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2010 Happenings!
June 2010

 

Hey everyone! Well it's been a while since my last update...since the fantastic launch gig for 'Mr. Ears', the album has been selling all over the world including Japan, America and Europe. It's fantastic to see many different regions appreciating my music and long may it continue!

Since Sunday 30th May I have had a weekly residency at MAP Cafe in Kentish Town in North London, bringing together a different house band each week to play some well known jazz tunes, some less known and some originals, plus leading a subsequent jam session. It's been fantastic fun so far and I've had the privelege of playing with many killing players already...keep an eye on my gigs page for the different names that crop up every week.

peace,

Cai x 

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Pre-launch gig update
14th December 2009
 

The launch gig at London's Charlie Wrights is this coming Thursday 17th December, and it's looking like it'll be a great night. Me and my group are being supported by Dan Nicholls's 'Hyderabad' group from about 8pm, and then we'll be on after them. My set will contain almost all the tunes from 'Mr. Ears' plus a couple that aren't from the album, you'll have to wait for the next album for those! We'll be on around 9pm for a 90 min set. If you haven't heard 'Mr. Ears' yet remember you can check out a couple of full length tracks and clips from this website and over at www.myspace.com/mrears.

Remember that as a gig special offer I'm selling 'Mr. Ears' for only £7 on Thursday at the venue, as long as you sign up to my mailing list. This saves you £1 on the current price from my website for the time being and £3 on the regular price of £10.

I hope to see as many of you down Charlie Wrights on Thursday as possible! Charlie Wrights is on Pitfield Street very close to Old Street tube (Northern Line).

peace,

Cai x 

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Final / only rehearsal
11th December 2009

 

Yesterday was the final (and only) rehearsal for next week's launch gig at Charlie Wrights, and I can tell you you're in for a burning time with this group of motherfunkies! Tony Woods on sax, Kit Downes on keys, Sagat Guirey on guitar, Darren Altman on drums and James Lascelles on percussion - it's a sickeningly good line-up who all nailed the tunes including a few precarious ones. All you fans of fusion, jazz, world music, bass, top class playing...are in for a treat!

From the odd timings of 'Orpheus' and 'The Black Beast of Bolivia' to the testing final unison line in 'Moonlit in Mayotte', this was a really fun rehearsal. You guys are going to hear FRESH quality, as we've literally only played through the tunes once each! My innocent ears are still recovering from a load of expletives that came from Darren though...

peace,

Cai x
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Damian Erskine
1st December 2009
 

Well annoyingly it seems that a ton of blog posts that had been on here from the last couple of months have totally vanished! I'm not quite sure when that happened, but it means there's a fair amount to fill everyone in on!

Before going to bed last night I randomly stumbled upon a review for 'Mr. Ears' on www.bass-musician-magazine.com - a very well respected online bass magazine with a horde of world-class contributors and spreads. The review was written by bass monster Damian Erskine (the nephew of drumming legend Peter Erskine, arguably Weather Report's most complete drummer), who likened 'Mr. Ears' to Jaco Pastorius's self-titled debut album, praising the compositions and playing. It was another very humbling moment and I thank Damian and those at Bass Musician Magazine for taking the time to look at 'Mr. Ears' and be so positive about it. As with all the other reviews, you can read Damian's review on the PRESS page.

peace,

Cai x 

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Upcoming launch and press
28th September 2009

 

So the CD version of 'Mr. Ears' is now just a week from release, and the press reviews are steadily rolling in - please head on over to the 'Press' page for recent updates including quotes from bassist and journalist Mike Flynn (in his review for BASS GUITAR MAGAZINE) and Ian Mann (aka the Jazz Mann). Along with the quotes up from Laurence Cottle and Dann Glenn these guys also have plenty of great things to say about the album - so make sure you come on down to the 'Mr. Ears' launch gig on Thursday 5th November! The gig is at the fantastic Charlie Wrights International near Old Street station in London, and features the very best tunes and players from the album.

peace,

Cai x 

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'Miscellany' trio gig
22nd September 2009

 

Hey everyone!

Thanks to everyone that came down to the Green Note in Camden Town on Sunday night, it was a great first gig for my new trio 'Miscellany' and the three of us really enjoyed it. I broke out my new Boss RC-50 loop station for the first time which was good fun, now I'm shedding away to explore the possibilities of it! A big thanks to guitarist Sagat Guirey and drummer / percussionist Stuart Semple for their playing on the gig, I'm sure this can go a long way. Keep your eyes peeled on the 'Video' and 'Photo' pages over the next couple of weeks for footage and shots from the night!

peace,

Cai x 

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An exciting July!
2nd August 2009

 
Wow well time flies REAL quickly! It's been a while since my last update but only because I've been working on making a few exciting things happen in the last few weeks!

