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SOLAR BREEZE - the name of the band and my alteration on the word 'Solar Wind', which, for those of you who are not familiar with astronomy, is basically the flow of atomic particles from the Sun!( What?!) Astronomy and the awareness of the heavenliy bodies has been a keen interest of mine from an early age and was the inspiration for some of the tracks on the site... but enough of that! The musicians who have performed on the tracks you've been listening to, are all excellent, free-lance musicians and have projects of their own, so I will tell you about myself! My name is Cheryl Alleyne and I am the composer of, and the drummer on the tracks you've been listening to.
Where to begin?! My first musical memories - I have two which stand out in my mind - One was at the age of about three when I remember sitting in an artificially lit room, playing on the keys of a brightly coloured kiddies metal xylophone, and the other was coming home from primary school at the age of five and playing an assembly hymn, called 'Our Father sends the winter time' on a red, one-octave ', Grand' piano which my father had given to me.
My father was listening to Nat 'King' Cole, King Curtis, Doris Day, Jimmy Smith, Tom Jones, Percy Sledge, Jim Reeves, Junior Walker, Marvyn Gaye, most of the Ska artists on the Trojan label, Sam Cooke, Elvis Presley, Mary Wells and a long list of artists too numerous to mention here, but one little game he used to play was to put a '45' record on the turn-table of his 6ft' 'Radio Gramme' (LOL!) and touch it with the stylus. Apparently, I used to tell him what the track was, to his amazement! Then there was the game he played when he would whistle tunes at me and have them instantly played back to him, usually on the harmonica or recorder, which I had at the time.
Around 1969 when I was about six, I started being aware of the T.V. but also found that I was listening to the themes which introduced the programmes. An early cartoon called 'Marine Boy' was one which still plays in my head today, and 'Andy Pandy', a 'Watch with Mother' children's programme, not to mention 'Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons'...and then there was the theme from 'The Man From U.N.C.L.E.' I frequently found myself holding a microphone and squeeky tape recorder up to the sound box on the t.v., (which was not stereo!) just so that I could capture the sound! 'The streets of San Francisco' was another...I can honestly say that I was hooked on many of the themes from American T.V. shows during that time, right up until the mid '80's, and that they definitely had a major influence on what I write today.
Between the years of 1975 and 1982, I went to Wood Green Upper School where I also took music of mainly the classical type, apart from some of the Beatles or ABBA songs our music teachers would have us sing. One music teacher whom I got on well with, was a Mr. David C. Shaw. He had an extremely cheerful personality and made our music classes much more fun than they normally would have been!
Regarding the Kit - I've been asked too many times in the past, why I decided to play the drum kit. I usually respond by reciting this story: In 1982 at 19 years old, I happened to find myself at a music workshop in Hornsey, N.8, which coincidentally, was the day assigned to women only, a Thursday. There was a large room containing a kit, bass guitar and some other instruments. There were queues for the instruments and I got into the drum line. But as I got nearer to having my turn, there was the growing urge of wanting to 'bottle out'! To cut a long story short (because this one is long enough as it is!), I took my turn after being pursuaded three times and surprisingly found that it was the most natural thing I'd ever done, especially since the rhythms from all the music I used to listen to, all came flooding out like water from a burst water main!
In 1984 I went to Newcastle-Upon-Tyne to study on the curiously named 'Light Music' course. Although it was a jazz and commercial music course, there were still many hours taken up with classical and early music classes. I was also playing clarinet by that time but was not enjoying it at all so I made my first study instrument the drums at the beginning of the second year, as well as playing vibes, marimba, piano and also took Grade VII voice. I played drums in the college big band and also the Youth Jazz Orchestra North, with whom I won the 'Most promising musician of the year' award. I was also the percussionist with the Ashington Colliery Brass Band between '85 and '86, and took part in numerous brass band contests, where I played timpani, tuned percussion and snare drum. Students often formed their own bands at college and one very memorable band and event was the Pete Greenaway quartet, supporting Wayne Shorter, with Terri-Lyne Carrington on drums and Marilyn Massur on percussion, while performing at Newcastle's 'Riverside Club'. That was a real ladies' night!
