Rencontre Ross Stanley

Introduction

Hi, my name is Ross Stanley. I'm a keyboard player based in London.

Background

• I'm not originally from London; I'm actually from down on the south coast near Southampton.
• I've been living in London for the past 18 or so years now.

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

Education

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

I graduated from there in 2004, and ever since, I have been working as a professional musician on the scene.

Career Highlights

I've been very fortunate and lucky enough to travel the world, seeing all kinds of different places and continents. Most of all, I've had incredible opportunities with the people I've ended up playing with over my career, particularly in various genres:

• Playing with the great Eddie Gomez in his quartet in a jazz setting
• Modern saxophone playing with Seamus Blake and his organ trio
• Performing in an organ trio with Steve Howe in a progressive rock setting
• Touring with Maceo Parker, playing funk
• A tour 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," as it leaned more towards blues-oriented rock.

I've covered a lot of different styles, including folk music, country music, and contemporary classical music.

Teaching Role

My role on the course is to guide you from grade one all the way up to grade eight.

We'll be focusing mostly on:

• Blues style
• A little bit of rock
• A little bit of jazz fusion

Conclusion

So, all that's left for me to say is:

You must have fun with these pieces! There's some great material in here. I know I've had fun getting them together to teach you guys.

Best of luck, and see you on the course!