December already! 

Christmas is coming SOON, and like every year, it catches us out, well, I haven’t been shopping YET! Even after Black Friday and all those tempting special offers!!

BUT we do still have 2 more jazz days at Hedsor this year for you to buy into!! And one of them is THIS WEEK.

On Thursday December 4^th we have that wonderful combination of trumpet player extraordinaire Stuart Henderson coupled with saxophonist extraordinaire Alam Nathoo. Our usual piano led trio will be behind them, and you can expect musical fireworks. Come and enjoy jazz at its best. Entry is just £12, and the music starts at 8pm

 

2 weeks later and even nearer Christmas Day itself we will have our Hedsor Jazz Christmas Party on December 18^th

You can look back on previous blogs to see listed who we know are coming to entertain us (there may be others), but there will also be party food to sustain us on the night as well. Our layout will be reminiscent of the past (Ah Nostalgia!), and we expect a lovely social atmosphere.

I have been asked to invite those of you who are skilled in the provision of food to volunteer an item or two for our festive spread. If you feel you would like to help please let Peter England know asap. His email address is hscape@talktalk.net, or on his mobile 07884 964871

Last week was the last appearance this year for “our” Lester Brown on trumpet alongside saxophonist Martin Dunsdon. It all went so well that I thought I would attempt to use my old digital camera to video one of the tunes they played. Sadly although blogspot does allow video, it only allows 100MB of it, and my 6 minutes exceeds that 3 times over!

So below are a couple of my photos of the event!

 

Whilst laid up at home after my recent operation I was able to listen via some old, but perfectly formed Sennheiser headphones to a number of CD’s. 

On the Vasilis night he played “First Song (For Ruth)” composed by Charlie Hayden, I know I wrote up about it in the blog at the time.

So I dug out an album that had another saxophonist playing that tune, this time with only the accompaniment of a piano.

However that “other” saxophonist was Stan Getz, and that pianist was Kenny Barron! AND it was a live recording, AND it just so happened to be the last recording made by Stan Getz who died of cancer soon afterwards, a sudden capitulation to the illness he had fought off for a number of years.

It’s a wonderful recording made before an audience in Copenhagen over 4 nights in 1991. I do recommend that you go out and buy yours, it is now available on a double cd called “People Time” Emarcy 510134-2

 

I do sometimes listen to recordings via online apps, but I do feel more connected to the music if I actually own the means of playing it back. The sleeve notes and the sleeve art are part of that. In the days when to own a recording meant buying a 78, or an LP I parted with a sum of money. Seeing that I didn’t get much as an apprentice in 1955 such a purchase became almost a votive offering! Spotify free with adverts isn’t the same!! I can still hold in my hands some of my early purchases.

Enough for now, See you on Thursday.

PS Talking of Vasilis, do remember that there is a concert in Cookham’s Holy Trinity Church on Friday 5^th December featuring Vasilis and Paul Edis from 7.30 onwards. To check ticket availability see

https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/whats-on/cookham/holy-trinity-church/a-jazzy-christmas-with-paul-edis-and-friends/e-vzokjx