Boyfriend Shirt

Look of the day post!




I once read that it's never alright to wear leggings or tights alone without shorts, with the exception of a boyfriend shirt.

I've worn this quite several times with shorts but never just with tights, so I thought I had a little bit of fun today.




It's all about accessories.




The white chain necklace will soften the masculinity of the chunky wooden necklace as well as the long shirt.

Pair it with a hobo belt and done.




Boyfriend shirt & Belt: Taiwan
Tights: Myer, Adelaide
Necklaces: Bangkok
Bangle: Penang Airport

Best Gifts for Arts Enthusiasts, Dance and Ballet Fans--All Price Ranges

Best Gifts for Arts Enthusiasts, Dance and Ballet Fans--All Price Ranges Ballet and ballroom dance events makes wonderful spectator sports. Even if you have two left feet, you can still enjoy dance performances. Here is a guide to the best holiday gifts for fans of ballet, jazz, modern and ballroom dance. I've included gifts in all price ranges. Read more...

Stan Sulzmann in focus

Stan Sulzmann

Stan Sulzmann is featured in BBC Radio 3 Jazz Line-Up, and has also explained to us the background behind what will be one of the key gigs of British jazz in the London Jazz Festival

1) RADIO BROADCAST

On a computer near you for the next seven days is the marvellous all-star Jazz Line-Up session recorded in the BBC's Maida Vale studios FOLLOW THIS LINK (it starts with 3 mins 30 seconds of really annoying trails for other Radio 3 programmes).

The programme starts with NEON Quartet (Stan with pianist Kit Downes, vibraphonist  Jim Hart and drummer Tim Giles).

In the second set this quartet is joined by Kenny Wheeler, guitarist Mike Walker, James Allsopp (on bass clarinet) and bassist  Dave Whitford.

The level of playing, of listening in this group is something exceptional.

2) LONDON JAZZ FESTIVAL - BIG BAND GIG (Sunday November 13th, Spice of Life, 7pm)
Stan Sulzmann has been arranging tunes written by fellow musicians and collaborators for big band. It's an open-ended project, but the process of broadenting, deepening, dignifying these compositions is something really worthwhile project. The big band is full of top-flight musicians (provisional personnel list below)


It started with two compositions and has grown. The first two, Stan writes to me, were


[Quote begins]

1) I arranged 'Alfredo' by John Parricelli (from his Quartet CD) some years ago - it's a great tune we used to play together at the old Vortex.


2) John Taylor asked me to arrange 'Between Moons' for him. - it's beautiful tune from his 'Insight' CD


(It then occurred to me , writes Stan Sulzmann, that it would be nice to carry on the idea of arranging British Jazz musicians tunes that I love. it could be an infinite project - - - and a good excuse to play them all! )

3) I heard Kate Williams play 'Disparity' last year at Ealing Jazz Fest with her trio and thought that would make a good Big Band Piece.

4) Im an enormous fan of Iain Ballamy's tunes and arranged 'ReCedar' from his Anoraks CD.

5 ) 'Westerley' is such a great tune and so typical of Nikki Iles that I just had to do it.


6) I arranged my own piece 'Chu Chu' from the first Neon CD Here To There.... cos' I like it !

7) Ive just finished 'Clockmaker' by Mike Walker which I played with him at the old Vortex and with Printmakers when I depped for Mark Lockheart a while back. So this will be played first time at the Spice Of Life.

The other pieces apart from Clockmaker were played at the Guildhall earlier this year with the college band. We will also be playing a few older pieces of mine to complete the program including :


8) 'Taking A Chance On Love' my arrangement in 5/4 from my 60th Birthday gig at the Royal Academy of Music that Nick Smart kindly organized for me.

9) 'Jack Stix' from my Jigsaw CD on Basho


10)'The Thrill Is Gone' from the Big Band cd 'Birthdays Birthdays' on Paul Clarvis Village Life label .

[Quote ends]


There will be other, more visible gigs in the festival, but I don't believe there will be a gig which gets closer to the heart of UK jazz. It is to be hoped that this project eventually gets a hearing on a bigger stage .


Provisional list of the Stan Sulzmann Big Band for Spice of Life, November 13th-

Trumpets: Derek Watkins, Henry lowther, George Hogg, Freddie Gavita

Trombones: Andy Wood, Mark Bassey, Robbie Harvey, Sarah Williams.

Saxes: Martin Hathaway, Mike Chillingworth, Josh Arcoleo, Pete Hurt, James Allsop

Vibes: Jim Hart

Guitar: Alex Munk

Piano: Nikki Iles

Drums: Tim Giles

Bass: Dave Whitford

Conductor: Nick Smart

Book at spicejazz.co.uk

A new site answers some questions - JazzDIY

A website to bookmark about jazz and DIY.  An interesting new venture courtesy of Scott Menhinick, Boston based publicist/ communications specialist who runs Improvised Communications.

