Leeds Silver Steel Sparrows play M4Y and Joanne takes a stand

Well, it's the time I always dreaded: university and other distractions claim half the Sparrows in one go. The others are all in the sixth form and/or have jobs, and can't do every week. Only Milly S is a regular safe hand. Two Year 8s [Kirsten and  Lucy] have joined from Wanda's wonderful Oulton School

Band, and Caitlin from Natalie's City of Leeds class. Sometimes there's only four of them. Then, here's Alice from Allerton Grange; Ashley has a burst of really regular attendance; in November Deangelo newly arrived from Turks and Kakos joins us, and late January Owen appears [still at Oulton Primary but good and bold enough for us]. So, if you count Claudia and Georgia as one player, that's a regular attendance of seven or eight. Then sometimes Millie C pays a flying visit, and we have Yi Bai, me and Bex who can play, and really, it's another fine ensemble. Good enough for Music For Youth.

Bex has arranged Jess Glynne's Hold My Hand; Coldplay's Fix You has been podding along nicely for a while; we add Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head [David/Bacharach] for contrast. Suddenly this half new, half older band is a contender. We are now totally proud and confident to be taking them out.

Then in February racing driver Tube train-driver takes me out [not on the tracks you understand, was thrown across the carriage]! I'm in St Thomas's Hospital, big operation, back up to Leeds in an ambulance, and I had only gone to London for an MU Teachers' Section Meeting!


Next two weeks Bex does the honours on her own, polishes up all those songs, and now we are Harrogate bound. Alice introduces the songs. I handle not setting up or leading the band on stage quite well. But glad to take a bow at the end, not feeling quite so much a guest at my own party.

There was a sour note, which was a bit sad really. We were due to play at about 12.45 as the last act of the morning session. We were determined that the Sparrows should see and support as many of the other ensembles as possible and aim to be there from 11. Georgia even borrows the car so she can bring her three children to watch all the acts. But now I can't drive at the moment and Wanda can't pick me, Deangelo and parent, Sandy up until 11a.m. and we will miss some of them. Turns out four bands don't turn up and everyone else has played by the time Dee and me arrive. Oh well.

Mark announces, "Leeds is here, hope you wait to hear them". Joanne [Sparrows parent] hears an adult from band behind her say, "Why should we, they weren't here to hear us?" Joanne took a stand, and declared that that wasn't a fair comment. I am proud of a feisty Sparrows parent; she was still upset when she told us. I think she would have been more upset if she hadn't put the other person straight.

Then, of course the tuck shop, without which no gig is complete. Mark P at St Aidan's has, as usual, made as feel welcome, and although it a trek to either Harrogate [or Garforth] it's always nice.

The music? Oh yeah, Fix You made me and Gig cry. So proud. Millie S held the melody on her own for two tunes, and the rest of the band kept the mix down in order to accommodate. Yo. New Sparrows - worthy successors.

Owen receives award

Pads watches it over again on ipad

Foxwood Steel at Tennants Hall Middleton Leeds

"It's short notice, I know", said Tom, "but could you play our AGM next Friday".  Well, out of a possible fifty-odd players [well not really fifty-odd as this is a weekday workday] we got me, Natalie, Georgia, Tim, Gary and a possible Sheeks.


After Gary's boiler burst and Sheeks' night-shift came to an end this left the first four. I think we surprised ourselves with our awesomeness. Nice acoustics in Tennants Hall.



Noone seemed keen on writing a setlist; Natalie suggested I text Bex, but she declined to provide one [can't think why!].

Thus we skipped from one classic tune another, and the man clicking the tables away tried to click in time, none of which woke Patrick up.













Here some very similar pictures of the four of us. The deal of Tim and Natalie sharing kit and pans seemed to have been resolved by Natalie staying on the guitar pans. Well I said "You can decide between you who plays kit on what" and nothing changed. Yo!

Jackie won a trip to Necker Island

I briefly tried the tune!

When Jackie won this trip, she unaware of it, and of the imminent award ceremony that was about to befall her. In fact she had already gone home, and had to be recalled to work. Who knows what she was thinking!

Will was after a small steel band in a small room at Leeds City Station. He got me and Georgia. Rick agreed to have Patrick, but on the day the other two were off school ill, so he got three times what he was expecting!

