Jan 2016
Cuffy was lucky enough to have spent a late summer in Lovely Jerez.
Eating, Drinking & Spending time with friends , including awesome flamenco guitarists Jesus Agarrado El Guardia & Agustin de la Fuente.
He returned to Bristol invigorated & with a head full of new flamenco guitar work to try .. this kept him busy practicing throughout Autumn .
Christmas was a quiter affair & New Year came in with a Bang with a 'Flamenco Loco' gig in Glastonbury's Boca Bar & Red Brick Building .
El Día de Reyes Magos ( Three Kings Day - 6th Jan) was spent at Bristol's 'smallest' Tapas Bar, El Rincon ( North street - Southville) - Great Night.
Happy New Year & here's to lots of Flamenco fun in 2016
BLOG: That flamenco Guitarist From Glasgow
FLAM JAZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
JUNE 2014
Summer looks to be shaping up nicely with some pretty nice gigs already booked in ( See calendar) & lots of fun new things in the mix.
Cuffy is practicing getting into the Jazz groove having joined a new band ' THE FLAM JAZZ BROTHERHOOD' , that has been magicked together by Ivan Moreno .
Ivan & Cuffy have been friends (& have worked together) for years, He's multi talented percussionist from Madrid Spain & things he can do with a Cajon ( Box Drum) takes some beating ( Pun intended ) & his vocals , Goosebumps!!.
The line up is completed with Michel Padron - An amazing trumpet Player from Cuba & the Brilliant Irish Ron Phelan on Double Bass.
With two gigs under their belt to date ( A gig in a Tipi at the Bristol Food Fest & a Sunday afternoon at The Bell Inn in Bath) things are coming together beautifully
Summer looks to be shaping up nicely with some pretty nice gigs already booked in ( See calendar) & lots of fun new things in the mix.
Cuffy is practicing getting into the Jazz groove having joined a new band ' THE FLAM JAZZ BROTHERHOOD' , that has been magicked together by Ivan Moreno .
Ivan & Cuffy have been friends (& have worked together) for years, He's multi talented percussionist from Madrid Spain & things he can do with a Cajon ( Box Drum) takes some beating ( Pun intended ) & his vocals , Goosebumps!!.
The line up is completed with Michel Padron - An amazing trumpet Player from Cuba & the Brilliant Irish Ron Phelan on Double Bass.
With two gigs under their belt to date ( A gig in a Tipi at the Bristol Food Fest & a Sunday afternoon at The Bell Inn in Bath) things are coming together beautifully
Panic Over!!
Cuffy managed to give me a bit of a fright in the wee small hours of last Friday morning - He was doubled over with pain & it was clear medical assistance was required . Bundled him into a taxi ( the driver looked concerned - think he thought he was going to have a dead body on his back seat so we flew through the early morning streets of Bristol to the BRI Accident & Emergency dept as fast as his four wheels could carry us ( dropping us off with a relived look on his face)
I have to say that A&E dealt with us very quickly ( Though a friday night rather than a friday Morning & it would have no doubt been a whole other story)
After a dose of high impact piankillers & Cuffy could stand up & became coherent again - Though I still needed to do a fair bit of translating - The Pain had reverted Cuffy back to his native thick Glasgow Burr & The Staff didn't appear to do Glaswegian .
After Blood tests & Xrays, they concluded that the suspected culprit wasm The Pancreas ...... or The Gall Bladder !
Keeping him in , hooked to a drip for observation over the weekend was the plan of action so off I popped home to pack him an overnight bag.
But Cuffbert had other plans !!
By thye time I'd got home, packed a bag with toothbrush , clean socks & crossword puzzle, he'd texted me to say he was coming home.
Glasgow charm or sheer stubborness ? I've no idea how he wangled coming home even though he'd already been tagged up with a wristband & given a bed.
I now have a clean living flamenco - no booze, fresh fruit, veg & excercise - clearly he doesn't want a repeat of that experience again.
We'll see how long it lasts !!!
Take Care JOJO
I have to say that A&E dealt with us very quickly ( Though a friday night rather than a friday Morning & it would have no doubt been a whole other story)
After a dose of high impact piankillers & Cuffy could stand up & became coherent again - Though I still needed to do a fair bit of translating - The Pain had reverted Cuffy back to his native thick Glasgow Burr & The Staff didn't appear to do Glaswegian .
