Hello! It’s been a long time since the last post and a lot has happened in the past three months (it’ll take quite a few blog posts for me to catch up)!
The whole family have enjoyed a brief trip to Cornwall and, to our amazement, it was sunny for the whole week. I also got to practice my archery skills with my big-little sister (but thankfully there are no photos of that)! 😛
St Michaels Mount, Cornwall – Image copyright of Hannah Sterry.
Hayle Sunset by Hannah Sterry.
Lanhydrock House. Image copyright of Hannah Sterry.
Levant Tin Mine, Cornwall. Image copyright of Hannah Sterry.
The Minack Theatre, Cornwall. Image copyright of Hannah Sterry.
Hannah Sterry, looking slightly ridiculous at St Michael’s Mount, Cornwall.
The best bits of the week:
Visiting St Michael’s Mount and exploring the gardens – St Michael’s Mount is beautiful and the gardens are full of interesting and exotic plants. There are plenty of places to hide away and just enjoy being there too.
Watching a kid’s version of Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest’ at The Minack Theatre. It is my ambition to perform at the Minack Theatre one day.
Picnics in the gardens of Lanhydrock House and Godolphin. We didn’t go in to the houses at either of these National Trust properties, but the gardens were really good fun to explore.
The slower bits of the week:
The Mines – I feel bad admitting it and understand that mining is a huge part of Cornwall’s heritage, but I can only have so much interest in mines that aren’t working anymore. The way the machines work is interesting, that some of the beam engines used hippopotamus leather on the hinged moving parts is a fun fact and the way that copper seeps out of the rock in to any wooden beams left behind and eventually turns them in to turquoise-green copper is fascinating, but it doesn’t take very long to see all of that.
All in all it was a great holiday and don’t let the negative comments about the mines put you off – they are great places to visit and are full of history, but I just wasn’t quite as interested in them as some of the other family members!
My latest artwork hasn’t had anything to do with Sterry Cartoons. Most recently I’ve been designing this logo for Hamer & Isaacs gypsy swing band. The band have had a number of successes in the South West and London, with performances at Rick Stein’s Seafood Restaurant in Padstow and upcoming performance at The Royal Albert Hall on March 8th (see their shows page for more information).
Don’t let me carry on though – see for yourselves! Here’s a video from one of their performances at Plymouth Jazz Club!
Hamer & Isaacs play volcanic, swinging gypsy jazz. Whilst portraying the influence of Django Reinhardt and the Hot Club of France, the unique addition of Rosie Corlett’s soaring, flaming vocals is guaranteed to turn the thermostat up a notch.
Let me know what you think, and if you like the music, feel free to head over to the Hamer & Isaacs website for more!
**EDIT**
As of 2015, Hamer & Isaacs has morphed in to two separate groups:
Hot Club of Stonehouse
Hamer and Co.
Both groups can still be found playing in venues around the South West.
I’ve decided to release a few flute pieces (and a short harp cover) on bandcamp! You can download them all for free or, if you really like them, can name your price! Just click below to have a listen and download!
I am now “Plymouth’s top jazz flautist” according to twitter. I know this because I am probably the only jazz flautist in the whole of South Devon (with the exception of my dad, who often prefers to play saxophone).
This post is a bit of everything – music I’ve recorded, pictures from the past year’s worth of gigs and news of gigs to come and some lovely testimonials from people I’ve played for – I hope you’ll enjoy it and feel free to ask me anything you like in the comments!
Logo by Hannah Sterry.
Over the past year I’ve been lucky enough to play lots of gigs with a great little gypsy swing band called Hamer & Isaacs. I met them, by chance, at a blues night at a pub where a mutual friend had invited us both along. I thought they were pretty cool and took a particular liking to one of them (that’s a different story) and since then I’ve stood in whenever one of the others can’t make it!
After playing with the band a fair bit, a few of them spotted my Sterry Cartoons creations on facebook and asked whether I’d like to design them an ‘art deco’ logo. I thought it’d be good fun to have a go (having not attempted logo design before) and this is what I came up with (see right).
All of this led to some really wonderful testimonials from people I’ve met through the band:
“As a professional musician for nearly four decades, I have been very impressed by Hannah Sterry’s contribution to our gypsy swing band as a deputy flautist over the last few months. She has deputised at short notice for both our lead guitarist and swing violinist, not easy roles to fill, and I have been awed by her levels of competence and creativity. Her improvisational techniques display an intuitive flair and inspiration well beyond her years, and she exhibits the stage presence expected in a seasoned veteran. I would heartily endorse her as a flautist to any potential employers, whether in the fields of jazz, rock or classical music.” ~ Julian Isaacs of Hamer & Isaacs Gypsy Swing Band
“[Hannah] is a brilliant musician and I love working with her in the gypsy swing band. Her flute solos inspire me to up my game!” ~ Melanie Scullion B.A Hons.P.G Cert. P.G Dip.Perf. Professional violinist, violist and peripatetic music teacher.
I’ve haven’t been playing jazz and designing logos the entire time though. Whenever I’ve had a few hours free, I’ve been working on a few of my own musical side projects! Most recently I’ve been doing a bit of recording with my little sister (she’s ridiculously cool, but you can’t take her anywhere). 😛
If you’ve been following this blog for a while, you might have heard it before, but here’s a little bit of chilled out flute music I recorded as an earlier side project (it’s not jazz, but it’s cool and floaty)!
P.S. If you like any of my music, you can download it for FREE on bandcamp. Just click the link above. If you really like it and want me to make more music, you can donate however much or little as you like with the “name-your-price” button and you’ll get a gigantic smile and thanks from me!
Anyway, I’ve just been told that dinner’s on the table, so I’d better go, but I hope you’re enjoying the story so far and I’ll leave you with a few pictures from the last year and adates of my upcoming gigs! Hope to meet some of you at some point and as always, if you want to ask me anything, or have any great music recommendations, I’d love to hear from you in the comments! 😀
Flautist Hannah Sterry performing jazz flute for The Cottage Hotel’s Summer Music Nights in Hope Cove, Devon.
The Sterrys
Ansa Back playing at Morleigh Village Hall
Hamer & Isaacs live at the Millbrook Inn, South Pool. Photo Credit: timhirstphotography.com
BANK HOLIDAY MONDAY (27th May) Ansa Back will be playing at Bigbury Golf Club from 4pm.
JUNE-SEPTEMBER The Sterrys will be playing every Tuesday evening at The Cottage Hotel, Hope Cove for their Summer Music Nights. Feel free to come and join us, enjoy a cocktail on the terrace and take in one of the most Mediterranean views that the South Hams can offer!
