Gigs ‘n’ news ‘n’ stuff ‘n’ all that jazz
Just a quick update on what’s happening in my gig world.
I’ve been doing a weekly Sunday afternoon jazz trio gig for a while now at a bar/restaurant in town called R House. This has now become a fortnightly gig for the time being. There will be music on the alternate weeks, but I hear it’s a guy singing R ‘n’ B to backing track, and I’m guessing if you like live jazz, you probably won’t like that too much, but do feel free to check it out.
Our next gig there will be on Sunday 5th May, 2:30-5:30. We play three 45 minute sets of jazz including a fair bit of swing and also a few ballads, bossas and some blues. The guitarist for this one will be Steve Hemsworth (aka Sonny Intervals www.facebook.com/SonnyIntervalsJazz?fref=ts). The bassist is yet to be confirmed. The next one after that should be Sunday 19th May, but check the gigs page on my website to be sure: www.alyssrose.co.uk/gigs. If you are thinking of coming along and having some food, it’s worth booking, because it’s quite busy there now, but if you just want to come for a drink you can just turn up. The venue is R House, 26-28 Hilton Street, Manchester, M1 2EH. www.rhousemanchester.com
In other news, I’m still running the Inspire Community Voices choir over in Bury, and we’d be happy to have more singers to join us (especially some men or ladies who like to sing low!). We normally meet the first and third Saturday of each month. Our rehearsals take place at the Met Theatre in Bury, 2pm – 4pm. It’s a warm and welcoming group, open to all abilities. There’s no need to have experience or to read music. All you need is the will to have a good sing! Our next rehearsal is Saturday 4th May. Have a look at our website for more info: www.inspirevoices.co.uk
There’s a new piano-vocal duo in the offing. It’s going to be a soul-jazz-pop-Cuban type of thing. We should hopefully be getting some gig dates in the diary before too long, so watch this space for more news of that.
I’m getting very close to the end of the Professional Diploma in Comtemporary Vocals that I’ve been doing for the last year. I feel like I’ve been saying that for ages no, but it really will be over on the 8th of May come hell or highwater. I’ve learned a huge amount from the course, but I’m going to be so relieved to not have to write any more essays!
Below is a list of my upcoming gigs. As always, do check my gigs page in case of any changes www.alyssrose.co.uk/gigs and I’ll do my best to keep it updated. Thanks for reading, and may the force be with you!
Alyss x
UPCOMING GIGS
Sunday 5th May, 2:30-5:30pm, Free
Jazz Trio @ R House, 26-28 Hilton Street, Manchester, M1 2EH.
We’ll be playing three sets of swing, bossa, blues and ballads.
www.rhousemanchester.com
Sunday 19th May, 2:30-5:30pm, Free
Jazz Trio @ R House, 26-28 Hilton Street, Manchester, M1 2EH.
We’ll be playing three sets of swing, bossa, blues and ballads.
www.rhousemanchester.com
Sunday 26th May, 8pm, Free
New Sense Brass and The Voice Collective @ Chorlton Arts Festival
The a capella vocal group I sing with is doing a joint gig with a fun and funky brass band.
www.facebook.com/events/391448384296090/?fref=ts
www.chorltonartsfestival.com
Friday 21st June, 8:30pm, £6.50 on the door
Jazz @ Hyde Cricket Club
I’ll be singing with the fantastic Vinnie Parker Trio
Sunday 23rd June, 8:30pm-11pm, Free
Jazz Jam @ the Ram & Shackle, 393 Wilmslow Rd, Manchester, M20 4WA .
I’ll be singing in the house band for this one. Bring your instruments and voices and come and jam, or just bring your eyes and ears to soak up the music.
News and Gigs
Dear friends, I hope you’re all well and that the new year’s not treating you too shabbily. Here’s a quick post to let you know what I’m up to.
SUNDAY JAZZ @ R-HOUSE
So, I’ve got a regular Sunday afternoon gig at a new-ish bar/restaurant in the Northern Quarter called R-House. I was originally doing the gig with a great French guitarist called Hugo Corbin, but he’s gone off to further his studies in New York, so now I’m working with a few different musicians, varying from week to week. We’ve had some great people, so far on the guitar we’ve had Simon Mulcaster and Steve Hemsworth; and on the bass we’ve had Ed Harrison, Matt Owens, Gavin Barras and Stewart Wilson. On the odd week I’ll be off doing other things, so we’ll be having guest vocalists for these ones. We had Jade America Harris on 27th January, and she’ll be back again on 24th February. We’re there every Sunday, 3pm-6pm and it’s free.
