Who do you think you are kidding, Mrs Teacher?

For my last sax lesson, Mel, my teacher, gave me a beginners jazz book and asked me to practise a number called Solitude, in which there are 8 bars of improvisation. Improvise? Moi? This was my third lesson. What was she thinking?

I have an old book of Dave’s called Film and TV themes for the Recorder and I have been practising tunes from that instead. Now, as long as Dave is in the other room and pretending not to listen, I can play The Black Hills of Dakota, and the theme tune from Dad’s Army - Who do you think you are kidding, Mr Hitler? almost perfectly ( did I not tell you I was impossibly low-brow?)

But with two days to go to my next lesson I thought I should get out the jazz book and have a go, and do you know what? Instead of instructions in 17th century Italian, like Moderato, or Valse lente, or Andante, the jazz instructions are relaxed and friendly, such as Bluesy, with a heavy, laid-back feel, or Solid groove, or Childlike but groovy or Cheekily. I think I am going to like it.

re the pic above…I was wearing a pinny because I was playing in the middle of cooking tea. So why was I standing on the landing? Because Dave was working at his computer in the spare bedroom and pretending not to listen a tad too well i.e. forgetting to shout out words of encouragement.