Key rings

We now offer a selection of English Pewter key rings including an acoustic guitar, bass guitar, cello, quaver, treble clef, and violin, all made in England.  The figures are between 2½ to 3” long (4½-5” including chain) or 6.5-7cm (11.5-12.7 with chain) and have a good weighty feel to them.  With a carabiner-style clip these stylish and functional key rings can also be used as bag charms on handbags or for personalising gig bags and instrument cases.

Pins

This lovely range of pins is hand-crafted in English Pewter here in England.  They measure between 1 and 1⅜” in length (3-3.5cm) and, with the exception of the treble clef, are all are double-pinned minimising the chance of losing them.  In addition to being a stylish lapel pin they can also be applied to bags and used to personalise gig bags.  Available are acoustic guitar, banjo, bass clef, bass guitar, cello, classical guitar, treble clef, and violin.

Last year over 8 million people took part in the UK alone.  In addition to individuals, hundreds of major landmarks including Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and the iconic Piccadilly lights took part as well as small businesses such as Sandarac. And this year is set to be even bigger with landmarks across the world confirmed to join the big switch off, from the Sydney Opera House in Australia and Christ the Redeemer in Rio to the Empire State building in New York and the Eiffel Tower in France.

We would encourage you to join us and the millions of others around the world in switching off your lights for an hour at 8.30pm local time.  http://earthhour.wwf.org.uk/

Malcolm MacWatt, student luthier

Sandarac is delighted to be able to supply luthier Malcolm MacWatt with Schatten Design pickups. Originally from Scotland, student luthier Malcolm MacWatt is currently undertaking the BSc (Hons) Musical Instruments degree course at London Metropolitan University (formerly the London School of Furniture and Design).

With a passion for gypsy jazz Malcolm intends to specialise in handmade Selmer Maccaferri-style guitars.

Malcolm said: “I’ve had some great advice from American luthier and author Michael Collins, who recommends the Schatten Design pickups in his excellent book Building The Selmer-Maccaferri Guitar.”

For gigging Malcolm uses a Schatten Design HFN-S2 Player in his own guitar through an AER Compact amplifier.

“I  love the clear natural sound and will be fitting Schatten Design pickups into my own instruments,” he said.

Sandarac is delighted to welcome Bandwagon Music to the fold. Bandwagon has been established in the centre of Perth, (Perth in Scotland not Australia), for over a quarter of a century. They operate with the same customer facing philosophy as us; a friendly and professional service to musicians by musicians, and are our latest stockist for our Orpheus Valley range of guitars and Schatten pickups. This is a great opportunity, for those of you North of the Border, to try these fabulous hand-crafted European guitars before you buy.

Related Links

Bandwagon Music

Tonight Scots around the world will be celebrating the anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns.  This tradition has been going for a couple of centuries and was started by Burns’ friends who held a supper in memoriam on the anniversary of his death, July 21st.  However, the first Burns club wasn’t founded until 1801.  This was set up in Greenock by merchants, many of whom had known Burns personally, to honour the bard.  They held the first Burns supper on the anniversary of his birth, rather than his death, since when the celebrations have been held on January 25^th.

Celebrations can be as small as an informal gathering with friends to a full blown banquet complete with songs, dancing, and, of course, the piping in and  the address to the haggis.  Whether you are at a large gathering or small one, the Toast to the Lassies and its response will bring some levity to your night.  Bagpipes are the instruments most associated with Scotland but most ceilidhs rely on fiddle-based bands.  However you plan to celebrate we wish you a music filled braw, bricht, moonlicht nicht the nicht.

