Rob Buckland - Saxophonist

A couple of real out of the ordinary events in the last week - over the weekend I was working in the amazing band playing for the Royal Variety Performance, which featured artists such as Chaka Khan, Anastacia, Lulu, Michael Buble, Mika, Alexandra Burke, Diversity, Bette Midler, Katherine Jenkins, Lady Gaga and many more.

And then spent a day presenting a documentary for an Open University DVD, looking at riffs and repetition - I had to play Michael Nyman’s “Eye for Optical Theory” (which features two soprano saxophone soloists in the Band version), with me playing both parts individually, which will then be mixed together so you’ll see 2 of me playing at the same time!!!

I was also filmed playing Barry Cockcroft’s “KuKu” (from my Trio CD), looking again at repetition and riffs....although playing it five times back to back was pretty tiring!!! We filmed the playing and the interviews at Manchester’s Band on the Wall, which has just re-opened after extensive renovations - what an amazing job they’ve done in updating this historic venue, whilst keeping it’s very soul - I’ve been to a couple of gigs there this month - to see Jerry Bergonzi (wow, what an incredible player he is...he was sooo creative and original, and technically all over the saxophone, but above all musical and thoughtful. I honestly don’t think I heard one lick all night - and those are always the best performances - creative, not re-creative).

I also managed to see Some Other Country at BOTW, (Roy Powell - who wrote Towards the Light on my first solo CD), Mike Walker, Gary Culshaw and Steve Gilbert - a band that I used to see regularly when I was a student in Manchester, and who were such a big part of my musical awakening at that time - so great to hear them all playing together after a gap of nearly 20 years, and so great to have the venue back in it’s rightful place as Manchester top jazz venue!