Fleece Jazz, Crazy Coqs, Easter, The Verb and April's end

The month began with a gig at Fleece Jazz which was recorded for BBC Radio Suffolk, so Hard Rain was rendered live with Dudley Phillips on bass and Simon on the upright joanna there in Stoke by Nayland Golf and Spa hotel which is where the gig is held. We were in a sort of ballroom with a view across a paved patio over the links. Is it only me thats amused by people driving around an area that even my mum with a sore foot could walk around? I thought the entire purpose of golf was the walking and so on. Clearly I know nothing about golf. And everything I do know I know from Larry David, so obviously, its not much at all. The gig was magic, however, and the drive there its usual vile friday afternoon Dartford Crossing Tunnel nightmare. Nightmare at Dartford Tunnel. Its right there. Driving back under a waxing moon was beautiful, with the scent of blossom in the night air. No owls though. Always a disappointment.

Then there was a slight sojourn in Stockport which involved driving across The Forest of Bowland, which is a high moor to the right of the M6 as you drive north with the Lake District to your left. Few people bother with this bit of the country and it really came to some sort of notice through the first series of The Trip, as Steve Coogan and Rob Bryden talked and ate their way across it, on camera. Its a beautiful and curiously remote spot and we managed to cross the moor on the single track road meeting maybe 6 other cars in the entire journey. From the top you can see the North Yorkshire Dales and the mountains of the Lake District and out over to Morecambe Bay and Lancashire. Devastatingly beautiful if, like me, your thing is barren treeless places with a lot of wind and space and not much else.

from the top of the Forest of Bowland looking north to Yorkshire

Mum took this, I'm in my element on the moors. 

On arriving back in London I went to Crazy Coqs to see Ann Hampton Calloway with my mate Claire Martin. Ann was backstage and we popped in to do "darling have a fab show" and she said "shall I get you two up for the improvised song?" and we said "uh oh" and went out to watch the show.

Ann Hampton Calloway and I being lovies.

Ann was brilliant, she played A Case of You and had both of us blubbing within minutes. Seconds, actually. So with tear streaked faces we took to the stage when she called us up and together we improvised a song made up from stuff our lovely audience chucked at us. Ann's a dab hand at this, Claire acquitted herself well, and someone kindly filmed the entire thing from the perspective of my backside. Its here….

We were Divas and I sand possibly the highest notes I've managed for many a moon. I may be turning into an opera diva………I'd be perfectly happy to do the Opera House Covent Garden - there's a hint out there - right there……

Then it was Easter and I walked out all over Kingston and Richmond Park with Sue Hart and Jane Pettingell, in a blustery sunshiny day. Isabella Plantation was packed with blossoming azaleas and lilac and wisteria and camellias - extraordinarily beautiful, it was like being in Japan - those glorious Japanese gardens - peaceful and contemplative.

flowers a go go at Isabella Plantation in Richmond Park

The Still Pond at Isabella Plantation

Blossom reflected in the Still Pond at Isabella Plantation

And from there to the cinema with Ernest to see We Are The Best and Locke. Both were worth the afternoon and the tenner in the Gate at Notting Hill, on a cold, wet Easter Sunday.

And then to Manchester to record The Verb with Ian McMillan at the helm and John Carey, Maria Hyland and Ross Sutherland as the other guests. Ross cracked us up with his poem, and I sang Who By Fire and tiny bots of Blowing in the Wind and Sara. Its on inlayer for a week, maybe more, here -

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04154dy

So we come to the end of April, and the first third of the year is gone, and I don't know where or how. The Making of Hard Rain video is picking up hits and I'm hoping Matt Lynch and I can make another this coming month - watch this space……meanwhile, in case you haven't seen it yet -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tssuy8Y5YrE

Till we speak again, gather ye blossoms where ye may……happy spring!

Hard Rain hard road Chester Corby Totnes and more…..

Its been a wild time of travel, workshops and travel, joy and reviews and blog writing and all sorts. I don't mind any of it as the blossom's coming and spring is here and I mediate on life and the universe as my birthday - gasp - approaches - and so much is happening and so many wonderful people pop in and out. Tonight as a for example, the fabulous Gary Williams dropped by for wine and chat and catchup and as always, he was inspiring. Last night I was with Sally my old friend from Stockport and her husband Massimo in South Brent, eating toast at midnight on the edge of the moor and hearing about Simon's annual vegan egg eating departure, last weekend it was Corby…..but lets start at the end with blossom from South Brent this morning.

