Jazz pianist - playing at weddings and events in London and the UK

Eugene Portman on piano - The life and times of a freelance jazz pianist

This is an online diary about my life as a jazz pianist in the UK. I don't give details of every single gig that I do - I just select the ones that are interesting for whatever reason. I hope that it will be a source of amusement and inspiration for any music lover or musician. It's not really about work: but my life.

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Monday the 16th of May 2005

9:49 PM

13th May at the Birmingham Gala Casino and a surprise email from a great pianist

On Friday 13th May I played the piano at the Birmingham Gala Casino. I do love travelling round Britain but I have got to admit that my pet hate is driving in Birmingham city centre. London is much larger than Birmingham but it is much more logical and if you use a bit of common sense and follow the signs; you will usually end up at the right place without too much trouble. Birmingham is different; it is a rule unto itself. Anyway, I managed to park OK and I found the casino in plenty of time.

The evening was pretty uneventful and the piano bar was ever so quiet. I finished playing at about 11.00pm and walked to my car, which was a considerable distance from the centre of Birmingham (about 30 minutes walk). I then set off to drive home, only to find myself in the centre of the city after about 20 minutes of travelling. I don't know where I went wrong (I always do in Birmingham) but I eventually found myself on the M5 - what a relief. After a while I started to feel tired and I just had to pull in to some services so that I could have a nap. It ended up being more than a nap and I fell asleep for quite some time. I then resumed my journey and ended up getting home to Lingfield at about 4.30am.

I had a nice surprise waiting for me at home. I always check my email when I get back from a gig and on this occasion I had received an email from an old pianist friend (Tony Gayle) who I haven't seen for many years. He was then the resident pianist at Prestayn Sands Holiday Camp where I was a 'Bluecoat during the same season. Since then he has become a children’s entertainer and has become very successful in his new vocation. Apparently he was just browsing the Internet on Google and just happened to come across me. The Internet is full of surprises and never fails to amaze me. I personally can't help feeling sad that he has so much talent as a musician and yet he had a period of 13 years where he didn't even touch a piano. Please visit his web sites at: