News - Soon to be Released CD - Tout Droit
Having left serious jazz performance on the back burner for a number of years, I was inspired to explore this avenue more vitally after at a gig that my long term music collaborator, Craig Rickards had organised featuring vocalist Nia Lynn and pianist Gwillam Simcock. Nia suggested Anita Wardell as the perfect tutor in the art of improvisation and scatting. Thank you Nia for this introduction – and the songs Twisted and this funky version of New York State of Mind have been particularly inspired by you. In addition to Anita’s skilled tutoring she has been wonderfully generous with her encouragement and championed this project. The Loire Vocal courses run by Tristan Mailliot, on which Anita has tutored, have also been an invaluable stepping stone and a fantastic introduction to working with yet more great jazz musicians Robin Aspland and Oli Hayhurst and of course Tristan himself. Thank you Tristan for your generosity in running and tutoring on these events, giving developing musicians this wonderful opportunity. Thought I’d give you something fun to do on Tout Droit – and thanks for helping me to try to make the pronunciation more authentic. And thanks to all three of you for bringing the arrangements to life – recreating exactly what I had heard in my head but with extra sparkles and opulence. So often with these projects there are plans that change and elements that evolve but the addition to the line up with Julian Ferraretto and Ben Castle have been true bonuses. Thanks to all of you for making this project so enjoyable. Its been great to choose some of my favourite songs, arrange them just the way I want to hear them and have such fantastic musicians playing them. And Roland Perrin, where would I be without your personal encouragement to me as a musician, and for letting me sound out the arrangements with you and for your invaluable input!
The Story Behind the Track "Tout Droit"
“So you need to have a plan for your CD†Anita said, “here it is†I replied presenting a list of songs, their styles and tempos. At the top of the page I had written “Tout Droit†- French for straight ahead, nice play on words for a jazz album I thought. “What’s this Tout Droit here? Is it a song?†“It’s what I thought I’d call the album†I replied, explaining the meaning. “Do you write originals?†she asked. “Well, I used 20 years ago†I said. “Well you need to write one ... called Tout Droit ... and write it in French!â€. We continued to go through the list of songs. “Well you have a bossa, you have a swing, a 3/4 – nothing in 5/4 - write it in 5/4!†... surprising what you can do when you are given tight constraints to work within!
The History
Liz began formal musical training and the age of 4 with violin lessons at the Waddell School of Music in Edinburgh with informal lessons on piano and singing at home with her mother, Marie McGregor, a professional musician. When her family relocated to Surrey, when she was 11 she won an exhibition from Surrey County Council to study at the Royal Academy of Music on the Junior Course where she specialised in violin, piano and composition along with aural training, chamber music, choir and orchestra. She studied music for a year at Leicester University and subsequently taught violin and piano for a number of years.
Over the years Liz has benefitted from the jazz vocal coaching of Pepe Lemur and more recently Anita Wardell and also the training provided on courses and masterclasses by Liane Carroll, Fionna Ducan, Claire Martin and Verona Chard and has received jazz piano training from the very accomplished Roland Perrin.
In the mid 80s, on teaming up with saxophonist and pianist Craig Rickards, Liz wrote for and performed as a singer with a jazz funk band they formed together. She then formed the band McGregor with her brothers Malcolm and Angus McGregor again performing original and covered material. The band toured with a comedy duo in London and the South East.
The 90s saw music taking a bit a of a back seat with a growing family and with the need to earn a proper income Liz entered the lucrative world of IT working as a freelance trainer and developer. She still kept her hand in with helping out with the music in church running training programmes and gospel choirs.
In more recent years she has performed as a singer with jazz funk band “Deluxe†and on piano has accompanied jazz and soul singers Alyson Mead and Sapphira Gold.
Liz currently performs as a jazz singer with Craig Rickards on piano and various other London based musicians in trios and quartets.
New York State of Mind
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