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Just realised that my news page is 2 years out of date! Well, apart from Acker Bilk having a bit of a resurgence in gigs for 2010, all the other bands I play for are very quiet. So, all the more urgency for me to get my own projects going - after all these years I'm finally becoming a bandleader again! The Bone Supremacy is my main focus of attention - we've got something special there and as long as I stay on top of it this band is going to be a big success. Not everyone can afford The Bone Supremacy, so I am also anxious to get some work in for my Frank/JJ Quintet, which seems to be taking shape. The Steve Brookstein project has stuttered a bit, mainly due to Steve's other commitments, which include getting Eileen Hunter's (his wife) new album out and her signing to the new Jazz FM label. He has been in touch and we're starting to get things going in preparation for some shows later this year! Looking forward to going back to the Kingsdown Arms on 25th February 2010 to play with the local jazz band in Swindon. This is where I did my first ever proper gig. I started with a couple of sit-ins at The Post House back in 1974 and the local 'Oasis Jazz Band' asked me join them at the tender age of 15! I always remember we did six Thursday night gigs at the Kingsdown Arms and the deal was we got paid £5 at the end of the run - even then I remember Graham Hanlon the bandleader having to harass the landlord for the money! That was the first time I'd ever owned a £5 note and I was totally oblivious to the fact that we'd sold ourselves a bit short! Unfortunately only two of the members of that band survive and we lost touch years ago, but it will bring back some memories. My brother Alan will be joining me on this gig. Alan now plays Trumpet professionally with Terry Lightfoot (and deputises for Enrico Tomasso with Acker Bilk) and we have designs on doing some gigs together soon due to popular demand! We are often asked if we're going to get a band together and now Alan has left his daytime job this could become a reality. We intend to do the Louis Armstrong All-Stars repertoire. In my opinion, no band has ever done it the way Louis did it - for example the famous version of Basin St Blues, Side A slow and Side B fast. So, we're going to do a proper job of it - watch this space! Ian Bateman |