Jazz from Geoff

Tuesday, August 18, 2020

Jazz from Geoff, THE Blog

Is a small effort today as I haven’t had a lot of time to catch up on my jazz listening this week.

In the storm we had here on Thursday night a lot of water went in to my garage, which as I use it as a workshop, was carpeted. 2 inches of water didn’t do that any good and some of the Ghana project items were also dampened by my enthusiasm! So for the past 3 days I have been in salvage mode.

the carpet is shinning with the water it had soaked up from the 2 inches that got in!

However, last night I did settle in and watch some more “Tuba Skinny” on YouTube, and have come to the conclusion that they are a wonderful band playing in a very free traditional spirit. Everyone knows what to do and when to do it. No one has a star ego and they play regularly in the streets of New Orleans. Here they are unperturbed by wandering arse scratching dogs, produce tables knocked over, and various guest sitters in. They always seem to be well able to cope and never seem to miss a beat. I know I have pointed you at their YouTube offerings before, but THIS time do look at their own web page.

http://tubaskinny.com/

This will also lead you to their many live steams, now available to watch and enjoy.

https://www.youtube.com/user/tubaskinny

They definitely don’t play in the British Trad Band style of the 50’s and 60’s. They with a very flexible view of the rhythm section, often with guitar and banjo, washboard and brass bass. Their singer sits on a bass drum, and keeps time with both hands! However the 3 part front line is well conceived, with a great lady cornet leader, ably rounded out by a trombonist who can really play tailgate style. Add in a clarinetist who does know why he is in the band and the ensemble sound and the solos all seem to be effortless. The hour or so that I watched of their work on YouTube last night was an excellent antidote to the shambles of my garage workshop.

To other things.

We are all still waiting and wondering when, if, and how we will be able to run live jazz indoors at the Hedsor Club again. We now realise that after the academic algorithmic mess that government have got themselves into (even maybe now out of) that they are obviously a bit unrehearsed on live music. We still play a waiting game. BUT some live jazz is now being played in the open air.

Martin Hart has phoned me to let me know of a charitable event being held on Sunday 23^rd from 4pm ‘till 6pm at The Great Hampden Cricket Ground, Memorial Road, Great Hampden, Bucks. HP16 9RF.

With Martin will be Mike Wills on reeds, and Ken McCarthy on piano. Entry will be £10 per person, bring your own seating and sandwiches, but there will be a beer tent on site.

Jazz in Reading has also emailed to tell of a number of similar open air gigs, so you might like to look at

https://www.jazzinreading.com/jazz/jazz-gig-calendar/?future=true

For those of you like me who also like to have evenings with a CD player nearby, I have played recently (i.e. before Thursdays torrent) a couple of CD’s by Spike Robinson.

Spike was an American saxophonist and I saw him play a couple of times, memorably so at The Swanage Jazz Festival in the basement of “The Victoria Club”, one of the great early Swanage Festival venues. Spike moved to England in 1989 and died in Writtle, Essex on 2001 and whilst in the UK made a number of very good recordings. The recording I listened to this past week was one he made with Derek Nash and was released in 2000. “Young Lions Old Tigers” shows them having a great deal of fun, some of it on ballads, something Spike got to be very good at, and also some home grown tunes plus 3 by Al Cohn.

You may remember from my July 2019’s blog about The Swanage Jazz Festival that the gig that was probably the most fun did have Derek Nash guesting alongside Sarah Boulter and her band “Sax Appeal”

For 30 years Spike was an engineer working for Boeing. At the time I chatted with him I too was working as an engineer, and Spike told me that “I mustn’t led the buggers get me down!” He was clearly rejoicing in 2000 that he hadn’t, and was now free!

That’s it for now folks, keep in touch via

Octogeoff@outlook.com

PS One day I will know why blogger does its own thing!!Graphically it is very difficult to keep under control. The actual words used are all my own fault!

Tuesday, August 11, 2020

Hot Blog Day

So a bit less intense from me!

Many of you will remember that in days gone by for about the past 10 years I have been celebrating my birthday with a concert at Hedsor Jazz. Sadly this year that has NOT been possible. So instead for this near birthday blog I though I would share with you 3 of my birthday cards that , in my view, have a linking theme!

BUT, just to ensure you do have something to do, I am posting up ALL the links to JAZZ I have given you over the past 5 months. There is a new one at the bottom from Stuart Henderson, so do keep awake, questions will be asked of you, even if not by me!

