Durng the last two weeks in July I'm going to be in England with my family this summer. Now, while this is a vacation, I always have a horn with me.
So, I am looking for a couple of ideas with this post.
1.) I'll be looking for jazz clubs where I might be able to sit in. We'll be in London, Birmingham among other towns. I'll get back to anyone who might be willing to share some ideas here with more specifics.
2.) I definitley want to hear good LOCAL music when I'm there. Suggestions? Again, if a dialoge opens up, I'll get more specifics to you via a PM.
3.) This is the big one. In checking out prices for lodging in England my wife and I have found that hotels will run us $300/night, minimum, everywhere! Now, I'm a high school physics teacher by day (2/3 of my income) and a professional jazz commercial trumpeter by night (the other 1/3 of my income). Niether gig is known for generating rich yuppies here in the U.S. While my wife and I are saving up for this, these lodging expenses are a challenge.
Now, we've looked into bed and breakfasts. We find they go for $80 per night per head. Well, I'll be traveling with my son (14) and daughter (10). Four folks will run $320 a night - no savings there.
We've heard of "Youth Hostiles" (not sure of the spelling here - sorry). One friend reccommends them as a good way for a family to see England. Another friend says they are the nearest thing to hell he has ever experienced. Again, travelling with a family of four, is this do-able?
So, I'm looking for ideas about lodging or any way I can keep the expenses managable. Heck, I'd even take gigs as a sideman if the income was sufficient to defray the costs (though I think my wife might divorce me, I dunno...).
So, to our compatriots in England I would say feel free to PM me, or post here. I'll check back.
Thanks in advance for your patience and any ideas you might have.
Peace.
Nick