Jason Lyon Music

Category: e) Rants & Ramblings

  • Being Green

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    Jason
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    Congratulations to the Irish rugby team and Brian O’Driscoll for a passionate bone cruncher in Paris. As an England fan with some Irish roots I can have it both ways on the tournament result… Here’s one little thought for you. There was a famous Irish popular musician back in the day here in the UK called…

  • The Daftest Job I’ve Ever Done

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    Jason
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    Well, what’s yours? Mine was hand doubling. And no, not that kind of film, behave yourself. A piano hand double. Although the other kind would probably pay better… A gig as a “stunt pianist” is quite interesting, really. Some actors put a lot of work into pretending they can play, most don’t and just focus…

  • Sorry Mate, I’m Going to Have to Let You Go…

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    Jason
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    At some point we all have to sack a friend and nobody enjoys it. I’ve seen this situation a lot. I’m afraid those that don’t have the guts to do it tend to wind up with bands that don’t progress. If you’re having trouble working up the courage, just remember that if you don’t bite the…

  • Laying Out

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    Jason
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    It’s that time of year. Time for some reflection and writing, catching up on the bills, taking the cat for her shots, putting that doorknob back on… God, might even get round to some practice. Got a bit of a shock last night when someone called Cherokee (my chops are a bit soggier than I…

  • Merry Christmas

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    Jason
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    The Morecambe & Wise Christmas show was a British tradition in the 1970s. It was a watercooler event, long before we even had watercoolers. As Eric Morecambe might have said: “We didn’t have those when I was a kid. We just used to take turns hanging each other upside down from a bridge.” The highlight of the…

  • ‘Tis the Season to be Appropriate

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    Jason
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    Early, I know (gets earlier every year), but here’s a plea to musicians. If you’re going to take bookings in December, please have some seasonal repertoire ready. Even just a few numbers. Doesn’t have to turn into a full-blown carol service with bells and smells, you can still have fun and do your thing. While…

  • Zen and the Art of Depping

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    Jason
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    One day, eager young tritone-hopper, when you leave this jazz temple, the day will come when you won’t be able to do a gig and have to put in a replacement. There will be a “you-less” hole at the Pillock & Bucket residency, while you’re earning a fortune playing the diddles in Act III of…

  • Ch-ch-ch-ch Changes

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    Jason
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    Everybody has the Real Book, right? As I’ve mentioned elsewhere, my current copy increasingly resembles confetti. I’m talking about the old one – the “fifth edition”. The illegal one. Even if you don’t have the book, you’re bound to have some charts copied from it. The old Real Book is essentially a collection of a load…

  • Talk Isn’t Cheap, It’s Priceless

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    Jason
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    Divisive issue, this. A lot of jazz musicians don’t like razzmatazz – a bit of chat between numbers, some gags and banter, that sort of thing. It’s too casual for them, they think it demeans their art. But oddly, the same guys will sometimes wilfully turn up to a posh gig in tie-dyed pyjamas when…

  • Practising in Your Head

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    Jason
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    Those lovable boffins have been at it again. It seems that “scientists at Cambridge” have established that a lot of the creative process occurs for musicians when they aren’t even touching their instrument. This story was presented recently by BBC News in the final “kitten up tree” slot and pegged around the notion that there…