Right here I have to stop to pay tribute to my drum tutor, Mr. Roger Hempsall, who not only treated me with the utmost respect, but was also extremely dedicated in his teaching technique and gave me the tools with which to really explore the instrument. (Also one of the funniest people on the planet!) Thanks Roger!
I returned to London in the summer of 1987 after spending a few weeks busking on alto saxophone around Newcastle's town centre (Haymarket). I met bassist Mike Mondesir and was introduced to his drummer brother Mark and a guitarist, whose compositions also had a great influence on my playing, called Mano Ventura. Watching these three musicians play was like nothing I'd experienced before, they played complicated music with the ease of strolling through a park! Fresh from college though I was, I was keen to 'Get on the scene'...man!
Some of the bands I have gained valuable experience with: Loose Tubes, The Reggae Philharmonic Orchestra, The Jazz Warriors, The Mano Ventura Trio, The Steve Williamson Quintet, The Courtney Pine Paradise Band, The David Jean-Baptiste Quintet, Poet Jayne Cortez (she was the first person I played with who simply wanted my musical reaction to her words), a short stint with Gary Crosby's 'Nu Troop', The Kevin Davy Group, Us3, The Ciyo State of the Art Band with Canadian vocalist Sean Oliver, Eternal, The 'Macusi Players'- Keith Waithe...apologies to any not mentioned here! In the late '80's and early '90's I had won places to study music at Berklee College of Music in Boston and Manhattan School of Music and The New School of Jazz in New york, but after spending almost five years unsuccessfully trying to raise funds, I was finally unable to enrol at any of the institutions.
Music has been the vehicle with which I have had the opportunity to travel around the world, meeting interesting people. In 2000 I decided to go to Maryland for three years. I met an excellent saxophonist and educator, Mr. Herb Smith who taught Jazz at the Northern Virginia Community College, and his partner Ms. Diana Pieper, also an execellent pianist. I took part in the 'Talented Tenth' performance which Mr. Smith had organised at the college, and also worked with both he and Diana on other occasions at the Moustache Cafe in Virginia. I played at numerous jazz clubs in Washington D.C., as well as working in a church in Maryland two or three Sundays each month. I also spent a total of 9 months on two cruise liners. The trip around Cape Horn was unforgettable, very cold, but unforgettable!
I returned to London in October 2003 and after a serious illness, I managed to get back on the drums after 14 months and am now enjoying playing them more than ever. More recent gigs this year have been with South African vocalist and pianist, Estelle Kokot, vibraphonist, Corey Mwumba at the Derby Jazz Festival in March and substituting in the Courtney Pine band during the Belgium and Budapest gigs. This has to be the only band where I work out more than when I'm in the gym! But I enjoy every minute of it! Thanks Courtney, you're an inspiration, as are ALL of you whom I've had the HONOUR and PLEASURE of working with.
I am a free-lance musician, who also teaches privately and have studied a wide variety of drumming styles so I am pretty much at ease with many things I'm called to play. Artists I have also worked with are: Jean Carne, Marlena Shaw, Joycelyn Brown, Jimmy Witherspoon, Billy Paul, Microgroove, Percy Sledge, Peter Andre, Jayne Cortez, Hermeto Pascoal, Eternal and one of the highlights of my musical career was that jam session with Mr. Herbie Hancock during the Nice Jazz Festival in 1994! I've also supported Mr. Wayne Shorter and UB40. I am a SABIAN and SONOR endorsee and have performed on T.V. in the UK ( 13 Club Class Comedy shows with Richard Blackwood, Mad about Music and Music Makers ), France (Canal +) and the U.S.A. (The Conan O'Brien Show and the Jon Stewart Show). I have been the showband drummer on two cruise liners, The Renaissance Eight and the Golden Princess (a reading drummer, who can work with, yes, a click track!). Venues I have performed at include, Ronnie Scott's, The Astoria Theatre, The Hackney Empire, The Queen Elizabeth Hall, The Stables and The Jazz Cafe. Although there are no gigs with my material at present, that is definitely in the pipeline for the future. In the meantime, I am available for work so do get in touch! With that said, I'll sign off now and thank you ALL very much for reading!
This has been a Quinn Martin Production!