Todays Blog 

A Month full of interest at Hedsor Jazz

We have a month of super gigs lined up for you this month. All start at 8.30pm and all have a £10 entry fee

March 3^rd           Duncan Lamont jr sax + Lester Brown tpt + Steve Riddle bass + Ken McCarthy keyboard + Martin Hart drums

     March 10^th                 Mike Innis trombone + Duncan Lamont jr sax+ Peter Hughes bass + Ken McCarthy keyboard + Martin Hart drums

     March 17^th                 Mike Wills reeds + Lester Brown tpt + Peter Hughes bass + Ken McCarthy keyboard + Martin Hart drums

     March 24^th                 Mike Wills reeds + Sue Greenway reeds + Terry Davis bass + Ken McCarthy keyboard + Martin Hart drums

Hedsor Jazz takes place at The Hedsor Bar, Hedsor Rd, 

Bourne End SL8 5ES

Please ensure you are free from covid infection by taking a lateral flow test before you come. Only come to Hedsor Jazz if you pass as clean using the government approved test kit. We have contacted all the musicians who will be with us in March and they have all agreed to abide by this requirement and we would ask you to do the same. No, we won’t ask for proof, only an honest response to this requested test, coupled with a sensible approach to the usual social distancing measures.

It will be great to welcome back to Hedsor Steve Riddle playing bass for us this week after a longer than desired gap.!

Last Thursdays photos are below.

 

Last week Martin Nickless and Max Brittain put on an interesting show, with Mike Jeffries providing the propulsion as Martin was taking a short break. The word “interesting” might raise the odd eyebrow, but it was, we don’t often get to hear a clarinet played all evening as the main front line instrument and many of the tunes played were from “The Great American Songbook”. Obviously well know to both our guests but not often heard in quantity at Hedsor.  In the second set they were joined from the audience by singer Kay Day (apologies if I miss heard the name) who I understand is also the wife of our bass player of the night Terry Davis.  He also joined her on bass and voice in the two songs she sang. It was a great way to celebrate her birthday in this way.

Coming this month in different places.

Alan Barnes is playing Norden farm on the 18^th March. Follow the link https://norden.farm/events/alan-barnes-sax and you can fine out more and book a ticket or two!

I went and saw Alan with John Pearce on keyboard at The Milford Arms in Isleworth last night and he is in fine form.

A few days earlier this month another of our favourites, (and now Cookham resident), Vasilis Xenopoulos is playing alongside Mark Aston at Marks monthly jazz meet.

See pic of poster below:-

 

I am still convinced, and I hope you will be too having read the months gig list, that what we provide at Hedsor Jazz is as good as can be had in anyplace. So do support it. If you are already convinced, then bring your friends. A very budget entry fee and free parking, club bar prices plus some of Britain’s best jazz musicians should also help to convince you to leave the telly behind for a night!

At Hedsor Jazz we also sell “part used” CD’s, and since September 2021 we have donated to CRUK £311 from their sale. Thank you to all you collectors.

The February Contribution

For now its time to publish. Perhaps before I do we might like to remember the musicians now living in the UK who come from the Ukraine, and to think of them and their families at this incredibly stressful time for them. "Tolly" who played for us in February, is one we know. 

Geoff C

 

 

 

  

As a little addendum to today’s earlier brief blog I thought I would add in a few links to some Swedish Jazz, that in my mind is inextricably linked by the name of the trumpet player.

Back in 1991 I was at The Brecon Jazz Festival, and one of the bands that appeared on “The Captains Walk” bandstand was a band that played in a style of the 1920’s. They actually played it so well for over an hour that you began to realise what early big band jazz really did sound like. The band was called “Kustbandet”.

Below are a couple of YouTube links, the final one actually being a clip from that Brecon Festival, as recorded by the BBC.

Kustbandet:-

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chqfSEJ4a7A

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1azeo   in Brecon 91

The name that is forever stuck in my memory is that of the very excellent lead trumpeter Bent Persson. Below is a link to a better quality video of Bent, recorded at the Whitley Bay Jazz Festival in 2012

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKwC0BXS9vY

Bent went on to record over 50 of Louis Armstrong’s “Hot” choruses. You can listen to more of Mr Persson via Spotify :- https://open.spotify.com/artist/5FppeyhsfRTmTZPjtCjvOf

Whilst on the subject of Big Bands, and the slightly unusual, also on YouTube you can find the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra playing Mozart. Yes really, complete with (to use a 1920’s phrase) some Hot Licks from Tommy Smith.

