Two days to go

Just two days left before the concert Three Great Jazz Composers on November 2nd.

The media have been great - the concert has been covered by the Cyprus Weekly, the Cyprus Mail, RIK TV and radio, Kanali 6 and so on, a big thanks to them.

The theatre tells me that the ticket sales are going strong, which is always a big relief - we want as many people as possible to enjoy the show!

It really seems to have captured people's imaginations - a musical journey through time - through the great jazz composers Ellington, Gershwin and Jobim.

Huge respect to those composers, they were genius' in their own and our times.

Bang in the middle of rehearsing

Our concert on November 2nd is coming up soon, the one on Three Great Jazz Composers, and we're bang in the middle of rehearsing at the bass player's studio. Marinos Neophytou is multi-talented, not only does he have a soundproof studio, he plays bass, guitar and sax, very well indeed.

Kevork came over to take photos - he's a longtime jazz fan and great photographer - www.capturing-moments.com. He got some good, natural photos that we'll use as promotion.

Christos Morphitis is sounding so sweet on piano, and Constandinos Paouros, the drummer, gives us the backbone and does all the hard work of creating a rhythmic structure.

Marinos will be playing bass in the concert, I swear that he makes his electric bass sound acoustic. The man can do anything with a stringed instrument :)

Concert date confirmed

Well, it looks like the concert in the Rialto Theatre is going ahead on November 2nd, 2006. We've got lots of rehearsing to do and some serious thinking about our approach and interpretations.

More updates coming soon.

Did you see that Liza Minelli will be in Lebanon in May? Caught it on www.reportfromcyprus.com - she is, was and will always be, one hell of a singer.

Thought of another singer with a miaow in his voice - Lenny Kravitz. Or? Maybe more like a snarl.

Remember the Doors?

John Coltrane was one of the jazz musicians who influenced The Door's music compositions. They were one of the few rock/pop bands who created a new fusion sound out of poetry, jazz, blues, and full on, all out, rock.

I've always loved The Doors, but ever since I heard that Coltrane was one of their musical influences, I've listened to them with new ears.

You never know when jazz will pop up!

Resources for Jazz

Resources for jazz performances in Cyprus are scarce. With little help from the government and relatively little support from the media, jazz musicians face a challenge to keep performing.

And yet it is a major art form that should be properly integrated into education and public performance if Cyprus is to be taken seriously as a European country.

I can't count the number of times that visitors to the island and acquaintances of mine complained at the lack of good live jazz music on a consistent basis.

Well, there's one little jazz place in Limassol, Jazzy B, which does a fantastic job of live jazz, and good luck to them. Is that it? Surely it's time for some serious jazz presence.

Cat-like voices

A list of singers who sing with a miaow in their voices:

Billie Holiday
Alicia Keys
Eryka Badu
Macy Gray
Amy Winehouse
Prince

The languid, all-knowing miaow. Makes you want to scratch them behind their ears because they are so catty and sweet.

Jazz singer

My favourite jazz singer was, is and always will be, Billie Holiday.

I can't analyse her appeal to me. I only know that when I hear her cat-like voice, my perspective is restored. No matter what has happened to me that day, Billie understands. Nothing surprises or shocks Billie, that's what her voice says. She is wise to it all, seen and heard it all, and that all comes out in her art.

"Girl", she seems to say,"there's really nothing you can do about it anyway, so sit back, relax and let it all go."