Sue Parish Wrties .....

Sue Parish Writes ...
A series of pen portraits of local jazz musicians
reproduced by kind permission of the Lancaster Guardian

The musicians above are not all traditional jazz players, but their talents have influenced, or have been influenced by Lancaster's traditional jazz musicians

Lancaster-based vocalist Sue Parish started out singing a few years ago, including guest spots with local bands The Lune Valley Vintage Jazz Band and the Sun Street Stompers. She currently sings 30s 40s and 50s songs with her own mainstream quartet, inspired by favourite singers such as Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, Anita O'Day and Blossom Dearie. A former full-time journalist, she juggles her musical activities with day jobs, but prefers singing to anything else in the world. Sue peforms every Sunday lunchtime at the Whoop Hall Inn in Kirkby Lonsdale, and regularly at other venues across the northwest. Sue says, "I am really chuffed that, having failed to get a mention on Jazz northwest's web pages for my singing, because I'm not a trad jazzer, I have at least managed to sneak in as a freelance writer instead!

Since coming to live in Lancaster around 10 years ago I have been astounded by the variety of musical talent here. You can’t walk down the street without seeing someone toting a guitar, or swinging a sax case. The pubs are stuffed with live music. It’s one of the things that makes the district unique.

Every form of music has its fans. For me it’s jazz that gets my toes tapping and lifts my spirits. And Lancaster has plenty to offer the jazz fan, with a host of talented musicians of all ages on the local scene. They are generous with their skills and ideas . They allow novice musicians to join in to learn their craft. They swap tunes… and awful musical jokes. They’re a fabulous, lively bunch of people, with some great stories to tell.

So when the Guardian asked me if I would interview some of them, I was really thrilled. The hardest part was choosing which of the dozens of dedicated, local jazz musicians we would feature.

I tried to pick a variety of players of different styles, generations and instruments to give a flavour of what goes on in the area. I have reluctantly had to miss out many others, who I am sure would have been as much of a joy to interview as the people I did talk to. I hope the ones who remain unsung heroes will forgive me.

Most of all, I hope you will enjoy reading this series of profiles as a glimpse into the lively jazz scene of Lancaster and Morecambe. And maybe, if you are not already aware of what talent we have on our doorstep, it will inspire you to seek them out and give them a listen."