First the cards:-

No 1

No 2

No 3

My thinking for that common denominator is CONFUSION!!

Card No 1

I wonder when a newly elected prime minister has been so featured on a birthday greetings card?

Card no 2

My wife and I had been having a discussion about the dazzle camouflage that had been used in WW1 on ships, so just to celebrate my birthday, she has created one as a “can you see it” game! Yes, it does say Happy Birthday inside!

Card No 3

Less obscure, after the odd glass or 2 most of us get confused!

Now for that set of all the links from the past 5 months

NB the different colours for the fonts have NO significance, they just look pretty!

YouTube Links

Helen Shapiro 30th anniversary pt 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtMGDGOSmpQ

Helen Sahpiro 30^th part 2 with HL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQr5-cphaCQ

Helen Shapiro 30^th pt 3 with HL 23 mins https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGfIvKN_TW8

Helen Shapiro Gospel from Keswick https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0iN7Z_gBjk&list=TLPQMjUwNTIwMjBSxwlM-f42-A&index=3

Radio with humph pt 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npIlhC4E1IM

And pt 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaoCVhf_BL0&list=TLPQMjUwNTIwMjBSxwlM-f42-A&index=2

Tuba Skinny

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=tuba+skinny

Chris Barber

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=chris+barber+jazz+band

Alex Welsh

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=alex+welsh+jazz+band

Humph

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=humphrey+lyttelton+jazz+

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHk_nIylGBw&t=576s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6INbe5lC3LI try and identify all the people in the video clips.

Clive Burton

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDkVthEzBxI with Ken McCarthy keyboard Fifield Inn july 2011

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_Q4EVvfP4o with ken m Fifield 2011

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NwoOCdz2i0 in Swindon Aug 2016

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POCY9Stncgw Hedsor with Frank Griffiths April 2018

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBsvwVCBgpM with zane Oct 2008 Fifield

https://www.sandybrownjazz.co.uk/JazzRemembered/CliveBurton.html

John Bunch recording

https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mhIgCiSajdhoUm8ibmErhhOvx3QoTKraw

eddie condon broadcasts

http://otrrlibrary.org/OTRRLib/Library%20Files/E%20Series/Eddie%20Condon's%20Jazz%20Concert/

Nigel Price

https://londonjazznews.com/2020/05/04/in-lockdown-with-guitarist-nigel-price/

facebook link “stairway to heaven”

https://www.facebook.com/itsworthashare/videos/482229902596199/

YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9R8uzCXS10

Supertramp

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYQABJXHfpE&list=PLWhjYKlqMscHILPNdoyzAjgOnYq6FCneM

Tuesday, August 04, 2020

Geoff’s Blog Tuesday 4^th August 2020

Last Friday, on the day that the government announced further alterations to guidelines and rules about life in general and social life in particular, Jazz Angels had a meeting at Hedsor Club. We HAD hoped that we could dot i’s and cross T’s on having a limited return to live jazz in the not too distant future. However, this is now further down the road than it was last Friday morning.

We are aware that before we can have an open event, where we can invite anyone to come and pay money to see and listen to live jazz indoors, we must run a trial event. This will be for a maximum of 25 people, the band making up the 30 allowed together in the room at the same time. We asked Martin Hart to “sound out” (an unfortunate phrase in these present times) “The Clive Burton Celebration Quintet” to see if they would be willing to do this. We await their reply, but it may be a variation on a theme that does come out to play for our trial run.

We also need to ensure that we do get those 25 members of an audience and so I am inviting you to express positive interest for such a future Thursday evening.

This can be done by email to Octogeoff@outlook.com giving the following information.

Name ……………………………………………………….

Address………………………………………………………

Tele…………………………Mobile………………………...

Email…………………………………………………………

please send to Octogeoff@outlook.com

Also note that until further notice, any event will need us to keep a log of who is at our events, and therefore we will be compiling a register of those who attend. This isn’t our requirement, it is a government track and trace requirement. So the information you provide will enable us to compile our “class” register.

You will also have to be remain socially distant (but sociable!), only sitting next to people in your bubble! Hedsor Club has plenty of space, and plenty of hand cleanser. Toilets are one in one out, and it does all look perfectly safe.

So, to book a place for the trial and to help us with future planning, please send your contact details as asked for above.

OK, I was never an ink monitor at school, and dislike being a provider of rules, so lets get to some of the good stuff.

Into my DropBox this week I have uploaded a Hedsor Jazz concert from February 2016. It has guitarist John Coverdale alongside Mike Wills on saxophone, with Nigel Fox and Martin Hart and I am pleased to say Ken Rankine on bass. Ken wasn’t very well at that time and in fact passed away later that summer.

Time seems to fly, even under lockdown, but friends are still missed.

However, this music is pretty good. The recording does have one to two loud crackles in it caused at the time by faulty processing software. It took me a long time to realise it was the software, not the recording machine, and you will have to live with the odd crack but I think you will find it worth it, and I’m sure it will bring back memories of happier times.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/0rhux4d59wj6frs/AAA4_V6XBtNO0pd1xFVedHaXa?dl=0

I listened this week to a CD that for me had an off putting cover. It was only when looking closely I realised that it had saxophonist Art Themen in it.

So do check out not only the CD, but the entire web site.

https://www.georgedouble.com/hadleigh-jazz-records

When you actually get to the music (all pretty well known tunes in modern jazz circles) you will realise that it is some of the best that Art has produced in recent years. Listen especially to “Willow Weep for Me”.

You can also kind of wonder at “I’m An Old Cow Hand” too! Perhaps not so well known in bop circles!

But this music is surely how a trio should sound. Full of life and innovation and yet not being so cutting edge that you come away bleeding!

I was also incredibly intrigued by the location. Hadleigh, and East Anglia in general, has not been known as a jazz hotspot. It’s a nice place, lots of nice pubs and eateries. There used to be some jazz at Boxford, and Ipswich did have a jazz club at one time, but not so much as Bourne End and Marlow!! I noticed that the recording (which is excellent) was done in Nottingham!

However do check out all of that Hadleigh web link, interviews, music, etc. Well worth the effort.

One final little point of interest. On the night after that Jazz Angels meeting, Ronnie Scott’s WAS going to host a re opening night. I had a message from Ian Wallis

Hi Geoff,

As you probably know Ronnie's was due to re-open tonight but this has been put on hold.

I just wonder if they had read through the pages and pages of guidelines and were prepared to follow them? 2 lady vocalists I notice were billed to appear - Liane Carrol and Emma Smith along with the Allstars.

No Comment!!

Tuesday, July 28, 2020

A Tuesday Blog, but still no Hedsor Jazz to look forward too,

although we are still looking at the possibilities again this week, and we are also looking at the government “guidelines”!! Which have changed ever so slightly since last week!

In an exercise in indecisiveness (albeit with good reason) I thought I would lead you all this week to those actual government words for the return of the performing arts!

DO, yes, I do mean do and I do mean YOU, go and read:-

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-coronavirus-covid-19/performing-arts#arts-5-3

And, to be fair, you must read a bit before and some after.

You may then realise the problems we face which will also include the problem of persuading our audience to have enough confidence in the measures taken to ensure their safely such that they feel they would like to come out.

Going out to be sociable has stopped being a norm. We have practiced for months now the “stay safe stay home” mantra, and it will be difficult for people to break.

Our Jazz Angels will look at it all again in the next few days, and I will report back from “The Hedsor Social Club”!

From a personal perspective, I have only ventured out socially once since March. My outing today was to Heatherwood Hospital for a chest X Ray. Last week I was there for a “procedure”. Last week I was driven (as you can't drive back after an anesthetic) and today I drove there on a slight variation of the route. OK, the trees looked very similar!

Also this week I have got as far as a Post Office, the nearest visit to a shop since March!

BUT I have had a few new CD’s delivered by my favourite journalist.

One CD I want to draw to your attention this week.

The ACT label is German, but does produce some European jazz CD’s that always rouse my interest. “Kadri Voorland in Duo with Mihkel Malpand”, (yes, that is the title!), features a lady singer (Kadri) from Estonia. She does however sing in perfect English on most of the tracks (perfect Estonian on 2!), and most of the songs are written by her. I found the approach and the voice captivating. You can check her out via

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqJowzyQLt4

There are a number of songs on YouTube from the album, and this one is the first. I really enjoyed the bitter cynicism of “I’m Not In Love”.

The booklet that comes as part of the album reproduces all the lyrics she has written, and I’ll reproduce those for this song below.

