My, doesn’t time fly?

Already we are up to the last week of June, and summer suns have been glowing. Maybe a bit too hot for some, but The Hedsor Bar did have the air conditioning on last week, so inside it was comfortable!

Our session last week with Pete Rudeforth and Martin Dunston was, as anticipated, a mix of tunes making one call to mind music from a pre atomic era. Except that some of the tunes were in fact composed by Pete himself, definitely more recent than Mr. Basie!

It was one of those rare evenings without Ken McCarthy, Mike Jeffries or Martin Hart, but it was refreshing to have some different styles of both piano and drums, Martin Picket and John Sargent being welcome guest replacements. My photos from the evening are below:-

 

Coming to us this week to play in front of Ken McCarthy and Peter Hughes, even perhaps Martin Hart, we have saxophonist Frank Walden. He will be partnered by trumpeter Lester Brown. Again it will be an interesting amalgam of styles, Lester being more in the traditional style of trumpet player, whereas Frank was at one time in Amy Whitehouse’s band. It will be fun to hear.

 

Lester Brown with Mike Jeffries

 

Frank Walden with Ken McCarthy

July and August are usually holiday months and although some of us will have away days, Hedsor Jazz will still present you with somewhere to listen to top class jazz every Thursday.

 

Do see our July programme below where you will be spoilt for choice.

 

August will also bring some great musicians to The Hedsor Bar. So Thursdays are always going to have some great live jazz for you to be enthralled by.

 

All this for only £10 per head. It has to be in cash only to get in, but the bar does accept electronic payment for your liquid entertainment. Don’t forget, the car park is free, and Bourne End doesn’t have a congestion charge or a clean air fine either. In fact Hedsor doesn’t have a lot of street lights either!

 

For those of you who watch and listen via YouTube, do check out a series of videos that I have been following this past week. “Ellington 30” is a competition for American Student bands, and the quality is astounding. Follow the link or search Essentially Ellington 2025

 

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLReW5Mv77OKA7FpIyl3hK-t3z0HktQ5b-

 

That’s it for now folks, see you (all?) Thursday

 

Geoff 

Sumer is icomen in! 

Well that’s how the phrase was spelt in the 13^th century when it was sung as a round. And yes, I did sit on the garden on Fathers Day under an apple tree!

Coming to a forecast warm evening this Thursday, June 19th, at Hedsor Jazz will be an almost complete change of personnel. BUT it will be quality jazz, just like usual.

On Trumpet will be Pete Rudeforth. Pete studied at the Royal Academy of Music. He has worked with Acker Bilk, Kenny Ball and many other leading musicians. He is the front-line man with the Charleston Chasers, the Piccadilly Dance Orchestra, Chris Barber and the Pasadena Roof Orchestra. Yes, despite Chris passing away in 2021, the Barber band is still alive.

Pete will be joined on the front line by saxophonist Martin Dunston, a current member of The Glenn Millar Orchestra, who has been to Hedsor a number of times before. On keyboard this week, we are allowing Ken McCarthy a week off for good behaviour and in his place we have another Oxford musician , Martin Pickett. I say “another Oxford musician” as on bass we have Al Pirrie who now regularly comes to us from Oxford. Finally to round out our orchestra for the coming Thursday, we have drummer John Sargent coming for his second Hedsor Jazz appearance.

Pete Rudeforth and Al Pirrie

Last weeks session (my photos are below) we had as our guests trumpeter Lester Brown and saxophonist and jazz club promoter Mark Aston. They provided some great entertainment, playing tunes like “The Gypsy”, “Out of Nowhere” and “Come Sunday”.

We at Hedsor Jazz are still booking ahead to provide you with a regular Thursday Evening jazz venue, and we have most of July booked for you. The initial draft of our July poster in jpeg form is below

Don’t forget that if coming to Hedsor Jazz for the first time we can only accept cash for entry payment. It is still just £10, and has been so since we restarted at Hedsor after the covid shutdown period. Paying by any other means would mean we have an added expense in providing electronic payment. The actual bar at The Hedsor Bar does accept every means of payment, but Hedsor Jazz is run by “Jazz Angels” and is totally independent of The Hedsor Bar.

Do take special note of our July 17^th evening featuring trumpeter Steve Waterman with singer Gill Cook. This is brought to Hedsor Jazz by a sponsor. If YOU would like to sponsor a jazz musician to play with our regular band please contact Mike Jeffries. He is chairman of “Jazz Angels” and is happy to look into the possibility and costs of booking your chosen guy or girl.

But for now, just like Geoffrey Smith used to say at the end of Jazz Record Requests on BBC Radio 3

GOODBYE 

Slightly earlier than usual, my blog is out today, to tell you of all the good jazz things coming soon to you.

OR, putting it another way, YOU can go to a number of good jazz things nearby to you very soon!

