Where Next?

So what you do when you feel you are haemorraghing songs and experience the urgency (and arrogance) of anyone who thinks they are creative and absolutely must share your every deathless creation with a world spell-bound with anticipation (or not)? Well, if you are me and a gigging musician, your first impulse is to find a stage in order to strut your stuff and bask in the public's adoration. The only thing is you are just the teeniest bit uncertain as to whether your latest meisterworks are any good or not. Sure, friends have listened and nodded approvingly, but then friends always do. It's not exactly the dispassionate and level-headed critical analysis you are looking for.

An additional complication is that you work in the Middle East. The only possible audience are bored ex-pats for whom every social event is an opportunity to parade around in their latest threads (hand-made by poorly-paid Indian tailors) and catch up on the latest gossip. They attend events organised by hotels for whom every occasion must come with a buffet and an air of suffocating wholesomeness. Your blows against the empire will get lost in the hubbub and in any case they only want to hear Mustang Sally or Hotel California. Any prospect of a responsive but critical audience is stillborn. Music is just part of the package unless you are one of the occasional acts newly arrived on the international scampi in a basket circuit who visit the local Intercontinental from time to time. (Words calculated to cause any self-respecting Goan F & B manager to break out into an acute case of the yawns being something along the lines of, 'Hi. I am a singer-songwriter who writes literate adult pop songs for people with experience and varied tastes. Is there any chance of a gig at your establishment?' It's not exactly the Venga Boys is it?)

As chance would have it, I was approached by someone putting a small charity event together to raise money for computers and stationery items for a school in Zanzibar. Would I be interested in contributing to the event by performing? Is Qaddaffi worried? Of course I would. Just tell me where and when and point me to the stage

Next problem, how to present these little gems in a sympatico setting? Called up my guitarist friend, Santhosh Chandran, one of the most amazing musicians and asked him whether he would be up for it. (If you don't believe how great he is go to this link and see for yourself (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYnna2B5tXo )
I wanted something different in order to stand out from the common ruck. He agreed to do it and I told him I would ask another friend Abdulwadud Al Dawoodi who plays the violin in the Royal Oman Symphony Orchestra. We picked a few songs - a fast entry and quick getaway being the ingredients for maximum impact - sketched out some arrangements much to the bemusement of Abdulwadud who had never done improvised head arrangements before and turned up at the event.

As usual, at these things,  everyone presses their case and egos run rampant so we got squeezed out and didn't actually get to perform until the very end to a small but dedicated crowd. However, they were very warm and insightful in their appreciation, not to mention gratifyingly incredulous that I had written the songs myself.

Mission accomplished!

I repeated the event  but with another guitarist the next time. Lightning doesn't strike twice and it was less successful. Never mind. Just for a short time an intelligent audience reared its tentative head (but I would say that because they liked me!)

Tonight Zanzibar, tomorrow the world!