1995 was a year which saw me expand my profile further as a Gypsy/Jazz guitarist. Whilst on the music collecting front, there were more releases from my established favourites this year, including Gary Potter, who finally switched from cassette to CD.
During the mid nineties I still liked to listen to some non-jazz music, particularly the more ambient stuff that would partly fill the void left by Hawkwind. After moving in with Paul Nice the previous year, he introduced me to Portishead, who had released their first album ‘Dummy‘, in the August of ’94. This became a flavour of the month album for me in ’95, but the discovery of Bjork was a slightly more long term affair. I found Bjork’s music melodically unusual, which made it all the more intoxicating as it was so different to the mainstream pop of the time; and for two or three years I was quite a fan.
On the band front; 1995 continued with Django’s Tigers, Knights of Jazz, and some duo and trio gigs with either Matt Palmer, or Barry Taylor. Over the year presence on the Nottingham jazz expanded further, and I began to appear as a guest with various bands at The Bell Inn from time to time, and did quite a few gigs with various traditional jazz bands, largely for the experience of playing with different people. I was still playing craft fair gigs with Pete Tomlyn on bass, sometimes with Matt Palmer on clarinet and sax, but often with a variety of other reeds players, and I began to appear at gigs further afield in the East Midlands, from Leicester to Derby.
By now, my trips to Liverpool and Samois were par for the course; and as well as jams at Samois, and performing and jamming with Gary Potter in Liverpool; I would also travel down to Dorset to jam with Pete Dalby, or he would come to Nottingham.
My heart was still in gypsy/jazz guitar, and I had continued over the last few years to build up a big collection of music. My favourite contemporary player on the scene was Bireli Lagrene, and a personal highlight was going with my friends Terry Lynch and Nev Goddard, to see Bireli perform a stunning solo guitar set at Ronnie Scott’s in Birmingham, where I got chance meet Bireli, who was very affable and friendly.
Django’s Tigers and Knights of Jazz continued to do gigs, and as Matt Palmer’s own musical career continued to expand independently, Zoot Simms from Leicester took over his role on clarinet and saxes at the Elm Tree’s Sunday lunchtime jazz spot.
All in all, 1995 was a pretty smooth year, but around the corner the following year, I would form a musical partnership that would last for almost 15 years, resulting in the most important band of my days as a gypsy/jazz guitarist.
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