Jazz Kaleidoscope interview Interplay 21st October

Posted by on Sep 27, 2013

Alan Musson’s programme will be featuring Dave Balen and Adrian Litvinoff sharing their musical experiences and influences to tie in with the launch of the new album “Global”.  Alan will be playing some of the new CD and also some of the music that has inspired Dave and Adrian over the course of their musical lives.  Do tune in on Monday 21st October on 102.5 Fm The ‘Bridge- Stourbridge local radio. To listen online – go to...

See More

‘Global’ – Interplay’s new album out in October!

Posted by on Sep 23, 2013

‘Global’ – Interplay’s new album out in October!

Two years in the making ‘Global’, Interplay’s second album, is finally released on 21st October 2013 on Silvery Records (SRCD0065). Musical scents of Cuba, North Africa, India and elsewhere infuse the jazz-rooted repertoire, powered by the fine musicianship of Alan Wakeman, Richard Baker, Neil Hunter, Dave Balen and Adrian Litvinoff. To celebrate this milestone Interplay are having a special event at the Live Arts and Music Project (LAMP), Leamington’s newest and grooviest venue. Join us on Sunday 20th October at 8.00pm for music, drinks and good times to celebrate this milestone. Bring a horn or join in on percussion. Please follow the link http://tinyurl.com/o87z2ys and confirm your attendance. Even if you can’t make it, send us a message to read out on the...

See More

Interplay in words and pictures

Posted by on Jun 26, 2013

Interplay in words and pictures

Here’s a short interview I did following our recent photoshoot for the band at LAMP in Leamington.   You can also see some more great shots of the band taken by specialist music photographer Rob Bridge of Redwood Photography. Rob is well known for his work with indie bands – I think we were something of a challenge for him! The occasion also established beyond any doubt that Alan has the best wardrobe. Killer jacket!   The interview reveals that a new Interplay web site is in development. That’s right! More information coming...

See More

Dave Balen Sonnymoons at the 606

Posted by on Jun 21, 2013

Dave on tabla at the 606 Interplay’s drummer Dave Balen found his London business trip took a surprising turn when he was asked to sit in with the legendary British bassist Peter Ind and friends at the 606 Club. Himself an old friend of Peter’s, Dave was delighted to be invited to take part in the gig, arranged as part of the 606’s impressive 25th anniversary celebrations. By pure co-incidence Dave was packing a new set of tablas he had just acquired! He was naturally eager to try them out and this provided a memorable opportunity. Club owner Steve Rubie was on flute, his brother Peter on guitar and someones else (unknown – apologies!) on oud.  Their rendition of  ‘Sonnymoon For Two’ was impromptu, fresh and eclectic – just the way  Dave likes it! This year Peter Ind celebrates his 85th birthday. His extraordinary career spans over 60 years, virtually concurrent with the whole evolution of modern and contemporary jazz. Among his musical associates are Lennie Tristano, Warne Marsh and Lee Konitz from the US, and Louis Stewart, Stephane Grappelli and Martin Taylor among the European notables. At times a recording engineer, record producer, club owner, painter and author, Peter’s work constitutes a substantial archive, and he clearly isn’t done yet! For more insight into this amazing musician visit Peter Ind....

See More

Interplay’s high holiday

Posted by on May 28, 2013

Interplay’s high holiday

This has been an exceptional weekend for Interplay and many other musicians in and around Coventry. The band delivered a storming set at Leamington’s venue LAMP, eliciting comments from the audience such as ‘My chin was on the floor’. This was despite a security alert on the M6 resulting in Neil being delayed by over 2 hours (I nearly said ‘detained’) and arriving just 15 mins before the scheduled start time. ‘Weightless’ (featuring Dave on tabla) and ‘Ruby My Dear’ (featuring Richard on trombone) attracted particular attention, as also did ‘Spanish Step’ – only our second time out with that one. There are some nice pictures of the gig at http://tinyurl.com/onl9keh Then it was time for the Coventry Jazz Festival, and a trio set with Alan and Neil at Playwrights, the festival’s spiritual home. This place has the smallest stage imaginable (hence it being a trio set), but the audience was really receptive and out for some good music. With the sun out and the doors open the music flew out along the street and all kinds of people came by to savour the music and the really festive atmosphere.  After that I scooted across town to Blue Bistro which was already rammed in anticipation of hearing Joe O’Donnell’s Shkayla – far from standard jazz festival fare, but a band with outstanding soloists and some jazzy grooves amid the traditional and fusion-based sounds. The next day I returned to Playwright’s for a SugarDaddies afternoon set. This was possibly more mellow than either of the previous day’s excursions, and by this stage in the Festival seemed to be just what many in the audience wanted. As with all good festivals, the intervening periods allowed some time to encounter some new music, and I was pleased to catch up with the Tim Bowes Trio and to hear the redoubtable Hayden Mathews Haynes in flying form. There was also a lot I didn’t get to that I would have wished to hear too. It is unsurprising and also gratifying that the Festival managed to present such a range of rewarding music with pretty much all local performers. This is a welcome contrast to the ‘big name’ syndrome that seems to predominate at many festivals, some of which increasingly seem to resemble each other. So, finally, a sincere vote of thanks to all the organisers and participating venues for putting themselves – and us – out there. Incidentally...