Try, and don’t give up too soon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7vWaY9DUYI  

One more oddity for today. I am a fan of half Norwegian, half Swedish singer Catherine Legardh, having been drawn to her via pianist Brian Kellock (do look out for “Love Still Wears a Smile”). So with a ½ hour spare the other evening I did a YouTube search for her, and was amazed to find a very good ½ hour program featuring her from Norwegian TV. There is one drawback, you will recognise all the tunes, but none of the words, as she sings all (bar one) in, yes, Norwegian! Worth a look though!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6OQR-vtijQ 

That’s it for now folk, happy listening, and for you the live jazz is at Hedsor on Thursday, EVERY THURSDAY

 For a Tuesday blog this will be very brief!

This week our guests are clarinet player Martin Nickless who will be kept company by guitarist Max Brittain.

This isn't what we had advertised last week. Unfortunately Al Nichols will not be able to be with us this coming Thursday and clarinettist Martin Nickless has stepped at short notice in his place . He last played Hedsor Jazz alongside guitarist Max Brittain  in 2019.

I will write more about jazz later in the week, in the meantime we look forward to seeing you all, suitably covid tested, on Thursday. Usual start time of 8.30, usual entry fee of £10.

 

We have the promise of a wet and windy week, and as I type it is raining. There are also rumours of war, and indeed, we have been suffering from “pestilence” recently too, but what I can offer you this week is a Thursday night full of jazz promise!

Our recent weeks have brought much joy to those who frequent Hedsor Jazz. Last week we had the pleasure of Ukrainian “Tolly”, playing some tremendous tenor sax alongside the trumpet of Stuart Henderson. They were both more than just supported by Ken McCarthy on keyboard, Peter Hughes on bass and “our” Martin Hart on drums. They were driven along. So much so that one of our newer supporters said we had raised the jazz content of Hedsor Jazz to another level!!

Whilst we were enjoying this experience I did wonder how “Tolly” was feeling about the threat to his country from its Russian neighbour. His playing was bold and exciting and gave nothing away of his possible apprehension.

My photos of the session are below:-

Brian

This coming Thursday (February 17^th) we have a return of “our” Lester Brown on trumpet. He will be partnered by Frank Walden on reeds + Terry Davis on bass, Ken McCarthy on keyboard and MIKE JEFFRIES on drums.

Martin had intended to be away in foreign parts this week, but the paperwork complications of returning home in this covid era have postponed his outing, and he will be with us. He intends to “borrow” Mike Jeffries conga drums and sit in on a few numbers, but also to take some photographs of the session.

As many of you know, for the sake of a bit of colour for this blog, I take some snaps of each Hedsor Jazz session. Martin is however a prize winning photographer and I hope you will be able to tell the difference!!

Following on, on February 24^th, we will have with us that booting Welsh tenor player Al Nicholls. He will be joined by guitarist Max Brittain, plus the same rhythm section as for this week. Al has been a supporter of Hedsor Jazz from the beginning. Not normally playing with Max, (another long time supporter of our local jazz efforts) this should make an interesting combination of the different talents available on the night.

For all of the Hedsor Jazz concerts we only charge an entry fee of £10. Our usual start time is 8.30pm, and if you need the last bus home, we finish at 11pm. To give some peace of mind to all who come to Hedsor can you please ensure you have a clear lateral flow test on the day you come.

One final request. Can you ensure mobile phones are turned OFF please during the music. Incoming calls, even when the phone is "silent" can cause electrical interference.

Please let others know how good the jazz product is at Hedsor. We have been going a long time, and I like to think we are a jazz community offering friendship as well as music. But we do need an audience, not just for the financial ability paying people gives us, but also to add to the atmosphere for the musicians to enjoy, as well as you the punters.

