Some Music
Back in the day when I was still singing and hadn’t given it up to write novels, I occasionally used to drive North to a small pub at the arse end of nowhere. I forget its name, but the purpose of the journey was to see a bebop band who between them boasted over 250 years of performing experience. Geriatric Jazz, they were called. They had this kind of classy karaoke set-up where any old eejit could walk up with some sheet music and they'd play along while you sang. Approximately 50 local middle-aged would-be crooners would get up and imitate Sinatra, Matt Monroe or Peggy Lee to the backing of a rather good live band.
I used to sing such things as Fever, That Ole Devil and Cry Me A River. It was a bit of a trek and I was a fish out of water, so I didn’t go that often. But after they’d got to know me and I’d sweated for a week getting my software to print sheet music in the correct key, I turned up one evening proudly bearing a shiny new copy of Molly the Bandit. Which is a song. Wot I rote myself.
They’d never heard it before and they don't use sheet music much. They improvise everything, rather than follow scores. But the pianist picked up the basic chord structure and gave the lead to everyone else, who took free license to make of it what they would. And they did. And it was great. It was unrehearsed, but there I was singing my own song, with a live jazz band. Bloody brilliant.
The band had never even heard Molly before. And I'm only an amateur singer. And... and I could make excuses all night. God knows there’s plenty to make excuses for, but there’s also lots to like. You can make your own mind up:
Molly the Bandit
Cry Me A River
(I think maybe the levels on Molly are inexplicably low, so don’t be surprised if you have to turn the volume up)
(And don’t blame the band for fluffing Cry Me; I made them perform it in an impossibly awkward key)
This 'un's a recording of me performing Fever with our band Mojo Filter. Beware an impossibly simplistic bass line, and crap sound quality. In fact, I should probably point out that we weren't a proper band. We did it for fun. We were very tongue in cheek. We weren't actually any good. OK?
Fever
I used to sing such things as Fever, That Ole Devil and Cry Me A River. It was a bit of a trek and I was a fish out of water, so I didn’t go that often. But after they’d got to know me and I’d sweated for a week getting my software to print sheet music in the correct key, I turned up one evening proudly bearing a shiny new copy of Molly the Bandit. Which is a song. Wot I rote myself.
They’d never heard it before and they don't use sheet music much. They improvise everything, rather than follow scores. But the pianist picked up the basic chord structure and gave the lead to everyone else, who took free license to make of it what they would. And they did. And it was great. It was unrehearsed, but there I was singing my own song, with a live jazz band. Bloody brilliant.
The band had never even heard Molly before. And I'm only an amateur singer. And... and I could make excuses all night. God knows there’s plenty to make excuses for, but there’s also lots to like. You can make your own mind up:
Molly the Bandit
Cry Me A River
(I think maybe the levels on Molly are inexplicably low, so don’t be surprised if you have to turn the volume up)
(And don’t blame the band for fluffing Cry Me; I made them perform it in an impossibly awkward key)
This 'un's a recording of me performing Fever with our band Mojo Filter. Beware an impossibly simplistic bass line, and crap sound quality. In fact, I should probably point out that we weren't a proper band. We did it for fun. We were very tongue in cheek. We weren't actually any good. OK?
Fever