"JazzDIY is the first online trade journal created specifically for the 21st century jazz musician. Our editorial focus is the grey area where the artistic and spontaneous nature of jazz meets the nuts-and-bolts practicality and financial realities of commerce. "

The site is also partnered up with Jason Crane of thejazzsession.com which has done 317 in-depth interviews of jazz musicians, and counting.

The first piece of research is up, an extensive jazz media survey, asking jazz writers questions  like :What proportion of promotional messages do you do anything about? The most popular answer  is one in ten.

Or how about: How many hours do you spend listening to a recording  during the process of preparing and writing a review? Most popular answer: three

And as for the claim that "Jazz is DIYing".   Per-lease....But I was pleased to learn while doing the image research that IKEA do flat-pack particle accelerators...

JAZZDIY.COM

Wine tastes like the music you're listening to

We often think of our sensory modalities as like separate channels. In fact, there's a lot of cross-talk and interference between them. Consider how the prick of a needle is more painful if you watch it go in. Under-researched in this respect is the way that sound can affect our taste of food and drink. We know that such interactions occur. For instance, crisps taste fresher when they make a louder crunching noise. In a new study, Adrian North has shown that when people drink wine to the accompaniment of music, they perceive the wine to have taste characteristics that reflect the nature of that concurrent music. If you want your Merlot to taste earthy and full-bodied, try savouring it to the tune of Tom Jones. To add a little zing to your Pinot, perhaps try some Gaga?

North tested out the taste perceptions of 250 university students as they drank either Montes Alpha 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon (red wine) or Chardonnay (white wine) - both are Chilean. Crucially, some of the participants sampled their glass to the tune of music previously identified by a separate group of people as powerful and heavy (Carmina Burana by Orff); others drank their wine to music rated earlier as subtle and refined (Waltz of the Flowers from Tchaikovsky's 'Nutcracker'); others to the tune of zingy and refreshing music (Just Can't Get Enough by Nouvelle Vague); and lastly, the remaining participants drank their wine with mellow and soft music in the background (Slow Breakdown by Michael Brook). There was also a control group who drank the wine with no music.

After they'd savoured their wine for five minutes, the participants were asked to rate how much they felt the wine was powerful and heavy; subtle and refined; mellow and soft; and zingy and refreshing. The results showed that the music had a consistent effect on the participants' perception of the wine. They tended to think their wine had the qualities of the music they were listening to. So, for example, both the red and white wines were given the highest ratings for being powerful and heavy by those participants who drank them to the tune of Carmina Burana.

It remains for future research to establish whether these effects would hold among participants who had a greater knowledge of wine (a factor not assessed in the current study). Also, it's not clear how much it's the cultural connotations of the music that influences the perception of the wine, or how much it's the physical properties of that music. Finally, it perhaps would have been better if the music had stopped whilst the wines were rated.

This research builds on some earlier, related findings. People buy more French wine when French music is playing (and ditto for German music and wine). Past research has also shown that people eat and drink their way to a higher dinner bill when the restaurant plays classical music as opposed to pop, presumably because of the "upmarket" connotations of the classical accompaniment.
_________________________________

North, A. (2011). The effect of background music on the taste of wine. British Journal of Psychology DOI: 10.1111/j.2044-8295.2011.02072.x

Further reading:

• Practising describing wines could help you become a connoisseur (earlier Digest item).
• On Vines and Minds (Psychologist magazine feature).
• And check out the Wine Psych blog!

--
Post written by Christian Jarrett for the BPS Research Digest.

Preview/ Interview: Janet Seidel Trio (Pheasantry Oct 30, Kings Place Nov 26)

Angela Kearney interviewed “Australia’s First Lady of Jazz” Penguin Guide (2006) , vocalist and pianist Janet Seidel ahead of her two forthcoming London appearances (Pheasantry October 3th/ Kings Place November 26th)

- Janet Seidel has released 17 CDs, many internationally
- She has shows dedicated to Blossom Dearie, Doris Day, Cole Porter, Henry Mancini and most recently, Johnny Mercer. Her London shows will include some of this repertoire
- In this interview she talks about her musical background
- And about her work with her regular trio partners, brother David Seidel on bass and Chuck Morgan (guitar/ ukulele)
- She talks about how she only chooses songs that appeal to her musically and lyrically
- Janet Seidel and Angela Kearney found they had a mutual admiration for Doris Day
- And, we're told,  also shared a steamed treacle pudding

Can you take LondonJazz readers through the Janet Seidel story?

I suppose it must seem a bit of an anachronism but I grew up in the bush on a dairy farm in South Australia where I’d ride my horse to round the cows up.