Georgia and I decided to take a C soprano and the Boat [oversize single second]. We had a quick rehearsal on Sunday evening, and chose tunes with Caribbean titles and/or themes, namely My Uncle John from Jamaica, Coconut Airways [later hi-jacked to be Ibiza Airways], Jamaica Farewell and Brown in the Ring. After we ran a few for rehearsal the camera man asked us if we knew any songs to do with the West Indies. Hmmm. That good!

There's only so many pics you can take of a duo in small station backroom, so here is one of the station platform from the Waterfront from 2013.

Foxwood at Leeds Waterfront Festival

I did briefly try the tune, but, to G's amusement [not mine] nerves got the better of me.

Well, Jackie arrived, more or less in shock, turning to astonishment, at which point Georgia also realised where she and her other half were going. [And G knows a thing or two about expensive purchases]. Her colleagues donned garlands and raised their glasses. We all listened to her phoning the other half, in which belief and disbelief fought for control.

Marina getting down to detail

Me and her packed away the pans. She went back to three children, and I went to watch doing a Carnival costume workshop at Springbank. As you do.

Lille. I was very Excited

The Lille Trip starts de grand bonne heure at Leeds Station where I am an hour early for my train, checking my tickets for the hundredth time but not really seeing them.



tomato eating dog!



It's the 11.05 a.m to London KX, over to St Pancras for the 3.04 Eurostar to Lille . Fortunately, while I still had wifi, I decided to mention to Vivianne that I had les cheveux bleus and roses. Because as it turns out there are three sorties at Lille Gare Europeen and it is dark when we are turned out into the evening cold. I walk around about what seems to be the central bit while Vivianne tries to work out what sortie I might be near. 

Lille

Vivianne lives in Roubaix to where we now repair for a couple of bieres and dinner, and where I am unexpectedly vegetarian, and cause complete desordre on their kitchen table with songsheets and pan sticks.

Lift back to the Hotel de Paix in Rue de Paris. This lodgings is some sort of paradise that I have entered. I begin the first of several selfies in the mirror on the landing. I stop taking the lift down so as to admire and revel in the staircase.

Bien sur my travel adaptor is the wrong one, but Jurgen and Vivianne have lent me their phone charger. I go down for a glass of wine and talk with the lovely receptionist who is happy to let me further practise my rusty old French. I have put my watch forward, but not my mobile, so when it comes to setting the alarm I spend some time calculating what it would be, set it, and then discover, en hazard, that the phone reset itself to be French time. I reset.



I get everyone's cheese salads. Cecile

At 8.20 a.m, miraculously, I rendezvous with Vivianne in the Gare Lille Flandres, and we take the tube to Fives, where I observe two pan lessons. Everyone is adorable, staff, eleves. They have 24 single pans [6 guitars, 6 seconds [altos] 6 basses and 8 sopranos, the perfect instruments for beginners and primary schools. Before too long they are all covered with gommettes and notes all labelled. [I did ask first!]

At lunchtime Cecile and Vivianne have brought food for me. In the afternoon I am let loose on these lovely classes with their lovely class teachers. No uniforms. The students seemed to manage to behave pretty well without. Quelle surprise! I was in France, in French, on pans. Heaven. Meet Kristina, Sidonie.

Matin tele francaise

Monday evening I make a promenade around the quarter, decide against eating out, find a supermarche and head back for a snack and French tele. After some dross I discover the most wonderful two documentaries about the history of French culture.

Tuesday morning up with the allouettes, again. Manage to find the station and the right tube line for Fives, in which is situee l'ecole. Meet Jerome. Same classes which Vivianne and Cecile share with me. they do Rum and Coca Cola and No Woman  No Cry, I do Largo and the Twelve Bar. Hundreds, nay thousands of Leeds school children and adult learners will be humming these already (well not that they read this blog). 

end of concert at Conservatoire

Vivianne, Cecile and I have lunch with Sidonie at the Mairie where I still have forgotten to mention the vege status. They surround my plate with their cheese salads. I am still eating them on the Eurostar home!

Vivianne and I head off to some school or other, where she teaches tuba. Here to my amazement we collect nine children and a teaching assistant and take the bus to the conservatoire.  I opine it would be less compliquee to move the tubas and not the children, but today it is a tuba concert at the Conservatoire. And what a lovely concert this turns out to be. The Prof demos a dijeridoo, a serpent, then the tuba, then some students play some solos, and one duet. All unbelievably beautiful. 