Just for a change I’ll tell you first about a gig for tomorrow, June 10^th. Marlow Jazz, located this month in The Barn Club at Marlow Bottom, SL7 3NA, is hosting saxophonist Alex Clarke.

Alex Clarke was a finalist in the BBC Young Jazz Musician of the Year 2020, winner of the Rising Star category in the 2019 British Jazz Awards and nominee in the Parliamentary Jazz Awards 2021 & 2022.

SO, she is pretty good!

BUT tomorrow night she will be accompanied by Dave Newton on keyboard, Dave Green on bass and Steve Brown on bass, probably the best backing anyone could have (apart, of course, from the backing people get at Hedsor Jazz). I do hope to make it there myself.

Having mentioned Hedsor Jazz, Dave Newton will be there on August 14^th, together with his collage companion Alan Barnes!!

On Thursday we have our regular weekly jazz club night at The Hedsor Bar. This week the music will be provided by two Hedsor stalwarts, Lester Brown on trumpet and Mark Aston on reeds. They will be backed by Ken McCarthy on keyboard, Stuart Barker on bass and Mike Jeffries on drums. I suspect a mainstream approach to jazz will be provided, although if Mark brings his trombone as well (yes he does play sax and trombone) some more traditional jazz tunes could ensue. Lester and Mark have supported Hedsor Jazz for many years, hence the “stalwart” tag. Now that doesn’t mean they cannot excite, stalwart doesn’t mean stodgy! Why not come and support them and prove to yourself that I am right!

 

Last weeks session (photos below) provided by saxophonist Alam Nathoo and guitarist James Fenn was edging towards the more modern of the modern jazz style. The sheer musicianship was astounding. The first set was more “off the cuff” and the second had arrangements provided by Alam. The jazz content was something you don’t expect to find in a small village club. OK, you would find such quality and innovation in Ronnie Scott’s or the 606 club, but to have it on our doorstep and for the £10 entry is pinch yourself stuff. Alam is another award winning saxophonist, slightly further down the line than Alex Clarke, he is a graduate of both the Guildhall School of Music and Trinity Laban where he won their Gold Medal in 2009 and he was also a finalist in the Young Jazz Musician of the year. James is also still furthering his career, playing this years Glastonbury Festival, and he has also recently completed a new recording with saxophonist Frank Walden.

Hedsor Jazz!

A hidden gem! BUT we need to glow a bit brighter, as our audience does need a boost.

I suppose Hedsor Jazz have learnt how to put together really great jazz, but still haven’t found the means of getting enough audience in to cover all of our costs. Do tell your friends about us

OR, like all good things, it might have to come to an end!

But not before next week!!

TTFN

Geoff

PS having used blogger's software for 20 years I still dont understand how it doesn't always look how I ask it to!! White background to the text is its own idea!

The Blog is Back!

And to start off this week we must display our listing for JUNE:-

 

No, not only MUST we display our listing, but we are proud to do so as well. For a small jazz venue outside of London, with no street lighting (which disconcerted some the London based players when they first came to play for us) we are attracting some of the best players in the UK. We have a superb rhythm section and we always offer a warm welcome, so the musicians come because they like playing at The Hedsor Bar for Hedsor Jazz!

Last week was no exception, Nigel Price, who has often played to many hundreds of people, came in last week with a broad smile saying he enjoyed being back.

Nigel Price

 

Coming this week (June 5^th)we have two players who are actually local to Hedsor. That wonderful innovative and exciting saxophonist Alam Nathoo now lives near enough to walk, whereas “The Filthy Six” guitarist James Fenn has to come all the way from WINDSOR. He used to cycle to us, but does now have a car! He actually replaced Nigel Price in “The Filthy Six”, and is a mean enough player to be doing Glastonbury this year. I won’t be!! It should be a wonderful Thursday night so do come along. The Hedsor Bar is a much more comfortable place than Glastonbury, and far easier to get to. All for only £10!

Alum Nathoo

James Fenn

I will point out that Hedsor Jazz doesn’t have the facility for you to pay your entrance fee by any other means than cash. Our price reflects that, a simple £10 note each. If for any reason you come without that £10 note, do come in, but please leave your contact details with our door steward (usually answering to the name of Tracy) and pay us back  next time you come. We don’t want to turn people away; especially if it is your first time. We do want you to experience our Hedsor Jazz product. Some recent attendees come a distance to enjoy jazz with us. I must say I was very pleased that last weeks gig did attract some people from a little further away than normal. Coming from Kings Langley (Watford ish) shows true commitment, well done. Some of my pictures of the evening are below:-

Al Pirrie was our bass player

 

One last point.

Nigel Price first came to us when we used to run a raffle. He told me last week that many small clubs do that still, as people enjoy the fun factor that the raffle can bring. So a question, do let us know if you would like to have a raffle at Hedsor again? We never did offer a Rolls Royce (unless it was Dinky Toy) and it does take up a bit of time that could be used for chatting, buying a drink, or even MUSIC, but if it would add to your enjoyment of an evening out, than do let us know your thoughts.

