36 (Leonard Cohen's Girlfriend)

'36 (Leonard Cohen's Girlfriend)'

Jarrod would like to thank everyone who attended his 60th birthday dinner.  Jarrod was very grateful for all the cards, presents and salutations he received.  Jarrod would especially like to thank Billy Graham for organising the steel drum player.  Jarrod discovered a love for the steel drum during a business trip in the Caribbean island of Haiti.  Upon returning to the UK, Jarrod bought himself a steel drum from a local musical instrument shop.  Jarrod would spend at least six hours a day practicing the instrument.   He eventually got good enough (after about seventeen years) to join a local steel drum band.  Jarrod joined a band called ‘Big Steel’.  The band were scheduled to appear at ‘Glastonbury 1991’, but the performance was cancelled as lead steel drummer ‘Tony Cochran’ was admitted to hospital with a dislocated finger (which he got, not from vigorously playing the steel drum, but from attempting to open a jar of pickled herring).  Big Steel did, however, play a litany of concerts over the years.  They played at many illustrious venues including the Blue and Gold Club in King’s Lynn, Norfolk.  Big Steel recorded an LP in 1993.  It was titled ‘Drums of Joy’.  John Peel played the title track, but at the wrong speed.  The LP enjoyed very modest sales.  Unfortunately, Big Steel split in 1994.  Lead steel drummer Tony Cochran had quit the group in 1993 to join Bitty McClean’s touring group.  ‘The band were never the same after Tony left; they missed his steely spirit’, Jarrod was quoted as saying at the time.  Jarrod hung up his steel drum for a couple of years and took up the bag-pipes (he was inspired to do so after hearing a Sandy playing the bag pipes in his local Scottish-themed restaurant).  After about fifteen years of practicing, Jarrod got good enough to join a bag-pipe band.   The band was called ‘Pipe Dream’.   The band were scheduled to play at ‘Glastonbury 2010’, but were forced to cancel the gig when lead bag-piper ‘Jimmy McLeod’ broke his front tooth whilst water skiing in Glasgow, Scotland.   In 2011 Jarrod quite Pipe Dream.  Despite learning to play the bag-pipes to a respectable standard, Jarrod always had a hankering to return to his first love, the steel drum.  In late 2011 Jarrod put together a brand new steel drum group called ‘The Steel’.  The Steel will be playing at this year’s Womad Festival.  If you would like a ticket, please buy one.