Introduction

Hi, my name is Ross Stanley. I'm a keyboard player based in London. I'm not originally from London; I'm actually from down on the south coast near Southampton, but I've been living here for the past 18 or so years now.

My Experience

If you've actually listened to any of the backing tracks, I'm performing on a lot of them, many years ago, I hasten to add. It's been very enjoyable for me to return to these pieces and find different things within them the second time around.

Originally, I went to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama as a classical piano player and then quickly transferred to playing jazz piano. At that time, I also played classical church organ and now, bizarrely, play jazz Hammond organ.

Education and Professional Journey

• I graduated from the Guildhall in 2004.
• Ever since, I've been working as a professional musician in the scene.
• I've been fortunate enough to travel the world and see all kinds of different places and continents.

Most of all, I've had some incredible opportunities with the people I've ended up playing with over my career, particularly across different genres.

Collaborations

My experience includes:

• Playing with the great Eddie Gomez in his quartet in a jazz setting.
• Working with Seamus Blake and his organ trio featuring modern saxophone.
• Performing in an organ trio with Steve Howe with a progressive rock flavor.
• Touring with Maceo Parker in funk music.
• Collaborating with Zigaboo Modeliste from the Meters.
• Touring with Tom Jones, during a period when his band was affectionately known as the "Tom Jones Pub Band," due to its blues-oriented, blues-rock sound.

I've covered a lot of different styles, including:

• Folk music
• Country music
• Contemporary classical music

Course Overview

My role on the course is to guide you through from Grade 1 all the way up to Grade 8.

Focus Areas

We will be focusing on:

• Primarily the blues style
• A little bit of rock
• A dash of jazz fusion

Conclusion

All that's left for me to say is:

Have fun!

There's some great material in here. I know I've had fun putting these pieces together to teach you guys.

Best of luck, and I'll see you on the course!