Don’t forget coming soon we have Steve Waterman (July 17^th), Alan Barnes and Dave Newton (August 14^th).

There are other live jazz venues about locally. Keep an eye open for Marlow Jazz, and Dawkes Music

But for now, from HEDSOR JAZZ…

Goodbye

Geoff C 

Good Morning England. We are still caught between Bank Holidays, with one more to come in May, but I have yet still to celebrate Christmas with some of my family that live in Stratford upon Avon!! Strangely enough this will take place NEXT TUESDAY!! So today’s blog will have to be sufficient for two weeks.

BUT for us jazz lovers who frequent Hedsor Jazz what a couple of weeks!

This Thursday, May 22nd, we have a happy return to Hedsor of that Scottish trumpet ace Bruce Adams. He will share front line duties with a member of the Glen Miller Orchestra, saxophonist Martin Dunston, and it should be a really memorable night. Pictures of their previous Hedsor appearances are below.

 

THEN the following Thursday May 29^th we have an evening with that world famous guitarist Nigel Price.

Nigel has been to Hedsor many times in the past, and it will be great to have him back with us again.

 

 

Last weeks session with Frank Walden and Ollie Weston produced a superb evening of classic bop. Two tenors for a tenor and what a wonderful noise they made. There was also an interesting comparison to be made between last weeks session and the week before where we remembered VE Day. On May 8^th Ken McCarthy reminisced about playing Buckingham Palace with singer Vera Lynn. Last week Frank reminisced about touring with Amy Winehouse, and the band went on to play “Love is a Losing Game”, one of the songs she wrote. Two different generations of singer who once were young!

Some of my photos from last week are below.

Stuart Barker

 

Two names to look forward to in June include that talented guitarist James Fenn (of The Filthy Six fame, who will be at Glastonbury this year) will play Hedsor for us on June 5th, and trumpeter Pete Rudeforth, a band leader in his own right who will be with us on June 19^th. He was one of the last trumpeters in the late Chris Barbers 12 piece band, but do check out Pete’s own band via this link. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=347348893674336

James Fenn

 

Last time Pete was with us at the end of the evening I was discussing with him some tunes written by trombonist J. C. Higginbotham (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._C._Higginbotham)  when he played with the Luis Russell Orchestra in the 1920’s and 30’s. These included a tune called “Give Me Your Telephone Number” and another called “Swing Out”.

Pete did say that he would write some arrangements for these two forgotten, but catchy, tunes to play for us at Hedsor! We will just have to wait and see.

Pete Rudeforth

 

And if you do fancy a weekend seaside break with great jazz in the foreground, do take a look at the Swanage Jazz Festival https://swanagejazzfestival.co.uk/

 

That’s it for now folks, next blog will be in JUNE

  

Another Tuesday, and being a Tuesday in May, a week between bank holidays, and perhaps for you a week between an Easter holiday, and, coming soon to a school near you, a Half Term holiday. The sad thing for us retired old folks is no one gives us holidays!

Another week though where we can look forward to a Thursday evening of superb jazz at Hedsor (in the Hedsor Bar, Hedsor Rd, Bourne End SL8 5ES)

Coming for your delectation this Thursday, May 15^th, we have two tenors for a £10 note. Frank Walden will be joined at the front by Ollie Weston.  It’s great to be able to say that Frank is a regular and welcome guest at Hedsor Jazz, but Ollie Weston has been less often. Both are well toured musicians and we are delighted that we can get them both back, and this time together. Sitting just behind them will be Ken McCarthy on keyboard and Martin Hart on drums, whilst left standing playing bass will be Stuart Barker. All of that for your £10 note. 2 hours of it in fact, starting at 8pm.

Stuart Barker

 

Frank and Ollie at Hedsor in January

Last week that level of performance was carried out by Duncan Lamont Jr with Lester Brown , Peter Hughes, Ken McCarthy and Mike Jeffries.

 

 

Our Thursday of jazz last week coincided with the tribute day for remembering 80 years since the cessation of the hostilities in Europe of WW2. With Duncan’s reminders we all remembered some 1940’s tunes, including “A Nightingale Sang in Berkley Square”, and via a reminiscence from Ken (who  used to be Vera Lynn’s accompanist), “One a Wing and a Prayer”. Well that wasn’t actually played, but Ken’s story about it was fascinating! When I was a child I always thought they were announcing “Coming Home on a Wing and Pear”! when it was announced on the radio and couldn’t figure it out. I thought having a wing and an engine would have been better.

 

Looking forward to the final weeks of the month we have two outstanding gigs for you, May 22^nd the return of trumpeter Bruce Adams, and on May 29^th, guitarist Nigel Price.

 

Please let our small club become more widely known and if you can support us weekly I’m sure you will always enjoy what we offer for your £10 per week!