Phil Bates

Phil Bates

Oktober 9th, 9:45 pm

I have found my latest obsession. Finnish folk trio, Mojna. Wonderful, wonderful music. Very inspirational for me.My previous trio obsessions have been Taksim, The Secret Trio, all occupying different areas of music, but very inspirational, and a real holiday away from pop, rock, blues.Very necessary for a musician as long in the tooth as me?Very strangely, all trios feature clarinet, which was never one of my favourite instruments …..apart from absolutely loving ‘Stranger on the shore’ from good old Acker Bilk.I have quite a few instrumental pieces of music, most of which I have never recorded, but my last year might see them recorded and released alongside my other stuff.This is a bit (a lot) more difficult now with the state of my fingers and hands, but I will attempt to record these pieces, even though I only expect to sell about 10 copies of the CD 😂😂But if you’re into weird Finnish folk music, check out Mojna. A new album out tomorrow, the 10th ❤️🙏😄☯️ ... See MoreSee Less

Phil Bates

Oktober 6th, 10:00 pm

‘One More Tomorrow’ just came up on YouTube, so I gave it a listen. It has been a while.It immediately brought back memories of the first time I heard Lou’s string arrangement in CBS studios in London. I have to say it brought me to tears because it was so beautiful.It felt like he had infused the song with love, which was something of a surprise in some ways because Lou was losing his love for music, or so he told us all. But his arrangement was filled with love for the song, I felt.I know the song is a 3-way credit with Bev and Mik as co-writers, but this is MY song. The lyrics are largely Bev’s, and they needed a bit of cajoling to fit my melody, but that is normal when lyrics come first.Mik’s contribution was limited to the middle 8 section, but the melody is still mine.I wrote it in the early hours of the morning on the grand piano at the Carriage House Studios, Connecticut, where we recorded the basic tracks for ‘Moment of Truth’. In truth, the song wasn’t greeted with wholehearted enthusiasm by all members of Part2. Eric’s reaction was very cool, but having Mik and Bev as co-writers swung things in my favour😂😂I also heard that later members of the Orchestra were also not keen.Do I care? I do not. I am proud of the song every time I hear it again.And to play it ‘live’ with various orchestras around the world gave me a thrill I will never forget.It also shows up now and again in my solo set, albeit in a lower key. I was a much younger man then😂😂Just another old man anecdote🙏😄❤️☯️ ... See MoreSee Less

Phil Bates

Oktober 4th, 10:43 pm

A very nice gig in Weston-super-Mare at the Front Room last night.Lovely small theatre with a great atmosphere and good acoustics, plus a lovely audience made for a great a gig.Horrible weather and driving conditions on the M5, on a Friday afternoon as well🤬😫 But the gig more than made it worthwhile. Thank you all.Then a day helping my daughter, Rosie, at the Guildhall, Worcester where she had a table at the Independent Authors event.She had a very successful day selling her books and meeting new readers. Proud father😄❤️ But more than that, I really admire how she has remained true to her vision as a writer.It is not the easiest thing to be an independent author, and the genre she writes in is not the easiest, but she has always been committed and has worked incredibly hard at her craft and all that surrounds it.It feels as if it is all about to pay dividends, in many directions.Both my girls are such hard workers, which is something Jo and me are very proud of.These days, I am feeling the effects of all the hard work I have put in over the years. At times, I feel it in almost every muscle and bone in my body😂Just have to keep my body from falling apart for another year, or so😂😂☯️🙏❤️ ... See MoreSee Less