HOW TO STAND OUT FROM THE CROWD

Gary Parkes started his agency seven years ago and now has more than 60 musicians working on various cruise lines. He began as a pianist for P&O when he was 16 then ran his own retail piano and organ business before going back to P&O as bandleader for 5 years. He now supplies the classical music programme for Cunard on the QE2 and has recently returned from the Ukraine and Russia where he held auditions and found some amazing classical performers in addition to contracting several reading bands for Fred Olsen Cruises. Though he auditions a dozen musicians a week, he finds that only 10% are suitable for cruise lines because, in addition to being a competent musician, on some cruises one has to share accommodation and attend crew safety drills. He believers all those wanting cruise work should improve their publicity presentation. Including musicians, who should send a photo, a typed biography and quality CD or video. And pianist/entertainers should memorise their repertoire. He says he hates to see music piled up on the pianio and lack of eye contact between the musician and audience.

PARKES’ LIFE ON THE WAVES

PIANIST GARY PARKES IS MAKING A SPLASH IN THE CRUISE WORLD, THANKS TO 24 YEARS EXPERIENCE AND A THRIVING AGENCY.

Irving Berlin's 'I Love a Piano' would not be a bad number to pick as Gary Parkes' theme tune. When Parkes was 17, he was the youngest ever piano player/keyboardist to work on board a P&O cruise ship (the SS Canberra) and now, after 24 years in the industry, he has his own successful company booking all over the world.

Parkes set up his piano keyboard agency about three years ago and, from his stable of 200 (ranging in age from 17-year-olds to those in their forties), he supplies performers to cruise liners, hotels, restaurants and corporate entertainment. He feels his own experience as a bandleader and pianist has been invaluable in judging who to take on, and what musicians are right for different occasions.

"Its such a comprehensive thing," Parkes explains. "You haven't just got to be a really good player, it's the whole package, you've got to look the part, communicate with lots of different types of people and know so many songs and different styles.

"Nearly all the artists I book on to cruise ships are piano player/vocalists, they can sing and entertain. The industry has moved on from just one piano player tinkling in a corner, the performer has to be able to run a room - a one-man band almost."

And these are the words of someone who knows. After his stint on the Canberra while still in his teens, Parkes returned to his hometown of Doncaster and set up a business selling organs and pianos.

However, it was not long before he began playing in the well-known local working men's club, and in 1984 he returned to P&O as bandleader and pianist, staying with the company for seven years and sailing on eight world cruises. Back on dry land in the early nineties, the musician was in demand frorn a whole host of London venues, including the Intercontinental Hotel, the Hilton, Grosvenor House Hotel and London Marriott.

In addition to running the agency, Parkes currently plays every day at lunchtimes in Harrods' famous Georgian Restaurant. Seated at a grand piano and dressed in a white tuxeo, he entertains the diners with a wide repertoire of music ranging from Gershwin and Coward through swing and jazz, to Cher, Abba and Boyzone.

He continues: "It's a very specialised job because we get so many requests, so you have to play everything from the classics through to all the show music, even the American shows that might not have transferred over here yet. I always try and memorise as much as possible though because I think its better if a pianist can work without music, rather than having lots of sheet music piled up everywhere."

Not surprisingly Parkes has a huge network of contacts and prides himself on personally seeking out the most suitable entertainer for any function or party, hotel, bar, restaurant etc.

He obviously agrees that talent and presentation are big priorities, but is insistent that reliability and professionalism are just as important. Vetting those musicians who want to become part of the agency is essential and he spends many hours listening to tapes and making the effort to see musicians in action. He even arranged a London showcase earlier this year (he has plans for another one in January 2001), featuring 26 pianist/entertainers from all over the country, particularly targeting the cruise ship industry. In fact, it was quite a unique occasion, as Parkes managed to persuade representatives of eight different cruise line companies (including Princess, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Blackburn International - from Monte Carlo, First Choice, Crystal) to come along.

Parkes' connection to the Norwegian company Colour Line has also recently paid off. "Booking the cruise ferries in Norway is really big business." he says. "Young people want to party all night long so the pianist has to know very up to date stuff. It's hard work - five 45-minute sets - but fantastic money. The young people also go to piano bars and they want piano players doing Beatles, lots of disco and covers. The musicians have normally got to be young, and not frightened that they might get a pint of beer spilt over the piano, because the customers are wild, but it's a good party atmosphere."

As his agency expands, Parkes believes that the cruise ship world is where the majority of opportunities will be in the future, and he is always happy to hear from pianist/entertainers of all ages looking for that kind of work.

He constantly meets performers waiting around for that elusive big break and yet they seem ignorant of the rewards they could reap from adapting their talents to a cruise ship environment. To him, that seems silly, when he can help them become involved in one of the few areas of light entertainment which continues to thrive.

LISA MARTLAND