From playing country dances with my brothers and then onto piano bars during the ‘70s followed by 5-star hotels, touring and other stuff, here I am in London for the next eight months, excited to be performing what I consider to be some of the most sophisticated, subtle and witty music ever written.

So far, it’s been an interesting and consistent career - I’ve never really been out of work.

But for anyone going into the jazz business thinking they’re going to be rich, unless you make it like Diana Krall for example, it’s a hard slog. But…we wouldn’t do it if we didn’t love it. That would be ridiculous.

Australia has such a small population and what we do with our shows is quite specific… so, that’s really why we’re here. And we’re really delighted to have been invited to play at these lovely venues.

You get great reviews…

It’s fantastic to get a good reception when you perform but I just play and basically, all I do is open my mouth and sing and to make something of it… well, it feels easy for me.

I feel and have always felt that the song is more important than the singer and by saying that, I don’t mean that I sing it note for note. It’s a really hard thing to describe but I think that maybe it’s about authenticity.

Someone gave me a CD of jazz standards sung by an opera singer. She sings very well. But, it isn’t jazz. Instead, it’s all about the singer. That’s not what I’m about. I’d really like what we do to be considerably less about me and just completely about the music.





What came first for you - piano or voice?

I think singing was always in tandem with piano and as a kid, I liked singing to myself. I was in the last year of primary school, I think, when Mum bought me a Seekers songbook and taught me what to do when you see a chord symbol and how to vamp which I’d never done in classical music. Having figured that out, I started changing the key slightly and then started singing along.

Much later, I also did some classical pieces when I was at the Conservatorium of Music in Adelaide - Vaughan Williams, Benjamin Britten and those lighter things. They realized I was never going to be an opera singer.

But recently, I met Judith Durham (The Seekers) at a concert in Melbourne and she bought one of my CDs. That was really nice.


You’re based in London for a while?

We’ve already done some shows in Scotland and other parts of England which have been really well received.

But, as for London, we’re all in a lovely house with a keyboard and PA and we’re rehearsing. It’s the first time we’ve had the luxury of doing that in many years.

Back home, the three of us are always going in different directions, managing different projects and time poor.

In the UK, we’re actually feeling a bit more like musicians. For me, it’s a breath of fresh air and we’re just working at refining the things we do.

Of course, jazz is spontaneous but certainly, we have to be organised and to have this time together away from other distractions has been great.

Mind you, we’re still enjoying being tourists.

Your material seems to feature almost exclusively The Great American Songbook.

Yes, that’s true. Sometimes when I’m interviewed about the material, the journalist will say, ”Oh, you just do covers.” I always say no, we don’t do covers and then I explain what it means to do covers… like an ABBA revival band or whatever. Actually, what we do is quite specific, fairly specialist.

But, I’m certainly never challenged by an audience asking why I’m doing all those old songs? It must mean that what we’re doing sounds right.
Having said that, there’s nothing wrong with doing the old songs. We’re so lucky to make a career performing them, aren’t we? They’re so well written.

Certainly, in Australia, not many people do the same material and we’ve become known for our repertoire of both old and newer material. When I say newer, I mean perhaps more interesting song choices that audiences are not so familiar with but have responded well to.

We certainly spend a lot of time doing that simply because there’s so much material out there.

We particularly like to pepper an evening’s entertainment with quirky, satirical tunes such as… Ballad of the Shape of Things as performed by Blossom Dearie and written by Sheldon Harnick (Fiddler on the Roof). It was actually recommended to us by Dominic Alldis who was a friend of Blossom Dearie. It’s not a jazz song and because it’s called a ballad, it has simple, repetitious harmonies. It’s quite fun.

Tell us about the London performances.

Before we left Australia, we launched a new show: That Old Black Magic - The Songs of Johnny Mercer at the Melbourne Recital Centre, a knock-out venue. We’ve performed the show on this tour in Scotland and we’re doing the same show in some theatres, which is unusual for jazz musicians but we do a crossover thing and that’s what has enabled us to work in the cabaret world as well.

That’s what really led us to create these themed shows that have been so popular in Australia. It gives you the impetus to work on a really focused, tight show. It’s still jazz but more emphasis on the story, either the songwriter or the artist. Certainly, it’s not a tribute show.

The London dates will definitely feature bits and pieces from various shows, the Mercer set, of course. Blossom Dearie also and although I never specifically target a Doris Day song when I sing a compilation of my favourites, I should. It’s a good idea!


And the other members of the trio?

My brother David Seidel is on double bass, and a very good bass player. He taught himself how to play guitar as a kid, then electric guitar, electric bass and finally to double bass. From the moment he played it, it felt right. That’s his thing.

