Billy Weir

So if you’re anything to do with me on Facebook you’ll have been spammed to oblivion about this event. But that said I’M VERY EXCITED AND NERVOUS BUT MOSTLY EXCITED about this!

So it’s called The Groove Within Us. It is a discussion/music night. We have a fantastic panel who will be discussing “Transgender Visibility: What aspects of trans life are visible and is that visibility a good thing?”. Then when we’ve all become more informed and educated, we’re going to celebrate with a party led by my new band “The Groove Within Us House Band”. This band features the incredible vocal talents of Ruth Royall.

There’s lots more info HERE

and Tickets are available HERE

Hope to see you there

Billy

©Bob Hewson

Hi there

So I’m writing just before the madness begins. I’m touring 3 times with both of John Law‘s bands AND recording an album AND playing at/running a new night in Bristol called The Groove Within Us! Its going to be crazy but in a really fun way.

I’ll put more info on “The Groove Within Us” up here soon. In the meantime, to see where I’m playing, go to the Live Dates page.

We’re back! And super tired!!!

Wow what an incredible trip, with some fantastic gigs, wonderful people and incredible sights. We played in a multitude of settings from huge festival stages to cosy jazz clubs to someone’s front room! Each venue imposing a new angle to approach John Law’s fantastic music.

As for the country, it is absolutely barmy and incredible! However, before mentioning the wonderful bits, I feel it is important to acknowledge that we saw a very sheltered version of India. Live jazz and access to music education, especially from the west, definitely seems to be the reserve of the rich or at least upper middle class. Though this is also a problem in the UK, it is far more apparent in India. A lot of the restaurants we were playing in cost five times more than your average restaurant. It would have been very easy to go there and live a slightly blinkered existence thinking that everything is wonderful, but for many living there that is far from the truth.

However, we did manage to escape our fancy live music venue bubble and see some fantastic places. I think my two highlights were seeing scaffolders assembling a frame from just bamboo and rope with no harness. It was both incredible to see their balance and acrobatics and petrifying! The other is the Taj Mahal which is the most beautiful building I have ever seen. All of us were lost for words when we arrived in the gardens.

I would like to thank firstly John Law for the opportunity to go there. When John initially proposed the idea I thought he was crazy and that it would never happen. Yet down to his superhuman work ethic I’m now writing this piece having just returned from a tour of India! Secondly I’d like to thank John’s agent Mary James, who put in a hell of a lot of work into making the tour possible. Thanks to James and Ashley who are a hoot to play with and great to hang out with. Also thanks to Arts Council England, PRS Foundation, and the British Council who helped fund the tour.

Copyright Billy Weir

Copyright Billy Weir

Ok so I said I had some big announcements to make, the first of which might be the biggest…. I’M TOURING INDIA!!!!

So John Law is taking his Congregation quartet out there consisting of myself, James Manwairing and Ashley John Long. To say I’m excited is an understatement. The dates are as follows:

09/02/2018 The Quarter, Mumbai

10/02/2018 Pune Jazz Club, Pune

14/02/2018 workshop, Delhi

15/02/2018 workshop, Delhi

16/02/2018 Upstairs, Chandigarh

17/02/2018 Jazz India Circuit Festival (Teamwork Arts), Delhi

18/02/2018 Depot 48, Delhi at 12:00pm

18/02/2018 Piano Man, Delhi at 9:00pm

Here are the first dates for 2018! Got some big announcements to make but I’m not allowed to make them yet! For the moment though, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

January:

Friday 5th January: John Law (Recreations Quartet), Jazz at Progress, Reading, 7.30pm Info

Thursday 18th January: John Law (Recreations Quartet), Venue TBC, Northampton, TIME TBC

Sunday 28th January: John Law (Recreations Trio), Soho Cafe, Christchurch, 1.00pm

Sunday 28th January: John Law (Recreations Quartet), Frome Jazz Club, Frome, 7.00pm Info

February:

Friday 9th – Sunday 18th February John Law’s New Congregation Tour TBA

Sunday 25th February: John Law/ Yuri Goloubev/ Billy Weir, Frome Jazz Club, 7.00pm Info

Monday 26th February: Clive Morton Trio, The Daffodil, Cheltenham, Time TBC

March:

Thursday 1st March: John Law’s New Congregation, Sound Cellar, Poole, 8.30pm, Venue

Friday 2nd March: John Law’s New Congregation, The Be-Bop Club, Bristol, 8.30pm, Venue

Tuesday 6th March: John Law’s (Recreations Quartet), The Stables, Wavendon, 8.45pm. Info

Sunday 11th March: John Law’s (Recreations Quartet) Album Launch, Pizza Express, London, Time TBC

Sunday 25th March: John Law’s (Recreations Quartet), Venue TBC, Ashburton, Time TBC

Monday 26th March: John Law’s (Recreations Quartet), Venue TBC, Appledore, Time TBC

Tuesday 27th March:  John Law (Recreations Quartet), The Royal Oak, Swindon, 8pm Info

Wednesday 28th March: John Law (Recreations Quartet), St. Austell Bay Jazz, St Austell, 8pm Info

We’re back after seven gigs in seven nights (and a silly amount of driving). Had an absolute blast playing with John Law, James Manwairing and Ashley John Long. Can’t wait for the next tour!

Got some fun gigs coming up with Ferris/Lee/Weir in November:

Sunday 12th November: Soho Cafe, Christchurch, 1.30pm Info

Friday 17th November: The Edge, Digbeth, Birmingham, 7.00pm Info

The second date is a funk/poetry crossover night which should be super fun (I also have no idea what to expect)!

Ashley John Long, Billy Weir, John Law (in poster form), James Manwairing

Excited doesn’t quite cut it! I’m about to embark on a tour of Germany! I’m heading over there with John Law’s New Congregation. Featuring John, James Manwairing and Ashley John Long. We’ll have to see how much schoolboy german I can remember! The tour dates are:

• 16/10/2017: Congregation, European Tour: Salon De Jazz, Cologne, Germany at 8.00pm
• 17/10/2017: Congregation, European Tour: Unterfahrt, Munich, Germany at 8.00pm
• 18/10/2017 Congregation, European Tour: Burghof, Lörrach, Germany at 8.00pm
• 19/10/2017 Congregation, European Tour: Mausoleum, Offenbach, Germany at 8.00pm
• 20/19/2017 Congregation, European Tour: Jazzforum, Bayreuth, Germany at 8:30pm
• 21/10/2017 Congregation European Tour: Jazzclub In Der Mitte, Reutlingen, Germany at 8:00pm
• 22/10/2017 Congregation European Tour: Wiesbaden, Germany at 8:00pm

Good day to you! Super excited about this coming Tuesday (5th September). My friend Mark Pringle is in the UK for a little while (he lives in Berlin). A month or two ago, Mark got in touch about doing a gig or two and I’m very glad to say that we’ve managed to make it happen. Furthermore we’ve got two incredible musicians to complete the lineup. We have Tom Barford (winner of the Kenny Wheeler Prize) on saxophones and renowned virtuoso double bassist Ashley John Long.

We’re playing a mixture of originals and arrangements of tunes from across the musical spectrum.

We’re playing at the Royal Oak on Devises Road in Swindon on the 5th September. Music from 8pm.

So I’m camping in the middle of nowhere in Dorset. Then my Dad texts me to tell me that John Law’s Recreations Vol.1 is top of the Jazz CDs chart! If you haven’t heard it already, buy it here

That’s not all! Dom Frank’s has just released the new Strayhorn Album (I’m on that too!) https://domfranksstrayhorn.hearnow.com Check out “Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel”, it’s my personal favorite.

I wrote on here a while back that I’d recently recorded an album with John Law. Well it’s available for purchase! http://www.jazzcds.co.uk/artist_id_661/cd_id_2079

We’re launching it officially in March 2018 at the Pizza Express Jazz Club in Soho!

Lots of other exciting news to come, but for now, buy the album!