Brockley Max

Sally-Anne Donaldson

Sally-Anne Donaldson shows that it’s not just children who can enjoy a big plastic tub!

She’s bringing music and dance to the children of Brockley. Sally-Anne Donaldson gives us the low-down on Tea Dance for Little People.

Where did the idea of Tea Dance for Little People come from?

The concept has been developed from a two-year action research project looking at creative movement in under 2′s as part of my MA in Dance Anthropology. I became very interested in how space and time has been constructed around adult needs and that this is not necessarily the space and time that kids need. My research also proved that the more structured an environment and an activity the more restricted a child’s creativity. So I have created a space and a time that challenge these constructions. A cafe environment is not where you would normally experience the arts. The idea is that TDLP is not run sessionally but as a drop in so that it is the family that decides the timing of when they come and how long they stay.

You will soon be opening in premises at The Tea Factory (Brockley). How’s that going?

We are running to a tight schedule to open officially at the beginning of July. The landlord has been very supportive and we have a free rent period until the 1st July which is why we are able to offer so many organisations the opportunity to run activities free at TDLP over Brockley MAX. I only discovered The Tea Factory after I came up with the name TDLP, so it must have been meant to be. I was a little wary of the level of traffic and that there would be little walking past trade, but I am growing to love its quirky shape and its mad pillar in the middle of the space. The long shop front makes it very light and airy without direct sun and I don’t notice the traffic from indoors. Being there has also meant that we have been able to support the previous, soon to move on, Tea Leaf Arts Gallery and have also made great friends of the very successful Green Tea Architects two doors down. They are designing our space for us and there are some serious treats in store for the under 5 community. Our next step is to get our cafe on board. We will be selecting the lucky tender at the end of next week – that should get the ball rolling.

You’re a trained dancer by profession. Are we likely to see you dancing on the sofas at TDLP?

If kids can do it, so can we. Absolutely definitely! This is a child-led space. It’s the space where you can jump on the sofas. It’s the space where you can do all those things you can’t do at home! Every week there will be a new spatial design or a new professional dancer, visual artist, musician, storyteller or designer supporting the child’s experience and their development.

What can we expect from Tea Dance for Little People during the festival?

A dedicated space for young children and their families to experience the arts.  We have some really exciting events happening here for all the family.  Pop up photography with local photographer Elle Fallon, Guitar lessons for adult beginners, Comedy with the Mini Ha-Ha Club and the daily interactive interior garden. We are also up at Hillyfields on the last day as part of Art in the Park and will be launching the Where’s MAX? competition, Brockley’s live ‘Where’s Wally?’. We will also be running some competitions and launching tickets for our official launch in store all week so it will be hot and happening if you are under 5!

What does Brockley Max mean to you?

Being a part of this years festival run up has meant connecting with the arts community of Brockley and meeting some fantastic and talented individuals who not only put their heart, but their free time, into creating something special for Brockley. The Brockley Max team have been incredibly supportive of the set up of TDLP and I’ve got a feeling that once you’re part of it, you never leave. It is really important that communities have positive, creative opportunities to interact on their own turf, it makes us love the wonderful eclectic mosaic that is Brockley even more.

More info:

Tea Dance for Little People

Andrea Mann

Andrea will be tinkling the ivories and performing a special set in tribute to Gill Fraser on 29 May at Jam Circus.

Talented jazz vocalist and Brockley resident, Andrea Mann, talks to us about her passion for jazz, what it takes to be a vocalist and her fond memories of Gill Fraser.

You’ve been singing jazz now for eight years. Where did your passion for jazz come from?
I’ve always loved music and was brought up playing the piano and singing – although it took me a long time (until my early 30s!) to start taking it seriously and doing it professionally. I grew up listening to artists like Ella Fitzgerald and composers like George Gershwin, but it was probably my uncle – who loved Big Band music and would always be playing it in his house when we went to visit – who was the biggest influence in terms of hearing jazz music when I was young. The album that probably had the biggest impact on me as an adult – well, late teenager! – was Harry Connick Junior’s soundtrack to ‘When Harry Met Sally’. That really sealed my love affair with Great American Songbook music, and I’ve been exploring it ever since.

You will be performing at Gill Fraser’s tribute event on 29 May (2011). What can we expect from Andrea Mann on the night?
A few numbers made famous by Ella Fitzgerald – I know that Gill loved her music – and a few songs which I think sum up Gill and her wonderfully affirming attitude to life, and what she gave to others. It will be quite a gentle set and I’ll be accompanying myself on piano – as I was when Gill first saw me live at last year’s Brockley Max, and at one of my gigs in the City that she came to. Gill was so supportive of my singing and playing, and I was always struck by what a wonderfully warm, vibrant woman she was. It’s an honour to be asked to perform at her tribute night.