South Brent on a soft rainy morning

Two pinks together, magnolia and something else. Note to self - listen to Gardener's Question Time more often.  I parked just opposite them last night without even noticing they were there under that sliver of a moon after the show in South Devon Arts Centre. We had all eaten at the Riverside Bistro in Totnes. Here's Sally, Massimo and Simon, just before the dinner arrived.

Sally, Massimo and Simon Wallace

Beside the Riverside Bistro at dusk…...

Last weekend saw the first stage of our big Made in Corby session of Deep Roots Tall Trees with the Royal Philharmonic musicians and team with James Redwood. We worked on songs we've been crafting for the last two years and also, very recently, with musicians from Corby and the orchestra, and tried new structures and choral parts. Gareth Fuller was with us, too. We had a total ball, and lunchtimes were a treat with home made soup from Kate Dyer and cakes made by Anne in the breaks. Good food and new music. Couldn't be/have been, better. (Thanks to Lola, Carol and Deep Roots for the photos)

working in Corby

I had, in between all of that, written a blog of High Fifty, about my trip to Blackpool to see Bob Dylan last November with my mum. That's here -

http://www.high50.com/culture/barb-jungr-the-things-i-do-for-bob

There have been a ton of recent reviews which are all on the website or on the Facebook pages - here

https://www.facebook.com/HardRainBarbJungr?skip_nax_wizard=true

and now its time to catch up on some sleep before the show in North London tomorrow. Chester, Corby, Devon and North London……we get around……The Beach Boys - always joy……….till next week…….lets get around……..

Sheila on the keyboard James conveying harmony

March 24th and the album's out along with the daffodils!

I walked back though St James Park today and there were so many daffodils. I thought of the Lakes and the way daffodils make the heart sing. Make poets write…..They're so cheery. And they were cheering on the Hard Rain release which is today! Joy of joys. The record on my own label comes out! So, here's bags of news about it all.

We had a wonderful show at the 606 with Simon Wallace on piano and David Mantovani on double bass and Max Petrossi took some wonderful pictures.

The CD's on all kinds of media - for example super duper hi fi freaks who spend more on their equipment than I do on shoes, can download the album at super duper levels from Linn Records High Definition site here
http://www.linnrecords.com/recording-hard-rain.aspx

and that's wonderful.

I finished my short story and now the BBC will find someone to read it, (I had some fabulous ideas so I keep my fingers crossed) and there'll be a date in May when the radio'll go on and there it will be. Unfortunately I couldn't think of why George Clooney should read it, sadly. Believe me if I could've I would've.

Today I did one good and one bad direction. I directed the lovely young man in a wheelchair who was en route to the Nigerian Embassy which for some reason is in New Scotland Yard unless he was having me on which is always possible as I've always been incredibly gullible, to the right road. That direction was good. Then some French people - quite old - wanted Twinings (who knows?) and I sent them by accident down the wrong road. So, one good and one bad. The other week I was walking home in the rain and a young couple stopped me looking for a particular hostel nearby - the weather was so very bad (cold cold cold) and they were so wet I couldn't bear it so I walked them there. They were, it transpired, students from Spain and Italy and in love and I always think of all the times I've been in foreign places and people have been brilliant to me. You have to give back. I hope the elderly French people see it that way…..

You can get the new CD on Amazon and its on Spotify and a thing called Deezer and another called Digital 7. Its a whole new world.

This coming week we're playing in Chester at Alexanders, and then I'm in Corby for the weekend. And for anyone who wants to know what I'm doing in Corby - which is tremendously exciting - its this -

http://fingerprints07.wordpress.com/2014/03/24/choir-notes-from-fridays-rehearsal/

So have a great week, and remember, if giving directions, try to think first before you send elderly French people down the wrong road. I have to go because the Archers has started and I shout at the radio when Helen comes on.

Happy spring!

Aloha. Ciao and Namaste.

Spring, Stockport and short stories…..

Last week I had a call from the Beeb asking me if I'd like to write a short story for their week of singer songwriters writing short stories series. As, unless I have a serious kick in the backside or a deadline the size of Paris, I'll do almost anything to avoid writing - including cleaning the fridge or doing the car tyre pressures, I said "yes", because I thought, well, that'll be one chapter nearer my biography ever starting. So I got cracking and managed to do a bunch even on the train yesterday en route to Stockport to see my mum and "do things", as she mysteriously puts it. The "doing" means looking through old family photos and deciding if anything can be thrown away. As my hoarding genes come pretty much pure straight from my mum, most of what was in the cupboard has, having been examined and oo and aaghed over, gone back into it. How do you spell "aagh"? I'll stick with what I had though the red line's gone under it.