I'm in love with the roses you brought

I'm not in love with you

I'm in love with the car you bought

I'm not in love with you

I'm in love with the breakfast we made

I'm not In love with you

I'm in love with the poems you made

I'm not in love with you

I'm in love with the plans for our wedding day and in love with the babies we'll make

but Not with you

DO try out her CD and the YouTube tracks , but I will play “Kadri Voorland ........” again.

Even IF she is not in love with me!!

Wednesday, July 22, 2020

22nd July 2020

Today's blog may be brief but of the finest quality!!

I am preparing another shipment of computers for Ghana, and also have another hospital experience to enjoy (I think that is the right word) on Friday so I am a bit pushed for time.

For those of you who don’t know, I have been refurbishing computers for a village in Ghana for the past 15 years. They are all discarded by UK people who donate them to me on the assurance that all details that may once have been on them are expunged! This years collection day is Monday!!

We at Hedsor Jazz are still cogitating over live music. The government have issued some new guidance, but so far without a time sequence. Have a read of this, from Classic FM

https://www.classicfm.com/music-news/coronavirus/government-latest-guidance-on-rehearsals-concerts-live-music/

I know it is about live classical music, but the rules would be the same. We are, as you might say a niche audience when it comes to jazz, and not too dissimilar to chamber music with it’s string quartets!

Below are the basic stages outlined by the government, but with no guide as to a timescale, and as we know, music is all about time!

Stage One – Rehearsals and training (no audiences, and performers must practice social distancing)
Stage Two – Performances for broadcast and live streaming (with on-stage social distancing)
Stage Three – Performances outdoors with an audience plus pilots for indoor performances with a limited audience
Stage Four – Performances allowed indoors/outdoors (but with a limited distanced audience)
Stage Five – Performances allowed indoors/outdoors (with a fuller audience indoors)

This info was updated at the end of June. Do tell me I am not up to date!! ALL comments to Octogeoff@outlook.com please.

One small part of the reassurance about attending our kind of event at Hedsor (apart from the knowledge that Hedsor Club are doing all that they can to keep attendees safe) is the following about the Covid 19 infections and the death rate in our area.

See also the article from https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51768274

You can put in your own postcode for more local information, but you will see that even with the virus, the death rate in our area for this time of year is normal!

BUT rules are rules, and at the moment the rules (and I think a strong apprehension on behalf of our jazz audience) mean we cant run a live jazz gig at Hedsor.

Last week one of our previous guests (Frank Griffiths) released a video performed under covid regs. of “Intermission Riff”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFZiPBa5OEc&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR0pFQC24GZy9bW6BMZUQUhphzKStTEq6cDT8XPaclhJSVByRFgRwTaumlE

DO turn the sound up, it's pretty good!!

To think that before the intermission we were able to have it all done in front of our eyes and ears with no technology in between!

Well I must be about a computer somewhere, so for now, to quote Duke Ellington “I love you madly!”

Ps have you caught up with the Ellington concert on YouTube yet? No, the link was 2 issues ago!!

TTFN

Geoff C

Wednesday, July 15, 2020

Jazz from Geoff, The Blog

Tuesday, 14 July 2020

Another week has gone by, and so has another Tuesday (almost) so I thought I would at least start on my blog text before sundown!

First of all I must mention that WE (see list below) had a meeting at the Hedsor Club last Thursday to talk “things” over with Sarah Bason, the club steward. As you may know, Hedsor Club is now open again as a bar, and it seems pretty well organised from a covid safely point of view. If you remember, going back a few weeks, I did say what the new arrangements would be, and, yes, they are all in place with good social distancing of seats and tables, one in one out toileting, alcohol hand gel, open doors and windows etc. all visibly in place. Currently apart from the bar no other activities are taking place inside the club, although some sport activity was visible in the grounds (children’s footy by the look of it is taking place).

Obviously all at the club are learning how to cope with all of this new normal (I learnt that Rebellion IPA is still as good as I had remembered it!) but the virus is still out there and it will be a while before we even start on a new way of going about our live jazz sessions. Our conversation covered a number of aspects of how it might be, but it is too soon to say who, how and when we can start again.

One very positive thing came out of our meeting. Jazz Angels pay the rent for the room a year at a time in advance. The club has offered to extend that into the future, so our rent isn’t lost to us. Hedsor Club, we were assured, is in good financial fettle, owning outright its own building and grounds, so it hasn’t been loosing too much during the shutdown period and didn’t require our financial support to keep going when closed (we had discussed this possibility). Club Membership was briefly touched on, and it would be a good sign of individual commitment to Hedsor Club if more of Hedsor Jazz attendees did become club members.

