The Badgers Big Band ©™

A long overdue update!!

Following a sojourn in Brighton, Mr & Mrs Badger are back in Warwick settling into the new Badger HQ. The Badger library has been tidied up and neatly filed on bespoke shelving, and Mr Badger is busy adding new titles every week.

As for 2020 projects, the first on the list is preparing the music for a forthcoming album with a fabulous singer. This will be a collaborative project with top rate musicians and so will not be branded under the Badger name, but the quality and passion associated with The Badgers will be very much in evidence. More on this project as and when Mr Badger is able to release details.

After the dust and ink has settled after the donkey work for the vocal album has been finished, Mr Badger is intending to push forward with re-establishing the band – it won’t be a replica of the original band and music, but a 2020 version with some fresh personnel and plenty of new music that will keep things interesting 🙂

Mr Badger is looking forward to taking part for the first time in the Brighton Fringe Festival in a couple of week’s time.

He will be in the trombone section for two appearances of the Straight No Chaser – come along to hear his Warwickshire tones blending in with this fabulous Sussex Big Band.

Badgers Big Band MD Richard Nield is looking forward to meeting (and hopefully playing with) Terry Pack and his ‘unfeasibly large ensemble’ “Trees”.

With a career spanning more than four decades and including spells with The Enid, Cozy Powell, Graham Bonnet and Steve Hackett to name but a few, Terry has in recent years turned his focus onto jazz and improvised music. His recent musical collaborations read like a ‘who’s who’ of the British jazz scene (Claire Martin, The Cloggz, Ben Castle, Bobby Wellins, Nigel Price, Martin France).The seed for Trees was planted when Mark Bassey (trombonist/composer and educator) encouraged Terry to take his compositions to workshops, ensembles and big bands. An enthusiastic response encouraged him to write and arrange more pieces and the natural evolution of Trees began.

An ‘unfeasibly large ensemble’ performing an eclectic mix of contemporary and groove-based compositions, Trees is now an inclusive and community based group comprising up to 40 musicians at any time and augmented by guest professional musicians keen to take part in one of the most exciting new musical projects in and around Brighton. Imaginative, fresh arrangements of classic tunes fuse seamlessly with innovative compositions by the bandleader and band members alike.

Take a listen to one of their original charts…

Another track from our concert at the Royal Spa Centre in Leamington.

Pat Metheny’s “Stranger In Town” arranged by Bob Curnow. This is one of Mr & Mrs Badgers favourite charts – a great Tenor solo from Bob Jones, some immaculate drumming from Marcus Ingham, and an emotional trumpet from Karl Steadman.

Just 18 months after the event, a video of the original Badgers performing at the Royal Spa Centre in Leamington.

It’s been a busy 12 months behind the scenes for Mr & Mrs Badger – sadly no live music for The Badgers in the Midlands – but lots of preparing new charts (the band library has been doubled in size!) and making plans for a new start in the Brighton area.

It will be a daunting task creating a new band from scratch, but there are lots of great musicians in Sussex who will soon be exploring all of this great music from Pat Metheny, Bob Mintzer, Buddy Rich, to name just a few.

Watch this space for our progress updates…

The first two Badger Music video guides for Sibelius and Finale users have been fully polished and uploaded into the ether!

Find out how to add graphics to a score and all parts in one easy go – a hidden, undocumented bit of Sibelius!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ih65tuvf3wo

And the same in Finale..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKo4oWtXXPI

Coming soon…..

A personal comment from Mr Badger…

Terry Wogan has been part of my life since I was ten or eleven. I never met the man, but he was always “there” and seemed part of the family. I was deeply saddened this morning when I heard of his passing. But rather than mourn him, I have been listening to recordings of his Janet & John stories and other hilarious snippets from his breakfast show – together with his emotional farewell when he retired from that particular slot.

He will be missed, but never forgotten.

As it is now December, we allowed to say Happy Christmas to you all 🙂

You may (or may not) have noticed we’ve been a bit quiet for a while. Don’t panic, nothing is wrong, the Badgers haven’t dispersed due to musical differences or to spend more time with our families!

The Badgers are enjoying a well-earned hibernation because Mr Badger has been sent to Brighton working to pay the rent and prepare a bucket-load of new charts.

Sadly this means we won’t be having a Christmas extravaganza this year, but hopefully Mr Badger should be able to give us an update in the New Year.

Happy Badger Christmas