To my faithful editor and loyal DGT readers. Autumn has descended upon us here in the U.K, its’ October ( in fact tomorrow is my birthday) and its been almost three months since I last posted anything for you to read. Please do accept apologies for my somewhat lengthy absence, bought on by the untimely death of MJ. I kinda lost my mojo and found writing terribly hard. I feel I should really have written a fitting memoir to the King of Pop, however now in hindsight I am actually quite pleased I didn’t. The enormity of what he meant to people globally was enough to make me realize we as individuals grieved more for our memories than for the loss of a personal friend. I certainly did. Well, I’m back now. Rested and ready to express my likes and dislikes , profile events and generally discuss world music and all that jazz.

Bringing me neatly in to introduce trombonist Dennis Rollins has been quoted on many occasions, for saying, (when asked to give one good tip to a budding musician) ." always surround yourself with musicians better than you" reasoning that, that in itself is enough to motivate the dedicated to upping their game. And any novice (saxophonist), such as myself would humbly agree, the glorious shivers of humility that beginners and intermediates feel when met on a street corner, theatrical stage or rock concert platform by a master musician. Who, with grace and skill can turn what appears merely to be a tool for making sounds into a instrument delivering pristine sound and vibration as interpreted by the more diligent ad accomplished player.

English born trombonist Dennis Rollins is one such artist. And I recently ( last week Monday to be precise) had the absolute pleasure of jamming alongside him at a schools fund raiser, held in aid of schools in Lusaka (Zambia) Dennis first came to my attention as a teen in the late eighties. He was then a member of a band called the Jazz Warriors, and played alongside the likes of Courtney Pine (my then musical hero) and Cleveland Watkiss. He has since worked alongside some of the greatest jazz musicians including Roy Ayers, Dionne Warwick, Cyprus Hill and Andy Grappy he has come full circle to earn his rightful title as one of Britain’s best and more consistent jazz musicians.

Dennis now tours with his 6-piece band Bad Bone and Co who as I say I had the pleasure of playing with last week. A most amazing experience fuelled jazz and funk fusion with impressive support from his brother Erroll on drums, Dennis played out b groove after groove encompassing jazz, fused with Caribbean and African funk a touch of reggae and even a taste of flamenco. We doubled up to play Acker Bilks’ “Strangers on the Shore” and I can’t begin to tell you how thru my nerves, I felt myself and Dennis transported on the melody to Robin Hood bay, where the sun beat down as we sat and played on the sands,(all in my mind you understand)

It occurred to me as I drove home after the show, still listening to Dennis on my c.d player, that we lose a lot of the essence of jazz when its produced for marketing ( cd’s or vinyl) .The energy and power of the musician really cant be translated to recorded material. Live in a club, you get the full hundred (the works) and a little bit more, when one can watch expressions and feel the ambiance of a setting tuned in solely to the music. Truthfully the only way to fully appreciate how overwhelming the improvisation can be, one really should parked in front of several amplifiers, soaking in the waves of melody, experiencing the democratic creativity and interactions that jazz evokes in the hearts of any true jazz lover. You become convinced that all music should sound like this. There’s nothing complex, nothing cerebral about it. You’re there to hear some musicians who really know how to get funky. It’s like the old days of Blue Note break-beat artists like Cannonball Adderley and Eddie Henderson. Unashamed. Completely unsurpassed quality jazz.





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