Great Lake Big Band Review

Just read the review of the Big Bands last gig at the Rotorua Jazz Club. Very pleased with the write up. Click on the following link to read it:

http://www.blissnz.co.nz/text_files/RotoruaReview.pdf

Rob's Ditty

An old friend of mine from London wrote a song once which we used to play in our local pub, the Magdala in Hampstead. His name was Robert Plant, not of Led Zeppelin fame, just West Hampstead fame. Anyway he never came up with a name for the song so we just used to call it 'Rob's Ditty'. I've just recently transcribed the song and have begun using it in some of my guitar lessons. Most of my students who have heard the song really enjoy the challenge of playing it, it's played very fast! I've just included it as a sample song on the guitar tuition page of my website.

Drum tracks for Midnight Sun

Laid some drum tracks down for local band Midnight Sun this weekend. Many hours of work but well worth it as the finished result was very very good. Looking forward to finishing off the tracks over the next few weeks.

Melbourne Part 2

Just got back from Melbourne. What a fantastic place! Full of hustle and bustle, we only really scratched the surface of things to do. Was really impressed with the amount of live entertainment on offer. We were there for 5 nights and we must have seen about 10 different acts!
The trams in the city centre made it very easy to get around in. The mix of old and new architecture was really unique, unlike any other city I can think of.
Got back to a load of phone messages, some duo and band enquiries and a couple of jingle requests. Looks like it's going to be a busy year!

Melbourne

Been in Melbourne for a couple of days now but seems a lot longer. Have already seen lots of live entertainment, from solo artists in pubs and clubs to live bands. Even in the CBD there is some amazing entertainment from the street buskers. Saw an brilliant guy this afternoon who played lap steel guitar and harmonica and had a device which he played with his foot which simulated a bass drum. Going to Chinatown this evening and hopefully will catch some more live entertainment later on.

Rotorua Jazz Club Gig

What a fantastic gig last night. The band were really cooking and the sound was awesome. The place was packed and everyone had a great time. The mc commented over the microphone that Rotorua even though it's a much bigger centre than Taupo, hasn't got a Big Band. I must admit I'd never really thought about it before, but we are very lucky in Taupo to have so many talented musicians. Potentially the future is looking extremely bright because there is so much amazing younger talent waiting in the wings.

The next big gig on the horizon is the Everest Charity Ball which is to be held on the 30th August at the Great Lake Centre in Taupo. The evening promises to be quite spectacular with many celebrities in attendance and quite a few surprises!

Navy band gig, Taupo

Saw the Navy band at the Great Lake Centre last night. What a brilliant night out! The sound quality was amazing, the band played with such feeling that you were simply drawn in to the whole experience. It was so nice to see a group of musicians who obviously love what they are doing. The band leader announced during the concert that the proceeds of the event would be donated to both the Taupo School of Music and the Concert Band.