The guitars look happy.....probably because the photo
was taken in a caravan where they lived !!
Dad checking out a 1953 plastic Maccaferri My wife Tina auditioning for the band........
the boots swung it !!
Hey Dad, you have loads of guitars, I don't think you'll
miss this one.....ok Nathan !!!
Jamming here with Eric and Cec Parry.... North Wales jazz.
I moved to Corby Northants and joined a local rock band "The Midnighters"
recently featured in the book "It's Steel Rock'n Roll to me"
Chrome Molly Publicatications....great band, taken at the "Crows Nest" in Corby.
left to right (leader)Pat Casey (tnr.) John Casey (gtr. 1959 Gibson 335) Bryn Leaker (voc.)
Alistair Brodie (drs.) Keg White (bass) me (gtr. Fender Stratocaster)
I should be smiling.....the Strat. is 1960 !!
My daughter Sarah.......now you see why I didn't tour with Liza Minelli's band...
(see below)
I formed a hot club band with best pal, and great drummer Ian Murray, we got
to support in concert several name artists
including (from memory) American vocalist "Mark Murphy,"
and the great "Tubby Hayes."
After a spell in London, I moved to Reading, working with the "Mel Rose"
band and backed many cabaret stars, too numerous
to mention.
I was offered a tour in the early 80’s with "Liza Minelli’s" band
but having just become a father for
the second time, decided her career must survive without me !!
The" Mel Rose" band.
top Mel (voc.drs.leader) , Doug (voc) Gordon (keys) me (gtr).
Taking a break from gigging in Cyprus....
with pianist/vocalist Paul French.
Playing with "Nevada Line" at the Red Cow Hammersmith, 1971.
........sensational drummer and great bloke.
my pal Ian Murray, Idstein 2004.
Outside Django's house Samois-Sur-Sene with Gary Potter.
With great guitarists, Martin Taylor and Tom Anderson........
........after the concert at the "Corn Exchange" theatre Wallingford.
GUITAR HERO RAISES THE ROOF....
Wallingford's Corn Exchange was packed with an enthusiastic audience
last Saturday for a jazz and blues night starring internationally acclaimed
guitarist Martin Taylor.
The first half of the show featured Ade Holland's brilliant band "Fat Chance"
who's style and infectious enthusiasm had the audience shouting for more.
The group delighted Mrs Beryl Hawkins, who was in the audience by playing
"I Can't give you anything but love Beryl" to wish her a happy birthday.
"Fat Chance" comprises Ade Holland and Tom Anderson (guitars),
Geoff Hawkins (saxes) and Phil Berry (bass).
In the second half, Taylor displayed his incredible skils, including the "three
guitars in one technique" which is becoming a favourite world wide.
The Corn Exchange, with it's excellent qualities and intimate atmosphere,
was a perfect venue for this fantastic musical evening.
"FAT CHANCE"......Geoff Hawkins,
Phil Berry, Tom Anderson, and me.
A Jazz Spectacular.......Wallingford Weekly News....March 8th 1996.
The audience at Wallingford’s Corn Exchange Theatre were treated to an
exhilarating evening of string jazz last Saturday with the brilliant" Fat Chance" quartet
led by outstanding guitarist Ade Holland.
They topped the bill due to their sell out concert there last year with virtuoso guitarist
Martin Taylor.
The quartet started with the beautiful haunting melody "Out of Nowhere"
featuring Jez Cook from Oxford who was described by Ade as one of the finest
guitarists in the country.
Every tune was augmented by the brilliantly bizarre saxophonist
Geoff Hawkins from Windsor, who had an array of instruments at his disposal
all of which he played with equal flair.
The set was enhanced by bassist Saffron Young from London, who is also the
bassist in Andrew Lloyd Webber's West End shows.
Both the guitars of Ade and Jez complimented each other in a brilliant display
of virtuosity without losing any of the harmonic subtlety the slower tunes demanded.
Following a recent European tour, they have been invited to record their first c.d. at
Kellermous Music in Frankfurt.
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Recording in Kellermous.........Frankfurt.
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Playing at the Chobham festival in 2006.....with
Phil Berry - Bass A graduate of the Guildhall School of Music,
Phil was the music arranger for
Ade's Band - Fat Chance - he worked on cruise liners during
the early 80’s, and is presently as
much in demand
on electric as he is on string bass. He has played
several West End
shows, including Cats,
and in most of the
London jazz clubs such as Ronnie Scotts, Pizza on the Park
and Bass Clef. Phil has
backed numerous
international musicians, Don Lusher, Don Rendell,
Ken Mackintosh,
Art Themen
and many more.
