It already feels like a dream getting home having played Django Bates' piano concerto for Joanna MacGregor with this fantastic orchestra - Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg - I remember thinking at the end of the concert that there was nowhere I would rather be.
Opening the Quercus tour on Sunday at The Stables brought back some good memories of my Wavendon Summer Schools in the early 80s. There were some great teachers and some of the students are still friends such as Nikki Iles, Phil & Tom Bancroft, Mark Lockheart and Guy Chambers.
For the following 30 years, whenever we met, John Dankworth teased me about owing him £1. He had leant it to me so I could get the bus home after my pocket money ran out! I tried repay the pound with interest many times over the years but he always refused, so he could bring it up next time we met!
We dedicated a tune to John on Sunday night.
Thanks to the person who stole my wallet on Monday morning and thanks to the person who handed it in on Monday afternoon, minus the pound....
Quercus, the unique trio featuring the award winning folk singer June Tabor, pianist Huw Warren and Iain Ballamy released their debut recording on ECM Records in spring 2013.
Visit the Quercus ECM Player for more information and to listen to track sample.
Go to Live Dates for more info on next gigs.
Enjoying a bit of Old England with Stian. Had some great gigs so far starting with Watermill Jazz at Dorking then up through the snow to Wakefield Jazz and swinging down to Uppingham yesterday to the Goldmark Gallery. All great audiences inspite of the weather.
Tonight its Ronnie Scott's opening for Michel Legrand then flying up to Glasgow for Celtic Connections festival.
Back again in April at The Sage for Gateshead International Jazz Festival if you missed us this time.
Last week I popped over to Jason Rebello's place for a play. After walking the dogs and some coffee we recorded a few Chrismas songs.
Here's some MP3 pressies from us, hope you like them. Thanks for following and Happy New Year 2012 to you!
Feeling glad to be in Naples in one piece as I nearly missed the plane yesterday.... icy English motorways.
I'm playing at a big Literary awards ceremony tonight with Maria Pia de Vito and Huw Warren
Last night we had wonderful Neapolitan cuisine and my hotel looks across the bay to Vesuvius and to the right I can see Pompei. It doesn't get better than this!
Food's second album for ECM Records, 'Mercurial Balm', is released today (Nov 5th) in UK - I can hear the firework celebrations all around me, amazing!
Mastered in January 2012 at the Rainbow Studio, Oslo, with improvisations drawn from live performances in Norway, England and Germany and studio sessions.
The album features the core group of Iain Ballamy and Thomas Stronen with guitarists Christian Fennesz and Eivind Aarset, trumpeter Nils Petter Molvær and the unique singer and slide guitarist from South India, Prakash Sontakke.
Here's a link to ECM's page with more info and a great overview of all musicians. Visit the ECM Player to hear track 1 'Nebular' and for more info on Artists.
(ECM 2269)
Great to have a visit from Dave McKean - it's first time I've seen him since he was on his way from filming Michael Sheen's modern re-telling of the Passion of Christ in Port Talbot. Dave took some great portraits of me and also seemed to take rather a shine to our pet Giant African Land Snail (unlike Kit Downes who said it gave him nightmares!).
The snail makes a good pet - it looks like galleon in full sail when its out, eats rice and even likes a drop of beer.
I talked with Dave about making plans to re-release some of my back catalogue (Food, Acme, Allmen Amen, Little Radio, Pepper Street Interludes...) on our Feral Records music label.
'Food' playedl in Brecon cathedral on Saturday as a duo. Quite unexpectedly the acoustics seemed to be on our side and our superb sound man Simen Scharning created a mesmerising sonic environment with the music swirling into every corner. Great audience and atmosphere.
This festival is back on track with great programming in the key venues and for me
always a moment of nostalgia when I remember the first years I played Brecon festival with Slim Gaillard and Loose Tubes. I do miss the early pre "health and safety" days when grannies sold home made Welsh cakes and sarnies over the garden gate but I'm so happy to see the legacy living on....
Great to finish my year's teaching at RWCMD with a tutors' concert in the superb new concert hall. A quartet of myself, Huw Warren, Dudley Phillips and Martin France played a mixture of our own originals, classic tunes by Hermeto Pascoal, some standards and also interpretations of folk and classical themes.
It was really good to see so many students and staff as well as concert goers and a pleasure to congratulate so many young musicians on their progress throughout the year under the guiding light of the college's head of Jazz, Paula Gardiner.
Just arrived at the Trondheim Jazz Summit where I will kick off a talk about jazz education tomorrow afternoon. If it goes ok I might take up after dinner speaking (if anyone asks me to dinner?).
It is still light here in Norway at 11.45pm, so feels like summer is coming. Hold on someone just told me it snowed here two days ago!
Food play with Prakash Sontakke and Petter Vagen on Friday at the Trondheim Jazz Festival. I don't know what they give them for lunch in Trondheim but it seems to do the trick!
Kyoto concert was a great successs and we're leaving for Nagoya today. The blossom is still on the trees and the sun shining.
For such a busy place everything is remarkably calm and seems to work like a finely oiled machine. The Japanese are kind polite and very enthusiastic about the music and our Theremin player Koichi Makigami is a spectacle the likes of which I have never seen - a feast for the eyes as well as the ears!
Japan is a real experience and here, hot Sake has taken the place of Underberg wherever possible. I might try hot Underberg when I get home just to see if it works!
Iain on Soundforms stageI played at the Soundforms launch in London Docklands earlier this month - a mobile acoustic performance shell - see NBC News post for a video of the first ever performances in the shell.
It was a memorable experience as a player and listener alike - a magically illuminated stage which resembled a whales open mouth and projected the music with perfect clarity.
Whilst performing I enjoyed it's acoustically comfortable environment and clear sonic focus. I could sense the quality of sound emanating from the stage as I played.
Its still hard travelling on planes with a saxophone, especially on budget airlines.
When it gets really close to the moment where you think they will confiscate the horn or charge an extra £300 for its own seat, I find yogic breathing or a small bottle of Underberg really helps!
Still not convinced? Here's what Underberg say...
Since the invention of the single-portion bottle, Underberg has been an ideal size to take with you, for uncomplicated pleasure while you are on the move."
There you go...!
Listed between Chet Baker and Count Basie!
Compiled by Geoffrey Smith presenter of BBC 2 program 'Jazz record requests', Iain is described as an 'ingenious innovator'.
Iain is one of the few living and non-American musicians included in this prestigious publication. The listing confirms his standing in the true tradition.
Read more about who is in the 100 Jazz Legends area on the BBC's website