After Blood tests & Xrays, they concluded that the suspected culprit wasm The Pancreas ...... or The Gall Bladder !
Keeping him in , hooked to a drip for observation over the weekend was the plan of action so off I popped home to pack him an overnight bag.
But Cuffbert had other plans !!
By thye time I'd got home, packed a bag with toothbrush , clean socks & crossword puzzle, he'd texted me to say he was coming home.
Glasgow charm or sheer stubborness ? I've no idea how he wangled coming home even though he'd already been tagged up with a wristband & given a bed.
I now have a clean living flamenco - no booze, fresh fruit, veg & excercise - clearly he doesn't want a repeat of that experience again.
We'll see how long it lasts !!!
Take Care JOJO
Feliz año Nuevo - Happy New Year
Cuffy has , as many do, started the new year trying to be fitter & healthier -
Vitamins for breakfast , Giving Electronic Ciggies a try & ( JAW DROP) Cutting down on his Beer intake !!!!
I'll let you know how he does ?
There's lots of bookings & enquiries so far to keep him busy ( & lots more Flamenco Fun in the pipe line)
He has performances with the Fabulous Dancer Magdalena Mannion In Bath & Banbury -
Performances Booked with the Brilliant Dancer Alejandra Valasco
& Gigs with the Gorgeous Dancers Amanda Frescura & La Ambar
Then there's planned recordings with Jimi Can ( Well, Life can't be ALL Lovely Ladies)
Till Next Time
JOJO Flamenco
XX
HAPPY CHRISTMAS
December is looking really busy for Cuffy with lots of fun gigs plus Trips to Belgium & Poland with Yasmin Levy
(My main worry is when is he going to fit in Shopping time for all my Christmas presents ?)
If we don’t see you at any of the gigs ,
We wish you al Happy Fun Filled Christmas & hope to see you in the New Year .
JoJo & Cuffy
xx
(My main worry is when is he going to fit in Shopping time for all my Christmas presents ?)
If we don’t see you at any of the gigs ,
We wish you al Happy Fun Filled Christmas & hope to see you in the New Year .
JoJo & Cuffy
xx
CUFFY IN ATHENS
What can I say about Cuffy's recent trip ??
A fleeting trip for a gig in Athens with Yasmin Levy .
He left on the Friday morning ( at Silly o'clock) & returned on the Sunday pm.
He retuned feeling they had had a good gig , having met some cool Greek musicans & loving the food .... but also very tired & hungover after the all the Greek hospitality , in a word RAKI !!!
He'll live ( but will he ever learn ???)
JOJO
A fleeting trip for a gig in Athens with Yasmin Levy .
He left on the Friday morning ( at Silly o'clock) & returned on the Sunday pm.
He retuned feeling they had had a good gig , having met some cool Greek musicans & loving the food .... but also very tired & hungover after the all the Greek hospitality , in a word RAKI !!!
He'll live ( but will he ever learn ???)
JOJO
BACK @ LA TOMATINA
SPRING IS HERE or so my Calendar is telling me!!
It may not be making its presence felt just yet but regardless of the low number of degrees outside, the temperature inside La Tomatina is pure Southern Spain as Flamenco Loco restart their regular Wednesday Shows. Cuffy joins dancer Amanda Frescura & the irrepressible all singing all Cajon playing Jimi Can.
It’s always a fun night out, I get to sup a few Mahou’s, a very easy going (easy going down) Spanish beer at the bar, Hang out with friends, Listen to some great music, See the delightful Amanda Dance (Petite she may be but she becomes a total Powerhouse as she stamps out the flamenco rhymes with her tiny nailed shoes) throw in a delicious La Tomatina tapas, served by the friendly Spanish staff & who cares what the weather is doing outside... Not me!!
JOJO
BACK IN BLIGHTY
After the trip to Vienna, Cuff returned for an overnight stop in Bristol & then back off to London & a long flight (via Paris) to Hong Kong.
The trip was travel intensive & tiring but around Midnight this Sunday the weary traveller returned.
After 24 hours travelling, including the missed connection in Paris, Cuffy unceremoniously dumped Guitar & Flight bag on the sitting room floor, grabbed a beer & flopped on the sofa .. HOME!
I gave him a few minutes reprieve before I launched in with my questions.
What’s Hong Kong like?
