Vicky Rayner and the Rest - Protect You

 

You could just go on Spotify and see that this single, Protect You, is the debut for Vicky Rayner and the Rest. But I'd like to delve a little deeper and give you some context to this track, which actually contains decades of experience on the part of all musicians involved in creating it. And to add icing to the cake, they are all local to Worthing!

Rayner is a jazz and blues singer who was part of a band, Danger Zone, playing the clubs of London in the 1980s. They had varying degrees of success and one of their songs was included on a CBS London Jazz compilation on vinyl in 1986. She continued singing on the London scene for several years. More recently, Rayner has been part of Worthing's Spring into Soul choir, which is where she met bassist Mike Pailthorpe and percussionist Sean Quinn.

Pailthorpe is a longstanding and highly respected member of the Worthing music community, having headed up the music department at Northbrook College for many years. He taught me back in 1998! You may have seen him being a champion for young people, giving opportunities where there previously were none, including live performances on Worthing beach, Skoolfest at the Pavilion and possibly hundreds of shows at the Northbrook Theatre over the years! 

If you have ever seen the samba band in Worthing, you may have also met Sean Quinn, expert percussionist who, as well as heading up the samba band, runs 'Spuntaneous' - a jam session at Spun in Portland Road once a month. His influence has been felt locally for so many carnivals, fun days and collaborative community drumming workshops. He loves to get as many people involved as possible!

Last but not least, on flute we have Mike Pappenheim, a prolific performer who has done many sessions of busking in the town centre on his saxophone to raise money for charity. He is also known for being in jazz bands who have performed at venues such as The Charles Dickens and The Hare and Hounds. 

So, very much a local collaboration, Protect You explores the challenging emotions surrounding how we keep our children safe in today's world, while also allowing them their freedom to become who they are and flourish without restraint. It's a fine balance, and lyrically this song hits the nail on the head, particularly with the closing repeated line of 'find the love in everyone'. If you ever have the opportunity to meet this fine group of musicians, you will understand that this is how they conduct themselves in person. Always looking for the best in people, always being kind. I feel so privileged to not only know these musicians, but also to be asked to review their work.

So what can I say? Protect You is real and raw. Recorded in the studios at Northbrook College, it contains beautifully improvised bass, percussion and flute - I get the feeling that if the band were to play this live, it would always be played slightly differently. If you close your eyes you could almost be in a smoky room, Rayner stage-front singing up close to a vintage mic with her soft, perfectly dissonant melody that comes to a crescendo then softens to conclude. Bass would have to be a double bass in this scenario (I'm sure Pailthorpe most likely played electric bass for recording but it's okay to be a dreamer). Quinn sitting in the corner of the stage with his various percussive instruments to hand - I can hear guiro or afoxe with a little muted tambourine to name a few. The flute flies between vocal lines like a bird, taking it's own little solo after the chorus, fluttering up and down from the rafters. 

Protect You is an engaging demonstration of what happens when established musicians come together to create. Is this a one off or will there be more to come? I hope for the latter.