Rencontre avec Ross Stanley

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 listened to any of the backing tracks, I'm actually performing on many 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 I quickly transferred to playing jazz piano. At that time, I also played classical church organ and now, bizarrely, I play jazz Hammond organ.

I graduated from there in 2004, and ever since, I have been working as a professional musician on the scene. I've been very fortunate and lucky enough to travel the world and see all kinds of different places and continents. Most of all, I've had incredible opportunities with the people I've played with over my career, particularly in various genres.

My Musical Journey

Here are some highlights of my experiences:

• Playing with the great Eddie Gomez in his quartet in a jazz setting.
• Collaborating with Seamus Blake's organ trio featuring modern saxophone.
• Performing in an organ trio with Steve Howe in a progressive rock context.
• Touring with Maceo Parker, playing funk.
• A tour with Zigaboo Modeliste from the Meters.
• Performing with Tom Jones during a period when his band was affectionately known as the Tom Jones Pub Band, focusing on blues-oriented rock.

I've covered a lot of different styles including:

• Folk music
• Country music
• Contemporary classical music

Course Overview

My role in the course is to guide you from grade one all the way up to grade eight. We will focus primarily on the blues style, but also dabble a bit in rock and jazz fusion.

Conclusion

All that's left for me to say is: you must have fun with these pieces! There's some great material in here, and I know I've had fun getting them together to teach you guys.

Best of luck, and see you on the course!