Dracula on BBC1 tonight

Look out for Dracula tonight on BBC1 at 9pm. The music was written by Dominik Scherrer and I did some of the orchestration and music editing.

How to Make a Trumpet

Here's a groovy video all about making trumpets in a trumpet factory. Although it's from the American kids' show Mr Rogers' Neighborhood, it takes me back to looking through the Square/Round/Arched window in Play School.



[edit: I'm afraid this video has been taken down from YouTube now - but check out my post of Nov 9th 2007.]

Funny how lots of people like watching stuff being made - the guy who uploaded this video has lots of similar films.

P.S. Merry Christmas!

Morley Big Band

This morning, I went along to the Morley Big Band run by Gordon Rose. It's a rehearsal band, playing very interesting and challenging music including pieces by Bill Russo and Bill Holman. There are some excellent players, but sadly a distinct lack of trombones. Amazingly, Gordon has been leading this band now for 46 years!!

I went along because I heard there was a possibility they would play a chart of mine, but they were a trumpet down so I got to play too. My chart was a jazz ballad which I wrote a few years ago in college. It was really nice to have something played by a big band again - and it's really inspired me to write something new.

A couple of other composers also arrived with charts for us to play, including Pete Moore, the gentleman who wrote the famous Pearl and Dean theme (you know: 'Ba-baa, ba-baa, ba-baa, ba-baa, ba-ba-baa, Ba-baa, ba-baa, ba-baa, ba-baaaa-BAP!')

Dracula

My latest project with Dominik was for the BBC's new adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula. The cast includes Marc Warren as Dracula, Sophia Myles and David Suchet. Think it will be on some time over the Christmas period.

Once again I was orchestrating, and also editing the recorded audio (which involved another all-night working session - yuk. And I wasn't cheered up much by the occasional check on how the test match was going either. Still, the Traditional Breakfast at Wetherspoons in the morning was very tasty, and only £1.99.)

Primeval

Hmm... I don't think I ever actually blogged about this project which kept me busy over the summer and into autumn - apart from one mysterious entry I made about having been up all night working on it..

Anyway, Primeval is ITV's new £6m six-part sci-fi series, and I assisted Dominik Scherrer with his score for it, by doing orchestration, programming, and playing trumpet. The series was made by Impossible Pictures - the people who made Walking With Dinosaurs - and stars Douglas Henshall, Hannah Spearritt (formerly of S Club 7 - hurrah!) and Ben Miller. Think the series will be out in early 2007.

Gig this Sunday..

This Sunday evening I'll be playing at the Park Tavern, 212 Merton Road SW18 (on corner of West Hill Road; Southfields tube 5ish mins away), with Nick Tomalin on piano and Paul Whelpton on bass. Starts 7pm.

Cinema trip

Last night, I went to see Scenes of a Sexual Nature (my first big screen credit) with my family and some friends.

I knew that my father wasn't exactly an ardent movie-goer - in fact, he reckoned that this was the first time he'd been to the cinema since about 1941 (when he saw Dumbo). I was sitting next to my sister, and gave her a prod every time I heard a bit where I was playing, and she in turn prodded my father who prodded mum, and so on along the line. Of course we stayed through the credits so that we could see my name, at which point a small ripple of applause came from our row (which was the only row still occupied by then).

Many thanks to everyone for coming along! Hope they enjoyed it (they said they did, but not sure they'd say if they didn't!)