Chuck Morgan plays guitar (and ukulele). He’s a brilliant guitarist and very creative with arrangement ideas and making things better which isn’t always easy with two chordal instruments. But, the ego sometimes needs to be subjugated. It’s a bit like trying to write a book without an editor. There’s a very good reason why you have them.

In terms of the musical performance, I suppose that really, Chuck waits for me to play something and just fits in because he’s never really sure exactly what I’m going to do. He’s a very, very talented improviser, very musical - 10 out of 10. And, to sing with the guitar is very nice for me.

Selfishly, it also gives me some relief, especially during the Doris Day show, which is exhausting. When he takes a solo, I think Thank God! The attention is off me!


Of the themed shows, what are your favourites to perform?

The Johnny Mercer show has really given me a kick up the backside. When we performed it for the first time in Melbourne recently was like: Oh! New stuff!

The Doris Day show (Doris and Me) has been a winner since 2000. It’s the show that people really want to see.  I have my 1950’s cocktail frock, my white gloves… It’s a tight little show and it’s fun. She was a very, very good singer.

Who do you think have been your greatest musical influences?


I’ve long been a champion of Blossom Dearie – the whole package of her, the humour of her, the really lovely way she played… and I do love her voice, the timbre is so caressing.

Do you write any of your own material?

I only ever write a song if someone forces me. My brother David said “Janet, you have to write a song” and he came up with the title, which I thought was very good - the title of the show and the song: Dear Blossom.

The lyrics were easy to write but I also felt that I had to incorporate the fact that when Blossom wrote music, it was always very well written, structured and very musical with really interesting chords. I wanted a little bouncy, catchy tune and I think it works. Yes, I think we’ll do that one in London.

If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be?

Bill Charlap (pianist). I just love the way he plays and I’ve heard him accompany other singers. I’d love the luxury of not having to worry about playing piano and just have a really good rhythm section led by Charlap.


What tunes do you never tire of performing?

I’ve got thousands of songs that I love doing but I still especially love the excitement I feel when I’ve got new material to play. You’ve got to have a good repertoire not only because when you’re a jazz musician, people love to make requests but also for your own sanity.

I still feel really good about Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home (Mercer). I’ve heard Judy Garland do it, Barbra Streisand and so on. There’s something about it that just gets under my skin and being a bit of a traveller, I particularly love that song.

And another that I have absolutely never tired of – and I’ve done it so many times – is Begin the Beguine. When we do the Cole Porter show, we do a little arrangement of it and it always gets to me.
I get a kind of tingle. It’s amazing, isn’t it, how sometimes the familiarity of something can make it less interesting? But it’s such a quirky song, it’s written in an unusual form with so many different parts to it. It’s ideal really for doing just once because it’s so long but… but I love that it tells a story of when they begin the beguine and then the setting… and the orchestra playing and something goes wrong and they’ll never play it again. Then… play it again! I want it hear it.
It’s just a perfect journey.  I’ve actually never said that before - that’s an exclusive!


The Janet Seidel Trio performs at:
The Pheasantry, October 30
Kings Place, November 26
www.janetseidel.com

Review: Josh Kyle Possibilities album launch

Josh Kyle - ‘Possibilities’ Album Launch
(Pizza Express Dean Street. Thursday 20th October. Review by Fran Hardcastle)

It's  audacious to open a set with an a cappella solo, as 24 year-old Australian vocalist did on Thursday. He delivered Stardust with such impeccable tuning, beautiful phrasing and clarion tone that he not only pulled it off with aplomb, he had the audience captivated right from the outset, for the launch of his debut album ‘Possibilities’.

The album has been two years in the making and is a creative collaboration between Kyle and bassist Geoff Gascoyne, combining originals and some great contemporary arrangements. They showcased a wealth of variety in style. Originals like Roll-On have a nu-jazz vibe. There was a lot of head-bopping at my table.

His choices of covers included a delicious laid back version of Larry Willis’ The Prize with original lyrics by Kyle. Robin Aspland on piano gave a joyously energetic solo. The Thrill is Gone was given the slow funk treatment, which fed a meaty solo from Geoff Gascoyne on bass.

Kyle’s voice is something rather special. He plays with the tone in a mature manner that shows a real awareness of his instrument. Vibrato is used sparingly and to great effect. He delicately brings in touches of a sumptuous breathy sound. Most captivating is his honeyed but strong falsetto.

The political songs, such as the original Save the World and Djavan’s Amazon are lyrically a touch unsubtle for my taste but musically very enjoyable. An effectively used sampler and driving beat from Ralph Salmins on Amazon really brought the track up to date.

I was downloading tracks onto my iphone before I’d even left the building. This will be an album I will come to know well. The only thing which can be a bit distracting is Kyle's occasional gurning facial expression. But the sheer coolness of the music, combined with the potency of his voice should reach audiences far beyond the jazz world.

Possibilities is available from Jazzizit Records