Currently NO live music is allowed anywhere, no matter if it is a string quartet, rock or jazz and until that situation becomes clearer, we are no nearer to getting back to having live (or recorded!) Thursday Sessions as in days of old. However, the club do want us back, and we will probably be one of the first music activities allowed indoors when that can be.

It was a real joy to meet each other again after such a long gap, and those in attendance at our meeting were John Dutton, Martin Hart, Mike Jeffries, Tracy Georgiades, Sarah Bason and myself.

Now on to things to watch or listen to.

That live Duke Ellington concert I drew your attention to last week has competition! There IS on YouTube a similar concert given by The Count Basie Orchestra in Copenhagen on 18th April 1972

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3QG1qNwKlg

It will occupy you for 2 ¼ hours!

I was fortunate enough to see both The Duke Ellington and the Count Basie orchestras back in the day. I do count that as one of the privileges of being born before WW2. But I’m so glad that these videos are out there for us to watch TODAY!

Last weekend should have been, would have been, The Swanage Jazz Festival, something I have been going to for well over 25 years, every year without a break, until this covid year.

We were all very sad when it looked like The Swanage Jazz Festival was going to close when Fred Lindup and his team finally retired 3 years ago. We were all heartened when Nigel Price took it on for the following year. A new team took it on for 2019 and I know that that same team in Swanage had a program ready for this year, but it was not to be. Their plans have been transferred to 2021 and I will reproduce the email from the new chair of this group, together with a link to a very short video of some of 2019’s performances.

I still think that the sound quality obtained from performances in the Methodist Church comes across as dire!

Come back Marquees!

Also the Sarah Bolter Session with saxophonist guest Derek Nash, held round the back of a pub, was one of the best things in last years the festival.

Maybe I should just say “Come Back Pub Jazz”!

So, here is that email from Paul Kelly:-

Dear Swanage Jazz Festival Supporter I hope you are keeping safe and well. This weekend we had hoped to be welcoming hundreds of you to the 31^st Swanage Jazz Festival. The Festival team, all the artists we had booked and the town of Swanage itself are all really disappointed that we have had to postpone the 2020 Festival, as I am sure you are. By way of small compensation we have posted a short video on our website and Facebook page of extracts of performances from 2019 which we hope you enjoy and will bring back memories for those who attended. You can find it here:

www.swanagejazzfestival.co.uk

The majority of our advance ticket buyers have rolled their tickets over to 2021 and some have very kindly donated their ticket fees to the Festival. We are really grateful for those signs of support. We hope to be able to bring you a great programme in 2021. The dates are 9th – 11th July 2021. Please put them in your diary. And thank you for your continued support. Kind regards

Paul Kelly

on behalf of

The Swanage Jazz Festival organising team

Tuesday, July 07, 2020

Jazz from Geoff...The Blog

Tuesday, 07 July 2020

Well, this is an improvement; it is at least still Tuesday! No, no more real news about when live music can start at Hedsor or anywhere else, but it is looking hopeful. Hedsor Club reopened for business on Saturday 5^th July, obviously under the revised social distancing rules.

Normally at his time of year I would be down in Dorset, enjoying the hospitality of Swanage and looking forward to its jazz festival. Sadly not this year. Even my usual B&B is only able to offer a room served continental breakfast , not the usual energizing Full English that was always such a feature of my stays there in the past. Hopefully, Clare will be able by next year to re establish those happy norms. It may sadly be that this year will finally close the Swanage Jazz festival for good, it was struggling a bit last year.

However, some amazing live music is held on recorded media (well, it was live at the time!), and my first link is to YouTube and a really full concert given by Duke Ellington and his orchestra in 1969

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVh6yeCTKm4&t=708s

This will give you 80 minutes of great Duke, with a great linup:-

Duke Ellington and his Orchestra:- Cat Anderson, Cootie Williams, Ambrose Jackson, Mercer Ellington, trumpet; Lawrence Brown, Chuck Connors, trombone; Russell Procope, alto sax, clarinet; Johnny Hodges, alto sax; Norris Turney, alto sax, tenor sax, clarinet, flute; Harold Ashby, tenor sax, clarinet; Paul Gonsalves, tenor sax; Harry Carney, baritone sax, clarinet, bass clarinet; Duke Ellington, piano; Victor Gaskin, acoustic double bass; Rufus Jones, drums; Tony Watkins, vocal (Personnel on Camera)

Recorded in the Tivolis Koncertsal, Copenhagen, Denmark, 2nd November 1969.

