18th Jan 20201

Hello to one and all

As you can see, this edition of my 'monthly' newsletter is somewhat overdue. A combination of life circumstances, an overactive sense of self criticism and a tendency to enjoy sitting quietly with a nice cup of tea, rather than 'getting on with things', has meant that much of my working from home has proceeded rather slowly. It has seemed especially difficult for me to self motivate during these peculiar times of lockdown under Covid 19. But never mind. A new year brings new hope and enthusiasm for new creations.

However I did release my album of piano lullabies. To very little fanfare, it's true, and sadly no release party, but I am happy with the result. You can listen to it here

I was forced to move again last autumn, (the 10th time in 10 years - I'm sure there must be blog posts somewhere about the increasingly difficult housing situation in Copenhagen). This, and a lack of accompanist work (and other musical projects and gigs) in Copenhagen and in Malmö, prompted me to find a little place out in the countryside. Close to the sea and forest, it feels quite inspiring to be out in nature and, coupled with the love from a wonderful woman, this will hopefully encourage me to finish a number of creative projects. More of which, below.

I do miss playing for ballet and other dance classes, especially for the fantastic contemporary dance company Skånes Dansteater, based in Malmö in Sweden, just over the bridge from Copenhagen. Even when restrictions are lifted again after Covid, sadly Brexit means that as a UK citizen I am no longer allowed to be resident in one EU country and work in another, so I have suddenly lost at least half of my accompanist jobs. (I will also be unable to play for the wonderful dance summer school at Ballett Akademien in Stockholm, a gig I have greatly enjoyed for the past 6 years). I am currently waiting for my application for Danish citizenship to be assessed (1 year so far), so hopefully in the future it will be possible for me to work again in the rest of Europe. I can't imagine how many musicians, let alone the number of people in general, that have been badly affected by the idiocy that is Brexit. Has anyone benefitted, I wonder?

But I must say it is wonderful to be in the peace and quiet of the countryside and, for now, I have plenty of time to work on creating and releasing some more music. The album of ballet class music I composed last year for Ballet Nacional del Sodre in Uruguay, will be released soon - I imagine sometime in the spring. I am also planning to release an album of piano meditations, inspired by my lovely partner. There may also be some short videos of the surrounding countryside, with accompanying meditative music (probably also piano), and perhaps also some more live improvisations like this. There is also a large backlog of tunes from my alter ego, Myshkin. More of an electronic, ambient, downtempo vibe. I am slowly working to finish these and hope to have an album out in the not too distant future.

So plenty to be getting on with...Time to put the kettle on.

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