It’s Never Too Late to Start

(By Jen Errington)

Lance has asked me if I would write something for BSH to help in keeping it going at this difficult time.  I told him I was not creative, or even liked writing, but I wanted to try and help out and thought I could simply tell the story of how, at such a late stage in my life, I got into singing/playing the piano...and that “it's never too late to start!”

My father and brother influenced my taste in music and I was brought up listening to songs from the Great American Songbook and big bands.  I loved all that music and remember Friday nights at the Oxford Galleries with Don Smith, Terry Milligan and Kay Rouselle (his singers) who some of you may remember.

In my early twenties I went off to work for WHO in Geneva – not much going on there musicwise – a concert with Chris Barber springs to mind! Then I moved onto New York to work at the UN.  What a contrast, plenty of opportunities to listen to jazz there.  Highlight for me was the Sinatra concert in 1974 at Madison Square Gardens.  Also travelling to Las Vegas and seeing Lena Horne was something to remember.

Fast forward to my retirement (now in my sixties), which is when I first started to sing.  In 2010 I joined Blue Jazz Voices run by Lindsay Hannon at Sage Gateshead and really got into it. 

Keen to improve as much as I could, I found out about Loire Music – Tristan Maillot - and a vocal course that Anita Wardell and her pianist Robin Aspland were running at the Vortex in London.  She really inspired me and I went on to attend a 5 day course at Domain de Bel Air in France 2 years running with vocal coaches Anita (2014) and Brigitte Beraha (2015).  

What an opportunity that was, learning from musicians like pianists Barry Green (When Sunny Gets Blue) Rob Barron (Here’s That Rainy Day, Speak Low), Mike Gordon (The Man I Love), Tristan Maillot (drums) and our own Paul Grainger (A Night in Tunisia) to name a few.  Some of the songs I did with them are in brackets.  I then asked Anita if she would run a course in Newcastle, and Robin, Tristan and she ran 2 well attended vocal courses, 2015 and 2016, at the Globe.

2016 and 2019 I attended courses at the London College of Music with Anita and Trudy Kerr – 2 Aussie friends getting their act together - and I just could not forget to mention Cromarty in 2017, with Fiona Duncan, Brian Kellock, Liane Carroll (what a character), Sophie Bancroft and Sarah Duncan – all with a different style and way of teaching.

You may be thinking I am a professional course attendee!  However, all of these courses were not just about the singing, but the friendships you make and what you learn from other really excellent singers.  I am still trying to improve – even at my age – it’s never too late.

Two years after starting to sing with BJV I enrolled for piano lessons at Sage Gateshead – just for fun – and I am now managing to play, albeit tenuously, some jazz pieces eg Take the A Train, Georgia on my Mind and Autumn Leaves – still find it very difficult and still having lessons.

In November 2014, shortly after the Globe opened, a few of us set up a spin off group from Blue Jazz Voices called Indigo Jazz Voices.  We perform every second month and are so lucky to have Alan Law, Paul Grainger and Rob Walker accompanying us. 

We are fortunate here in Newcastle to have some great jam sessions, particularly at the jazz caff, and I would encourage anyone to go along - it’s not always easy to find the confidence to get up and sing or play but, if you want to improve, it will help, and everyone is very supportive.  I remember telling friends in London the opportunities we have here, and they were very envious.  Of course, in this current situation, having access to music is even more important, so if we can motivate ourselves to sing and play, it does help!

Stay well everyone and keep up the music.

Jen