Musical notes from Tincleton Gallery – in a time of coronavirus – with CD recommendations from many of our musicians
Dear art and music lovers,
We have been extremely busy here at The Old School House despite the CV-19 coronavirus pandemic. David has moved in for the duration, leaving his house in Dorchester full with hospital workers, and he himself is still trying to manage a papermill in Scotland by remote control. Joan had some big framing jobs which she has been working through. We had just opened the first art exhibition of 2020 with a full showing of Ruth Ander’s works when the lockdown commenced, so that and all the scheduled concerts had to go into hibernation.
We are keenly aware that the livelihoods of lots of musicians have evaporated overnight. So we have asked amongst our musicians, past, present, and hopefully future if there are any messages they would like to pass out to you – all our music and art lovers. Below are various responses from some of our musicians which we hope will raise a smile or two, and perhaps even encourage you to sample from their CDs.
The weather has been really quite fantastic as late Spring has turned to early Summer. The lambs have been bouncing in the fields, the first cuckoo was heard on the first of May, and the house martins have arrived. The buzzards are soaring over the hang. We are truly fortunate, so here also are some photos of our glorious surroundings to share with you wherever you are.
Apart from that, stay safe, stay healthy, stay solvent, stay sane, and we look forwards to seeing you all again for good music one day when circumstances have improved for the better.
Regards, Joan & David
View from Cowpound Wood towards The Old School House, Tincleton
ANGELA BROWNRIDGE
Angela Brownridge -…”one of the world’s finest pianists” – New York Times, & “a pianist of the highest echelon” – Adrian Quanier, France, has recorded twenty six CDs of solo & concerto works, some of which are sets of complete works. They have received critical acclaim from all over the world being voted ‘critic’s choice’ many times in the UK & Record of the Year in the Absolute Sound magazine in America.
In addition to what is on the website a CD has been made of live recordings with the BBC Concert & Symphony orchestras of Gershwin’s Concerto in F & the “I got rhythm” variations.
Angela’s discography can be found on the website: https://www.impulse-music.co.uk/angelabrownridge/, and you can buy any of these direct from her, plus a CD of a live performance of Gershwin’s Concert in F with the BBC Concert Orchestra & the “I got rhythm” Variations with the BBC Symphony orchestra.
Please contact Angela by email at mail@angelabrownridge.uk and she will give you details of where to send a cheque for your purchase.
All CDs. are £10 except:
The Complete concertos of Saint-Saéns on two CDs. £15.
The Complete Solo Works of Kenneth Leighton. Three CDs. £20.
ROSEMARY TUCK
Australian pianist Rosemary Tuck is in lockdown currently preparing for her 5th Czerny Concerto CD, to be recorded with the English Chamber Orchestra for Naxos, hopefully still this year.
She will also be hopefully appearing in a concert in London to mark Maestro Richard Bonynge’s 90th Birthday year.
CDs purchased from her website go directly to this artist, and can be done so through her website:
https://www.rosemarytuck.com/shop.php
KATHARINE LAM
Katharine Lam is safely spending time at home in Birmingham – despite upcoming performances having been cancelled, I am fortunate to have this time teaching and supporting my students online, enjoying time playing my piano, cooking food and sitting in the garden!
Please see my website for links to various youtube videos and details of how to purchase my CDs, including download of my solo piano CD, Freedom and Liberty (see below).
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Freedom-Liberty-Katharine-Lam/dp/B003U8PNQU
……and, of course, if anyone is interested in online piano lessons, you can contact me directly, via email – katharine.lam@bcu.ac.uk
My very best wishes to you all – may the beauty and inspiration of live music be heard again soon, in Tincleton and throughout the country!”
PHILIP CLOUTS
Philip Clouts is in lock-down in West Dorset. He was due to play at Tincleton Gallery in May and is very sad that this will now no longer be possible.
Much of the music he would have played is on one or other of the many CDs that he has released over the years. They are all available to buy online and Philip talked us through some of them (and has given links to web pages where you can listen to some of the tracks and also purchase the CDs with free P&P).
Philip’s music is characterised by tuneful, melodic jazz with a strong dose of African and Latin American music. The closest CD to the sort of thing he would play at Tincleton is his trio release Direction South(accompanied by double bass and drums) about which Jazz FM said “It has a very infectious feel-good quality about it http://www.philipcloutsquartet.co.uk/trio
The most recent CDs he has released are ones he has made with his quartet which feature one or other of the excellent saxophonists Carlos Lopez-Real and Samuel Eagles. The liveliest of these is Sennen Cove, which Jazzwise magazine praised with this review: “Clouts swings with rhythmic deliberation and a crystal sense of phrasing. Saxophonist Lopez-Real shares Clouts’ inclusive, outgoing multi-cultural angle on jazz and leaves exuberant sounds ringing in your ears. The title track makes Sennen Cove sound like a place of fun as well as adventure with its Afro-Cuban lilt on this refreshing and most enjoyable album” http://www.philipcloutsquartet.co.uk/about-us/sennen-cove
Some of the tracks on quartet album The Hour of Pearlare a little more dreamy. Jazz UK magazine was struck by “Luxurious melodies, woven with subtle influences from Clouts’ forays into world music…a joy throughout, uplifting and contemplative by turns http://www.philipcloutsquartet.co.uk/about-us/the-hour-of-pearl
His most recent quartet album is Umoya,which is titled from the Zulu word for ‘life force’. The Guardian was impressed by its “precise ebullience and relaxed funkiness.” http://www.philipcloutsquartet.co.uk/about-us/umoya
Finally, Philip reminded us that he was a founder member, composer and pianist in Zubop, a seven piece worldbeat jazz band. Their CD Tekezzewas summarised thus by Dave Gelly in The Observer: “Zubop’s seven musical magpies pluck sounds and rhythms from anywhere in the world, shake them up vigorously and produce irresistible results – optimistic, unpretentious and hugely accomplished.”http://www.zubop.com/page.cfm?pageid=tekezzehome
Zubop developed into ZubopGambia, a collaboraton with BBC World Music award winner Juldeh Camara and other West African master musicians. A concert at Ronnie Scott’s, London, where they “managed to raise the roof”(fRoots magazine) was released as an eponymous live album, ZubopGambia. http://www.zubop.com/page.cfm?pageid=gambiacd
Aside from his performing work, Philip has also been promoting other jazz artistes in arts centres in West Dorset and looks forward to doing so again when life has returned to something resembling normal. If you would like to be on his mailing list for local events to be informed when this happens, or if you wish to contact him about anything else, please email him philip@zubop.com
JOHN LAW
There’s a brilliant new CD from my quartet Congregation just about to come out, which I was supposed to be touring most of this year in an Arts Council-funded UK tour, but which is now mostly postponed. If you know anyone who you think might be interested in buying a copy of the album they can do so online here, from my website, if they scroll down to the PayPal button:
http://www.johnlaw.org.uk/index.html
And then, from more accessible territory, there’s my three volume CD set Re-Creations which is available online here:
Vol. 3 (quartet): https://www.jazzcds.co.uk/artist_id_661/cd_id_2129
Vol. 2 (solo piano): https://www.jazzcds.co.uk/artist_id_661/cd_id_2128
Vol. 1 (quartet): https://www.jazzcds.co.uk/artist_id_661/cd_id_2079
I can sell the whole 3-CD series for £30 if people email me and pay through PayPal.
Lastly, if you know anyone who might be interested in online piano/jazz lessons please do let them have my email address (just write to Tincleton Gallery and we will give you the details).
Early bluebells in Tincleton woods