http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jrur1BDqEC4

Chris Biscoe ....... What a fantastic workshop! Chris took us through a couple of arrangements, providing some excellent ways of dealing with arrangemnets with some good tips and feedback to those present. Chris then gave a virtuosso performance wth the rhythmn section finishing with an all in Jam session - fantastic!

The Christmas 2009 gig

This was at the newly revamped Union Inn, Denbury. Despite yet another new owner we have been very lucky to secure another musician friendly face ... which is extremely lucky these days. This gig / stroke jam was slightly unusual in that we didn't have the arrangements (especially 'that one' by Paul Stiles) up to speed. But it could be argued that we had reached a plateau at the workshops and needed an extra incentive to provide a bit of focused 'exam pressure'. So alright it wasn't perfect but it was an adrenalin fueled blast. It was wonderful to sit in the audience and register that each and every one of the group has moved forwards musically. It was also nice to have Ronnie and Roger drop in and play a few unrehearsed standards with various combinations of the large ensemble. Again it was great to see how easily the guys fell into playing chosen material ... 'Blue Bossa' ... 'Impressions' ... material that forms a shared canon of work for jam sessions any and everywhere. This was also a milestone concert in that Gary reduced his roll to counting in the number than retiring to drink beer! such is the growing autonomy. Onwards and Upwards ... yet again!

The 2009 Summer Gigs This year we have been more active than ever. Ronnie organised another jam session but this time at country pub in a wonderful setting at Torbryan. Tom set up two charity gigs, one providing the music in the heart of the village for the annual Galmpton Skills day. And another fresh-air outing where a contingent of workshoppers played for a fete held by a retirement home in Brixham. The high spot of the latter was watching the contented residents enjoying the sun and the music; except for one active senior chap who danced the afternoon away non-stop. Les took the lead in selecting the program for yet another outside event - the village fete at Ideford.

No year would be complete without the now traditional appearance at the St Cuthbert-Mayne School Fete; yet again we managed to do it with a different style of music and both old and new faces in the ranks.

Steve Berry Workshop for All-comers: 27th July 2009 We had been lucky enough to secure an evening workshop with Steve Berry who is the course Director for the Burnley Jazz Summer School, a teaching fellow at the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts, he teaches at Chethams College (which produces all those Young Musician of the Year competitors) and also teaches at the Royal Northern College of Music. Workshop Group - 'Confirmation and Consolidation' Our most recent Workshop 'Just in Time' - The Percussion For Everyone Workshoptoms big gig at the galmpton skills day 'Confirmation and Consolidation' This summer series saw us draw on melodic, harmonic and rhythmic ideas covered in previous workshops. The main focus was on understanding the new material produced by Gary Bayley focussed on concepts acquired from prior learning. The reduction in technical preoccupation allowed the group to concentrate on aesthetic / artistic judgments and about the way the whole band would sound. There was some suggested advanced listening, for example 'Autumn Leaves' from Miles Davis CD, Miles Davis in Europe (col5195062).

Greg Abate Masterclass Workshop 'July 14th saw the return of our now relatively long term partner GREG ABATE. In an action powered session (that over-ran by 50%) Greg analysed harmonies, made suggestions for bass lines, gave feedback on solo's, discussed and practiced the inclusion of quotations from other songs. Greg's workshop also acted as introduction to ii V I in a minor key.'

Ronnie's Jam Night Ronnie booked The Union' at Denbury, and musicpeg did the phoning around. In the event it was a good turnout, Tom turned up with his supreme logistical skills, so photocopies for all (something for us all to learn about being prepared!), Graham brought his 'Bad Band' project guys and raised the roof, The monday workshop improvised a 'Blues in F' in true jam session tradition and removed the roof completely. Mr Philip Roberts, long time no see, turned out to support the venture. Renate took time out from her busy work schedule....Pat, Roger, John, Neil, Dave, Ian, Gary.......and sorry to the two guys whose names we didn't catch. Let's do it again soon, any takers to organise a jam?

