Alan Dearling shares a rather lovely, intimate, instrumental gig
Sunday afternoon is the perfect time for live music. Personally, I particularly like jazz, folk or blues in an intimate pub environment with nice company and some pleasant, positive vibes. And so it came to pass that Panache played a three hour marathon set of mostly Scandi and French music. There were eleven of them and an incredibly diverse range of instruments. As a collective ensemble they include many professional musicians. There was Gypsy swing, courtly pieces perhaps from the Elizabethan era, and some darkly mystical pieces of music too. Congrats to the 3 Wise Monkeys venue for inviting Panache to play. Here are some images of the musicians and some of the punters…
Q&A with Andrew Daley from Panache
Alan: Hi Andrew. My friends and myself enjoyed the Panache Sunday afternoon event at 3 Wise Monkeys. Thanks for providing the musical tapestry. Can you tell me a bit about what the Panache group is, please. It seems like a semi-pro, musical collective.
Andrew: Yes, I guess that’s exactly what it has become, an informal group of 15 to 20 musicians from lots of different backgrounds. Myself, I have been a semi-pro all my life, mainly playing jazz, soul and ‘world’ influenced music. I moved to Calderdale 10 years ago, this extraordinary place in which there is a wealth of musical talent and activities going on. I started going along to Les Panards Dansants, a large group of great people who meet monthly in Hebden Bridge to play and dance Breton and French music. I must confess, I don’t much care for most of the folk music we normally hear in this country but this music struck me as something quite different and really interesting.
However, I was surprised to find there was little harmonic interest or improvisation going on, with many people content to just play the basic tunes over and over again. When lockdown happened, the Panards had to shut down like everything else but a few of us went on meeting at my house or in the woods nearby. This turned into an unexpected opportunity to explore what we could add to this music we loved, for example in terms of harmonic richness and creating more rhythmic energy. I was keen to do this with a focus on listening to each other, learning from each other and gaining the confidence to experiment and just mess about musically.
I didn’t want to over-complicate things or score fixed arrangements because those coming along were a shifting, informal group. A lot of people seemed to really like this approach to music-making and as we emerged from the horrors of lockdown, I was amazed and delighted that more and more people asked to come along and the music started to sound better and better! People also brought along other material they wanted to try, particularly traditional Scandinavian dance music, and also stuff from other European traditions. By this time, we had unintentionally morphed into something related but different to the Panards, so we took the name Panache.
Alan: The repertoire you guys play is described as Scandi and French folk music. But it’s broader than that…a lot of jazz, classical and wider world sounds…
Andrew: Yes, the Scandi and French music we have discovered is so well written that it can handle being interpreted and play ed in lots of different styles. I am the total opposite of a purist, I love making connections, bringing together things which people might not imagine possible, saying for example, “Look! See how well this rhythm from Colombia fits with this old French tune!” Or, “This tune sounds like medieval plainchant, let’s make it as dark and meditative as we can.” I’m keen to try anything which enhances a piece of music’s emotional power, its flair and energy so that it really speaks to people.
Alan: With such a large ensemble of musicians, it must be difficult to rehearse. In fact, you have told me that the performance on Sunday was essentially a “Public Rehearsal!”
Andrew: It’s not easy! We generally have a 3 hour rehearsal about once a month. I try to write one or two generic counter-melody/harmony lines for a tune and encourage everyone to try them and find out what works best for their instrument. We make some loose notes about this, encourage each other to listen hard to vary what we play, and to be prepared to drop out at times.
I record all our rehearsals and encourage everyone to listen back critically on their own, asking themselves whatthey can most contribute to the overall sound. I think that’s a powerful process. Working like this is very satisfying and enjoyable in itself, but we do also love playing for other people, hence our agreement to play at the 3 Wise Monkeys every couple of months. I think we create a good atmosphere there and people enjoy just dropping in casually for a drink or two.
Alan: What can you say about some of the individual musicians and the instruments they play?
Andrew: I feel very fortunate that so many gifted musicians want to play with us! It would be unfair to single out individuals but the instruments we have available include clarinet, bass clarinet, sax, flutes, mandolin, guitar, accordions, concertinas, a variety of percussion, trombone, hammered dulcimer, violins, viola, cello, double bass… the list is growing all the time. It feels important to me that we are open to anyone coming along and joining in if they want to give us a try.
Alan: A lot of the members of Panache, yourself included, perform with other musical outfits. Tell me a bit more…
Andrew: Well, I have a band called Soma who play a mixture of Hungarian songs, old English music, middle Eastern frame-drum patterns and some jazz thrown in for good measure. Some of our music is darkly meditative and some is very energetic! I also play with the Calderdale Fantasy Orchestra and Choir. This is a community group who play and sing classic rock, Latin and jazz from the last 60 years. We also enjoy dressing up wackily for gigs, which is a scream. I also play with an electric psychedelic jazz/prog rock band called ‘Abrasive Pheasants’.
It was founded by the late, great Mick West and we are keen to keep his memory and influence alive. Other members of Panache play in a whole range of outfits, so that between us we are involved in everything from a classical symphony orchestra, a flute ensemble, ceilidh bands, jazz bands, through to rock groups and a punk klezmer band.
Alan: The musical styles are very diverse. I sensed Elizabethan court music, Hungarian swing, a Mariachi funeral, elements of the danse macabre… Is that in any way accurate?
Andrew: Absolutely, it’s all in there! We love the excitement of having a go at playing music from traditions we are unfamiliar with and of bringing that music to the ears of people who may have never heard it before.
Alan: The audience were pretty appreciative, which is great, given that some of the instrumental music was quite dark, even sombre and melancholy at times. How do you choose what to play at each performance?
Andrew: We have built up a repertoire of around 150 pieces now. You are right, some of them are very dark but many are joyfully exuberant. In life, those feelings often sit closely alongside each other, and I believe they should in music too. We take turns to create the setlist for each performance and always ensure there is a diversity of moods and traditions included.
Alan: What plans for Panache in the future? Do you tour? Play festivals?
Andrew: There are usually around 15 of us playing together now, which can make it tricky for venues to accommodate us. Also, we don’t expect an audience to give full attention to our music. I think what it is best at doing is creating a positive background atmosphere at an event. So these considerations make it a bit difficult for us to find suitable settings to play in. Because of the way we evolved we never set out to be a performing group and we don’t put much effort into publicity.
However, we do love the energy which flows back and forward when we share our music with an audience and it always seems to be well-received, even though some of it is melancholy! We have enjoyed playing sessions at festivals and other outdoor events, so as our members gain in confidence, I hope we will do a lot more of that kind of playing in future.
Alan: Are there recordings of your music available?
Andrew: We haven’t made any albums as such, but there is a short showcase of some of our favourite tunes here:
Our guitarist, Mark Almond, is himself a prolific composer of fabulous tunes, many of which we play in Panache. He has just recorded an album of his music and several members of Panache, including myself, are playing on it. I’ll send you a copy for review as soon as it’s available!
Alan: Thanks. Can you provide me with some on-line links to some videos, please?
Andrew: No, sorry! We don’t have any!
Alan: Anything you would like to add?
Andrew: Thanks so much for the interest you have shown in our music, it means a great deal to have it appreciated in this way!
Alan: Hope you liked a few of the pics I took of Panache. Feel free to use them, just mention my name. Ta muchly. And thanks for your time. Cheers.
Andrew: The pictures were great and really captured the happy atmosphere in the 3 Wise Monkeys. Thanks again and see you next time!
