I believe there is something everyone can do, their own unique gift. It is the place we can go where we never grow old. I am very grateful to music. Music reminds me that deep down life is timeless and all about passion. My dream is to create music that can be a friend to others the way music has been a friend to me.
faith, life, music, passion, people, quiet people, people who quietly do the opposite of what everyone else is doing, romance, humility, pizza, dogs, pat metheny group, books, I LOVE BOOKS
Thankyou Grant Thomas, John Hanlon, Tony King, Russell Finch, John Morrison and the musicians on this page for your talent, patience and generosity. Also Bill Risby who plays piano on many of the songs here finally has a myspace page and I hope you'll check it out, Bill's music is very beautiful, www.myspace.com/billrisby
ALSO to anyone out there who voted or supported The Dream to win at IAC song comp in 2009.. THANKYOU xox
27/11/09 Yesterday luxury was songwriting in a cafe at Kirribilli with a friend who plays ukele but not Hawaiian style at all! I get so excited to hear instruments being played totally out of character. Then I turned up to the concert tonight a day early (?!) so ended up at a friend's house listening to her play guitar, has only had three lessons but so excited, like a little kid finding all these crunchy chords, leaning towards the dark ones (I reckon we all secretly prefer the dark chords)
25/11/09 I am not understanding everything this week but trying to stay true and find humility no matter how confused I am. Had a beautiful gig today with quartet, playing jazz standards but going to twisted strange places with them, and when the music feels right it is like we are painting, so light, effortless, like iceskating actually, if I could iceskate. It is an honor to make music with musicians who care deeply, cannot bear to throw a single note away, and yet there is a playfulness, which IS almost throwaway.
23/11/09 I am not crazy about the Christmas music playing in the shops, hope to stay out of them now until January:) It is lonely, depressing somehow, nothing to do with actual Christmas, just reminds me of holiday jobs as teenager , in a telephone shop, in a homeware shop, dusting shelves, trying not to look at my watch, these exact same albums playing then, warbling choirs, nothing fitted, and a couple of weeks later that job in the piano bar, the piano was sticky with beer and I was so grateful I never took a break, that job was like oxygen.
21/11/09 Saturday nights are still my favourite and it sounds like I'm making it up but it is laughter and clinking glasses and music everywhere at the bars downstairs and this goes on till 2 or 3 am but is so comforting. It always reminds me of when you were a little kid and your parents had people over and you got tired and fell asleep in front of everyone and someone would carry you up to bed. And you can still hear the adults laughing downstairs and for some reason this makes you feel so safe, sleepy.
19/11/09 the breakthrough this week was after so long wondering about recording again realising that music for me is always better when there is very little to work with, being forced to create something from nothing. That it is not a reason to be down but to be up. There is this bubbling of something .. how the songs would sound done a certain way and I have a feeling there is something in it . And at the same time people seem to be appearing who are humble and talented, so inspiring, I am excited..
13/11/09 Friday afternoon I love, but right when it is turning into evening, the traffic is a bit excited and everyone is heading into the city. There is all this anticipation everywhere, the young girls with the bronzer already limping in the new shoes but at the same time it's colliding worlds because all the exhausted tradesmen, plumbers are heading home and I think they are picturing themselves in front of the TV with a beer, everyone's world is changing over, everyone is happy.
l-r Jay Miller, Carl Dewhurst
THE DREAM and ON PATROL FOR THE JAZZ POLICE (also on iTunes)
Five BIG Stars!! Australia's talented jazz singer, composer, and multi-instrumentalist Elizabeth Geyer creates a wonderful combination of vocal and instrumental music on her latest CD "On Patrol with the Jazz Police". Her music is fascinating and intriguing based on her soaring emotional singing, her impressionistic lyrics and the extra dimension of her blazing jazz trumpet and flugelhorn work. AMAZON.COM TOP 500 REVIEW
'Stunning. just amazing stuff. I've never heard anything quite like it.'
DON BURROWS
'Elizabeth Geyer sounds like Elizabeth Geyer. There is no greater
compliment. She's got her own sound and it's beautiful.'
JAMES VALENTINE ABC
'There are two sides to Elizabeth Geyer, who writes, sings and plays trumpet, flugelhorn and piano. She is an aspiring adult pop artist with jazz inflections and a jazz artist with pop leanings ... both work here thanks to a lovely voice and some fine playing by her and a band of excellent jazz musicians'
SYDNEY MORNING HERALD
'
While much of Geyer's thought provoking poetry is open for personal interpretation, these compositions and arrangements, especially the energetic pieces include qualities of climactic drama and surprise. I didn't want the crescendo of 'A Candle Is Sweeter Than Fire' to end..