Steve Buckley's workshop on the music of Dudu Pukwana Steve began by playing us an example of Dudu's music and explained that capturing the spirit was the most important aspect. Although he had brought the notation along, Steve quickly assessed that it would be beneficial for us to learn a piece 'by ear' ......instantly taking us out of the comfort-zone. Throughout the session Steve kept us informed (and amused!) with his anecdotes about his life in music and his personal preference for the more visceral over the 'technique for techniques sake' approach to playing the saxophone. At the end of the evening it all came together when we did a performance, with everybody having a chance to solo, and getting the hang of the ad-hoc interjection of riffs.........and all this with no notation in sight! Steve wrapped up a laid back and enjoyable evening with a twenty minute master class with the saxophonists in the group on sound production. Truly a session with something for everyone.

Josh goes on the record! musicpeg workshop member Josh took the monday workshop guys into the studios at South Devon College where he is a student of Music Technology. Most of the monday group (excepting Roger and Phil who sadly have to work for a living!) turned out along with long-time-no-see Joe, to spend a long afternoon recording four numbers they had prepared. As ever the band contingent soon found that recording is a complex business and in being far from a case of pushing the 'rec' button then blowing, the process threatens to become a tail that ends up wagging the dog! At the end of the day everyone enjoyed the experience and learnt a lot both about the procedures AND from hearing their own playing as others hear it. Thanks then to Jake at South Devon College and Pete from 'The Music Mill' (Newton Abbot - try the music mill on myspace) for the experience and the invitation to go back sometime monday workshops -

'afro-eurasian syncopations' - spring 2009 what happens when europeans play music by americans trying to imagine what their african ancestors sounded like? This music that emerged in the mid-1960s and has been with us ever since, albeit in a low-key way, cannot help be the foundation of 'world music'. this workshop followed on from what went before but still offered a starting point for the newcomer wishing to come aboard. a major difference from past workshops was the inclusion of 'technical input'. This is because, as we have seen, performing this style of music is less to do with 'sight reading' and being told what to do, and more about building up a set of transferable skills so that the experienced performer can make an expert job when finding themselves in a new situation with new material in the familiar genre. The 'technical input' just consists in making explicit certain structural features in the music that can be expected to have a general application; this enables the musician to know the material literally inside-out. Don't worry though we will still be doing more playing than talking and there aren't any 'tests' or 'gradings'. tuesday workshops -

'Setting New Standards' - spring 2009 In the last workshop we saw how a pre-occupation with the harmonic structural feature III-IV-ii-V-! produced a similarity in the material loosely termed 'the great american song book' or simply 'standards'. This time stylistically we will be mixing it up and focusing on dealing with compositions that are heavily 'dominant seventh based'. In addition we will also be pursuing the breaking down of the 'soloist over the rhythm section' model in favour of a 'whole band approach'. The key to this will be that often neglected feature of rhythmic interaction. It all sounds a bit academic but expect business as usual with the majority of the time spent playing and some technical input for those that want to tune into it. our workshops have been run from the music block of st cuthbert mayne school which is on trumlands road, torquay, tq1 4rn they start at 7.00pm sharp and run through to 9.00pm. tutored by gary bayley ba (hons) dipmus ctabrsm pgce

In the meantime you may be intgerested inthe national youth jazz collective which is open to seniors as well as youth!!!! walk spirt talk spirit at the riviera - torquay On the 12th of February (09) the combined forces of two musicpeg workshops came together to perform 'Walk Spirit, Talk Spirit' by McCoy Tyner. The two groups rehearsed independently then performed together at the ten minute 'gig'.

Our brief presence at the Torbay Festival was given great significance when we learned on the evening that alto saxophone player Dave Yandall (fourth from left - see photo) had won 'Torbay Young Musician of the Year' award earlier in the week. The running order of solos was hurriedly re-jigged and the performance turned into a feature for the rising star. after the gig - dave yandall is standing fourth from the left