Vocal Coach, Singer-Songwriter, Guitarist, Keyboard Player, Bass Player, Percussionist and Voice Over Artist.
I’ve been at it a while and thus picked up a few skills along the way - I hope!
I have been teaching at The BRIT School since it opened in 1991 and was Professor of Jazz Voice at Trinity College of Music (now Trinity-Laban) and was vocal coach on tour with BBC Television's ‘The Voice’ Series 1. See CVs below for more information. Visit The Singthing.com for singing tuition materials.
Early songwriting influences were the heavy rock bands of the 70’s - Deep Purple in particular (guitar was my main instrument) - and riff-based songs still interest me. I then discovered funk, soul and much crossover music. Influences were Kool & The Gang, Bobby Caldwell, Steeley Dan, Michael Franks. I went on to enjoy the writing of Al Jarreau / Jay Graydon and when I started to study singing, I enrolled on a Jazz Singing course and was introduced to The Great American Songbook and the high quality jazz standards. Other influences include Joni Mitchell, The Eagles, some calypso and reggae artists and some Brazilian musicians, notably Airto Moreira.
As a songwriter, I wanted to demo my songs, so I continued to work on my singing, along with keys, bass and percussion playing, to facilitate this - I relied on drum machines for the kit. I had some publishing interest from April Music but pushing original songs is tough, and I started performing ‘live’ more and more. As original material was generally not welcomed on the gigs I was doing, songwriting took a back seat for a while.
Playing live and also working with students over many years meant I became familiar (in some detail) with hundreds of songs across many genres - including rap in recent years. All this, has of course fed into my current songwriting, and I have much to draw on.
Having returned to songwriting, I have returned to recording demos, and as before, I play most instruments myself - it makes demoing much easier, and I enjoy it, despite the frustrations of my limitations. Current computer-based recording is a great advance and the ability to send tracks to musicians across the globe, for them to add the instruments that I don’t play, means I’m no longer limited to robotic drum machines.
Singer/Pianist Excerpts - I'm able to perform solo or with combo, up to 5 piece. Events from casual to formal. Jazz, soul, blues and some 'pop'. All equipment provided if necessary.
Voice Over Excerpts - An accomplished vocal artist, with ethnic timbres. A rich and detailed baritone voice, capable of extending from true bass, to soul inflected highs. Download MP3
Below are links to download photos for publicity. Click the pic to preview, click the link to view in new window. Right click link and choose ‘Save link as…’ to download file.