Mick Gibbings - Drums.
A very sensitive and listening musician
Mick is very much in demand
for his tasteful playing.
Mick has worked with and supported many
top line artists in the jazz
world, including
the three "B"s...Ball,... Barber,....and Bilk.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Al2YMSpbJUU
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Zn3jxFnOUr4
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=5goKb9W6qWU
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=T7AY0A02T0k
Encourage New Talent by attending
Jazz Events
Support British and International Gypsy
Jazz Exponents
Keep Django's Memory and
Musical Legacy Alive
Recording live....at the "Maiden Over" Reading.
with Pete Lay tnr. Gordon Johnson keybds.
Mick Gibbings drums, Kenny Rankine bass, Alex Cook vocals.
Kenny Rankine bass, 
Jamming with the Gypsies......Samois June 1991.
Ade's Anecdote. (transcript from www.jazzeddie.f2s.com)
In 1991 I went with my son Nathan to the Django Reinhardt festival in Samois-Sur-Sene near Fontainebleau about 40 miles south of Paris.
I read that Django’s guitar was in the Paris Conservatoire, so a train to Paris was on the agenda.
We bought our tickets which covered the metro as well, on entering the centre of Paris we decided to get a taxi to the Conservatoire.
The cab driver said which Conservatoire? There are 16 conservatoires in Paris!! After choosing one only to find they had never heard
of Django let alone his guitar!! we called into a small hotel to ask for advice; the receptionist phoned every conservatoire in Paris for us
only to find that his guitar had recently been taken away by Django’s son Babik!
That receptionist was wonderful, she didn’t charge us a penny (or a franc) for all she did,……she was great.
After a day roaming round the music shops we decided to make our way back, and at the last metro station that took us to the
overland train station, the machine swallowed our tickets!
Thinking no more of it we jumped on the train which started to pull away, after a short while I spotted an armed guard at the far end of the
carriage checking the tickets!!......Nathan gave me some good advice…….”pretend that you are asleep”!!!.......
I looked behind and there was another guard checking tickets starting from the other end!!.........we were doomed!!.............
the Bastille beckoned - or worse still Madame Guillotine!!
We happened to be sitting right in the middle of the carriage and as the two of them met we were the last to be checked………
fate took a hand as the family opposite us didn’t have any tickets either !! so they carted them out of the carriage and didn’t come back,
goodness knows what happened to them, but on our part it was totally un-intentional, the tickets we bought which included the metro stops
did not include a return fair.!
Perhaps Django was smiling down on us that day after all.
Left to Right (lead gtr) Hywel of
"The Dirty Words" fame... another new kid- on-the-block !!
(manic drummer) Chris, (adding glam) Kelly... my grandson.......Joshua.
(hoping to get in the band).... me.
.
Taking a master class at Club Django in Marlow.....tho' I prefer calling it a Workshop.
Diz Disley.........
When I lived in Corby, I remember Diz Disley was booked to play at the Nag's Head in the old village, having played there myself on a few occasions,
I asked him if I could sit in. Diz , at the time was doing his solo folk club thing but called me on during the second set.
It must have gone ok as he invited me to his next gig in Market Harboro', I turned up feeling quite nervous, however I felt a lot worse after the interval
when he announced me as "boy wonder" !! after the first number I got up to go and he told me in no uncertain terms to "sit down" so I ended up doing
all the second set with him, he then invited me to do a concert with him on the following Saturday in Leicester.
At the time I was a member of quite a successful local band called "The Midnighters" run by two brothers, Pat and John Casey, and I had a gig with them
on the same night so I had to decline his offer, Diz was not the type to accept such a futile excuse so I remember him saying to me
"this is not a pub gig dear boy, it's a Concert in a Theatre, it's your big chance" !!
Sadly it was a chance I missed, as much as I wanted to do it I felt I had to honour the first gig with the boys.
When he was in the area Diz called on me a few times after that, he had a big influence on my playing and certainly kept you on your toes,
- playing with Diz was a great experience. - Ade Holland Jazz Guitarist (transcript from www.jazzeddie.f2s.com)
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