
Andy Wood, Owen Slade and Annie Bielby with the John Wilson Orchestra in Leeds Town Hall, December 2011
Feb 25, 2012 | Categories: musicians, photos | Tags: "John Wilson Orchestra", Andy Wood, JWO, Leeds Town Hall, musicians, Owen Slade, The Imaginal Eye, tuba, www.theimaginaleye.com | Leave A Comment »
Extraordinary lead trumpet player, Mike Lovatt (third from the left), invited me to bring my son, Zak, along to a recording session of the BBC Big Band.
That’s Zak (he plays trumpet), behind the extraordinarily stellar trumpet section.
The stars are (from left to right):
Brian Rankin, Derek Taylor, Mike Lovatt and Martin Shaw (my jazz trumpet teacher!) .

Meanwhile, over on the left side of the room there are more superstars:
Trombones, from left to right: Liam Kirkman, Gordon Campbell, Andy Wood
Conductor (and superstar jazz trombonist): Mark Nightingale
Drums: Tom Gordon
Piano: Gwylm Simcock
Needless to say, this band sounded ridiculously good!
They say the recording will go out on BBC radio 2 on a Monday evening, sometime soon, at 9:00.

Nov 6, 2010 | Categories: jazzlearning, photos | Tags: Andy Wood, Derek Watkins, Gordon Campbell, Gwylm Simcock, Mark Nightingale, Martin Shaw, Mike Lovatt, red trombone, Zak | 1 Comment »
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(Photo by Martin Owen)
Here’s the excellent Andy Wood with me this afternoon at Angel Studios, Islington, London. Andy is normally a trombonist but here he is playing the baritone, a fine and noble instrument, sadly much maligned for its resemblance to an anorexic euphonium.
We were adding a bit of brass band flavour to some music written by Adrian Sutton for an Npower advertising jingle.
The appliance I am sporting is an Eb tenor horn. A wonderful hooter – It seldom cracks notes and it doesn’t keep filling up with water. I love it. Sadly, it is much maligned for it’s Hoffnung-esque tendency to self-caricature …and for sounding like a bronchitic goose.
It gives an instant Wallace & Grommit feel to any jaunty, British-sounding melody. Also, it is an excellent jazz instrument. Please check out
Django Bates.
Mar 5, 2009 | Categories: hornplaying | Tags: Andy Wood, Angel Studios, tenor horn | Leave A Comment »