Musical press

from EX33 - October 2021

perience - What’s On

A Jazz Musician in Lockdown

As with most regular working musicians, lockdown was probably intended for us all to become virtuosos. That was the plan in the first month but after a while the dust starts to settle on our instruments and the spiders move in and find places only seen by my luthiers.

A jazz musician in isolation lockdown was not a good place to be, no gigs and looking for something to do. I could write another popular book or record another album or do something totally new and out of character and out of my comfort zone perhaps? I watched a lady across the road sit in the sun in her garden all day. She never moved. I never saw her face, head down wearing a large French summer hat. I presumed she was asleep. But she was painting. She gave me some paint and brushes - I was in lockdown getting bored and decided to give it a go and learn. Trees, seascapes didn't interest me. I play many musical instruments and I collect tropical fish so I decided to turn tropical fish into musical instruments.

I enclosed my first painting on a comment I made about sea conservation on social media and it was picked up by a world charity sea conservation organisation called “Just One Ocean” and sponsor of a hugely controversial TV program called “Seaspiracy”. They liked and wanted to use one of my designs for a summer promotion t shirt about over fishing. My new naive form of art was being recognised and I was soon made an ambassador of the company. I decided to design and paint more.

My theme was painting in acrylics quirky pop art musical fish with names that played musical instruments, formed an underwater band and preserved the ocean from plastic waste and pollution. The plan was to write another book - this time a children's book with my painted illustrations encouraging children to learn an instrument.

They became popular and I was asked to make prints, which soon became cards selling on the internet. Shops loved them and started to stock them.

So far I have designed/painted over 10 characters all individual instrumental music playing fish. Gigs will come back but my story continues, still designing, still painting, still expanding my new lockdown friends - The Musical Fish.

See us on Facebook ; The Musical Fish and www.themusicalfish.com

We offer nine chauffeur driven Vintage & Classic Cars ranging from a 1923 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost to a 1961 Jaguar MK2 Also a Bedford 24 seater coach.

Also available for hire we have

8 seat MPV’s for Air/Seaport Transfers

Luxury Minibuses from 16 seats Executive Coaches up to 81 seats www.tawandtorridge.co.uk

For more information please contact www.tawandtorridge.co.uk Call 01805 603 400 or 01271 859 533 Grange Lane ׀ Merton ׀ Okehampton ׀ EX20 3ED

DATE DESTINATION DAYS PRICE 04 Oct YORKSHIRE, CASTLE HOWARD, MARKENFIELD HALL 5 £365 06 Nov LLANDUDNO TURKEY & TINSEL 5 £325 15 Nov EASTBOURNE TURKEY & TINSEL 5 £319 22 Nov BLACKPOOL TURKEY & TINSEL 5 £299 03 Dec LIGHTS OF LONDON 3 £269 10 Dec TORQUAY TURKEY & TINSEL 4 £269

DATE DESTINATION PRICE 04 Oct BEAULIEU MOTOR MUSEUM, PALACE HOUSE & ABBEY £39 07 Oct TERRIFIC TRURO £20 09 Oct ALL DAY MYSTERY TOUR £20 11 Oct PENCARROW HOUSE & GARDENS £29 13 Oct TAVISTOCK GOOSEY FAIR £18 16 Oct JAMAICA INN, MUSEUM & SOUP OF THE DAY LUNCH £29 26 Oct BOVINGTON TANK MUSEUM £30 04 Nov CLARKS VILLAGE, STREET £19 20 Nov TRAGO MILLS & TEMPTING TEIGNMOUTH £19 27 Nov NATIONAL MARITIME AQUARIUM PLYMOUTH £35 27 Nov PLYMOUTH SHOPPER £19 28 Nov SWINDON DESIGNER OUTLET £21 30 Nov CARDIFF CHRISTMAS MARKET £21 01 Dec SALISBURY CHRISTMAS MARKET £21 07 Dec PLYMOUTH SHOPPER £19 08 Dec CLARKS VILLAGE, STREET £19 11 Dec CARDIFF CHRISTMAS MARKET £21 14 Dec EXETER CHRISTMAS MARKET & FESTIVE CRUISE £29