Lyn Acton - Born to be Blue

My name is Lyn Acton. I've been singing all my life but seriously with others and in bands for about 20 years - My God! For the last 10 years I've been mainly involved in Latin and Jazz. Past bands have been Coyote Trap - an African influenced band at the beginning of the World Music boom in the early 80's. Then the OK Consolers, an originals band, dallying with label interest but that doesn't pay so we formed the Fabulous Boots - a motown/soul band.

We played in working men's clubs, RAF Bases, Weddings, Bar mitzvah etc. - paying my dues and learning my craft. Dangerous for your soul but this has its uses …

During this period I worked with lots of musicians who are still performing now. For example, Mambo Jambo (aka Pete Jack and Frankie Banham) and Matthew Hogg. We all started out together and cut our teeth in some very memorable gigs and some best forgotten. In the 90's my friend Karl Arthur and I formed Pearls Cab Ride. Writing our own songs, we toured extensively around the country under the banner of Acid Jazz - which was a great period in live music with bands like Snowboy, Mother Earth and Courduroy.

It was probably during this time that my interest in jazz was ignited, or rekindled as jazz was played a lot at home when I was a kid.

I also started listening to a lot of Latin music and really liked it. Hence my involvement with Hull Samba School which I joined after Pearls Cab Ride finished. The Samba School was started by Aaron Gammon and Jay Moy. Both had been involved with Pearls Cab Ride so it was a natural progression to do the Samba School with them.

It was very good for me. I had previously been fronting bands - but in the Samba School, I started learning about rhythm and how to play an assortment of percussion instruments. It was great fun but like most things, it came to a natural end.

A period of Now what do I do? was solved with a phone call from Ferens Art Gallery asking if I could sing some Billie Holiday at the opening of an exhibition. I gladly said YES, then panicked. I had been invited to play the first Hull Jazz Festival and I think that helped the existing jazz scene - there was a sense of who else was around. Anyway, a bottle of gin later - inspiration. I rang the Keech School of Music, spoke to Tim Keech who had a band already, Jazz Soup.

He played with his son, Dave on drums, Andy Swift on Bass, Rob Barron on keyboards and himself on guitar. So we played at the Ferens and it was really good - and I stayed with Jazz Soup!

I researched a lot of jazz songs, literature etc. and learned songs that I liked. We gigged a lot and then I started to work with Tommy Harland (guitar) performing as a duo and Stereoset was formed. I left Jazz Soup to concentrate on Stereoset - and have continued to do so since. Stereoset has now become a working band that can and do perform as a duo or a quartet or a quintet.

www.stereoset.net

Tommy is moving to London so now the duo is myself and Rob Barron, also of Jazz Soup. The usual line-up of Stereoset the bigger band, has drums and double bass and usually this is the superb Ken Marley (bass) and John Perry who both played on the last Stereoset CD, Born To Be Blue - available from Rays Jazz, Foyles Bookshop in London or on line at www.jazzcds.co.uk - hey, c'mon, I'm allowed to plug my own CD!

So if you're still reading, thanks.

My current musical CV is Stereoset and I have just started working with the excellent Saudade (sau-dah-jee) based in Leeds. They are a latin band consisting of Rich Arthurs on guitar and percussion and Courtney Thomas on bass and percussion. My musical life is good at the moment because I'm singing Jazz and getting back to some latin grooves.

More gigs would be good and that's improving all the time. So watch this space ….. Forthcoming Gigs 3rd March Lamp, Hull - Saudade (Me, Rich, Courtney) 16th March Pave, Hull - Stereoset Duo (Me, Rob) 18th April Woolpack, Beverley - Stereoset Duo (Me, Rob) 16th May HIFI Club, Central Road, Leeds - Stereoset Quintet

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