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Author: John Maul

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I’ve just returned from Dubai after five Christmas-themed concerts with the London Concert Orchestra, part of the Raymond Gubbay series. The performances took place at the Opera house with a 20 (plus) piece orchestra and 10 singers including soloists Alison Jiear and Matt Little. Temperatures may have been in their upper 20s outside, but inside you could easily have been fooled by the numerous Christmas jumpers and light-hearted seasonal banter. Another first for me as the resident Synth player playing the part of String section and church organist for the Carols.  And always, a real treat working with this wonderful band of musicians.

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I felt honoured to be invited to join the BBC Concert Orchestra for an evening of Film Noir music at the Royal Festival Hall on the 8th December. We rehearsed 120 minute concert schedule for 2 days at Abbey Road studios under the direction of conductor, Robert Ziegler. One particular challenge for me was to reproduce (as authentically as I could) the Theremin sound used in the original sound track of the 1945 movie, 'The Lost Weekend’ , featuring the phenomenal music of Miklós Rózsa
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Needless to say, a stunning bunch of musicians and a treat for me to sit in amongst them. The concert was recorded and is due for broadcast in the near future.

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Another tick for my ever shortening 'bucket list' ! Last Saturday I found myself up in Blackpool for a one-off appearance with the epic 80s band, Tears For Fears. Just 3 and a half minutes of ‘Everybody Wants To Rule The World’, but certainly a memorable occasion on this special episode of Strictly Come Dancing filmed at the Tower in Blackpool. It was funny seeing the guys in the Strictly Band when only a few weeks ago I was part of their clan. What a long day they had - total respect to them all.

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Having just returned from Holland after 8 gigs in 12 days with the Dire Straits Experience, I feel compelled to let everyone know what a great band they are. With Chris White on Sax and Chris Whitten on drums, both original members of Mark Knopfler’s epic band, this is far more than just a ‘tribute' act. Terence Reis, lead singer and guitarist sounds uncannily close to the great man himself whilst showing his considerable stamina in keeping the audience enthralled for 2 and a quarter hours of solid music. Nearly all the shows were sold out. The audiences were enthusiastic and, as far as age ranges go, very varied. Amazing to see so many younger people into a band that has been around for many years. A special shout out for the amazing crew too. A great experience and one i sincerely hope will happen again.

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I shall be touring with the 'Dire Straits Experience' out in Holland and Belgium for 2 weeks from November. This is for me a new band I’m working with and I’ve certainly come to have a true appreciation of the music since rehearsing for three solid days. The band is run by Chris White, one of the original sax players for Dire Straits whilst Terence Reis provides vocals and lead guitar that are uncannily reminiscent of Mark Knopfler. The whole show lasts well over two hours and is a marathon of concentration and musicianship. I’m really looking forward to joining these guys.

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I was delighted to be invited to join the BBC TV Strictly band on Saturday 27th September for the 2nd episode of the 15th series. It has been awhile since I last worked with them. With a no-depping policy in the band, these occasions rarely come up. But the opportunity arose and it was a wonderful experience to work with this amazing band and Musical Director, Dave Arch. The sheer professionalism of them all is a delight and the sound is amazing. With rehearsals on the Friday evening at Elstree Studios and a 10am start on the Saturday morning, not leaving until 11.30pm that night, it’s very long day. Stamina and concentration are paramount needless to say. My upmost respect goes to them all for being able to sustain that level of intensity week after week.
I was also happy to say hello to Brendan Cole and Aljaz and Janette, who I’ll be touring with in 2018. Great to see them working in this environment for a change rather than on their touring shows.

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A couple of weeks ago I attended the Yamaha offices in Milton Keynes for two days training on their Acoustic and Hybrid piano range. I was really impressed at what I saw and I'm definitely feeling very excited about plans for future promotions and a new working relationship which I can’t say too much about at the moment. Suffice to say, going back to playing acoustic pianos is a very rare and real treat for me. Will definitely have to get the practice in now !

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Couldn't have picked a better, sunnier day for this gig - the Sunshine Festival on August 27th. And a delight to work with Mr Paul Young and his band featuring Jamie Moses on guitar. The festival, of which Paul was headlining, took place close to Cheltenham. A brilliant audience and a great team working behind the scenes.

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I had the pleasure of working with the voice of Spandau Ballet, Mr Tony Hadley back in July the 15th. Just a one-off gig, standing in for his MD, Phil Taylor. But what a pleasure. A fabulous band and a 'Top Turn'. It was a 90 minute concert in the Valmonte Outlet so I had 4 days preparation work to learn nearly 20 songs. If you've not heard this man sing live, then do so. Here's hoping another chance appears some time in the not too distant future

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Finally my website has been updated. Harrah !   In addition to providing information about me and my latest activities, I’m now putting a little more focus on the teaching side of things. I’ve always enjoyed this aspect and that’s why I’ve decided to add a ‘Musical Educational Resources’ section. This is specifically geared towards students of music, in time, I want to build all kinds of useful content. I want to include practical advice about being a musician and surviving as one. You’ll find PDF documents to download and links to audio interviews with other musicians giving their advice.  I hope this will grow to become a valuable asset to the website and to music students…..and it’s all free !

So, welcome and please take a moment to browse away !