Robert Burns was born on 25th January 1759 in Alloway, near Ayr, and is the National Bard of Scotland.  He was from a farming background, his father was a farmer, his mother was a good singer and grew up listening to traditional Ayrshire stories and songs.  Fortunately, his father had enough money to employ a teacher for the family and all the children received a good education.  However, the family farm did not do well and Robert’s health suffered as a consequence of working the land.   Later, Burns moved to the town of Kirkoswald (Ayrshire) to learn the trade of surveying from “Souter Johnny”, whom he made famous in his poems.  From there he went to Irvine (Ayrshire) and learned flax dressing but the venture folded and he was left penniless.   Meanwhile the family farm continued to decline and his father died almost bankrupt.  The family kept what they could and moved to a rented farm in Mauchline (Ayrshire) where he met his future wife, Jean Armour.   Whilst in Mauchline, he wrote prolifically including “My love is like a Red Red Rose” for Jean.  However, given Burns circumstances, Jean’s family would not let him marry her.

It seems surprising to us now but Burns had difficulty getting his poems published and had to try to enlist subscribers.  This is a list of wealthy people who will pay in advance for the book and whose names appear in the book making them look important.  Burns was successful and his “Kilmarnock ” edition of 300 books was published and became successful.  It did so well that he was invited to  live in Edinburgh and produce a second edition.  This he did in 1786 and 3,000 books were published of the “Edinburgh Edition” in 1787.  In Edinburgh he kept good company and gave poetry readings to wealthy people. Mixing in the right circles, and being a man of means, meant that Jean Armour’s family were now happy to have him as a son in law.

After the birth of two sets of twins from which only one child survived, the Burns’ moved to the Borders to run a small farm.  Robert started yet another career, this time in Customs and Excise.  Whilst there he wrote many poems and songs.  Although they were very happy the farm, much like Burns’ father’s, did not pay and Burns found it difficult running the farm and working in Customs and Excise.   He eventually gave up the farm and all involvement with the land and moved to the town of Dumfries.  Here he was productive as a poet.  Robert and Jean had a total of nine children but only three survived to adulthood and there are no direct male descendants.  Unfortunately his childhood illness and rheumatism came back in Dumfries and he gradually declined and died in 1796. He was buried on the day his ninth child was born. There was a huge funeral with over 10,000 people attending.

Lord Clement-Jones

The MIA and the entire UK music industry are celebrating after the Live Music Bill passed its third reading and report stage in the House of Commons. The Bill, introduced by Lib Dem Peer Tim Clement-Jones and promoted in the Commons by Bath MP Don Foster, should now proceed to Royal Assent.

As a result, small venues wanting to host live music events will no longer need a local authority entertainment licence – cutting bureaucracy and expense, and making it easier for pubs and clubs to host live performances.

Paul McManus, CEO of the MIA, said: “This is wonderful news and a great day for live music. The Live Music Bill will make a real and positive impact on musicians. The current Licensing Act has created an excess of bureaucracy – making it almost prohibitive for pubs and other small venues to host live gigs. We are extremely grateful to Lord Clement-Jones and Don Foster MP who have made this change possible.”

The MU has also been celebrating with supportive MPs and other members of UK Music as the Live Music Bill passed its final stages in the Commons on Friday.

The Bill states that an exemption to the Licensing Act should take place when ‘the live music entertainment takes place in the presence of an audience of no more than 200 persons’. This will reduce the bureaucracy and expense for small venues wishing to put on live music.

Don Foster MP

We have been lobbying for a change of this kind ever since the Licensing Act came into law in 2003, and we believe that this Bill will be a real boost to live music performance.

John Smith, MU General Secretary, says:
“We are delighted that the Live Music Bill has finally made it through Parliament. It is a real achievement for a Private Member’s Bill to get through and the MU would like to thank Lord Clement Jones, Don Foster and all of the other MPs who helped to pass this Bill.

“Over the past few years our members have been telling us that the number of gigs available to young musicians who are still perfecting their craft has gone down. This is primarily due to a reduction in the number of smaller venues which traditionally offered this level of gig, and is directly linked to the Licensing Act. The exemption that the Live Music Bill introduces will be hugely beneficial to these small venues.”

Happy Birthday Django!

January 23^rd is Django’s birthday.  As one of the most influential guitarists in the world of jazz and beyond (artists as diverse as Willie Nelson and Jeff Garcia have cited his influence) we thought we would honour this unique artist by running a profile.