INSPIRE! CHOIR
Another new project I’ve taken on is leading the Inspire Community Voices, a new community choir based in Bury. We rehearse in Bury Met Theatre the first and third Saturday of each month (although this can vary, so do check the web) 2pm-4:30pm. It’s a very friendly group and all songs are taught by ear, so no music reading required. We will be covering a range of musical styles. So if you’re over Bury way and fancy a bit of harmony singing, get on down!
www.inspirevoices.co.uk.
There’s quite a few gigs on the horizon, so have a look at the gigs page, and I hope to see some friendly faces at some of them.
www.alyssrose.co.uk/gigs
Alyss x
Sunday Afternoon Jazz @ R House
Dear Music-loving peeps,
Just a quick update to let you know that I have a new regular jazz gig if anyone fancies coming down. I’m singing with the French guitarist Hugo Corbin, and double bass player Matt Owens (although it will be someone different next week). We’re on 3pm-6pm Sunday afternoons at the R House bar and restaurant in the Northern Quarter. It’s a glitzy little joint, which also does a mean carvery.
The next one is….
Sunday 16th December
3pm-6pm
@ R House, 26-28 Hilton Street, Northern Quarter, Manchester, M1 2EH.
www.rhousemanchester.com
We’ll probably be doing one on 23rd December too, but as everything becomes a bit irregular around Christmas time, check my Facebook page or website gigs page to be sure.
www.facebook.com/alyssrose
www.alyssrose.co.uk/gigs
Seasons Greetings, and a big ho ho ho!
Alyss x
A couple of gigs + jam news
Hi there peeps, just a quick post to let you know about a couple of gigs I have coming up. There’s one next Friday 16th November, and one way, way in the future on Sunday 17th March. All the details are below, I hope you can make it!
Also there’s a bit of news about the Sunday Night Jazz & Jam that we’ve been doing at Jackson’s Boat. We had a good 12 week run there, but now we’re looking for a new venue, so we’ll be taking a break until we find somewhere suitable. We’re aiming to find somewhere that will be a bit easier to get to. So watch this space!
Friday 16th November
Alyss McBirney & The Vinnie Parker Trio
I’ll be singing some jazz, blues and bossa nova with the wonderful Vinnie Parker Trio. The evening is hosted by singer Dave Hodges. It’s a regular fortnightly jazz event, which usually features guest vocalists or musicians performing with The Vinnie Parker Trio. There’s a lovely atmosphere, and the band are great.
Music starts at 8:30 pm
@ Hyde Cricket & Squash Club, Werneth Low Road, Gee Cross, Hyde, SK14 3AD
£6:50 on the door
www.hydecsc.co.uk
If you do all that Facebook nonsense, you can join the “event” as this link https://www.facebook.com/events/297448237037529/
And one to stick in your diary!
Sunday 17th March
Alyss McBirney & Hugo Corbin
Jazz jazz jazz accompanied by French-born guitarist Hugo Corbin (www.myspace.com/hugocorbin)
Music starts at 9pm
@ The Hillary Step, 199 Upper Chorlton Road, Manchester, M16 0BH
Free entry
Double jazz on a Sunday night
So I had a double jazz night last night… First I popped down to the Jackson’s Boat Jazz and Jam, and then I cycled round to The Hillary Step where I was very pleasantly surprised to see HSQ+2 (aka The Hillary Step Sax Quartet). I was expecting a sax quartet, but didn’t know it would be them. I saw and loved them at the Manchester Jazz Festival earlier this year, so it was great to them again, and not have to rush off before the end of the gig. I was just as impressed this time, and they were recording the gig, so hopefully I’ll get to hear the tune I really loved, but can’t remember the name of when they get the recordings out there. Here’s their Soundcloud page so you can have a listen.
The line-up I saw last night was:
Jim Collins – alto & baritone saxophone, clarinet
Helen Pillinger – alto & tenor saxophone
Helena Summerfield – soprano & baritone saxophone, flute
Will Lenton – tenor & bass saxophone
Rachael Gladwin – harp, vocals
Phil Bennett – percussion