MUSIC APPRECIATION 2012 - 2013 OCTOBER 2012 The Music Appreciation Group is boldly going where no other music groups have gone before. We are attempting to cover all forms of recorded music to widen everyone's appreciation. Individuals will bring in a piece of music to be played and discussed. Initial interests appear to include Classical, Opera, Jazz, Blues, Rock and fusions in between. Music can be from MP3, CD, Cassette, or Vinyl (Well - we've all been around for a while. No 8 track cartridges though) DECEMBER 2012 The Group met in the Nags Head, as before, and there was no losing battle with an amplifier this time so we got straight into the recordings people brought in. A good range of music poured forth. We started with a local band 'North Sea International' doing Parisienne Walkways, through bluegrass music, Cat Stevens, Tony Christie, Runrig, Fleetwood Mac, Lindisfarne, Eagles, to Silent Night by Mahalia Jackson. Probably the most impressive track was Luiyang River by young Chinese piano virtuoso Di Xiao who had been playing at the Royal Concert Hall a few weeks earlier. The cultural highlight? - If you've never heard Rolf Harris's version of 'Stairway to Heaven' you missed a treat. JANUARY 2013 The Music Appreciation Group continues with its mix of all and any style of music – dependent on what members bring in. We had Verdi’s Hebrew Slaves, English Folk, Rock, Cajun, Sam Cooke, Nigel Kennedy, Buena Vista Orchestra, Reggae, Gregorian Chants, Traffic, Bob Dylan, Hugh Laurie, Jimi Hendrix and others. FEBRUARY 2013 A bumper compilation album; an eclectic mix of music brought in by members. We ranged through (in approximate order): Gershwin – Beethoven - Shin Kicker (a local band) - Big Joe Turner – Mendelssohn - Emerson, Lake & Palmer – Miles Davis – Dinah Washington – Bizet’s Carmen – Dick Dale & the Deltones – Bryan Ferry – Fats Domino – k.d. lang – Gerry Rafferty – Amy Winehouse. Particularly intriguing were tracks from a recent Bryan Ferry CD of jazz instrumental versions of some of his best known songs. The intrigue was in trying to mentally relate what we were hearing to the original song. There have been many versions of “Hallelujah” but the k.d. lang one played was possibly the best – not over dramatic. A couple of Miles Davis tracks showed an accessible side to his brand of Jazz.

MARCH 2013 We had 13 people attending and providing 21 pieces of music ranging through Springsteen, Schubert, Orbison, Kursall Fliers, Previn, Seasick Steve, REM, Cash, Soirbheads, John Williams, Melly, Stones, Billie Halliday, Gary Moore, Simon & Garfunkel, R Crumb, Bryan Ferry, Lorraine Ellison, Paddy Reilly, and the inevitable anonymous Boogie Piano from Robin’s hoard. Excellent mix of styles, of well known and the obscure – something well loved, something new.

APRIL 2013 We had 23 pieces and as always we didn’t know what was coming. We ranged from Liszt to Larry Williams, the Shadows to the Showmen, Freddie Mercury to Freddie Cannon, Bryn Terfel to Big Joe Turner, Dean Friedman to Diana Krall, a double Fats Waller (how big is that?) + a number of other tracks beginning with other letters.

MAY 2013: GUITAR HEROES We had - amongst others - Segovia, Les Paul, Rodrigo, Leo Kottke, Link Wray, George Harrison, Lionel Hampton’s Band and a couple of tracks from Allan’s old band, Revival. Ken came up with an LP from his attic – unknown, unheard of, never to be repeated (hopefully).

JULY 2013 The meeting gave us music as diverse as Louis Armstrong & Ella Fitzgerald (Jazz), Hank Marvin (RocknRoll), I Am Kloot (Electronic), Doris Troy (Soul), Frank Sinatra (Crooning), James Yancey (Boogie Piano), Mark Knopfler (Country Rock), Thin Lizzy (Rock), Nic Jones (Folk), Gordon Lightfoot (Country Folk?), The Neville Brothers (New Orleans), Kathleen Ferrier (Operatic) and others.

AUGUST 2013 Another good session of pieces of music brought in by our members. Some interesting stuff there. You can’t go wrong with some Jules Holland and a slim bit of Fats Waller. Even the Jamie Cullum doing a Jimi Hendrix number was interesting. Some very contrasting pieces – Reggae from Susan Cadogan, a long modern jazz piece from George Russell, a harmonica and train combo from John Mayall, and a local band in Patti o’Doors. August 2013 Playlist,, Jules Holland & Mark Knopfler Mademoiselle Will Decide Patti O’Doors Ballad of the Working Man Patsy Kline Crazy Sensational Alex Harvey Band Faith Healer Carole King Tapestry Tintin Toast and Marmalade for Tea Rolling Stones Now We Got a Witness Ravi Shankar Rago Jog Predo Perez Mambo No. 5 John Mayall Catch That Train Jules Holland & George Harrison Horse To The Water Bob Dylan Thunder In The Mountain Susan Cadogan Hurts So Good George Russell Band Sandhu Jamie Cullum The Wind Cries Mary Charlie Gracie Angel of Love Fats Waller Your Feets Too Big Beatles Since I Saw Her Standing There Duke Ellington Satin Doll SEPTEMBER 2013 Our September session provided another fine mix of music. Old favourites Fats Waller and some boogie-woogie still keep cropping up. As usual we didn’t know what music individuals were bringing in but we had more of a female artiste tint to the playlist with tracks featuring the voices of Joan Armatrading, Joni Mitchell, Karen Carpenter, Tina Turner, and The Ronettes. We broke new ground by having music taken from a You Tube clip – courtesy of the Nags Head WiFi channelled through my old sound system as were CDs, Vinyl and MP3s (and even cassettes are possible). The CD player was being awkward (i.e. refusing to play) and the backup antique DVD player had to be resurrected. The lack of visual display resulted in me manually counting through to the appropriate tracks to the great amusement of the group. I think some of those were deliberately chosen to be the most inaccessible tracks. September 2013 Playlist Felix Mendelssohn Finale for Concerto for Violin in e-minor OP64 Tim McGraw I Like It, I Love It Savage Garden Affirmation John Denver Calypso Mathew Herbert Big Band Café de Flore Ike and Tina Turner I Know Fats Waller Spring Cleaning Joan Armatrading Willow Joni Mitchell Blue

Dire Straits Sultans of Swing Dave Taylor Orchestra Swannee River Jive Bob Marley Small Axe The Ronettes I Wish I Never Saw The Sunshine Thelonious Monk Round About Midnight Rick Nelson Garden Party The Carpenters Yesterday Once More OCTOBER 2013

NOVEMBER 2013: BEATLES MUSIC We did one of our “special themes” in November and had a great session on the Beatles recordings, cover versions of their music or songs, and later recordings by individual Beatles. As usual, we didn’t know what people were bringing in, so the playlist ended up including Beatles classics like Hey Jude and Can’t Buy Me Love and also slightly more obscure My Guitar Gently Weeps and Devil in Her Heart. Cover versions included Richard Clayderman’s piano Yesterday, And I Love Her by the Holmes Brothers and I Wanna Hold Your Hand by a Tribute Band. Other pieces included Doris Troy Aint That Cute written / produced by George Harrison on Apple Records, Travelling Wilburys’ End Of The Line, Wings Magneto and Titanium Man and John Lennon’s last public performance (guesting with Elton John in NYC in 1974) I Saw Her Standing There. An interesting brief look at different facets of the huge body of work covering the Beatles legacy. We also found out who were huge Beatles fans from way back, from the material brought in and references to the old Fan Club floppy singles.

DECEMBER 2013: XMAS RECORDS Despite the winter weather, the Music Appreciation Group had a good attendance - perhaps surprisingly as the theme was Christmas records. But still they came! We got through an amazing 24 pieces of music with a bit of banter and mince pies + sausage rolls (thanks to Jean and John Berry). The music ranged through Cajun, New Age chanting, gritty Lindisfarne Christmas concert, medieval carols, Mahalia Jackson’s fabulous voice, old smoothies Ella Fitzgerald, Bing Crosby, Sammy Davis Jnr. and Dean Martin, the National Youth Choir, Chris Rea, Jonah Lewie, the ferocious Dave Taylor Orchestra boogie piano, the lovely voice of Eva Cassiday, blues from Chuck Berry, folk maestro Bert Jansch, the whole Glen Miller Orchestra, Bryan Adams doing reggae, the Buena Vista Social Club popped in, the inevitable Elvis Christmas record, and, of course, as always, Fats Waller himself. The vast majority of them Christmas songs or tunes, and the others with some tenuous connection but it didn’t matter because we enjoyed them anyway. In case we ran out of seasonal music, I had brought along a pile of obscure Christmas singles but we hardly scratched the surface of it (not literally), as the group had responded to the theme by bringing in the above range of music on CD, LP and iPad. December 2013 Playlist Belton Richard Blue Christmas Lindisfarne Fog On The Tyne Fats Waller Jingle Bells Dave Taylor Orchestra Swanee River Boogie Medieval Carols Ave Maria Dean Martin Christmas Blues Mahalia Jackson Go Tell It On The Mountain Bryan Adams Reggae Christmas

Chuck Berry Merry Christmas Baby Eva Cassidy Somewhere Over The Rainbow Ella Fitzgerald Have yourself A Merry Little Christmas Dave Taylor Orchestra Choo Choo Ch’Boogie Jonah Lewie Stop The Cavalry National Youth Orchestra Christmas Day In The Morning Chris Rea Driving home For Christmas Chris Rea Joys Of Christmas Buena Vista Orchestra Chan Chan Eva Cassidy Songbird Glen Miller Orchestra Jingle Bells Bing Crosby White Christmas Sammy Davis Jnr. Merry Christmas Bert Jansch In The Bleak Midwinter Elvis Presley If Every Day Could Be Just Like Christmas