Rob Buckland - Saxophonist

The last four months have seen me playing with such diverse groups as SaxAssault (2 NW gigs, which featured a new set of compositions, including a new chart from me), Orchestral work with the RLPO, Northern Sinfonia (playing music by Turnage and Tim Garland), CBSO, BBC Concert Orchestra, writing a new piece for Saxophone and Horn Quartet, playing gigs in Athens, Drogheda(Ireland) and Santiagio (Spain) with the Michael Nyman Band, fronting a single reed weekend at Chetham's School in Manchester, guesting with the Elliott Henshaw Band at Maidstone's Pizza Express Jazz Club (thanks to all the summer school crowd who came and supported this gig - great to catch up with you all!), and playing with The Wombats at the Royal Albert Hall in London! Well, they do say that variety is the spice of life!

Coming up soon are a couple of gigs with Elvis Costello and his Band, supported by full orchestra, performing new versions of his classic songs, new pieces, and works written by Elvis for orchestra - really looking forward to working with Elvis on these shows - he's such a unique and genre defying artist. (Gig details are on the forthcoming events page). I am about to go into the studio for 3 days to record all of Michael Nyman's Saxophone Quartets for a new CD to be released later in the year. (I'm joining the regular Michael Nyman Band sax section of Dave Roach, Simon Haram and Andy Findon to make up a quartet of regular MNB players), and I'm also taking part in a new orchestral CD with Carl Davis and the RLPO, recording many of the classic film tracks, including the theme to the Pink Panther films, featuring yours truly on the infamous tenor solo!! Andy Scott and I are giving two performances of his great double concerto Dark Rain in July (see events page), along with performances by the RNCM Saxophone Orchestra, and the Apollo Quartet in Bill Connor's "Oodunnit?" Concerto with the North Cheshire Wind Orchestra conducted by Mark Heron in a "Sax Fest" programme - check out the diary page for info. I'll be back at the Sage in Gateshead in July (10th) with Keith Nichols and his Big Band, playing a tribute to Benny Goodman, with the astonishing Mattheus Seuffert taking the role of Benny Goodman. I'm also playing with the BBC Concert Orchestra on a live TV Prom on 9th August, playing Bernstein's "Prelude, Fugue and Riffs", Stravinsky's "Ebony Concerto" with the amazing Michael Collins on solo Clarinet. Tune in if you can't make it to the concert itself!

Then it's into summer schools: my International Summer School at Woldingham School, sponsored by Jonathan Myall Music, runs from 26 July to 1st August, and this year I'm joined by Dave O'Higgins (for three days of jazz and beyond) and Fiona Asbury for the usual mix of solo, masterclass, technique and practice advice, ensembles and informal concerts. The course is selling really well this year, but there are still lots of places left. (Follow the links on the summerschool page). August is the Harrogate Saxophone Course (which mainly concentrates on ensemble playing).

Away from gigs, my 6 fourth-year and Post Graduate students at RNCM are all getting ready for their final recitals next week, which is keeping me busy at the college with final rehearsals for these important concerts - it really is a privilege to work with these talented young players at the start of their careers, and these concerts, which are the result of four years of hard work, are as nerve-wracking for me as they are for the students!!! I have also managed to see some great gigs recently, including an astonishingly virtuosic performance by Stan Sulzmann with the Neon Trio (with Gwylim Simcock and Jim Hart) - check out their new CD (www. stansulzmann.co.uk) - it's mind-blowing! We were lucky enough to have a masterclass with Andy Findon at the RNCM recently too - what an amazing musician Andy is...on flutes, saxes, ethnic flutes, clarinet etc etc, he has played on just about every film you've ever seen, performed with some of the world's most respected artists, and spent a captivating 2 hours with us at the RNCM talking about his life as one of the most in demand musicians in the UK music business. (www.andyfindon.com).

Keep checking out www.astute-music.com, who publish all of my music: the website has recently upgraded, so check out the new catalogue - lots of new downloads! There are shortly going to be several new pieces that I've written available, and I'm in the middle of writing a new Saxophone Study book, which will look at all technical areas of the saxophone, with new studies and exercises to help build a really good basic technique, based on my teaching methods at the RNCM over the last 11 years (!) - I'm hoping to get this finished by the late autumn, so watch this space!!!

Thanks for all the emails - keep them coming! I hope to see you at a gig soon.