The Maestro Online
Tone, Choral Blend & Listening, Vowels, Breathing, Phrasing, & Text in Gospel Music by Bazil Meade MBE of LCGC
Rev Bazil Meade MBE, International Gospel Choir Director
The London Community Gospel Choir
Bazil Meade MBE talks very openly about directing London Community Gospel Choir (LCGC). Bazil co-founded this internationally acclaimed choir and both he and the choir had humble, local community begins.
Born in the Montserrat, Bazil moved to England when he was 9 and personal circumstances led to him leaving home in his teens.
Uniting Faith and Singing
He brought his two great loves together, faith and singing and built up a loyal following worldwide. International artists that have worked with the choir include: Madonna, Sting, Sir Paul McCartney, Brian May, Tina Turner, Diana Ross, Luther Vandross and Kylie Minogue. Bazil turns his hand to all styles of music and thus LCGC are the first point of call for soulful vocals for many significant events.
The Spirit of Gospel Singing
In 2018 Bazil was awarded an MBE for Services to Gospel Music. Bazil believes that when he, and the choir, sing Gospel music that they are “standing on the shoulders” of the original Gospel singers who had no other way to cope with their situation. He sees Gospel as a cry for freedom and that’s why it was so emotional and hopeful in its origin.
Singing and Soul
How did Bazil create the “LCGC sound” that is so obvious and distinctive?? He talks about warm ups that unite all of the choir, who come from different walks of life. He talks about how if he doesn’t think that a choir’s soul is totally connected with a song, if the soul is not coming through in the performance, then he will abandon it and change which song he is using.
Singers Vowels, Pitch Bends, Vocal Tone, Note Endings
Bazil enlightens us with more detailed musicianship aspects that, whilst he was not formally trained, that reveal that he has a particular ear for detail. He talks firstly about vowels. With so many different nationalities within the choir, he talks about ensuring that the whole choir use the same vowel sounds. He refers to using different sounding vowels for different style songs. He discusses when to use clipped and staccato sounds at the ends of phrases. He discusses sliding and smooth curvy blends for ballads, the need to start notes a quarter-tone under and bend the note up. With regards to tone he discusses teaching the amount of “belly sound” needed for a particular song or breathy tone.
The Singer’s Breathing
He also talks about the need for a physically fit breathing technique, especially for long notes, long phrases and faster tempo Gospel songs. He makes further reference to breathing in sentences, where you would drop your voice in speech also matching the singing and bringing the lyrics out. For Bazil, the message is important through the text and musical expression.
Vocal Tone, Soloist versus Choral Blend
Bazil distinguishes between choral and soloists tone. He has strong beliefs that tonal blend is essential, but that real character is important for soloists. He makes reference to his own huskier tone as a soloist. He repeatedly refers back to ‘listening’ to promote blend as a key ingredient.
Choral Social Healing
He believes that more than ever, in our near post-covid society, choirs are needed to unite people from different backgrounds. He thinks that the pandemic has made us realise how important singing was to us. He talks about when LGCG first returned together after lockdowns and that they began with a good 15 minutes of hugging followed by singing with energy and freedom in the room. He talks about how voices transmit emotions and how much that came through.
Bazil’s Choral Directing
The Bazil Meade choral directing method is summarised as: unified vowels, attention to phrase beginnings, phrase endings, phrase shapes (such as swells), tonal blend, quality listening and conviction through the intent of the lyrics.
Finally, he reminisces about singing for with Madonna and at Live Aid at Wembley Stadium, performing with Madonna, George Michael, Sting and Queen.
Singer’s Performance Anxiety
He talks about how the choir prepare when there’s possibly anxiety and even intimidation emotions when they are out of their usual comfort zone in terms of performance situation. He talks about the need for a ‘devotion’ before going on stage via prayer and a gentle song. He discusses how rock stars have come into the Green Room at big events to share in this experience and how these big rock stars say that they should incorporate such a preparation technique in their work.
LCGC Gospel Choir Concerts
LCGC have recently produced an online concert, which can still be viewed and you can donate if you wish to their wonderful cause. There are many details of their future concerts, discography and spotify links on https://lcgc.org.uk/
Holistic Music Lessons
Dr Robin Harrison, the interviewer, teaches through his website (and in person in Yarm, Teesside, UK):
He teaches piano, organ, singing and vocals in all styles for all ages at all levels, right through to diplomas. His teaching his holistic and trains the whole musician not just via in-depth pedagogy, but also by connecting the soul to the sound.
Current offer: 25% off for new students.
More interviews will be showcased over the coming weeks:
https://www.the-maestro-online.com/holistic-musician-interviews
Jazz Chords & Reharmonisation
You can readily play from a leadsheet and you understand the importance of 3rds and 7ths, but how do you change the chords to make the song sound like it's your unique harmonic version? You need to learn about Jazz Chords & Reharmonisation. Francesca Tandoi, our genius internationally renowned Jazz Pianist explains everything soooo simply!