Mum is watching "Call the Midwife" or something similarly titled.You'd have to pay me to watch that. That's why I'm writing this. Every so often I glance up and think, no, there's not enough money in the world to make me watch this. It'd be like Clockwork Orange where they had to pin his eyes open to keep him from looking away.

Had nice news here and there about the album, and various interviews and so on. Its coming out in the USA at the end of May, and I'm writing a short story.

Today we drove past Jodrell Bank, spring blossom and daffodils, snowdrops and lambkins. Spring has sprung even in the Northwest.

Corby songwriting group and Head of Snakes rehearsals continue apace as we hurtle towards our wonderful workshops at the end of March.

Now the midwife is sat chatting to a nun. Who writes this stuff? We had nuns at my school, and they were quite good value, unlike the cheerless lot on this show.

Last week brought 2 extraordinarily fab nights working with Julian Clary, Sarah Travis and Philip Herbert, aka Hugh Jelly. St James Studio was packed to the rafters with old JC fans and friends and generally lovely people. We did some of the old songs, too, including Mincing Machine and Uncanny and Unnatural.

Here we are back in ye olden days…..

Rehearsals took place at Julian's earlier in the week, with quite a lot of laughing and some good food and a little wine. I love St James, as I can walk back from it to Pimlico in the moonlight along my quiet streets. Here's a backstage madness photo…..

The gang reunion and music brought back so many glorious memories for us all. It was a total joy. David McGillivray factoted us - I know thats not a word but its what he did, and great fun was had by all.

Next weekend on friday March 14th I'm in Norwich -

http://www.norwichplayhouse.co.uk/whats-on/detail/barb-jungr-hard-rain

and I'm at Cheltenham Playhouse on saturday March 15th, here -

http://www.beyondeternitypromotions.com/Venue-Jazz-Club.php

and on sunday 16th March at the fabulous 606 in Lots Road, Chelsea.

http://www.606club.co.uk/606club_Pair/whatson2014/march.html#sun16

So we'll see you there I hope!

Spring - gorgeous - whatever you are doing, wherever you are - enjoy every minute of it……Namaste, Barb

Hard Rain tour has started…..

A rare Sunday evening at home after the first week of Hard Rain which has been - for the first time - out in the world. We started, Simon Wallace and I, in Tunbridge Wells at Trinity Theatre, which was so welcoming, and as the songs were sung live all together for the first time, I thought "yes"to myself -  this is going to work. The dressing room, I have to say, was possibly the coldest you can be outside Siberia at this time of year, in fact at any time of year, but the management were so lovely and brought out, through the course of the evening, a selection of heaters. By the time we left it was toasty. There was also an amazing array of lovely teas and nice clean cups and a pristine sink. But no kettle. I stood in the centre of the room and called "kettle" several times, but none appeared. When another heater came in with the management I mentioned that the kettle couldn't hear me and had remained hidden and the lovely man kindly found it for me. It was in another room. But finally we had tea. Herb tea is very good for singing political songs by Dylan and Cohen. Its somehow very connecting. Lemon and ginger. Tunbridge Wells also had a wonderful Thai restaurant. My general feeling about Tunbridge Wells is  very positive on all counts. I didn't die from the cold, the tea was finally made, I had Som Yum soup and a lot of garlic and chillies, and the audience and staff of the theatre couldn't have been lovelier. In fact there was a couple in the audience that night whose wedding I had sung at some years ago, and they were still married - which is unusual, as I've sung at a lot of weddings were people subsequently divorced. I don't think its me. Nonetheless it was nice that these two were still together and had had a lovely little boy.

The next night was our launch at The Purcell Room on the South Bank. Of course the weather was absolutely rubbish with high mad raging and hair destroying Heathcliff winds and a tide so high ships could have come to the show, yet most people managed to arrive on time and we premiered the work in London to a near packed and wonderful house with the super smart Davide Mantovani on double bass and the uber talented Simon Wallace on piano. The queue for CDs was massive afterwards. I had a new pen from my Nigerian stationers which was marginally worse than the one I bought the week before, so all my signatures looked as though they were in Chinese characters. In a way that was rather gratifying. No one's names were legible - thats a great leveller, isn't it? The night  went in such a flash - it flew by - so many wonderful friends were there - I salute them all - and the final Brel encore went down like hot chocolate at an after ski chalet party. Ryan and Iain took my sister in law Akiko and I to Delauney's for supper afterwards - and though its insane to eat that late at night I did and be damed and so on, because you live once and you might as well have had a nice supper if you were lucky enough to be offered one.