ABC LIMELIGHT MAGAZINE
FOR MORE REVIEWS OR TO PURCHASE CLICK ON ALBUM COVERS
Australian stockists
NSW: BIRDLAND 02) 9267 6881
VIC: PAPER INDULGENCE 03) 9381 1268 SA: MUSES 08) 8223 2168
** 10% DISCOUNT IF YOU BUY MORE THAN ONE CD ($10.79 ea)
my song of spring knows it's joyful first embrace
and it's fragrant afternoons as the chill of winter's hold gives way
My song of spring knows the kiss of it's sunlight on your face
one flash and I am back to those sweet November days
How I smile for all the times when all we did was laugh and dance for days
one spring
-------------------------------------------
I love music and beautiful things.. new ideas, revelations, grief, when you lose someone and realise what they meant to you is beautiful. Loners, humour, dogs, vulnerability, humility are beautiful. But romance best of all , not just the Valentine's day kind, but as in ANYthing is possible, melancholy, memories, and strangeness - industrial suburbs on the weekends, tired suburban bowling clubs, forgotten people and places. This is what I live for and love to write songs about.
It is never too late to follow our dreams. When I was eleven, my school offered free trumpet lessons to anyone who would play in the school band. All we had to do to qualify was blow a big raspberry into a mouthpiece and pray for a sound. I was head over heels in love with music by then but hadn't connected music with the trumpet. The instrument was cold and the mouthpiece was strange and stinky. But I blew the biggest raspberry I could and out came a cow sound, a cow in pain, and a few hours later I was riding home with a trumpet on the back of my bike.
If throughout my life music and I have been like soulmates, trumpet and I soldiered on like a miserable married couple. All through school and university I practised and practised, driven by an insane need to please and a stubborn fascination with the sheer difficulty of the instrument. I'm grateful now, but don't know why I didn't just do something I loved.
Instead I went on to study it. Three years into a classical trumpet degree I went to a jazz workshop, run by a cranky fantastic old man, Hal Hall. He introduced us to improvisation and Freddie Hubbard and Lee Morgan and changed my life. Trumpet was suddenly fun for the first time. Then my teacher tracked down a beautiful flugelhorn which I still play to this day. Finally I had found a way to the trumpet - it was called FLUGELHORN.. . .
..only most gigs wanted trumpet, not flugelhorn. So I kept working at trumpet until I was freelancing for a living. Then my reluctant trumpet and I were travelling and playing all sorts of wonderful gigs with many talented people. Outwardly it was going well but inside I was a mess of nerves every single time I pulled the horn out of it's case. All I had ever wanted to do in life was create music but not by giving myself to an instrument I wasn't passionate about.
After many years depression began to take over and the fallout was beyond my imagination, professionally and personally. Everything unravelled including my trumpet gigs. But in it all was an enormous blessing. There was finally an opportunity to make everything right. In my case it meant taking a leap of faith to create the music I had dreamed about since first playing piano when I was little. And having to live more bravely and honestly than ever before.
I now know that nothing in life is ever a waste of time. Everything is a blessing taking us where we deeply want to go. Late bloomers I have seen can make for the most beautiful flowers sometimes. Trumpet is part of who I am. I have such a soft spot and respect for the trumpetplayers out there.
I love to write songs about the amazing things I see..
some beautiful,
some heartbreaking,
some bizarre,
all hiding in the everyday
Elizabeth Geyer began playing piano at age 4 and trumpet at 12, touring Europe with the school choir. Following a B Mus performance degree (trumpet) at Adelaide University she performed in piano bars and as a freelance trumpetplayer in jazz festivals in Australia, Monterey Jazz Festival (USA ) backing artists on occasion including James Morrison, Gene Pitney, Barbara Morrison (US), Harry Secombe, in the Don Burrows Quintet and Swing City for the 2000 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony. Inspired by singing teacher Kerrie Biddell, in 2000 Elizabeth recorded an album of jazz standards which led to national and ABC radio airplay and joined John Morrison's Swing City, firstly as trumpet soloist and then feature vocalist. 'The Dream' , a collaboration album with award winning songwriter/multi instrumentalist Tony King led to a top 5 placing in the Australian Songwriting Competition with 'You Carry Me Home', a national tour and unearthed her passion for songwriting. In 2007 Elizabeth travelled the US/ Europe performing at venues including Galli's Bar, Karma Cafe in Los Angeles, Cafe Tirebouchon in Paris and in New York at Yippie Museum, Googie's Lounge over The Livingroom, Cafe Vivaldi and legendary songwriter venue The Bitter End. In October 2009 song The Dream won Best Song category in IAC International song competition. Elizabeth's third album is called 'On Patrol With The Jazz Police'.
l - r, Jamie Cameron, Jay Miller, Carl Dewhurst
THANKYOU FOR VISITING AND LISTENING..