There is a more local find this week. Gaining strength since my recent hospitalisation, I started to go through my CD collection, trying to sift the wheat from the chaff and regain some storage space, and I came across a plain brown envelope!! Inside were 2 cd’s with writing on them by an unknown hand! I have “attended” to them, using Audacity software, and I have put them up in my DropBox folder. I have written up what they are on the CD cover that you can download, but as far as I know this is an unissued concert from Hedsor Jazz in 2011 featuring saxophonist Don Wright and guitarist John Coverdale. So, turn back the clock and enjoy.

DropBox link is https://www.dropbox.com/sh/5b0f5kah08amhfs/AADEhLyHy3_PLSxSl2gK6H0ma?dl=0

This will get you the complete folder with both sets of music in mp3 and the CD cover in both MS Publisher and JPEG format. See also below.

I hope you enjoy watching and listening.

You are welcome to give comment and feedback via email to Octogeoff@outlook.com

Tuesday, June 30, 2020

Yes it’s Tuesday, and Yes, its another blog!

But as I still have some “medical” things to do today and tomorrow, this will be a short one.

BUT it should give you 2 hours of listening and reading to do. So apologies for the lack of pictures, or the initial brief impact of today’s blog, but needs must sometimes.

So what and where is it? If you follow my DropBox link (below) you will be able to listen and read all of the lecture/talk I gave to Amersham U3A back in 2009 and it will enable you to playback all of the music. Have a go. Next week I will try and point you all to something easier!

My Journey Through Jazz

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/t9nyzc1ux0pabre/AAC2NhvERztpYJOUEGipW5cfa?dl=0

Geoff C

PS I will be asking questions later!

GC

Thursday, June 25, 2020

A THURSDAY BLOG

Just to make up some “lost” time!

25th June 2020

First of all I want to expand on the situation regarding Hedsor Club. I had an informative email from Sarah, the club steward, the text of which follows. Please read and inwardly digest, as someone once said!

“Just wanted to update you on the situation at Hedsor as we hopefully return to some sort of normality.

We are going to re-open the club from Saturday 4^th July. Clearly there will be some limitations to begin with – but we are lucky to have lots of space!

You will not be able to stand at the bar to drink in the big hall.

There will be hand sanitiser readily available in the lobby, on all bars and in the toilets. Doors will be propped open to avoid contact on handles etc.

We will probably not open with a full range of draft beers – Rebellion are operating with a limited number of beers available and there maybe a smaller choice on other keg products. Clearly all bottled products will be available.

There will also be restrictions on toilet facilities with only one person allowed in the toilets at any one time. We will have antibacterial wipes in the toilets and will be asking where possible for customers to wipe around taps etc after use. Also there will be more regular cleaning of these areas.

We will be encouraging payment by card but not making this compulsory.

We are hoping with the good weather many customers will choose to drink outside - but clearly this would not work for you.

We do not have plans making the wearing of facemasks compulsory – but clearly we are happy if customers would like to wear facemasks if they feel this makes them more safe.

For many of the evenings we will be open with restricted hours – but this is customer led – so clearly if you think enough jazz people would like to come we will open for the normal hours – or if you think an earlier time may be suitable we are happy to work with you. “

Since receiving this the government has said that at the moment no live music will be allowed, so for Hedsor Jazz, we still only have an expectation of live jazz at the moment, but there is a least a glimmer of a candle out there. PLEASE let me know via Octogeoff@outlook.com how YOU feel about coming out to listen to Jazz at Hedsor in the not too distant future.

Pat Kelly

Since my last blog I have also received news of the death of Pat Kelly. As many of you know, Pat was the man behind the jazz sessions at Maidenhead's Norden Farm. He was also the founder and mentor of The Berkshire Youth Orchestra, which morphed into Pendulum. A larger than life character, his passing is a sad loss to our local jazz scene. Our condolences go out to Rose, who was the behind the scenes organizer of many of the jazz events we have grown used to. Our love and compassion for her loss go out from me for sure.

I saw a number of BYJO performances at The Brecon Jazz Festival (another cancellation for this year), and Rose was the “mother” to all the young players in that orchestra, especially when they were away from home as at Brecon .

Pat’s funeral will be at Reading Crematorium South Chapel at 3.15 on Friday 26^th June (tomorrow!).

