wrap-up email I got) 

It’s free and anyone can sign up for it. You need to be able to spend at least 8 hrs a week on it, not all in one go, I would say more is better. 

The course is made up of short video lectures, and course work. The course work consists of some written stuff (analysing music, scales etc.) and a weekly improvisation assignment, which you need to be able to record and upload to the internet – they provide a backing track for you to download and play along to. (it doesn't need to be fantastic quality, just good enough for someone to tell if you are playing what has been asked for.  You also need to be able to read music a bit. My sight reading is terrible and I managed ok. 

Your course work is assessed each week by five of your peers -  and part of the course requirement is that you also must assess five of your peers. The range of abilities of people doing the course I did seems to range from novices to virtuosos. I found that of the people I assessed each week typically one was better than me and the others weren’t, to give you some idea.

If anyone is interested they need to sign up for the course here.

and click on the Future Sessions “Add to Watchlist” button.

John


The Jazz Smugglers band

The Jazz Smugglers workshop

In this blog We will produce tips for jazz piano, and jazz guitar together with jazz saxophone. We will cover jazz chords, jazz guitar chords, and we will deal with jazz scales. We will cover jazz songs. This site is all about jazz improvisation.
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