So far, so good

I’m normally an extremely patient person, but there are some things in my life right now that stretch my patience so far, I sometimes wonder how much elasticity is left! Breathe in…… breathe out…..

But, on to brighter news!

CONCERT UPDATE:
Today I’m delighted to announce the line-up for my concert on Friday, 7 October:
Wayne Bosch (electric guitar)
Errol Dyers (acoustic guitar)
Hilton Schilder (piano)
Charles Lazar (double bass)
Tony Paco (percussion)

This is such an exciting group of musicians, and I’m over the moon that they’re all on board. I have worked extensively with Wayne, quite a bit with Hilton, a few times with Charles, done two impromptu sets with Errol and worked with Tony on the recording of one of my songs. One thing I can say, though, is that all of them are people I really like, and people whose energy blends well with mine.

There’s a lot to do, both musically and otherwise. One of the next things I have to finalise is the programme for the night. We’re doing two sets of my original songs, and I’m busy with the selection. The next challenge is deciding which combinations of musicians will play on each song. I want to give the audience a memorable experience, so I plan to do as wide a range of styles as possible. There’ll be a bit of all the styles I use – folk, blues, ballads, bossanova and samba, as well as light rock. The thread that will weave the songs together will be their source, their origin – me. My songs tell stories. Each song has its own character - its own feel, its own rhythm, its own colour - and this will be heightened by the different sounds produced by the musicians. At the end of the concert, I hope the people in the audience will feel like they’ve been taken on a magic carpet ride. I know that, being on stage and performing my songs with this particular line-up, will feel that way for me.

Last night I had an exciting meeting with some good friends who’re helping me put the pieces of the puzzle together in a way that will produce a slick event, with all the different aspects covered more than adequately. It’s important for me to consult with more experienced people, to listen to their ideas and to grow my frames of reference.

I’m trying to decide on the name of the concert, and I’m tempted to use one of my song titles, as I’ve done in the past. This step is as important as deciding on the title of a book you’ve written, or the theme for decorating a house. Once I have sorted this out, I can discuss the concept with the designer, and he can start with the artwork for the tickets and the programmes. I wonder if musicians who are hired to play at concerts realize how much behind-the-scenes work gets done, and how much of a risk the producer takes. Those who’ve put on their own events would know.

After deciding on the songs and getting the charts ready, I have to set rehearsal dates. I have to believe that it won’t be that difficult to get 6 of us to the same place at the same time!

Some exciting ideas were shared last night, and I can’t wait to see the different plans fall into place. I fully understand that some things will be easier to achieve than others.

For now, though, I need to focus on getting over this bout of flu, practising my guitar playing until my voice is strong enough to practise singing, and keeping an eye on my checklists and timelines.

So far, so good!