See More

Interplay getting even more lyrical

Posted by on May 20, 2013

Leamington Spa’s favourite jazz singer Ellen Callender will join Interplay on Friday night at LAMP to furnish one or two of Adrian Litvinoff’s seldom-heard lyrics. Ellen is well known for her full-on performances with her own band the Swing Cats and for fronting the highly successful monthly Spa Jazz sessions at the Clarendon. The Interplay tunes are in something of a different vein, less great American song book, more abstract impressionism meets confessional whimsey. One of these is so unknown not even the band has heard it! It says a lot about Ellen that she has taken on this commission and we look forward very much to hearing her interpretations, adding to gaiety and the uniqueness of the occasion. For further details and reservations please...

See More

Music and its associations – it’s all in the mind

Posted by on Mar 7, 2013

After a recent Interplay gig a friend of about my age asked “Where does this stuff come from? It sounds like those cool American detective series from the early 1960s”. He was expressing pleasure both at the music and at how it connected him with something else he really liked. It’s lovely that people attribute the same music with such widely varied associations. If the music is mine these are often ideas I have never even thought of! Of course the suggestive power of music and its ability to fire the imagination is one of its greatest qualities. But it still knocks me out – and makes me smile – when I hear comments like this. “Really? If you say so” I thought, then I started to ponder. I certainly remember as a kid thinking the theme music to ‘Hawaii Five-O’ was pretty exciting. There was another series though, with Bill Cosby and someone else (was it Robert Wagner?) as ridiculously cool plainclothes cops, and they had some hip music too. Anyone remember that series, what is was called, or how the music went? If so please let me know. Stuff I liked and still remember comes from a bit later – ‘Taxi’ and ‘St. Elsewhere’ were two series with great music, by Mike Post if I recall.  But do I think about any of that when I’m writing for Interplay? Not a bit, although many years ago I did write a big band score titled ‘Bullet-Proof Vest’…. By contrast another example comes from a very different age-group. The band is booked to appear at LAMP, Leamington’s new music venue, which is run out of a social enterprise to engage young people through music and related activity. The PR for the venue (young, naturally) has written up our music as reminding him of the sound track to a well-known computer game. He tells me this is because he really likes that music and ‘his’ public will relate to it. Brilliant! I can describ  e our music to our typical audience, but would never have thought in a million years of talking to young people about it in such terms. (And it might suggest a different outlet for our music...

See More

Surprises in Swindon for Interplay

Posted by on May 3, 2012

Baker Street in Swindon is hosting some fine names in British Jazz these days and it was a treat to find ourselves being well looked-after by the house team as well as the jazz night organisers.  After a longish drive and set up it was also good to see all the tables filled well before the start. I was therefore disconcerted – putting it mildly – when my double bass pick-up proceeded to ‘die’ half-way through the second number! Hasty action with the screw-driver produced no results of note (or notes) and so I faced the reality of doing the rest of the gig on electric bass.  I had been warned that some of the audience at least preferred jazz standards to the mixture of originals and global rhythms we were about to play. I wondered whether abandoning the upright bass for bass guitar would be a step too far for them. Happily it seemed to go the other way. We got into our stride after the interruption and the crowd came with us!  We had selected  a global programme in honour of International Jazz Day and managed to ‘visit’ Cuba, Jamaica, India and South Africa as well as playing North American and British Jazz. A very good floor singer called Harry joined us for My Funny Valentine and adapted his delivery to our Lovers’ Rock treatment to acclaim. Even our ‘hairier’ 0riginals got a cheer.  With a couple of encores we were done. I was really pleased because I always prefer to give an audience the benefit of the doubt where new music is concerned. Let them hear it and respond, rather than presuming they won’t or don’t like it. As it turned out people in Swindon did like it, and we look forward to being back there as soon as schedules...

See More