Re: Who I am?

[Russ Evans <russ@seismo.demon.co.uk>]

I, for one, have enjoyed reading about other folks' background and
influences, so here are my own ...

I'm 45, married with two teenage sons.  My mother began to teach me
piano at age 3, and when, at age 11, I went to high school, I was offered
organ lessons with the local cathedral organist.  The family was involved
with the local chapel opposite our house; my mother and I played for
services, and I was able to use the organ for practice as often as I
wished.  Initially an early electronic [duplex Colpitts LC oscillators
which had to be tuned at every playing!], it was quickly replaced by a
Hammond A-100.  Needless to say, my practise sessions roamed well outside
the liturgical canon!  As I teenager, I was fascinated by organs -- church,
theatre and electronic.  I played everything I could get my hands on, and
irregularly with several bands, typically when a club venue had a Hammond
on the bandstand.  At college, I played mostly piano, although my involvement
in the music scene was more related to promoting rather than playing gigs.
I designed and built from scratch my own two-manual organ, which -- despite
the best of intentions -- finished up sounding more like a Farfisa than a
Hammond!

My career in earthquake seismology had me roaming the world through most
of the '70s, with few opportunities to practise, but when we settled in
Edinburgh, I bought a good piano and began playing Beethoven, Schumann
and Chopin again.  A few years ago, I started buying synthesiser gear, with
the intention of putting together Robert Palmer/Stevie Winwood style pieces,
but a sequence of chance contacts and the opening of a small jazz club in
Edinburgh has brought me into contact with the improvised music scene and
I have become more involved in that.  I've been playing regularly with big
bands working the Glenn Miller to Sammy Nestico vein.  That includes some
James Last charts, too -- harrumph!  Although I was offered several Hammonds
during the '80s, I was forced to turn them down because I didn't have the
room; but as I now live in a bigger house, and am armed with the advisory
resources of this list, I'm actively looking for a good one.  At present,
my front room [American translation : above-ground basement!] contains:
  Keyboards: Knight K10 piano, Fatar Studio 90 + Kurzweill MicroPiano,
             Ensoniq VFX, Korg CX-3, and the home-built;
  MIDI:      Mac IIvx running Cubase Score plus Yamaha tone generator;
  Recording: Yamaha MT-100 4-track, Sony TCD-D3 DAT;
  Amplification: Cyrus II + Rogers monitors, Cambridge P50 + KLH monitors,
             Peavey KB-100 (ugh) for gigging, plus a Leslie 145;
not to mention a good heap of assorted guitars, saxophones and the like.
As well as a Hammond, I'm on the lookout for a good mixer and a decent PA.
For the occasional gig, I've been using the Fatar + Kurzweill + Peavey.  I'd
like to put together a four- or five-piece band working the R'n'B/Acid Jazz
angle, but I'd prefer to do a bit more work on my walking bass lines before
I go out looking for a Grant Green soundalike.  Either that, or I need to
find a funky bass player, and those are in short supply hereabouts.

Personal influences: Siegfrid Karg-Elert, Charlie Parker, Wild Bill Davis,
'60s Steve Winwood, Keith Emerson, Mike Ratledge, Herbie Hancock, Bill Evans,
'80s Steve Winwood, '90s Georgie Fame.

Avidly reading all your contributions, and especially those of Al Goff!

Russ