He replied – DIFFERENT, BUSY, SMOGGY & HOT (The latter making our present Siberian weather even harder to bear on his return) oh, and TALL BUILDINGS, apparently his hotel was on top of a shopping mall that was on top a train Station !
Did he eat Okay?
Cuffy is, for the most part, a vegetarian (although an occasional aquatic morsel does pass this lips) and as most Vegetarians will tell you, finding something to eat in a foreign land can always be a bit hit & miss, a good phrase book can give you lists of foods but can’t possibly give you all the ingredients of any given dish.
(I have often, while abroad, had an unidentified ‘something’ in my mouth & found the best way to deal with it was to swallow quickly & think of England)
Luckily the hangover of British Rule is evident in Hong Kong .They still drive on the ‘proper’ side (so you know which way to look when crossing the road) & most signs & (Hooray!) menus are in both English & Chinese ... so happy eating for Cuffy!
How was the gig?
The man of few words said it was ‘good’ & when further pressed, said that he really enjoying playing the new music from Yasmin’s latest album.
So there you go you have it – HONG KONG – done & dusted.
JOJO
The trip was travel intensive & tiring but around Midnight this Sunday the weary traveller returned.
After 24 hours travelling, including the missed connection in Paris, Cuffy unceremoniously dumped Guitar & Flight bag on the sitting room floor, grabbed a beer & flopped on the sofa .. HOME!
I gave him a few minutes reprieve before I launched in with my questions.
What’s Hong Kong like?
He replied – DIFFERENT, BUSY, SMOGGY & HOT (The latter making our present Siberian weather even harder to bear on his return) oh, and TALL BUILDINGS, apparently his hotel was on top of a shopping mall that was on top a train Station !
Did he eat Okay?
Cuffy is, for the most part, a vegetarian (although an occasional aquatic morsel does pass this lips) and as most Vegetarians will tell you, finding something to eat in a foreign land can always be a bit hit & miss, a good phrase book can give you lists of foods but can’t possibly give you all the ingredients of any given dish.
(I have often, while abroad, had an unidentified ‘something’ in my mouth & found the best way to deal with it was to swallow quickly & think of England)
Luckily the hangover of British Rule is evident in Hong Kong .They still drive on the ‘proper’ side (so you know which way to look when crossing the road) & most signs & (Hooray!) menus are in both English & Chinese ... so happy eating for Cuffy!
How was the gig?
The man of few words said it was ‘good’ & when further pressed, said that he really enjoying playing the new music from Yasmin’s latest album.
So there you go you have it – HONG KONG – done & dusted.
JOJO
Viennese Whirl
It's 2am on a chilly Sunday morning in March, The stars are still twinkling in the clear dark inky sky.
We stand on the doorstep, eyes anxiously scanning the street corners for signs of headlights , the taxi is over due.
It arrives 15 minutes late & with much relief Guitar, Suitcase & Cuffy are aboard & on route to the Bus Station.
I'm on route to bed.
As I snuggle under the duvet I feel a twinge of guilt , Cuffy still has a long way to travel for this Yasmin Levy gig.
Bristol Bus Station , then onto Gatwick for a 5.30am checkin for the Flight to Vienna.
His Viennese Whirl of a trip should go like this:
Arrival,
Rehearsals,
Hotel Sleep,
Sound checks,
Concert,
Hotel sleep,
Vienna Airport,
Gatwick Airport,
Bristol Bus Station,
Home.
The Glamour of life as a Musican eh ?
See You Tuesday Cuffy.
JOJO
We stand on the doorstep, eyes anxiously scanning the street corners for signs of headlights , the taxi is over due.
It arrives 15 minutes late & with much relief Guitar, Suitcase & Cuffy are aboard & on route to the Bus Station.
I'm on route to bed.
As I snuggle under the duvet I feel a twinge of guilt , Cuffy still has a long way to travel for this Yasmin Levy gig.
Bristol Bus Station , then onto Gatwick for a 5.30am checkin for the Flight to Vienna.
His Viennese Whirl of a trip should go like this:
Arrival,
Rehearsals,
Hotel Sleep,
Sound checks,
Concert,
Hotel sleep,
Vienna Airport,
Gatwick Airport,
Bristol Bus Station,
Home.
The Glamour of life as a Musican eh ?
See You Tuesday Cuffy.
JOJO