Django with the Grande Bouche

On the 23^rd of January 1910, Jean Reinhardt was born in Liberchies, Belgium, into a rambling gypsy lifestyle.  By the age of eight his mother’s tribe had settled near the fortifications of the Choisy gate, Paris.  The Manouche, French Gypsies, lived in a world of their own being mediæval in their beliefs and distrustful of modern science.  The name we most associate with Reinhardt is Django which is a Romani nickname meaning ‘I awake’.

Django was attracted to music from an early age; starting with the violin before moving to banjo, and finally guitar.  He learned to play by mimicking other musicians, quickly impressed adults with his ability, and was playing professionally by the age of twelve.  Almost as soon as he had his own instrument he started playing at a dance hall on the Rue Monge with accordionist Guerino.  From there he went on to play with numerous other bands before making his first recording with Ideal Company.  Coming from a Gypsy background, Django had not learned to read or write so his name appears on these early records as Jiango Renard.

The infamous life-changing event occurred in the early hours of November 2^nd 1928 when Django returned from a night’s playing to the caravan where he was living with his wife.  The caravan caught alight from a candle; some say Django knocked it over on the way to bed, others that he was trying to find a mouse and a burning ember dropped from the wick – we shall never know what really happened.  Because the place was filled with cellophane flowers, made by his wife to sell at the local markets, it went up rapidly.  Django got himself and his wife out but, in doing so, his right side, from knee to waist, and his left hand were badly burned.  Doctors recommended amputation which Django refused; choosing instead to convalesce in a nursing home for eighteen months.  During this time Django worked on a new fingering system built around the two fingers with full mobility.  His ring and little fingers could not be extended as the heat had shrunk the tendons and left them permanently curled.  Whilst the curled fingers could be used on the first two strings for chords and octaves soloing was done with the index and middle fingers only.

Django playing the Petite Bouche (with Stimer Pickup)

The next landmark in Django’s life came in 1934 with the birth of the Hot Club of France’s Quintet.  The Quintet came about through a chance meeting with Stephane Grappelli at the Hotel Cambridge.  During this time Django played a Selmer Maccaferri, the first commercially available guitar with a cutaway.  Ultraphone recorded their early music; Dinah, Tiger Rag, Oh Lady be Good, and I Saw Stars.  Over the years the Quintet went on to record hundreds of tracks with Ultraphone and had hits on both sides of the pond.

In 1939 war broke out across Europe.  The Quintet was touring England at the time and disbanded as each member followed his own conscience.  Django returned to Paris, leaving his wife and son, Henri “Lousson”, behind, and continued to play and record music throughout the war; somehow managing to avoid the fate of many of his fellow Manouche.  It is thought that he had protection from an officer known as “Doktor Jazz”.  During this time he met and married his second wife, Sophie, with whom he had a son, Babik.  He also tried a different musical direction, attempting to write a Mass for the Gypsies; improvising whilst an assistant took down the notation.  Post war, the Quintet was reunited and playing and recording picked up where it left off.  He toured with Duke Ellington in the States in 1946 including two nights at the Carnegie Hall.  Django returned to France in early ’47 and eventually retired in 1951 to the small village of Samois sur Seine.  He continued to play the Paris jazz clubs and began playing an electric Be-bop guitar

On May 16^th 1953 Django suffered a massive brain haemorrhage and died, leaving behind his wife Sophie and child Babik.  But, more importantly, he left a musical legacy that is as vibrant today as it was then.  As well as his brother Joseph, both of Django’s sons continued to play jazz guitar; Babik in the contemporary style and Henri in the traditional Manouche style.  There is now a third generation of Reinhardts playing jazz; David, Babik’s son, leads his own trio whereas Dallas, “Lousson’s” son, follows in his father’s footsteps travelling with his music.

As part of Django’s legacy, Maurice Dupont continues to maintain the Reinhardt family guitars; repairing where he can and rebuilding where necessary.  Here at Sandarac we are proud to be associated with this rich heritage and are delighted to be able to bring fine Grande Bouche, Petite Bouche, and Be-Bop guitars, as well as authentic Stimer amps and pickups to the UK and Ireland.