Last week I went to the Richard Michael Jazz Summer Course. It was held in Kilgraston School, which is about 40 minutes from here, but I went as a residential student.
I’d registered piano as my main instrument, with clarinet as a second. But I quickly realised that it was better to have a single instrument, and I decided that I’d concentrate on the clarinet, as I only took it up a bit over two years ago, and really want to get into jazz and klezmer on it.
It was a good decision. The saxophone and clarinet tutor was Gordon McNeil, and I really learned a lot from his classes. I’d never played a jazz solo on clarinet before, and didn’t really understand how to put together a solo in a single note lead instrument. We studied minor pentatonic scales, and how to add to them, we studied chord structure (which I was quite familiar with, but still learned more), and even what a sax or clarinet player carries about for when things go a bit awry with the instrument. And perhaps more importantly, how to structure practise for jazz, something I had been having difficulty with (I understood how to practice classical music and scales, but not what to do to make soloing easier). Gordon is both a brilliant musician and teacher!
The course sets up a number of combos: six in this case. I was in combo five, run by Gordon and Hilary Michael (the surname is not coincidence: she is Richard Michael’s daughter). We played few tunes, including Take Five and Song for my Father on which I played by first clarinet solo, both in practice, and in the final concert. It seemed to go well – it was a very supportive environment.
I also went to the jazz choir run by the amazing Debra Salem. She had us learning and singing in an mixed voice choir, teaching us each part. We had the equally amazing Eliot Murray accompanying us, both in practice and in the final concert.
What can I say? It was a really excellent week, one that far exceeded my expectations. It was full-on and intensive – I played more clarinet and some piano too in the evening jam sessions. I learned a great deal (and I know there’s a great deal more to learn), and met some really good amateur musicians, ad well as the professional tutors.
I hope to come back next year!
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