A talented musician who has played in prestigious venues all around the world is coming back to his home city of Newcastle to pass on some of his saxophone skills to players of all ages.
As part of the multi-talented Sunday for Sammy house band, John Waugh’s sax playing was seen by thousands of Geordies at the 2018 Sunday for Sammy show at the Utilita Arena and on the subsequent best-selling DVD. His day job however takes him from his native Newcastle to venues all around the world as the saxophone player with top band, The 1975.
His sax solos have appeared on two of the band’s number one selling albums and he has played at prestigious venues including Madison Square Garden The Royal Albert Hall, and The Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury Festival. Recently he played on North Shield’s local hero, Sam Fender’s number one album “Hypersonic Missiles.’
John has a unique musical style which is especially evident in his solo releases, Dive EP and Flight EP, where he mixes Jazz, R&B and Rock. He is also an active educator and delivers workshops and seminars to schools and universities when he is not touring with The 1975. He has previously returned to his old schools, Prudhoe High School and Highfield Middle School to give talks and demonstrations to the students.
John will be running a workshop at the J G Windows Big Brand Day on Saturday 26th October. His workshop will focus on Jazz playing and how to practice jazz through transcription. He will talk about his playing techniques and his methods of practice. There will also be a Q & A session where attendees will have the opportunity to talk to him about any technical or performance aspects they would like to develop.
John is also a Brand Ambassador for P.Mauriat handmade saxes and will demonstrate why he chose them as his preferred sax maker.
The workshop is suitable for all ages and players looking to improve their skills.
Joining John for the workshop will be Peter Pollard, an established woodwind and brass repairer who has worked inside the music industry for many years.
Stewart Hindmarsh MD of J G Windowsadded, “John is a fantastic musician and a role model to young musicians everywhere. Our connection with John not only spans our brand promotion of P. Mauriat but we are also sponsoring the Sunday for Sammy 20thAnniversary show on 23 February 2020. Interestingly at the start of his career, John was given a grant from the Sunday for Sammy Trust and look where he is now. JG Windows are very proud to be working with him and Sunday for Sammy.”
Tickets for the free sax workshop from https://www.jgwindows.com/John-waugh-workshop
John will also be performing in the Arcade at 1pm Saturday, a short solo performance of around 30 minutes.
Tickets for the Sunday for Sammy 20th Anniversary Show on 23rd February 2020
are on sale from the Utilita Arena and Theatre Royal.
Ends
Photo: John playing with The 1975 (Credit Jordan Hughes)