The Sunday show was in Warwick Arts Centre, which is cunningly concealed inside the University grounds. I know that because in order to find it I drove around the entire campus more than once. At the singing queue afterwards was a young man and his girlfriend and he had seen me sing when he was aged 8 in someone's house in east Anglia and had grown up listening to my CDs and yet had turned into a perfectly nice human being. Go figure. I managed to make the entire motorway journey with only one bag of chocolates. This is a huge step forward for womankind.

A week later and I found myself giving a masterclass in Leeds, at the College of Music there, with 4 lovely singers who gave so much of themselves and were just a joy to work with. The trip up and down on the train was pretty effortless, and then before I knew it we were driving to Devon to play at Otterton Mill. This was the view from my bedroom window at the B and B at Quentence Farm the next morning which was sunny and clear and wondrous in that way that sea views in fab weather in Devon, are and make you think you should relocate. Then you remember that the train line's been destroyed by the recent gales and reconsider.

We were off like the wind - which scrambled eggs on home made bread can do for you - and up the motorway to Altrincham to one of the best music venues in the country (apart form Otterton Mill where we just were). To the Cinnamon Club at Bowden Firs. The journey went by easily largely because during it we discussed music, life, politics, film and art and then we were there. Checked in to the Mercure and then headed, after a feet up type rest scenario to soundcheck with Nat and a lovely dinner before playing to a jam packed house. My mum came with her friends as did the fabulous Dylan Lancaster and Roger Perrin, and Simon's sister and my school friend from Stockport Convent for Girls days, Catherine Fitzwilliam Pipe, with her husband Tony and sister Geraldine. I love the Cinnamon because its my old manor, being very close to Stockport, and the audience are absolutely on the ball. You could have heard a pin drop, and people were very kind afterwards.

A great Steven Seagal film on the TV back at the hotel put me right to sleep and bang to rights and I was back in London to do a bunch of admin Saturday and still have time for a long walk by the Thames.

This coming week we're in Stowe at the Cricket Club. Cricket is a total mystery to me but as I'm singing and not playing I think we'll be fine.

And here's the fabulous Matt Lynch film of the making of the CD, which is perilously close to being released, hence my increased blogging.

Feel free please to share it with everyone who might like it and want to share it o further and pre order the CD and all that jazz.

I live in hope.

Aloha, Ciao and ta ta.

And Namaste.

Barb

Hard Rain - in all ways…..

So exciting to be at stage 1 of the new Hard Rain release, but I'm writing as rain pelts down on the Water Tower in Brigstocke because tonight its the Deep Roots Tall trees show in Corby, the first of three which winds up saturday night at Gretton Village Hall, so its a brilliant opportunity for the Choir and Head of Snakes to do 3 nights of shows in a row. There's a fab flier for the shows, here -

Then this week the gloriously talented Matt Lynch finished editing the short film he's been making about the album, Hard Rain - the Making of, and that went online all over the place, and with any luck people will share it and come to the Purcell Rooms and our dates and order the album. The film is here

Meanwhile storms continue to batter our friends on the south coast - I find it desperately sad to watch the train lines at Dawlish hanging over the sea - how many times have I taken that train journey to and from Devon? The sea - so serene on those journeys - last summer the people on the beaches with sand castles and spades - now there's a raging Shakespearean torrent. And as we read the articles and watch the videos of the waves smashing against our frail buildings and sea defences, surprise surprise we see more fracking licences granted - no dots connected. Gaia is on the trail of us mere mortals, demanding vengeance. We move forwards with all this at our peril.

I've spent days and days learning the words to the amazingly long and complex songs that make up the Hard Rain album, which is now available on Amazon - I know I know, Amazon, but as the Sweet Honey and The Rock song says, Are My Hands Clean? And they're not. I know. But here it is for pre orders

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00HNXZT6W/ref=s9_simh_gw_p15_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=center-5&pf_rd_r=1NX29WAV12BDTF0R0CA8&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=455346027&pf_rd_i=468294

and here it is on iTunes for the download lovers -

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/hard-rain-songs-bob-dylan/id805701987

and for the lovers of super master quality we're on Linn, here -

http://www.linnrecords.com/news-Preview-Barb-Jungr-s-New-Album.aspx

so that's the news thats fit to print for today - its yoga time.

Salut and Namaste, and most of all to all the people in the floods here and in the fires in Australia where my poor friends are sweltering -

All Love,

Barb

Christmas, London New York Arlington and Happy New Year.

Mari, Johann, Charles and I after St James' Christmas Woman to Woman shows.

The end of 2013 was fabulous - I finished the St James' run with my mate Mari Wilson that week before Christmas and we had a superb weekend of shows, and then a final show in Greenham, and the next day I was off on my plane to faraway New York City and 59E59 Theater. Dropped off my bags in Harlem and headed straight out to a rehearsal with the lovely pianist and woman, Tracy Stark. Managed to keep my eyes open for dinner with Tanya Holt and Tracy and then headed back to Harlem where I bedded down in the warm hospitality of Maamoun and Andy and Lucy the dog's home. My happy moment of this was Maamoun explaining to me that Lucy and I would share a bathroom, as she doesn't like going out very much. I have to say she was one of the best bathroom sharers ever - she never wanted the shower when I wanted it - well to be honest she never wanted to shower, and she didn't use the loo, she did all her business on or near a little mat in the corner of the bathroom. So as long as I didn't stand in that I was quids in. On Sunday morning Maamoun and I walked around the neighbourhood and I stood outside the Apollo and we wondered around the churches - St John the Divine Cathedral was a discovery for me - http://www.stjohndivine.org

and a gospel church where lovely harmonies drew us in from the pavement. We swayed and sang. New York was alive with music in Harlem that morning. 

59E59 Theater is just a dream of a gig - they look after you and care about the work and my sound and lights team JP and Ted did a grand job so I turned up for a soundcheck to find everything in very fine order, which was good as my family arrived in New York pretty much simultaneously and came to the opening night show. The theatre had done lovely fliers and a big banner hanging down from the staircase, using Steve Ullathorne's lovely shots which feature on the new CD (more of which later), and opening night was a wham bam slide of joy. Had some lovely reviews and lots of friends came.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/26/arts/music/barb-jungrs-dancing-in-the-dark-combines-rock-and-cabaret.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1388010892-s3D4bcKoha693UsECnDnSg&

Tracy and Melody in 59E59th bar after the show.

Melody and I  in 59E59th bar after the show.

I had Monday off and the family and I headed down to Chinatown to see the Eldridge Street Synagogue Museum - 

http://www.eldridgestreet.org

if you've never been - go. We followed up with Katz's deli which if course is famous for THAT scene in 'When Harry Met Sally' or the other way around. You can eat your bodyweight in pickles there. Its my idea of excellent.

Central Park in the winter sunshine Boxing Day.

Then back to the run, with some walks in Central Park and Christmas Eve came and went, and Christmas Day in NYC. The town was so quiet. We walked to lunch, the sun shone, I wore my hat, everyone was in joyous frame of mind, there were trees and baubles everywhere and somehow it was perfect and I never once thought - oh, if only there was Christmas pudding. Not once.

Mum, Mirek and I by another Christmas tree wondering through NYC.

Tim, Mum and Mirek in NYC by the tree.

Another 7 shows in 4 days, and it was all over. Sad, but happy, I waved goodbye to New York on a freezy, breezy Monday morning and caught the Amtrak to DC. There was a lovely view of Philadelphia from the train….

Downtown Philadelphia form the DC Amtrak.

Arlington Virginia, was where I spent my New Year, and we managed to stay awake to watch the ball drop in NYC and toast with champagne before dropping into bed and deep sleep. The triumph here was that we had a fabulous meal we all made - Mirek and I the starter, Mum the main course, and Tim a dessert which could bring peace to the world, its that delicious. Everything was hunky dory…….

Then the snows  came…...

Mirek proving that a new broom sweeps steps!

The temperatures feel through the void into places temperatures really shouldn't go yet with coffee and struggle I managed to get to a yoga session and pretend that I was keeping a semblance of fit - Mark's classes at The Edge in Arlington free muscles that frankly have remained hidden for years. Ot at least since I last went to one of his classes. This morning I got the Boot Camp video out (hilarious - its what youtube is for) and managed not to break the floor, or any bones, and tomorrow I intend to get to a 9 am yoga class. If the weather holds I fly back imminently, which is good as all the tracks for the new album are mastered and the launch show at Purcell Room on Valentine's Day is now on sale, here

http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whatson/barb-jungr-hard-rain-80628

So when I next write, it'll all be album album album and not Happy New Year, which I wish to all, everywhere, and better times, lives and hope. Hope we make it through another year with all the love and light we can manage. Namaste!