“But for now”.......enjoy “Stormy Weather”

“Sure I know you'd like to have me
Talk about my future
And a million words or so to fill you in about my past
Have I sisters or a brother
When's my birthday how's my mother
Well my dear in time I'll answer all those things you ask

But for now I'll just say I love you
Nothing more seems important somehow”

And of course

“Don't know why
There's no sun up in the sky
Stormy weather
Since my man and I ain't together
Keeps raining all of the time”

It’s amazing what you can convey with a lyric!!

Another Tuesday, another bog day, but another week to have a Thursday to look forward to.

Stuart and "Tolly"

I don’t want you to miss this Thursday, February 10^th, as we don’t get this combination at Hedsor very often. Stuart Henderson and ”Tolly” are a well practiced team and these days “Tolly” is a much in demand saxophonist. Those of you who have had that “Tolly” experience before will need no persuasion that he is worth coming out to see, so put the date in your diary. Stuart we know needs no introduction, we are still remembering the splendid evening we had with him and saxophonist Sue Greenaway at the end of January. For that Martin was heard to remark that it was the best night at Hedsor EVER!! So come and see if it can be another in Hedsor Jazz’s “best nights ever” series. With them will be Ken McCarthy on keyboard, Peter Hughes on bass and Martin Hart on drums.

Last week, (my pictures are below), we had a trombone in the midst again. Not only did Mark Aston  bring his baritone sax, but also his trombone, and he made a pretty good job of playing it too. Alongside him was “our” Lester Brown on trumpet. Mark also played his alto and tenor saxes as well, but we only payed him once, no doubling fees at Hedsor!

 

Lester played, as his feature number in the second set, the tune “I Cant Get Started” made famous by trumpeter Bunny Berigan in the 1930’s. At one time his 1937 recording of the tune was the most requested tune on “Jazz Record Requests”. You never know, next time Lester may sing the words as well. How times have changed. In 1937 to have “flown around the world in a plane” would have been a remarkable achievement. BUT, “I’ve settled revolutions in Spain” could be applied to a number of current situations. Progress doesn’t seem to have diminished violence as a means of resolving a difference of opinion!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2BuWDhuT2I 

The BBC, in there now customary manner, are temporarily replacing a Jazz Record Requests, a “regular” Sunday afternoon program, with another of orchestral music. Albeit JRR will be back in 2 weeks. Usually the Beeb ditch JRR for opera. It just shows you what high esteem the BBC holds jazz. They regular drop jazz programs for something else. Do they really think we get too much jazz on BBC Radio?

Many listeners to radio jazz are of a certain vintage (Yes, OK, MINE!) who like to keep to regular habits. Once Upon a (Peter Clayton ) Time JRR was at 5pm on a Saturday, then it moved to 4pm on a Sunday (I must take more All Bran). 5pm on a Saturday was good time for me, as after spending Saturday working on “a” car (anything from a Triumph Herald to a Sunbeam Tiger!) I could soak in the bath and listen to JRR on a trani radio. It became part of life. Somehow Saturdays and Sundays have never become interchangeable, except of course for the BBC planners!

Certain days of the week have always been embedded in my conscious as jazz days. These days Thursday and Hedsor Jazz go hand in hand. Once upon a time it was Tuesdays and Jazz at Maidenheads, “The Bell”, now called something else. But back in the 1970’s Tuesdays “Jazz at The Bell” was the home of “The Lennie Best Quartet” and some of Britain’s jazz greats played there for us. We had a BBC Jazz Club broadcast from there too. The first time I went it was Tony Coe and John Pickard . Do check out “The Tony Coe Quintet”, a wonderful ensemble. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Coe  The "Swinging till The Girls Come Home" LP from 1962 is now worth £200!!).

I also saw Tubby Hayes there twice just before he died. I remember him sitting on a chair and basically giving us all a master class. Ronnie Scott came and played too, as did Dick Morrissey, Bruce Turner, and the complete Alex Welsh Band. 

You might like to check out this very amateur recording of Morrissey at “The Bell”:-  https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dick-Morrissey-Live-Bell-1972/dp/B074JQDTD6 The 1972 recording was unearthed from the Cronin vaults and “Spilletized” to CD!