Next I go for a walk around Vieux Lille, find this lovely cafe (Honey and Pie) have a bun and a cuppa. After which I get perdue and practise,  "Je cherche la Conservatoire", until I find somewhere familiar. As you do.

French is spoken fast. When les gens turn to address me they speak more slowly, but as soon as they turn to each other we have gone back to 60kph! V says, even after I am not there  they will still be speaking slowly. I doubt it.

V and I walk back to new Lille through the belle old ville. By the time I have joined all the city dots I will be in Leeds again. LOL. And here's a wonderful  Creperie and I have a vegetarian galette, and a biere, bien sur, so good. 

Wednesday, by now an old hand on the tube, I am at the school at 9 a.m to meet the music teachers. Besides my old pals here now is Claire, Prune, Timothee, Charlotte, Clementine, Patrick, Joanne, Juliette. They are having  their monthly music teachers meeting. They are talking to each other sometimes about me but I am understanding only une moitié. 

Then we are in the pan room and being joined by as many muscian/teachers again and more - 23 pan players in all. We do Largo and Au Clair de la Lune. Timothee turns out to be a batteur, and supportive and interesting all in one go. [Couldn't resist a little crescendo at the end though!]

All too soon it is over and it's kisses with Cecile and Vivianne. Sidonie and I take a light lunch and a heavy chocolate pudding at Bvd JB Lebas , ex-station and now bar, restaurant and cultural hub. Display all round us re climate change. There's one on sea rising with wellington boots. See pic.

When S and I come to our last goodbye I nearly burst into tears with the thought of how welcome and generous everyone has been.

Then walkabout in Lille till it's time for a last cuppa in the Hotel du Paix, and over to Gare Lille Europe. Here a WW2 shell has caused a scare at the station and we are evacuated back to the north Pole of a platform. Enfin, on board, and peu en peu we are back to speaking English.

Think it was fair to say I was sorry to leave.

Leeds Silver Steel Sparrows play for Mosaic at Bradford City Hall

When Leah asked if the Sparrows could come to Bradford City Hall and rock the Mosaic Awards Evening, I thought - good opportunity for the New Sparrows to get some concert practice at posh venue. Sadly none of the New Sparrows were available on the day, so we cobbled together Old Sparrows, Foxwood and Steel Rising, and arrived in New Bradford in/on six different vehicles [three cars, one van, one train, one motorbike].

 

 

We were Me, Bex, Vicky, Wanda, Millie S, Claudia, Ashley, Yi Bai,

 

 

 

 

We discovered that thick carpet and voluminous velvet curtains play havoc with sound and timing, and it was a struggle at times to stay together.

 

We played as people arrived; we played as they networked at the end. In the middle these wonderful four girl singers from Swallow Hill played with one of them accompanying themselves on the keyboards. Ace.

 

Leeds Silver Steel Sparrows is a Leeds ArtForms City of Leeds Youth Music central ensemble. Leaders - Victoria Jaquiss, Bex Ainge. Rehearsals once a week in term time. Gigs - unexpectedly throughout the year, often working with adult steelbands: Foxwood and East Steel. 

 

New North Steelettes debut at North Leeds Music Centre

Hall set up for concert

This is my second year with NLMC. Half of last year's players started again, and a few new people joined. Some of the pans were a bit ropey at the beginning of term, but I have been slowly replacing the less desirables with more desirable ones. Last week I borrowed a pair of double basses from Bradford and I like to think made Isha's day.

basket music holder

Martin and the Gang

Mark looking grown up in suit

Anyway everyone seems to have caught up with each other, and we are now working on sixteen bar tunes with three or more chords, minors and majors, even the odd seventh, a few bits of unison, and call and response.

rehearsing

Here we are now, December 5th at this, what I took to be end-of-term concert, at NLMC, now housed at Allerton CE Primary School, no longer at Carr Manor. Better for pans as this is a single storey building and Mark has now purchased some tremendous trolleys and a stand bag.

For the concert we are Emma, Satinder, Annie, Julia, Isha, Kurum, Ella, Niall, and for a debut proper concert, I would say we were awesome.

Next weekend, I found out, almost by chance that there was yet another music centre lesson. Oops. And that Mark organised these concerts one week early so that the carols at Thorner didn't clash with the concert, and exhaust everyone. Fair enough.

nice trolley