The first of my concerts in the United Kingdom was in the northern town of Chesterfield in Derbyshire (about two hours north of London by train) on Thursday, March 21st. I arrived at Heathrow at about 7:30 p.m. from the United States on Tuesday evening, March 19th, and had a seamless tube ride (the “train” is a “tube” out here) to London’s St. Pancras station, from where I boarded a two-hour train to Chesterfield.
The weather was cooperative, although a little damp (we are in England after all). I remember the English writer, Samuel Johnson, who remarked, "It is commonly observed, that when two Englishmen meet, their first talk is of the weather; they are in haste to tell each other, what each must already know, that it is hot or cold, bright or cloudy, windy or calm."
Chesterfield is a town that is known for its “crooked spire” cathedral, and it opened in 1360. It is at the confluence of the rivers Rother and Hipper and its Anglo-Saxon name comes from the words ceaster (meaning, Roman fort) and feld (pasture).
The town’s own jazz club— The Chesterfield Jazz Club—- was started in The Olde House pub by singer/ pianist Wendy Kirkland and bassist/guitarist, Pat Sprakes. “We started the jazz club in 2012,” she said, “And since then we’ve had about 150 artists including Tony Koffi, Jim Mullen and Dick Pears.” The Kimball piano, a nice touch, was purchased from the Chesterfield Library Theater, and it was lovely to find a jazz club with a real acoustic beauty.
A note about the pubs! Brampton Mile was famous in this town for having the most pubs per square mile in all of England, so it is fitting that The Chesterfield Jazz Club should reside in a pub.
Even before I reached England, The Derbyshire Times had run a very flattering article on my style of jazz, with the glowing headlines: Pianist extraordinaire Charu Suri brings the magic of Raga Jazz to Chesterfield Jazz Club. It was such a beautiful article written by journalist James Salter, who had taken the trouble to find out about my work and to write about it.
Wendy Kirkland was kind enough to pick me up from the train station, and to accommodate me in her very lovely home. On the evening of the show, Thursday, March 21st, we had a completely packed house. It was quite beautiful to see people coming in through the door, saying they’d read about this new style and couldn’t wait to hear it.
The pieces I played at the concert were crowd favorites from the latest album, RAGS & RAGAS. I started with the Raga Rag No. 1 (based on the afternoon Bhimpalas/evening Kirwani ragas)…which dovetails with the C minor harmonic scale. Fast forward to Raga Hemant (Bourbon Street Stroll, evening raga) in an odd folk rhythm, which the audience loved, and my favorite, Charukesi raga (French Quarter, late morning raga)—-based on my namesake, which is part major part minor. All in all, it was a terrific evening and immersion into the world of ragas and jazz even though we had had minimal rehearsals.
(image credit: Martin Spaull)
(image credit: Martin Spaull. Wendy Kirkland and Charu Suri)
(band image credit: Martin Spaull)
I performed some standards and music written by Wendy and her husband, Pat Sprakes, including the beautiful song, Travelling Home (Track 11 on this album).
My Bhairavi Blues (morning raga Bhairavi meets the blues scale) was very well-received, as was the final number in the set, Raga Kalyani, an evening raga and a favorite.
After the show, I had a chance to mingle with a lot of the guests and loved learning about their music favorites. Some commented that the raga jazz was very unique, blending classical, jazz and world influences (which made me happy!), and that it was a swirl of sound.
Thank you, Chesterfield, for coming out and showing up and loving the music— you made a very grateful gal here!
The following morning, Wendy and I managed to take in a beautiful drive to the English countryside, to see Chatsworth House, the model for Pemberley in Jane Austen. I had not visited the area since my days in London at the Cotswolds, it was a breath of fresh air to see the meadows dotted with sheep, and to take a walk on the manor grounds. What a beautiful day to drive!
Used as a model for Pemberley, the home of Mr. Darcy, Chatsworth House and its limestone bricks glowed in the sun, and the stables (impressive in and of themselves) housed the afternoon tea/restaurant and the beautiful gift shops. It was a stunning end to the weekend!
And with that, my visit to Chesterfield concludes. Tomorrow, Sunday, March 24th at 1 p.m., I have the good fortune of performing at the Steinway 2 Piano Festival at Pizza Express in London….not one, but TWO amazing Steinway grands. Join us if you are in the neighborhood!