What's in the Jazz Chords & Reharmonisation Masterclass Course?
Francesca extends far beyond her first course. She has you understanding tritone substitutions, special chord progressions, when and how to alter chords so quickly. Within now time, the original song that you were playing will sound really special and unique.
Main Songs Used in this Course
- Have You Met Miss Jones
- All of Me
Who is Francesca Tandoi, renowned Jazz Pianist?
Italian jazz pianist and singer Francesca Tandoi has been hailed by critics and peers as a rising jazz star and one of the most enthralling young talents on the international jazz scene.
She studied jazz piano and singing at the prestigious Royal Conservatory of The Hague, graduating cum laude and with a special mention from the committee and later on she earned her master’s degree from Codarts Conservatory and University of Arts in Rotterdam.
In just a few short years, she has earned international acclaim as a world-class pianist and vocalist. She has performed with some of the finest international jazz musicians, to name a few: Scott Hamilton, Philip Harper, Owen Hart jr., Joe Cohn, Anthony Pinciotti, Jason Brown, Daryll Hall, Lee Pearson, Darius Brubeck, Dave Blankhorn, Florin Nicolescu, Marjorie Barnes, Sergey Manukyan and many more.
Watch Francesca play solo piano so amazingly!
She got invited by Micheal League to join the “Snarky Puppy” during their concert at Umbria Jazz 2023.
She has toured and performed at some of the most noteworthy theatres, jazz festivals, and clubs around the word like “North Sea Jazz festival”,“Umbria Jazz”,“Cork Jazz”, “Bosendorfer piano gala” “Breda jazz”“Amsterdam Arena Stadium” and many others is USA, Japan, India, Indonesia, Russia, South Africa, Turkey, Israel and literally everywhere in Europe.
She is even followed by the likes of Jools Holland on social media.
Tandoi’s trio’s performances have been warmly received by audiences and the press. Her stage presence is praised time and again as an explosion of swing, strong and sophisticated.
Jazz journalist David Alston of South Africa said, “She has a flawless technique and the ability to swing like the greats. The audience is simply knocked out by her playing.”
“Francesca Tandoi has truly impressive piano skills,” raved Dutch magazine JazzFlits. “She literally flies over the keyboard.
And she’s blessed with a beautiful singing voice full of warmth and sensuality.”
In addition to calling her singing ballads “exemplary, actually unforgettable,” jazz journalist Massimo Tarabelli (Ancona Jazz,IT) places her among the greats: “How many of the world’s young pianists resonate with the greatest virtuoso swinging jazz pianists—Oscar Peterson, Monty Alexander, Gene Harris, Phineas Newborn? Not many. How many of those are women? Very, very few. How many of those are Italian? Probably none. It’s incredible but true that such a person exists, and her name is Francesca Tandoi. She’s a brilliant, superior, and very rare talent.”
Well-known pianists Monty Alexander said, “Francesca Tandoi is a supremely tasteful swinging piano player. Her vocals are exquisite, her compositions are melodic and memorable, and her arrangements are extremely thoughtful.”
She appears in more than 20 recordings as a sideman, three with legendary american saxophonist Scott Hamilton.
Dutch magazine Jazzenzo wrote, “The accompaniment of Tandoi is exemplary.”
Jazz journalist and historian Scott Yanow wrote, “Francesca Tandoi plays beautiful swinging solo and she has superior skills as an accompanist”
The piano trio is definitely Tandoi’s favorite setting.
As leader of her trio’s she recorded seven albums, “For Elvira” ,”Something blue” “Magic Three” “Hope” “When in Rome” “Bop web” and “Wind dance” (this album appears in the TOP10 best albums of 2017 of the Japanise magazine “Jazz Life. The same famous magazine characterized heras “one of the biggest young talents of the European jazz scene” )
Beside her career as a performer she travels around giving masterclasses about “The art of arranging for piano trio”.
During the last couple of years she got invited by Washington University of Music of Saint Louis (USA), Music University of Pretoria (South Africa), Ethics of Jazz in Moscow (Russia) and many others schools and Universities all around Europe and she’s a steady teacher at the Conservatory G.Martini of Bologna (IT).
What are our Music Masterclasses Like?
Our music masterclass courses are self-study digital courses embedded with information, interactive music software (scores), exercises, objectives, tasks, teaching pedagogy and videos of celebrities and international level musicians explaining and demonstrating key skills. Certificates are awarded at the end of each course.
A Quick Look at a Typical Masterclass Course
Sample Interactive Score
Course Dashboard with Chat, Progress and Points
