I tried to upload this by mobile phone to Twit Pic, the file seem to upload ok but it didn't display, so here it is. I shot this on Sony Ericsson W715 walkman phone, the reviews said the camera part was just 'adequate' but pic looks ok to me. I'm very pleased with the device, phone, mp3 player, radio and camera all in one device plus ability to read emails etc. Web browsing on mobile phones is still relatively tiresome but the experience is getting better. Also this phone has so far shown pretty good battery life.

A Quiet Weekend

Not much happening this weekend music wise. The City Lit is on Easter recess and I won't be able to make the TRB rehearsals on Monday as I'm away on business. The weather has been very changeable with a very cold wind.

Might have to resort to DIY

Pete Button drummer for the B Band and the David Barnes Worship Experience and many others I expect!

General shots of the band sorting out the sessions charts

Simon our MD, we rehearse in room G08

Barry (Left) Tenor, Margaret (Centre) Trumpet, Ben (Right) Tenor, in the cafeteria. The building was designed by Allies + Morrisson and opened in 2005

Amanda our keyboard player and multi instrumentalist, pic taken last night during our rehearsal time at 'Woodside Studios' Halland. Well known for her very good ear, .....

Ardent Derby County supporter.

Ace bass man Cliff Wootton, anchor man of the TRB and many other combo's and ensembles.

A matched pair of 1955 Amperex EL84's. Actually the valves are in my Coyote. I used to use my Coyote as my main amp even though it's a low wattage unit. Since I've moved over to jazzy stuff I use an AER compact 60. I wouldn't mind a Twin Reverb for jazz but at my age the weight is out of the question.

Another old valve, think I bought it on a whim its not part of a matched pair. I may have bought it as a back up in case one of the Amperex's blew on me.

These strings are my favourites for all areas of jazz EXCEPT Freddie Green comping. For Freddie style rhythm you need roundwound bronze strings on an acoustic F hole guitar.

TI (Thomastik-Infeld) do a number of gauges in the George Benson range. I have used the 114 set but prefer these being slightly lighter. These are still pretty heavy by non jazz standards. These have a very good jazz sound with a very even feel and last ages. I have found these strings very consistent pack to pack with no dead spots so far using my L5.

I think if you play a lot you have to watch very heavy strings as I think there is a risk of what I call 'fuzzy fingers', but generally bad posture could be to blame as well, not to mention too many bacon sarnies and a general prefernce for butter. I have pondered cutting that stuff out and investigating the Alexander technique but you know how it is.

Wegen Trimus 250

3mm Jim Dunlop Big Stubby

Red Bear Trading Type D Heavy

These picks are my non standard picks, my normal being a Jim Dunlop Tortex 1.0mm. The Wegen pick I only use for Freddie Green style rhythm I have got thicker version but they are just too thick, I think they are really 'Gypsy Jazz' picks. The 3mm Big Stubby has come up blue on the picture but actually they are purple/mauve. These are good for single line work but not a 'strumming' pick I think they have to be held in a certain way otherwise they 'click', stay clear of any limp wrist actions.

The Red Bear pick is my favourite it has a very neutral sound with a excellent feel and is good for single line, double stops and rhythm comping.

Wegen Picks

http://www.tortispicks.co.uk/

Jim Dunlop

My last pedal of the night is the Voodoo Labs Analog Chorus. It's one of my oldest pedals and a good solid workhorse with a natural sounding chorus if used with care. I don't use excessive chorus but just a touch can be nice. The knobs have a particularly nice action. A lot of folks seem to use excessive chorus to my ears.

I have used chorus for my jazz work occassionally but not as a genral rule.

One bit of kit I would recommend is the Voodoo Labs Pedal Power 2. It saves a lot on batteries and has been used consistently for the past 3 years with no problems.

This is a pretty well known pedal the Boss DD20, I have a Mojave Coyote and I use this pedal instead of reverb. All its sounds are pretty usable but tonight I have been dabbling with the reverse setting. I have heard some MP3's of the Empress delay pedal and thought their reverse setting very 'Bill Frisell' like which is cool and very musical. The DD20 doesn't come anywhere close to the Empress, though it doesn't take too much away from Boss kit as it covers a lot of 'workaday' bases really well.

Tonight I have been dabbling with the Keeley Nova Wah. It simulates two fixed position wah pedals. I really need to have a go at performance volumes I think it works better with my Strat if its used as a rhythm effect but it's got some cool tones used on single line stuff too with my L5. I'll try it with the Keeley Compressor placed after the Wah. I have a Maxon TS clone which I might swap for the compressor. I'm tempted to take it along to the City Lit Big Band and see how I get on. I use the Keeley Compressor quite a bit on my non jazz stuff . I'd like to get my hands on some Empress pedals they do a delay and EQ device that looks cool, I don't go in for too much OD.

This Brighton Jazz Musicians Co-op a few years back when John Bailey was organising it check out their website. 

If you fancy a go at improvising in a pretty supportive environment check it out, Tuesday nights at the Open House from 7.30.

This is Mo our singer. The Tom Roberts Band is a jazz tinged improvisational unit and Mo does very well. She looks good in a frock and that always counts.

This is Dave on sax though we work pretty much as a co-op Dave is head organiser and money man. Every band needs one.

Thats me and my Gibson L5 at Woodside Studios, Halland, thats not far from Hailsham and Ringmer, thats in East Sussex for those of you not used to English locations. One of the outfits I'm part of is the Tom Roberts Band and we use Woodside for rehearsals. 

I'm using 'The Serious Jazz Practice Book' at the moment to help my sight reading. I'm really keen on getting some progress in this area. I've improved quite a bit since Sept/Oct 2008 when I started working on this area.