2018 was very much a continuation of the last few years, with the emphasis on gigging as much as possible, and my final year in England brought some great gigs, including several marvellous gigs at the Yarn Bar.
The Knights of Jazz gig at the Yarn Bar was my favourite gig of the year, as it was a chance to play electric guitar in a line up with a drummer, where I was the sole chord instrument. I had recently begun to feel a bit constrained with gypsy/jazz and found it liberating to able to lay down the chordal textures of my choice, and to be able to comp over the top of the drums and bass was a pleasure I'd not experienced since the mid-nineties. It was wonderfully refreshing to play in this format with my old sparring partner Matt Palmer once again; alongside newer musical collaborators like James Tolhurst and Jamie Robertson; and of course the ever reliable and always underrated John Coulson on bass.
It was a particularly touching send off from my old mate Charlie Blomeley, who'd previously been manager of the Kean's Head and Vat and Fiddle, and had first booked the Hot Club some twenty years earlier. It's one of my fondest gig memories.
In a final send-off before leaving for Australia, my good friends Ben Martin, Mandy Tatton, and Pete Johnson, set aside a night for me to have a special gig night at the Bell Inn, where Swingologie, Swing Gitan, and other musical friends and colleagues could come together and perform and jam. It was a wonderful to play and see friends old and new, and a particular pleasure to see the next generation of local gypsy/jazz musicians, headed by Matt Kerry and Elliott Lewis come together and play. A terrific night.
Finally, at least for now... the last word from Swingologie.
In 2017 the gigging continued apace with Swingologie, the Matt Palmer Trio, and particularly with Swing Gitan, with all three bands appearing regularly at the Pelican Club and other venues both old and new, like the Yarn Bar, Peggy's Skylight, and a host of other various gigs, festivals and functions.
This year saw the release of CDs by both Swingologie and Swing Gitan. Ironically, for various reasons both CDs were recorded a year to eighteen months before their release. The Swingologie CD was a live set captured at West Bridgford library in November 2015, and the Swing Gitan CD was recorded in December of 2016, and finally released on CD just as 2017 came to an end. Some promotional videos set to tracks from the CD were also made in 2017 in preparation for its release, and were featured online before the CD was available to buy. The Swing Gitan CD also featured a composition of my own, called 'Bossa Soleado', and I designed the artwork for both CDs.
Playing in both Swingologie and Swing Gitan certainly brought in more gigs, particularly with Swing Gitan who were in ascension getting all kinds of gigs. Although I now also had a full time day job to cope with as well, since Jane and I had decided to save up to relocate to Australia permanently.
During this period, John Coulson and I started backing our old friend Matt Palmer on some trio gigs at the Pelican Club, and I was doing duo gigs with either Richard Smith, Elliott Lewis, Matt Palmer, and even the occasional solo guitar gig.
Swingologie were rebooked again for the Jazz in the Library gigs, and Swing Gitan was now boosted by addition of John Coulson on double bass, after Rob Coates decided to pursue his original career as a guitarist, and joining Maniere Des Bohemiens.
Just a small selection of gig shots and clips from this period:
