Jazz Co-op Summer Weekend Workshop @ The Globe: August 6/7

(Review by Ann Alex)

This is just a brief report as I was too busy enjoying myself and managing to learn more about jazz, to make many notes for BSH.  Our competent and very encouraging tutors were James Birkett and Paul Edis, and I suppose there were about 18 of us. The Saturday and Sunday morning sessions were for us to learn some basics, and we had to decide for ourselves whether we were ‘Introductory’ or ‘Advanced’, so I was introductory on Saturday and I tried advanced on Sunday, so something must have sunk in, perhaps overnight. Paul started with clapping exercises for rhythm, then rhythms with singing, then instruments, then using chords. We did this all without sheet music, which is an excellent idea, more often used by folk music tutors.

So far, so good. 

In the afternoons we were divided into two well-balanced bands.  Our band worked on 2 songs, Perdita and Little Sunflower, which the instrumentalists seemed to manage well: I became rather tangled up in the rhythms, so found myself at home, late last night, listening to the songs on YouTube, self- imposed homework.

At 9.45am on Sunday I was amazed at how bright-eyed and nimble fingered some of the instrumentalists sounded, so keen to get going. We all soon warmed up with more complicated clapping and vocal exercises, and discussions about chords and modes, and many other aspects of jazz. But it was the afternoon which brought the biggest surprise.  We swopped tutors for the band exercise and Jim announced that we were going to compose a song from scratch, complete with chords and lyrics. And both bands did it!

Our band started by deciding on the structure and feel, then the chords were arranged.  I wisely kept quiet about chords and stuck to writing lyrics.  A tune sort of rose up out of the chords and came to me. And there you are, we had a bossa nova song called I Hope You’ll Stay, which was performed for the other band to hear, complete with solos, and yes, they did stay!

Paul’s band was much larger, big band size in fact, and they had composed a superb blues number, played with smart big band precision from all contributors. Their talented vocalist was Sheila Herrick who said it was the first time she’d ever written lyrics. Not her last song I hope.

Another great educational event from the Jazz Co-op, so thanks to them and especially to Dave Parker who worked hard on the weekend.  Why not try the monthly Co-op workshops at the Sage, 1^st Saturday of the month?

Ann Alex