A HUGE THANKYOU IF YOU HAVE PURCHASED MY MUSIC.. you make my dream possible. I love to visit your space! send a request and I'll get back as soon as I can, Elizabeth
I'm glad that my blog was helpful to you! Please if you want you can copy & pasted in your site so it will help to keep hackers away! Have a Lovely & Peaceful weekend! Ibatabros! jose!
Hi dear Elizabeth! Hope all is well. I see you got new tunes, shall listen to that in the weekend. Im done with the new CD yesterday on Saras 3 years birthday. What a lucky day. Alexis is on a new tune on my CD too, also 2 other guests. Loading up soon at MySpace. Regards from a warm autumn in Sweden. Roine.
s ist das Leise welches uns oft so laut erscheint es ist das Vollkommene welches doch oft so unvollkommen ist es ist das Schöne welches schon nach Glück duftet und doch täuscht und es sind die wahren Dinge welche wir nicht immer gleich sehen es ist die Wahrheit, die wir immer wollten welche wir doch nie bekommen es ist der schönste Traum den wir je hatten und die Angst, welche uns vor dem Erwachen lähmt es ist einfach und es ist doch das Schwierigste überhaupt es ist das Leben
(aus 'manngold- von hier an glücklich/ die Lebensformel '; Eric Ladeur, 2006)
dear liz, hope all ii's well, have a nice week best wishes from me ...see you cheers eric
I'm dropping in to listen to your wonderful music, your new uploaded tunes are great! It's always a true delight to listen to your beautiful songs and your playing, I really love your sound.
Hope you are fine and all is going well in your world, Elizabeth. I wish you a big success and good luck with your next concerts, have a happy week, warm regards from Germany, Askiwi
Hey Elizabeth! How are you? Thought Id stop by and have a listen, I lovee your sound!! Its awesome And I absoultly love how you play trumpet and incorporate that! Trumpet it one of my fave instruments haha i played the Cornet for quite a while growing up lol :)
Dear Liz! Thank you for your special message. I am always happy to hear from you! I was with my students a few days in the rehearsal camp in Wernigerode, a pretty little town in the Harz mountain range. We have enjoyed all this time of mutuality ... with music, the feeling of growing together, we were walking, we were playing soccer and table tennis have in common, and laughed a lot. For the students to experience, it is so important to play music uninhibited and passionate, far from the shackles of everyday life and personal concerns large and small, carries with it all the ... I wish you a wonderful week, Ina.
Hi Elisabeth , I hope you are doing fine . Many thanks for your kind words left on my "statut and humeur" today. I have vey much enjoyed your excellent new tune "MIDDLEMAN" :) I particulary like always your so wonderful tune "A CANDLE IS SWEETER THAN FIRE" . Have a great Sunday, My best Alexis
Hi again, thanks for the comment. I had two weeks without working and I was sitting between guitar and notebook the whole day. I just needed this hard work, you maybe know that feeling...
Hi Elizabeth!!! Sorry for late respond... Glad that you still enjoy my tracks... 2 new tunes is coming up soon... Then it would be great to come to Australia and play... And for the sunny weather... Best of luck Elizabeth....
“I should get a normal life, but I don't really want one, so will stay who I am” (A quote by some daft fool setting up Paul Weston Arts! See links below.)
Thank you so much for all your support and please feel free to enter my crazy new world!
Hope you like the card and have a wonderful weekend.
Peace love and happiness.
Paul X
“Dance”
“The expression of love, grace an elegance A movement of intimacy, empowerment, romance Riding the crest of an ocean wave Gliding through the air on a breezy day My body on Earth my soul reaches away To Heaven. The religion of rhythm A moth to a candle A key to a slave of Pleasure and pain I take my first emancipated steps Freedom This is my chance. That’s where I go When I Dance.”
Poem. Paul Weston.
Original painting by Terry Pegg.
Artistic design. Chris Loughlin and Paul Weston.
Digital photography. Chris Loughlin.
I am delighted to be working with my talented friend Chris Loughlin in association with distinguished artist Terry Pegg. Please add our banner to your page and you will see Chris Loughlin banner code on my page.
You will find details on my new work in the Shop and About links. Lots more to follow so please check out the web site when you can.
Glad you liked the recording of "Halloween"! We'll have some more material from that show online (our own stuff too, "Halloween" is a cover) once we get the mixed recordings back from the DJ (that track is also an "off air" recording). And thanks so much for the good wishes about tonight's show! I'll let you know how we do :).
