The Sunday Evening Project. (14/10/2018)

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Al Bampton

Leeds based musician, guitar teacher and music tutor

Hi there,

Another cracking gig alert, they are coming thick and fast at the moment and long may it continue.

I will be joined by the Latin American band Mestisa and the acoustic duo Siren and Strings on Sunday the 14th. This is a really strong line up so hopefully they will get the audience the gig deserves.

If you haven’t come across Mestisa yet check out the video below.

This is rather nice as well. Siren and Strings performing Fleetwood Mac’s Songbird.

Like I said, this is a really strong line up. I for one am looking forward to it.

Al Bampton’s Sunday Evening Project

East of Arcadia (Meanwood)

East of Arcadia

Mestisa

Siren and Strings

Al Bampton

Sunday 14th of October

7.00 pm

Be there or be somewhere else and enjoy whatever you end up doing.

See ya — Al.

A few thoughts about time..

I come from a world where the musician is in control of time not a machine. If I want to push time (speed up slightly) as the music enters a chorus or a solo I do, returning to the original tempo when the next verse arrives. To me this creates excitement for both the listener and the player.

The modern way of recording with click tracks and drum machines has eradicated this skill from the list of things a musician needs to master.

To me we are losing the wonderful stuff that humans add to music. Originally, when drum machines arrived on the scene the players lived in both worlds but as the years roll on the bands that do this have disappeared and musicians have grown up never hearing this so have no idea it ever happened.

There are many reason why great bands are remembered and this to me is something that is part of what makes them great whether it be The Wailers, Little Feat, James Brown or Led Zeppelin.

My question is simple – Are we losing the humanity in our music in this technological era?

A Beethoven score tells the conductor to speed up and slow down to create an emotional impact. The great jazz and blues legends did it naturally as a collective with their bands.

The drum machine rolls on with no understanding of how we dance or react to the music we hear.

I miss this in most of the modern music I hear. Change is an interesting thing. I mean, just because I don’t like something doesn’t actually mean it is bad for the world. Definitely different though.

Steely Dan’s quest for perfection has definitely changed the world. They invented the drum machine because Steve Gadd quite simply wasn’t good enough. That in itself is something to think about. Like all humans it is impossible for him to maintain a perfect 120 per minutes for eight minutes but when you groove like he does what were they worrying about?

I do understand how easy this has made it to make recordings in the modern world but….

I will always be a lover of live music though.

Time is yours so reclaim it — Al.

A slight detour — football!

Every four years I go on a roller coaster ride called the world cup. For a period of weeks I go through all the emotions and at some point the ride ends. The emotions, good and bad are why I can’t wait for it all to start.

A lot of people appear to listen to the pundits and watch the proceedings from a distance grumbling about whatever said pundits have brought to the table. My advice is simple, stop looking for entertainment, support your team and join in the ride. A life without emotions, are you sure? We are in it until we are not and I’m having a ball.

Come on England!

Oh, and thanks for all the stunning emotions. One day the ball will bounce our way.

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