GED ON THE BAWL

SCOTS musician Ged Brockie (pictured) cursed the media’s infatuation with comedy and said: “Give us a chance.”
The Edinburgh-based jazz guitarist is angry at the column inches devoted to celebrities on the Fringe.
And he groaned: “The Fringe is about new talent and new initiatives.”
Brockie headlines Dundee-born Bruce Hebenton-Graham’s Guitar concerto at The Acoustic Music Centre.
The conductor is Hollywood composer Hummie Mann (cor), a two-time Emmy-award winner and who is a guest lecturer at Edinburgh’s Napier University and who wrote the music for Mel Brooks’ movie Robin Hood: Men in Tights.
Brockie, who has performed in Europe and America, said: “The media only seem interested in comedy.
“We’ve got a world premier here.”
Hebenton-Graham, who has worked with household names including Andrew Lloyd Webber, Andy Williams, Sasha Distel, The Three Degrees and Scots-born Lulu, including being musical director during a week-long stint in a now-defunct cabaret club in Bo’ness, has sunk his life savings into the project.
Croydon-based Hebenton-Graham agreed that it was a gamble putting on a show at the Festival and he said: “There are so many shows for people to see. If you don’t do it you are going to say what would have happened if I’d done it.
“I would say that 90-95 per cent of the people that come up to the Festival are going to lose some money.
“However, they are going to get publicity and, when we’re finished here, we’ll have a great DVD and that will sell for years. We can even use it as a TV show.”
Mann, who has also worked with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, said: “It’s a tough game here and every year the Fringe catalogue gets fatter. This year I couldn’t believe it – it’s like a phone book. It’s a challenge to stand out.”
San Diego-based Mann added: “You shouldn’t pre-judge this piece by the title. Get rid of your pre-conceived notions of a concerto.
“Come down and enjoy a really interesting piece of music with a lot of variety - there is something in there for everybody.”