Andy Scott

A couple of special events that are happening very soon...

4th Royal Northern College of Music Saxophone Day - Sunday 7th November 2004
Rob Buckland & I have been working hard for months organising this event, it's looking good with numbers, I think we'll have between 200 and 250 sax players at this all day event ! Special guests this year are Claude Delangle & Snake Davis, both giving masterclasses as well as performing. The RNCM Sax Orchestra are premiering a new work from Barbara Thompson, and I'll be premiering three new works for tenor sax, written by composers Matt Wright, Pete Meechan & Christopher Bochmann. Hope to see you on the 7th !!

SaxAssault gigs!
Something of a rarity these days due to the band and myself being busy with gigs, writing, life……. But I really am delighted that we're performing at DeBees in Winsford on Tuesday 9th November and on Wednesday 10th November at Colchester Institute. Great rhythm section ; Paul Kilvington, Steve Williams & Elliott Henshaw, plus the saxes ; Tim France, Jim Fieldhouse, John 'Mr. Supertramp' Helliwell, Andy Morel, Jim Muirhead, Mike Hall, Simon Willescroft, Carl Raven & Rob Buckland.

Thanks to Tubalate for commissioning and premiering 'Bite the Bullet' at Stratford on Avon Music Festival in October. If you see a Tubalate gig advertised and are thinking of going then do it ! They are brilliant, great players who have created their own repertoire and good presentation. Thanks to Ben as well for playing kit in Bullet.

Astute Music update - check out the website, www.astute-music.com as there are lots of new additions in the catalogue by composers like Paul Mitchell Davidson, Pete Meechan, and (hopefully very soon) Will Gregory. Lots and lots of sax quartets all over the world have been trying to perform 'Hoe Down' by Will but up to now he hasn't published the piece. Sax quartets please take note !

The Apollo Saxophone Quartet has signed a new recording deal with the 'Quartz' label. The first ASQ/Quartz CD , entitled 'Short Cuts', is being launched on Wednesday 1st December 2004 at Union Chapel, London, where the ASQ is performing as part of the Atlantic Waves Festival. Supported by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, this project features new works written especially for the ASQ from Portugese composers. Special thanks to Luis Tinoco.

On 26th November a good friend of mine, Keith Robinson, has a retirement party. He has been Head of Music at Wade Deacon School in Widnes for years ! The music business needs people like Keith, he inspires young people, he gets them playing instruments, listening, going to gigs. His enthusiasm and love of music is endless. Of course he doesn't get the recognition that he deserves... Happy retirement Keith ! now you can concentrate on some of your own projects.

Thanks for reading this newsletter, take it easy !

Andy

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