It's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new life

... and I'm feeling good.

The end of 2011 saw me dancing with a good friend in the latest swanky restaurant in Hitchin - Hermitage Road. I bumped into two old friends, one of whom I haven't seen for nearly 20 years. It was very strange and lovely.

The start of 2012 saw me eating the fabulous spread laid on by another great friend and it made me realise that I have known my three closest friends for 40, 35 and 29 years. I have new friends, too, who I may just know in another 40 years. The longevity of my friendships may appear boring to some, but it adds stability to my life: I don't need to explain anything to these three women.

A balance between the old and the new is just one of the elements of a healthy lifestyle, I should have thought.

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Big Wade - 'Piano Man' out now

Big Wade and Black Swan Theory collectively blends funk, soul, jazz and everything that fills the cracks between those genres: his new album - Piano Man - on all major streaming platforms ahead of the Piano Man Tour 2024 , which has dates across the US. Piano Man brings a selection of original and covers, including a stunning version of Autumn Leaves , which reinvents the song as the funky, electronic Autumn . Big Wade's voice takes the song's melody and improvises around and around, with backing vocals and a deliberately sparse arrangement underpinning the song. Similarly, on Children of the Ghetto , the lead and backing vocals blend in with the soulful musicians of Black Swan Theory. Electronics are used with dexterity, often expanding the vocal lines, as in the ethereal and ghostly opening of Don't Let Me Go . However, the tools never dominate - simply adding depth and layers to the funk. Never more than when Big Wade enters a new world in Interludes , including vocals...

36 years ago today, my alto sax was stolen

Actually, it wasn't so much stolen as taken in error. But at the time, we thought it had been removed from backstage at Amsterdam's De Meervaart venue, where I was on stage with The Style Council. Luckily, the gig was being broadcast on radio and the support act were listening as they drove away. They soon realised the mistake and returned my sax and all was well. It was the last gig of a great tour - Paul Weller's first European shows since breaking up The Jam. Another benefit of the radio broadcast is the recording that exists of that show. A good friend of mine - Iain Munn, author of the definitive history of The Style Council, Mr Cool's Dream - gave me a copy several years ago. Still a good story, after all these years.

Two books - three musicians and a lot of important life lessons

My summer reading this year has included two fascinating books: both of them ostensibly about bass players, but actually they narrate more about the determination and self-determination that transfers across all our lives. The first book - Upright Bass: the musical life and legacy of Jamil Nasser - was introduced to me in March by Muneer Nasser, the author, when he joined me for an episode of my podcast , Harmonious World . Muneer and I discussed the book, as well as the music of his father, Jamil, and his own releases. Once I started reading Upright Bass , I couldn't put it down. Nasser drops names about the extraordinary musicians his father worked with, and alongside that he tells the story of an incredible life behind many great jazz gigs and recordings. As well as the musical legacy, Jamil Nasser, who died on 13 February 2010, will be remembered for speaking up against injustice and this book expands on the way he used his voice as a power for good. At his memorial...

Hilary Seabrook - writer, podcaster, musician

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