 When jazz at The Bell stopped, I started running record evenings in my front room, which could achieve a maximum of 12 listeners!! Then we were invited to transfer operation to another Bell, “The Old Bell” in Wooburn, and once a month record evening eventually gave way to live jazz.

Thursdays started at “The Cookham Tavern” with Keith Vitty’s Century Jazz. When “The Cookham Tavern” became “The Cookham Tandori”, we moved briefly to Hedsor’s “Garibaldi” and then, 20 years ago, we moved to The Hedsor Club. For over 20 years now we have run live jazz at Hedsor. Long may it continue.

So, why not become part of history. If you don’t already listen to live jazz, try us at the Hedsor Club. https://hedsorbar.com/ If you try it this week, you will be AMAZED!!

A short blog for a sunny winters day.

Really just to tell you that last weeks Hedsor Jazz with Sue Greenaway and Stuart Henderson was an incredibly good gig. Martin Hart was heard to say it was the best gig ever at Hedsor!! Arguable, because we have had some superb gigs at Hedsor Jazz. But last week everyone, as my mother always used to ask, “played nicely” together. It was a great session, and it was nice to see a couple of new faces. Friends tell friends, so if you do enjoy the jazz we put on every week at Hedsor Jazz, tell your friends. 

My photos are below.

This coming week Feb 3rd we have a familiar pairing. “Our” Lester Brown on trumpet, and saxophonist Mark Aston are joining us, backed by Peter Hughes on bass, Ken McCarthy on keyboard and Martin Hart on drums.

Mark has restarted his monthly gigs in Teddington, and for those he was promising to play trombone as well as baritone sax. Now I guess that that cannot be done all at the same time! Do ask Mark about the future gigs that take place in Teddington’s Constitutional Club on a Wednesday.

Having heard Steve Waterman live a couple of times recently I have now had a chance to listen to another of his small group albums. From 2009 comes “Buddy Bolden Blew It”, a tribute to tunes originating from trumpet players. He has with him on this one Anthony Kerr on vibs and Chris Allard on guitar with Alex Dankworth on bass and Dave Barry on drums. Not all play on all tunes, and the lightness of sound with just trumpet and vibes, or trumpet and guitar is very well achieved. This is an album well worth considering if you can still find it.  Mainstem MSTCD0056.

If you are planning on coming to Hedsor Jazz (every Thursday from 8.30pm) do please ensure you are covid free, and if possible please take a lateral flow test before you come. They are free at the moment.

Jazz Angel’s treasurer John Dutton has now had his open heart surgery. He is in the Hatfield Hospital after having a double bypass and a replacement valve. They have given him a 25 year guarantee (!!) which should mean he gets a birthday card from the King! Yes, think about it!

Another Tuesday, another Blog with news of Hedsor and all that (other) JAZZ

Coming to Hedsor Jazz this week we have that super saxophonist Sue Greenaway, and as promised, I can now tell you that she will be playing alongside the trumpet of Stuart Henderson. Rest assured, Stuart will also be holding it! Add in Ken McCarthy on keyboard, Peter Hughes on bass and Martin Hart on drums and you know it will a great evening of well played jazz. Later in the blog you will find an updated list of who is playing at Hedsor Jazz up to Feb 24^th.

 

My photos from last weeks session with Lester Brown and Duncan Lamont Jr are below, and you will see that we also had that fine bass player Andy Crowdy in the band. It used to be asked “What do you do during a bass solo”?.....and “talk” was the usual answer, but not so when the solo capability is of the standing of Andy Crowdy. He really became a third member of the front line, excellent stuff.

 

Exactly the same rhythm section was playing at Woodley last Saturday when Martin brought Steve Waterman to the Oakwood Theatre. Steve is professor of Jazz Trumpet at Trinity College of Music in London and visiting Jazz Trumpet specialist at The Royal Northern College of Music and The Royal Welsh College of Music And Drama. That quality shows. It could have been a bit one sided, as a solo trumpet is a lonely instrument to listen to for an evening, but thanks to Andy’s solo ability, the bass was able to feature in a number of exchanges with the trumpet. It was a great evening.

The next Oakwood Theatre presentation will be in May, when saxophonist Karen Sharp will be the featured guest.