Firstly, the CD release of 'Mr. Ears' is now not far away as after finalising the artwork designs the CDs are now being duplicated and should be on the way over to me within the next week, meaning a September launch still looks likely (if not early October). Info on how to buy and pre-order your copy will be on the way shortly!

I've also been hard at work at starting to sort some additional gig dates. At the moment September 20th and November 5th are two definite dates you can catch me at but the aim is a UK tour of the 'Mr. Ears' material in 2010, so stay tuned for that!

Also coming up is a feature in the September issue of 'Bass Guitar Magazine'...don't miss out!

peace,

Cai x 
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Jazz FM radio play!
22 June 2009

 
Thanks to a chance meeting at the Hadrien / Linley gig a few weeks ago, I found myself hooking up with a guy as passionate for his music as I am. Thanks to my man Jazzy D I managed to get 'Mr. Ears' hooked up with Jazz FM's Mike Chadwick, the awesome DJ for a Sunday 'Cutting Edge' show on the station. In his last two shows since receiving the album, Mike has played a track in both weeks. This means a GREAT deal to me and I couldn't have done it without JD. Another nod towards staying positive to attract positivity...

'Another One Gone' was played on last night's show, just before Zawinul's 'Black Market' from the ridiculously good 'Brown Street' album with the WDR Big Band. What an honour; long-live Joe's vibe and music.

peace,

Cai x 
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Appearing in Bass Guitar Mag...
9 June 2009

 
I feel massively honoured to be appearing in the June edition of BASS GUITAR MAGAZINE, with a small article about me and 'Mr. Ears' near the front of the magazine. I can't thank the magazine and editor enough and only hope I'll be reappearing in it in the near future!

peace,

Cai x 
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Hadrien and Linley gig in London...
7 June 2009

 
What a great weekend! I had the priviledge of checking out the two monsters that are Hadrien Feraud and Linley Marthe at Charlie Wrights in London on Saturday night. What an AMAZING gig! These guys transcend music and ooze soul...it was incredible and Had's group is just as impressive (Jim Grancamp and Yoann Schmidt tore it up!). It was an honour to see these guys and I look forward to seeing them again hopefully for the London Jazz Fest in November...

peace,

Cai x 
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Digital download pack release
3 June 2009

 
Lots has happened in the last month or so, and it's been fairly hectic getting things organised! 'Mr. Ears' is now available as a digital download pack, a 'soft' launch if you like. I know that the more anticipated release surrounds the CD, and whilst this will come within the next few months I'm delighted to make this download pack available as a prelude and more computer / tech-savvy way to have the album (and all the extras that come with it!) right here right now....so check it out!

peace,

Cai x 
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Masters in!
5 May 2009
 
The final masters for the album are back from New York today! A massive thanks to Nathan, Kiki and all those at The Vault Mastering studios and also a big thanks to Janek Gwizdala for his help in hooking me up with them!

peace,

Cai x 
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Good news
1 May 2009
 
It's been a short while since my last update...but exciting progress in the last couple of weeks! The masters for the album are being flown in from New York as I write this, and the online launch release date for 'Mr. Ears' will be announced first here on the site within the next few days. On top of this, there will be a press release about the online launch of the album in the June edition of 'Bass Guitar Magazine', which is a massive boost for me and the album so go grab a copy of it towards the end of May!

Keep visiting to stay updated and thanks for your support...

peace,

Cai x 
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How it all began
13 April 2009
 
My story begins with an enlightening trip to Australia in 2005. Two great friends of mine, bassist Christian Dunham and singer Emily Maguire, invited me and life-long friend and guitarist Ollie Haydon-Mulligan to stay with them in the Sunshine Coast hinterland, isolated from civilisation with only goats, spiders and the night stars for company. Ollie and I slept in the smaller of two purpose built shacks made by Christian, Emily and family. There was tap water from a rain gutter built on the roof, a garage style shutter for a door, and for my stay, this small peaceful sanctuary within a goat farm in the mountains.

Surrounded by nothing that could be called a distraction, it was in this environment that I began to shape my first compositions and to walk a personal path that at the time I was probably unaware of. I had taken my custom shop Jaco Pastorius Fender Jazz Bass with me from London and spent hours and days transferring ideas that were flooding into my head. I’m very lucky and grateful to be blessed with perfect pitch, and the sounds of tranquillity – unique to this part of the world I’m sure – inspired my melodies, chord progressions and basslines for the first three tunes I wrote whilst away. Birdsong which marked the mornings differed from that in the evenings. Even everyday sounds like footsteps and car tyres just sounded different out there. It was if everything had an aura and the unspoilt and almost undiscovered nature of the region helped shape this.

I was there for only a month and spent half this time at the shack with Christian and Emily. It was a life-changing two weeks and made me appreciate the simple things in life; and I mean that. It is easy, living in a city like London, to forget the things that make the world as amazing as it is. Staying there and having only the welcome distraction of nature helped me to realise my vision for my music, and perhaps the vibes I felt whilst out there seep through into each of my compositions.
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