North Steel play their Christmas Concert

December 3rd, it's Christmas Concert season. First up it's Elaine and the orchestra.

Second up it's North Steel from North Leeds Music Centre. Kurum was poorly for the morning rehearsal but determined to make the evening concert. V proud. I brought 6 yr-old Niall the pink pan jumbie pan to play for the event. It's not a bad-sounding little pan, but very little use outside its key [G].  Andreas [David's father] was just trying to escape with those famous last words, "Is there anything else you need?" when I appeared swinging the van keys.




They all laughed, explained he was just trying to make good his escape, and then he collected the three extra pans we needed.

setting up earlier on

On the day we were Satinder, Sylvia, Luke, Emma, Kurum, Ella, Julia, David.

We played African Noel, In the Bleak Midwinter, and, as  homage to Leonard, Hallelujah. And, of course, we were ace!

I invited the audience to sway with arms and smart phone torches, and it was really really lovely, if not moving to see them do so.
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Sparrows at Leeds West Indian Centre November 2016

As November 19th 2016 was also the date of Katie and Vic's wedding, Bex is unable to accompany the Sparrows to the West Indian Centre today. So Wanda has agreed to come with us [and actually play], and also Fehmina [whom I bribed with a lift to Katie's wedding]. It was Emma W who invited us to play at this event which is being run by Cameo. And, yay, Yi Bai is back. He got a hug, whether or not!

Because I also had a music centre class before the gig and Katie's wedding after, today takes some precise planning and some teamwork. In the morning I take over the pans and kit to Gildersome, meet Vicky and leave her to stack now and set up later. At NLMC Julia, Satinder and the gang are up for setting up and down. Next I go back to for a final load and collect Fehmina. .  .  .  .

Fehmina phones me as I pull up outside the West Indian Centre. She gets a taxi over.
Oops.

This is an event to celebrate Yona Knight Wisdom's Olympic achievements. An English Jamaican, or is he a Jamaican Englishman, he won a medal for springboard diving at the Rio Olympics, and because he was, for technical reasons, unable to represent his country of residence, he dived for his country of parental origin.

We are always pleased to be asked to play at the West Indian Centre as we play West Indian instruments. Originally a pianist, I learnt guitar, then played bass guitar with various bands, made the most basic attempts at drum-kit but adopted pans as my main instrument and music and pan teaching as a career  many moons ago now. And love it! Pans is just the best. Full stop.

Players today are Ashley, Owen, Lucy, Isha, Kirsten, Claudia, Annie, Ella, Bella, with Yi Bai [ex-Sparrow anyway], Wanda [satellite Sparrows leader anyway] and Fehmina [ex-Sparrow anyway]. It was Isha, Ella and Annie's debut gig, and they were fine, playing where they could and miming where they couldn't. It was also Prince Buster's Wings of a Dove debut for us [after we abandoned it at St Paul's, for reasons to do with our reputation].

Because I also had a music centre class before the gig and Katie's wedding after, today takes some precise planning and some teamwork. In the morning I take over the pans and kit to Gildersome, meet Vicky and leave her to stack now and set up later. At NLMC Julia, Satinder and the gang are up for setting up and down. Next I go back to for a final load and collect Fehmina. .  .  .  .

Fehmina phones me as I pull up outside the West Indian Centre. She gets a taxi over.
Oops.

PS Players are always welcome to join the Leeds Silver Steel Sparrows. Best to be high school age with some pan experience, or other musical instrument, or desperately keen, and promise to work hard!

Fledglings at Trinity

It's Sunday 6 November and there's a steelband playing at the Trinity Centre, and all I have to do is take photos. Yippee! Well done Wanda. This is Wanda's up and coming satellite Sparrows. The Silver Fledglings.

These players are a combo of present and ex-Oulton Primary School players, and very fine they are too.





They were collecting for St George's Crypt who support the homeless in Leeds.

To do this one hour performance for charity Wanda drives across Leeds a couple or six times to deliver pans, collect players, all that stuff, so, as we all now one hour's plating usually occupies most of a day, and the Friday before loading, and the Monday after unloading.

Always good with some good parents, and there are plenty of those. Sorry not to write more but, not being on the inside I just see the show. Yay!

Steelpan Workshops at Roundhay School Leeds

 

It is Friday 21 October 2016 and after four gigs inside six days I have rearranged my vans n pans at ridiculous o'clock a.m. and am speeding towards Roundhay School, Leeds for some staff well-being steelpan workshops. Well they were just the best!

Tim, ic 6th support and other things, contacted me, found out that 6th-former, Bella was about to play St Paul's Cathedral; so we enlisted her support for the staff who usually support her.


Between the Little Blue van and the Big White I had the Foxwood pans for M and S Monday and the Chemic Thursday, the Sparrows pans for St Paul's [London, actually!] and now also some workshop pans for the lovely support staff at Roundhay. Good thing we use the same kit for all things pan! And that the van robbers only took a snare, its cradle and a little tom.





Well, we did the usual Largo in F, Largo in G, Au Clair de La Lune, when, before you could say Scooby Dooby Doo, we were onto Next to Me and Yankee Doodle.

Does also need saying that I am doing this workshop on behalf of Leeds ArtForms Music Service and using my Foxwood Songsheets. Along with the most lovable Roundhay staff, that is a winning combination.

Best moment was possibly when I asked the headteacher if he was the caretaker. Neil took this as a compliment [which, in some ways, it was], announced this to the staff and invited me to elaborate publicly. Lol.