The Shackleton Scholarship Fund - Shackleton Scholar's Report 2005

Report on visit to the Falklands - February-March 2005

Ken MacKenzie
Stanley

The application for a Shackleton Quality of Life Scholarship to fund this visit came about as a result of a previous visit by me to the Falklands in 2002, funded by a Shackleton Science Scholarship. As always, I took my cornet with me on this first visit and made contact with two other jazz enthusiasts, Joost Pompert and Roger Diggle, with whom I enjoyed playing some simple arrangements of jazz standards. I also sat in with the Fighting Pigs band during my stay in Stanley. I had planned to return to the islands in 2005, hopefully with the help of another Shackleton Science Scholarship, instead of which Joost and Roger applied on my behalf for a Quality of Life Scholarship, with the intention of getting together with them and members of the Fighting Pigs, performing in public, and talking to music students at the school in Stanley about jazz techniques.

It was unfortunate that my second visit coincided with Joost's absence on a research vessel cruise, which meant that our front line consisted of Roger and myself, backed by Fred Robson on guitar and Pete King on drums, both from the Fighting Pigs. The harmonies had to be adjusted to suit a two-piece rather than the three-piece front line that was originally planned, but we rehearsed and finally performed in public to a large and enthusiastic audience in the bar of The Rose in Stanley towards the end of my visit (see photographs).

During my visit, two young English composers, were also in the Falklands composing a Falklands Suite with the involvement of music teacher Shirley McAdams-Leach and her students at the school. I was invited to join them for a couple of sessions. This I did and made a minor contribution to the Suite, which I heard the first performance of in Stanley Cathedral near the end of my visit. I also visited the school to give a talk on jazz techniques, including a practical session in which Roger and I performed some jazz standards to illustrate some of the techniques described.

On the second weekend of my visit I attended the wedding of Paul Brickle and Karen Steen at Paragon House and had the pleasure of playing Purcell's Wedding March for the entry of the bride and groom. Roger and I had intended to play later at the reception in Goose Green Social Club but were unfortunately unable to find a backing rhythm section.

This visit was not all to do with music, however, as during most days I joined Paul Brickle at the Fisheries Department to complete some studies we had begun during my 2002 visit. These included the description of a new species of parasite from the Falklands mullet, which we named Henneguya shackletoni in recognition of the role of the Shackleton Fund in funding my visits. We sought the approval of The Right Honourable Alexandra Shackleton for the use of her family name for the parasite and she graciously agreed. The description of the new species has since been published.