“This would be the 14th time I’ve toured the UK with my very own band…It’s extraordinarily necessary for jazz musicians to maintain touring,” writes guitarist Nigel Worth. His degree of pro-activity is, as ever, inspirational.

In the present day he proclaims a 42-date (*) tour of England, Scotland and Wales. There are 9 dates involving guitarists Lorne Lofsky from Canada, and he has additionally invited Libor Smoldas from the Czech Republic. Nigel Worth previews the tour – and likewise feedback on the state of touring circuits:

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(*) UPDATE: Inside two hours of publishing, 42 really grew to become 43! There’s one other live performance on 18 Nov in Rochester

Nigel Worth writes: It’s all the time been nigh on unimaginable to tour with out some form of monetary help, and that’s extra true than ever what with the spiralling value of, properly, just about all the pieces nowadays!

So I’m extremely grateful to Arts Council England for his or her help for this newest 42 date tour that may see us get as far north as Edinburgh and as far south as St Ives.

It’s a world affair this time.

The primary leg sees Czech guitarist Libor Smoldas making a go to to the UK, tacked on to a tour of Eire with the nice Australian multi instrumentalist James Morrison. We’ve received Geoff Gascoyne and Sebastiaan De Krom for 2 dates, and Tristan Banks can be within the drum chair for the Brighton gig.

Subsequent, I’m completely thrilled to be bringing over the nice guitarist (and private hero) Lorne Lofsky from Toronto. Winston Clifford launched me to Lorne’s music and I rapidly grew to become smitten with the 2 albums he made with the legendary Ed Bickert. Lorne went on to play with Oscar Peterson’s quartet, Joey DeFrancesco and, await it…. Chet Baker! He’s a real grasp of the instrument and this can be a ‘should see’ band.

I booked Lorne after which took nice pleasure in asking Winston to hitch us on drums. His reply was “Aha. Wonderful!”.
I’ve lengthy admired the nice Canadian virtuoso double bass participant Don Thompson, a long run affiliate of Ed Bickert’s. I wished to convey that form of ‘wow issue’ to this band and I instantly considered Ashley John Lengthy from Cardiff. He’s booked. It is a true mega band…

The remainder of the tour is my common group – Nigel Worth Organ Trio, that includes the genius Ross Stanley on B3 Hammond Organ and the superior Joel Barford on drums.

We’ve simply recorded a brand new album referred to as ‘That’s it. Proper there.’ and that ought to (fingers crossed) be prepared for this part of the tour, though it received’t be formally launched till subsequent yr.

There are visitor appearances all through, together with Liam Dunachie on organ, Laura Klain (from Naples) on drums, Darren Beckett on drums, the Tom Ball Trio down in South Devon and one look with my previous mate Vasilis Xenopoulous on tenor saxophone.
We even have 6 native younger help bands.

It’s a giant one!

SEPTEMBER
Organ Trio W/Ross Stanley & Joel Barford
9 – St Mary’s Classes, Dorking
W/ Libor Smoldas
14 – Ronnie Scott’s ‘Two for the Street’
15 – Hampstead Jazz Membership
16 – The Verdict, Brighton
17 – Metropolis Wall, Rochester
28 – Teignmouth Jazz Membership W/Liam Dunachie & Darren Beckett
29 – Liquid Spirit, Torquay W/Tom Ball Trio
30 – Ashburton Arts W/Tom Ball pm OCTOBER
W/Lorne Lofsky, Winston Clifford and Ashley John Lengthy
13 – The Crypt, Camberwell
14 – Ashburton Arts
15 – CICC Taunton
16 – North Devon Jazz Membership, Appledore
17 – St Ives Jazz Membership
18 – Bristol Music Membership
19 – Cubanas, Barry, S. Wales
20 – 1000 Trades Birmingham
21 – The Hive, Shrewsbury Organ Trio W/Ross Stanley & Joel Barford
24 – Hull Jazz
25 – Scarborough Jazz Membership
26 – Jazz Seven, Leeds
27 – Sheffield Jazz
28 – Peggy’s Skylight, Nottingham
29 – Grimsby Jazz, Workshop & live performance
31 – Annie’s, Southend

NOVEMBER
4 – The Verdict, Brighton
10 – The Jazz Sanctuary, St Margaret’s
11 – Garibaldi Resort, Northampton
12 – Queen’s Corridor Hexham
13 – Jedburgh Rugby Membership
14 – Glad Cafe, Glasgow
15 – The Jazz Bar, Edinburgh
16 – The Globe, Newcastle
17 – Lit and Phil, Newcastle, afternoon
17 – The Blue Room, Lincoln, night
18 – Rochester Cathedral Jazz and Blues Competition
21 – Marlow Jazz Membership + Vasilis Xenopoulous
22 – Pizza Categorical, Dean St. London Organ Trio W/Ross Stanley & Laura Klain
23 – Sandbach City Corridor
24 – Zeffereli’s, Cumbria
25 – Parr Jazz, Liverpool Organ Trio W/Ross Stanley & Joel Barford
30 – The Lighthouse, Poole

DECEMBER
3 – Milestones, Lowestoft
8 – The Lighthouse, Deal

COMMENT: Negotiating the ACE varieties shouldn’t be a simple course of and as such can lead many to grow to be annoyed, despondent and even indignant. Which is a disgrace as a result of they actually need to assist. You simply have to choose your self up each time you fail and go for it once more.
Lately I’ve taken steps to assist others obtain success with the method by way of on-line recommendation periods, workshops (most not too long ago for Birmingham Jazz) and in particular person. So, it was doubly necessary to me that I received a consequence this time. I’d have hated to seem like somebody who simply ‘talked an excellent sport’! I actually threw myself into this bid, and spent a number of time detailing the ‘companions’ on the tour. I listed all of the venues as companions and in doing realised that I had over time constructed up relationships with all of them to some extent. A few of them actually fairly shut. I’ve additionally helped a few of them with my ‘Grassroots Jazz’ charity

This really had fairly a profound impact on me. Not simply because it made me really feel previous (!) however as a result of it one way or the other made me really feel like I had stopped midway up a mountain and was surveying the just about impossibly lengthy journey I’ve made.

This would be the 14th time I’ve toured the UK with my very own band. (The place has on a regular basis gone??). I believe it’s nice to present youthful musicians one thing to aspire to, and present the best way. I hope that doesn’t sound patronising.

It’s extraordinarily necessary for jazz musicians to maintain touring. It’s typically more durable than you would possibly assume, however with out it we’d all simply be staying and enjoying in our native areas, shifting in small circles. That’s no strategy to progress. This manner, there’s cross pollination, elevated visibility of venues (by way of ACE funded promoting) and, dare I say, actual laborious proof that in the event you attempt laborious sufficient then it’s potential to get a working band out on the highway. The upshot of that is the creation of a decent knit unit that turns into higher and higher with every efficiency, attaining a degree of excellence that’s unimaginable to create in every other approach.

Hear, I don’t journey notably properly. I don’t actually like being away from residence and I generally get fairly anxious about the entire spectacle of it, however when you’ve skilled touring and have hit this sort of degree it’s unimaginable to neglect what it’s prefer to be an atmosphere after we may be collectively all we may be.
That’s what it’s all about, isn’t it?

LINK: Nigel Worth’s web site