Music has been at the centre of my professional life for more than thirty years, from my early work as an organist and accompanist to my current work as a pianist performing at weddings and events across the UK.
Today, much of that work is through JAM Duo, the cello and piano duo I formed with cellist Anne-Marie Humphries. Together we provide live music for weddings, private events and corporate occasions, performing everything from classical repertoire to contemporary songs arranged for cello and piano.
JAM Duo has become a substantial part of my working life, taking us to venues across England, Wales and Scotland and giving me the opportunity to do what I have always enjoyed most: making music live, responding to the moment and helping to create an atmosphere that simply cannot be reproduced by a recording.
Writing and publishing novels remains another important part of my creative life, but first and foremost I am a musician — and JAM Duo is where much of that music now happens.
Pianist for JAM Duo
JAM Duo is made up of piano and cello, combining well-known songs with elegant live arrangements for events where the music needs to feel stylish, personal and beautifully judged. We perform regularly for wedding ceremonies, drinks receptions and other daytime celebrations, creating live music that feels polished without ever becoming intrusive.
What I enjoy most about this work is its versatility. One day we may be playing for a wedding ceremony in a country house, the next for drinks in a marquee, a private party, or a corporate event. No two occasions are quite the same, but the aim is always consistent: to bring warmth, class and musical sensitivity to the day.
For anyone arriving here through the books, JAM Duo is also part of the background to my writing. Much of what interests me on the page — performance, timing, restraint, atmosphere, ritual, emotion — comes from a life spent working in music. Writing may be where those ideas are explored directly, but music is still where I live them.
If you would like to find out more about JAM Duo, listen to recordings, or enquire about live music for an event, please visit the main website below.