LINKS

Whilst still having restrictions placed on our experience of live jazz, YouTube have some great nostalgic chunks of live jazz from an age where large hair was the norm.

Two bits of very good film are available of the Chris Barber Band back in 1970 and 1973. (Chris retired form playing this year at the age of 90).

So in date order

Chris Barber in Prague 1970

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1F9Y-ricJw&t=678s

The cast

Chris Barber trombone, Pat Halcox tp and pn, John Crocker cl, sax, Stu Morrison bjo, bassgt, mandolína, John Slaughter el. gt, Jack Flavelle bass, bass gt, Graham Burbidge drums, voc. Ottilie Patterson

When first on screen in this ½ program I thought the bass player was John Lennon!

The second ½ hour or so of barbarism :-

Chris Barber in France 73

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7Sq1uDsVyM

The long hair and the name of the band leader may now scream out "barbers are needed", but it probably seemed OK at the time.

This 1973 set has a tune that I have always enjoyed, a little know piece by Duke Ellington, with a cracking title; “I’m Slapping Seven Avenue with The Sole of My Shoe”.

See you all soon, and keep as safe as you can. One day like a certain American general said (LIVE JAZZ) "....will return".

Saturday, June 20, 2020

The Blog Has Returned!

Saturday, 20 June 2020

First of all, thank you to all who not only missed it, but were kind enough to email me to find out if I was OK! Well, as many of you now know, I wasn’t!

At the end of May I went down with pneumonia, and after two visits to A&E and three ambulances, I came out of hospital on the 8^th of June. I am gaining strength now little by little every day, and it’s time I started to share my love of jazz again, and my hope for a return to Jazz at Hedsor.

I had a number of “get well soon” cards during the last 3 weeks, thank you to everyone who sent me one, but one in particular I am going to share with you all.

It came from Martin Hart, who isn’t only “our” drummer at Hedsor, but an exhibition level photographer as well. For me he has summed up our local jazz experience in a group of photos, and it, and the thought behind it, almost made me cry.

Martins Card:-

In the card Martin not only asked me to get better (!) but said how much EVERYONE was missing Hedsor.

I think that statement alone is an indication that we will start again at some point, and hopefully not too far into the future. We ARE hoping to have discussions with Hedsor Club in the next couple of weeks, and IF distancing in pubs is reduced to 1 meter, we feel it could be possible, depending on you, the audience feeling safe enough to attend. Do let me know your thoughts via email to Octogeoff (as below).

BUT in the meantime have you found jazz music online or on radio? Do share the experience with us by emailing me at Octogeoff@outlook.com and I will spread the word. I do have other email addresses, and I know some of you have them, but for this purpose please use Octogeoff.

Here are a couple I have found and enjoyed in this recovery week.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekZ1haJltCE&feature=push-fr&attr_tag=dQs6xlQgTBMA4hBV%3A6

This is a quality recording by Wynton Marsalis's The Lincoln Centre Orchestra. OK, a little long in its introductory speeches, but extremely well recorded both in sound and vision. The music is great big band and will occupy your isolation time for about an hour and a half!

Next, a 3 ½ minute track by Vasilis Xenopoulos, again very well produced with excellent sound and visuals.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gurb1zkQIs

Another piece of music that is not far from jazz, and does in fact have a great jazz guitarist performing, can be found on YouTube:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otXL6jyfODM

This is a great sample for you to experience Youn Sun Nah, a Korean singer. Here she is singing with Swedish guitarist Ulf Wakenius. If you like that, there is much more out there for you to find.

Try it for 35 minutes at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyNJ7Vc-JGo&t=1224s

I enjoy her singing, and I enjoy Ulf Wakenius as well, and they were originally brought together on ACT records

Before becoming ill I was keeping myself busy transcribing some reel to reel tapes into CD's, and I came across one, recorded in 1966, that I mentioned in a recent blog (19.5.2020). If someone could give me advice on the copyright of recordings off BBC Radio that long ago, I would love to share it with you all. I have 78 minutes of it, and given a reasonable freedom from being sued, I could put this into my DropBox folder for you to share. Again use Octogeoff as the email address for your response

Jazz from Geoff

Tuesday, August 18, 2020

Tuesday, August 11, 2020

Tuesday, August 04, 2020

https://www.georgedouble.com/hadleigh-jazz-records

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Saturday, June 20, 2020

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