At Woodley, I was able to pick up 2 more of Steve Watermans CD’s from the early 2000’s. I had already the 2003 recording called “Stablemates”, but he also had with him the 2005 “Our Delight” album, and the 2008 album “Night Lights”. All three albums are of a similar nature, Steve being accompanied by such excellent British jazz names as Alan Barnes, Dave O’Higgins, Clark Tracy, and Mark Nightingale to name but 4. Over the three albums the music of Benny Golson, Wayne Shorter, Tadd Dameron, Herbie Hancock, Gerry Mulligan and Chick Corea is explored, and explored very well indeed. See the artwork below; they are all on the Mainstem label.

 

Jazz Angels treasurer John Dutton has now had his long awaited open heart surgery, he was operated on at 8am today. We all wish him a speedy recovery.

Future Hedsor Jazz Gigs:-

All the gigs below start at 8.30pm and the entry charge is £10. We would ask all our patrons to ensure they are clear of covid before coming to Hedsor Jazz. ALL of the musicians who come to play have promised to have a lateral flow test before coming to Hedsor.

This Week Jan 27^th        

Stuart Henderson trumpet + Sue Greenaway  reeds+ Peter Hughes bass + Ken McCarthy keyboard + Martin Hart drums

Feb 3^rd         Mark Aston reeds + Lester Brown trumpet + Peter Hughes bass + Ken McCarthy keyboard + Martin Hart drums

Feb 10th      Stuart Henderson trumpet + “Tolly” + Peter Hughes bass+ Ken McCarthy keyboard + Martin Hart drums

“Tolly” is the stage or short hand name for a great saxophonist. His full name (if you should choose to use it!) is Anatoliy Vyacheslavov

Feb 17th      Frank Walden reeds + Lester Brown trumpet  + Terry Davis bass +  Ken McCarthy keyboard +MIKE JEFFRIES  drums

Feb 24th      Al Nicholls reeds  + Max Brittain guitar + Ken McCarthy keyboard + Terry Davis bass +  MIKE JEFFRIES drums

As you can see from the above list, Martin is taking Brian for a longer than usual walk!! But he had bought him a new harness for it!

 

 

A Brief Blog today

Just to remind you that we do have jazz at Hedsor Club every Thursday and this week it is “our” Lester Brown together with saxophonist Duncan Lamont Jr. in front of “our” rhythm section.

Also this week on Saturday 22nd at Woodley Martin Hart is bringing Steve Waterman to play at The Oakwood Centre from 7.45pm. Well worth checking to see if they have a spare ticket, I bought mine a month ago. (https://www.woodleytheatre.org/). If you remember Steve played a blinder at Hedsor and it seemed like a sensible thing to book to see him again so soon. He is a remarkable player, check out his web site here https://www.stevewaterman.co.uk/

Last weeks Hedsor Jazz had another brilliant trumpet player. Our session with Stuart Henderson and saxophonist Kelvin Christiane was another very enjoyable session of great swinging jazz. Great tunes and Hedsor Jazz always has a great friendly atmosphere. Such events can really pull you though the gloom!

My photos of the session are below.

 

Don’t forget that we would love you to come and experience it all for yourself, but we do ask that you pass as clean an NHS lateral flow test before coming. All of our musicians have promised to do that too. With the spacing and care provided by Hedsor Club it is as safe at Hedsor Jazz as we can make it.

Looking forward to next week we welcome back Sue Greenaway, a very talented lady saxophonist from Oxford. I need to confirm with Martin who is going to be on the front line with her. Mike Wills may be, as he tells me his broken wrist is mending very well, but it still makes washing up a task too far!

This is NOT a photo of Mike Wills!

Looking even further forward to July 8^th and a restart of the Swanage Jazz Festival is promised. www.swanagejazzfestival.co.uk

I have taken the opportunity of reserving my accommodation already, and the tickets for the festival will be on sale from this coming Saturday. So far there will be Nigel Price doing his Wes Montgomery session, and Simon Spillet with a big band playing the Tubby Hayes Book again (back in 2015 at St Piran’s School in Maidenhead we heard him do this with Stuart Henderson’s band). There will also be a lady singer I have only heard on CD. Jo Harrop is billed to be at Swanage too. I’m looking forward to that as her recordings show she is a singer of considerable promise.