Which would be your best/worst moments as a jazz vocalist?
Gosh… So many best moments – making music alone or with others (and being paid to do so!), and entertaining people, is always a total honour and joy. The best moments are often the ones where you know you’ve made a real difference to someone – for example, when you perform someone’s first dance at their wedding. I’ve also played at some very memorable and beautiful venues – Kensington Palace, the top of the Gherkin, the Regent’s Park bandstand on a lazy, sunny Sunday afternoon. I honestly have never had a horrible gig, so don’t really have a worst moment… The nearest I’ve come to it was performing at Chelsea Football Club (no, really) and while putting on my Posh Frock at the start of the night, the zip broke. Fortunately a) it was on a side seam and b) we managed to find a few safety pins. As a result, I looked like a fat Liz Hurley in That Dress.

What advice would you give to someone starting out as a vocalist?
That it doesn’t matter if you don’t have a what’s traditionally thought of as a ‘great’ voice. Singing – indeed any form of music-making – is all about communicating. So as long as you are sincere and not fake, and sing from your own point of view and with your own – i.e. not imitated – voice, you will communicate. I would always rather sing a duff note than an uncommunicative one! And my voice is quite ‘little’ – but that’s my thing. I think it’s important to find your ‘thing’ and be the best version of that that you can be. Also: when it comes to jazz, certainly, it’s never too late to start. It’s not as ageist as pop; plus, your life experience means you can bring real feeling and understanding to the lyrics that you sing.

What plans do you have for the rest of 2011?
I’m actually concentrating on writing far more than singing now. I’m a – fairly newbie – comedy writer; so this year I’m hoping to build on recent successes (e.g. writing for The News Quiz on BBC Radio 4) by writing more and more topical comedy jokes, songs and sketches. I’m also writing a romcom feature screenplay and a comedy radio pilot script. Unfortunately this means music is on the backburner – though I’m more than happy to come out of semi-retirement for the Brockley Max Festival!

What does Brockley Max mean to you?
I’ve only lived in Brockley for two years, and loved it immediately for its character and sense of community. The Brockley Max is an amazing distillation of both these things, I think. The wonderful places to eat, drink and take time out (I’m looking at you, Hilly Fields!); the incredible artistic talent in the area – writers, artists, performers and more; and the sense that it is a place we all love, celebrate and look after together. I feel truly lucky to live here – and the Brockley Max just feels like a wonderful celebration of the place and its people.

More info:

info@andreamann.com
www.andreamann.com
twitter: @jazzchantoozie

Shedload of Love

Shedload of Love - a big, warm friendly band with fabulous saxes, scintillating Hammond organ, spine-tingling lead guitar, vocals and an impeccable rhythm section.

Shedload of Love frontman Paul Astles (photo – 2nd from right) gives the low-down on getting the band together, piling into old vans for gigs and the meaning of Brockley Max.

The band started in 2004. How did you all come together in the first place?
Martin Brown, the guitarist asked me to do a gig with him. After the gig we thought we should form a band. We asked a few good friends who we had played with before and after a few tweaks we settled on the instrumentation we have now.

How’s gigging these days? Do you all pile into a van and spend days away at a time?
That’s about it. Our friend Ron is amazingly helpful and has a big old van with lots of seats, so we all jump in and its usually a lot of fun. We’re off to Broadstairs today to escape the Royal wedding, 8 of us off in a van for a paddle and a gig!

The best moment for the band so far?
Probably recording our album in Jools Holland’s studio in Greenwich. It was a perfect space for us to set up and play and sing live, so it was a good way to capture exactly how we play together.

What advice would you give to a band just starting out?
Erm, tough one. Only that if you intend doing it for the rest of your life, make sure you play something you really care about. Try and make sure you get on with the people you play with too!

What plans does the band have for the rest of 2011?
Just to try and expand the places we play in. We’re still playing in the Wickham Arms the last Sunday of every month but we love getting out and playing to people who haven’t heard us before. Hopefully our cd is out there making friends for us!

What’s Brockley Max all about?
I think Brockley Max is about letting people know about the depth of talent residing in Brockley and about the venues that encourage it. They do need a lot of support these days.

More info:

Shedload of Love

The Wickham Arms