Commission for Keith Jarrett poster

The last time I saw Keith Jarrett, he spent quite a lot of the time looking distracted, and then, as if too annoyed to continue playing (it was a Miles Tribute at the QEH with his Standards Trio) he strode to front of the stage and pleaded with whoever was videotaping the gig – he could see the red camera light – to discontinue, or there was the strong possibility that he might if things carried on this way.


As it turned out, (I remember a nervy hand-wringing attendant gave him the embarrassing news) the object of his ire was a security camera, parked just above the exit, unblinkingly recording Basin Street Blues, Summertime and all of that night,

Mike Westbrook - The Piano in the Room

I just found this as a link from an email to advertise Mike's 75th birthday gig  in London in April http://tinyurl.com/6bljy6c which will be more than just a concert, but a celebration of lots of things, but mostly for me, it will remind me, whenever I see him, and I've been seeing him play live since he was a nipper of thirty six, but already a jazz star, up there with the finest, most satisfying British experimental music of the early 70s: Soft Machine, Keith Tippett, John McLaughlin, Mike Gibbs, Nucleus, Terry Riley. I think I spent a good proportion of my first weekly wedge as a designer seeing Mike Westbrook's Solid Gold Cadillac playing downstairs at a pub in Cavendish Square,

Good homes wanted for Charlie, George and Eric

A BALANCE OF FRAGMENTS (ERIC DOLPHY) 1999

OF THEE I SING, BABE (GEORGE GERSHWIN) 1997

SWING BECKONS CHARLIE (CHARLIE CHRISTIAN) 1997

All these paintings were products of the 90s, and they were part of a great series of big metre-square canvases depicting my jazz heroes, from John Coltrane to Mike Westbrook. When this lot go, all of my jazz pictures will be out into the world (apart from a large MJQ picture called The Ministry Of Jazz).

I need to say goodbye for two reasons, first, I need the money, and second, so does my family. Also I think I need to fund some research of a non-jazzy commercial application of my work. So, bye lads, it was nice knowing you.

They are all 36 inches square. The most famous buyer of my work is an inventive, prolific and melodic bass player who bought a picture of Miles called Moondreams, and also worked with Miles and Gil Evans. Anthony Minghella phoned me once to see if I could provide him with some Billie Holidays for The Talented Mister Ripley, but they wee too big.

They are unframed and they are oil paintings, They are painted from photographs, but inhabit a context of their own, inspired by the music and times they lived.

They are £3500 each.

Contact me by email or phone +44 (0) 7881 911063