AMBER WILDING STONE TED FORD – OUT OF THE BLUE
' One of those girls they name hurricanes after ' has become the synonymous phrase to describe Amber - born from lyrics from her single ' That Girl Jolene '. In her own words , she is very much a girl that should come ' with a warning label '. Described as a ' vocal story teller ', narratives are passionately played out through unique , rock powered and sultry , country lilting vocals ; theatrically charged , colourfully animating catchy and memorable hooks .
Not afraid to wear her heart on her sleeve , Amber waves the flag for being equal parts strength and fragility . A ' complicated contraction ', she is both ' beauty and disaster '. Daring to unashamedly ' air ' the things we mostly try to hide , ' Complicated Contradiction ' pushes the boundary - in a modern world where everything has a ' filter .' ' Complicated contradiction ' is just that . A juxtaposition of sass , playful ' tongue in cheek ' attitude and self deprecating humour ; paired with an uninhibited delve into the parts of ourselves we ' d rather ignore .
Amber leaves no stone unturned , diving into the complexities of her psyche , exploring her own psychology , decisions and reality . The work has been a cathartic exploration and acceptance of the wildly different facets that embody one person . She is both a woman whom is completely ' out of time ', yet exactly where she is meant to be . The album feels like a rare and intimate glance into a diary , witnessing snap shots , ' fleeting moments of feeling ' gift wrapped in music . With a ' no flowers added ' approach , Amber candidly opens the pages of her mind , enabling a rare look into the vulnerability exasperation , intimacy , and sensuality ; of a woman ' s chaotic inner world . " In a way , for the more recent songs on the album , lockdown became my muse . When you have so much time alone with yourself , you can ' t help but do some reflection ... It kind of took over and I went a bit bonkers , but I came out the other side knowing myself and the different versions of me a lot better ."
Written , recorded and produced by her own hand , learning the ropes along the way ; without a rule book or instructions ( which she wouldn ' t read anyway ) it has been a long and experimental journey - a true labour of love . Although very much a solo project , with herself writing and composing each track ( arranging drums , playing rhythm guitars , keys / strings and vocals ) her full vision for the record has been realised with the input of friends and musicians Paul Rogan ( Lead guitar ) and David Tolley ( Bass .) Working with a band to bring her songs to life in a live performance setting has been a very exciting experience and Amber is now looking forward to the musical opportunities in 2022 .
After her Official Album Launch at Jimmy ' s Liverpool , her debut album is now available to purchase and stream online across all platforms .
www . amberwildlingstone . com
Eighteen-year-old Wirral based composer Ted Ford has solved everybody ’ s post lock down blues with a fantastic funky tune Get Groovin ’, which he ’ s arranged for an entire jazz orchestra . Joining Ted to record the piece are Out of the Blue ( OotB ), Liverpool ’ s new jazz orchestra , and BBC Young Jazz Musician of the Year finalist , Alex Clarke , as guest soloist .
Ted plays alto sax , baritone sax , piano , bass , guitar , drums , trumpet and trombone – and he also sings . From September he started studying composition at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester .
‘ I ’ m really excited to have recorded Get Groovin ’, especially the solo from Alex ’ said Ted . ‘ I came up with the main riff initially , just noodling around on the piano , looped it using my computer , then added all the other instruments . This was around June 2020 , a few months into lockdown : then I decided to have a go at scoring it for OotB ’.
OotB ’ s Musical Director Becky Bell Thomas said : ' It ’ s such a great piece . It ’ s simple but will get you up on your feet dancing in no time , especially when you have an 18-piece jazz orchestra behind it . Ted scored all the parts for the band and we recorded them individually . Jacaranda Records mixed the whole thing for us at their immersive sound mixing studio above the Jacaranda Club in Seel Street , Liverpool . Then Alex added her solo remotely ’.
Earlier in lockdown Jacaranda Records mixed a recording of the jazz classic Blue Skies , which was used by BBC TV . ‘ Doing this kind of thing is all part of our mission to get music moving again in Liverpool ’ said Ray Mia , Jacaranda Records owner .
Video director Georgina Little , from Liverpool based Georganaut Productions , said : ‘ This project allowed us to collaborate and support some fantastic and innovative musicians , and was a lot of fun to put together . Producing exciting films in collaboration with creatives across the region is one of our passions ’.
Mixing and recording Get Groovin ’ has been supported by a Jazz North Open Bursary . See the video here :
https :// www . youtube . com / watch ? v = 4j77prOW4Dw
Out of the Blue : https :// www . outofthebluejazzorchestra . co . uk
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