A STORR is born...City pianist: Dale Storr
WHEN Sheffield musician Stu Moseley died late last year it hit Dale Storr harder than some.
The city pianist was galvanised by the veteran player to go out as a performer in his own right and Dale - a pianist in the New Orleans style - has never looked back.
"Stu was very encouraging and instrumental in me going it alone. He encouraged me to sing and always gave me sound advice. I'll miss him dearly," says the 35-year-old.
"At the end of the day this whole solo thing was a bit of an experiment, but I was further pushed into it by Bob 'Saxbob' Swift, of the Hummingbirds Blues Band (playing The Banner Cross a week today). He's really passionate about the local music scene and listened to me going on and on for years about doing the stuff that was in my heart after I went to New Orleans and it changed my life."
Booked into Nether Green's Rising Sun pub venue in 2008, Dale started off with instrumentals. He then began talking to the audience more, introduced electric piano and finally started singing last February before adding Ian Sanderson on trumpet. Now they are rehearsing a drummer.
After making his mark on the live circuit throughout 2009 Dale recorded a five-track EP called Qualified. Having played much of the UK blues scene with other people, among his contacts was Kevin Thorpe from the band Out Of The Blue, who had a studio in Retford where he encouraged Dale to record.
"People will tell you it was a big deal for me to start singing and I think my voice has improved since," says the musician, who touches on music by the likes of Fats Domino, Professor Longhair, Champion Jack Dupree and Allen Toussaint. "Allen wrote so many songs you know, but may not realise."
The CD comprises five tracks - two original instrumentals, two covers and a James Booker medley, namely Dale's own arrangement of two tracks Booker used to cover. It also includes a "hip trumpet solo" from Ian.
Dale describes the record as a reflection of his first year and is partially aimed at spreading his appeal wider, as well as giving fans something to take home.
Already it has resulted in an invitation to the Shetland Island Blues Festival after someone heard his take on a New Orleans funk track by Dr John. One fixture at a St Albans blues club, however, looked likely to be less attractive.
"It usually only has guitar bands so when just me and the piano and Ian turned up we thought we were going to be annihilated. But it went down a storm as it was a refreshing change for them.
"Then the show can be music from all sorts of genres done in that style; the Beatles I Saw Her Standing There done in a jazz blues fashion, a heavy percussive style of playing – it works."
The EP title is taken from a Dr John song called Qualified, covered on the EP alongside Fat Domino's Blue Monday, but has connotations for Dale in the sense he felt he was ready, or qualified, to make the solo leap.
"I wish Stu could have heard it; I think he would have approved. Stu really was extremely encouraging and inspirational to me
I will try my best to pay tribute to him every time I play."
The Qualified EP gets a live send-off at one of Dale's regular haunts, The Harlequin, next Thursday. "The Harlequin have been very helpful in letting me hone my solo act there this last year. And I think their Thursday nights have benefited too, so it's been a two way thing."
The EP is released under Dale's label, Junco Records, and available for £5 at gigs or via his MySpace page