Jo Harrop

 

I just wonder if by July we will be able to sit and listen (and drink beer) without our facemasks on!? I think it’s worth at least planning a bit further ahead than next week in order to get ones mind set back to a more normal level. I do feel that most people have forgotten what it is to go out! Have we been so brainwashed with the fear of covid that we now only watch a screen (large or small) from the viral security of our home?

 

Now here’s a thought. 

Was Boris being brave, and showing us the way ahead after all?

 A Blog a Week helps you work, rest and   ??? SLEEP, well maybe!

But our return from Christmas, considering the apprehension provided by covid, was a really good evening.

The attendance was, both in the number of those attending and in the adherence to the rules on mask wearing , was pretty good.

It was also a jovial evening.  I think everyone enjoyed the company of like minded jazz fans after the break for Christmas

Our band for the night also played really well. Mark Aston was a little hampered by the loss of one of his spectacles lenses as it had decided to go its own way, but as I have already commented to him, his playing has improved over recent years. I think his playing now, to use an old phrase, makes you prick up your ears! The sound from his vintage baritone sax is what live music is all about. Lester was his usual self playing trumpet and singing to prove he can! 

So a good start to 2022. Pictures below.

Also good for 2022 was the news than Jan Burton was returned to her own home that afternoon after her long stay in hospital following her stroke. She is making good progress and is very pleased to be home. She is getting about indoors with the aid of a Zimmer frame and her speech is much improved.

Covid

I would remind anyone who is contemplating a trip to Hedsor Jazz (we are planning to keep going every Thursday, see last weeks blog for a listing for January) that you must be covid free and to have passed a lateral flow test within the previous 36 hours. We have the assurance of all the musicians who will be playing for us that they will adhere to this requirement, so we hope all those coming will do so too.

Coming to us this week (January 13^th) are trumpeter Stuart Henderson alongside saxophonist Kelvin Christian. Our bass player this week will be Terry Davis. Keyboard and drums are as usual Ken McCarthy and Martin Hart

A Recent CD Listen

Once upon a time I used to play a trumpet, not very well, but I enjoyed it anyway! One of my partners in crime (well we were probably committing some sort of crime on the tunes we played) was a pianist. Often we would play together, just the two of us. I became very aware that this wasn’t easy, especially in public!

Over Christmas I acquired a double album of 2 great jazz individuals who joined together in public and played trumpet and piano together rather well. “Roy Hargrove and Mulgrew Miller In Harmony” is the name of the album on the Resonance Label  (HCD2060) and it really is an example of how it could and should be done. They show excellent rapport between themselves as  these live recordings from 2006 and 2007,only recently been released, prove.

Sadly both musicians died young (Hargrove in 2018 aged 49 and Miller in 2013 aged 58) and these recordings just emphasis what a loss it was for the jazz word.  The album contains mostly well know tunes played without rehearsal, and they sound fresh and spontaneous. 

Jazz at its best.

 

G C

January 3^rd 2022

First, Happy New Year to all our readers!!

A Year for hope that some sort of normality and stability will return that enables us to all make plans to meet each other and to enjoy music and each others company.

Also Happy Birthday to Hedsor Jazz’s Band Leader. Our drummer Martin Hart is 83 TODAY.

On this 3^rd day of a new year I am already being asked what the plans are for Hedsor Jazz. Well, yes, we do have plans, but we are also aware that many people are concerned about any sort of social gathering.

First of all then our “plans” for each Thursday at The Hedsor Club for our jazz sessions are thus:-

Please ensure you are free from covid infection by taking a lateral flow test before you come. Only come to Hedsor Jazz if you pass as clean using the government approved test kit.

Test may also be ordered online for postal delivery.

We have contacted all the musicians who will be with us in January and February and they have all agreed to abide by this requirement, and we would ask you to do the same. 

No, we won’t ask for proof, only an honest response to this requested test, and also a sensible approach to the usual social distancing measures that are by now a normal part of our lives when you are at Hedsor Club.

The gigs lined up so far this year are:-

January  6^th      Lester Brown trumpet + Mark Aston reeds

              13^th     Kelvin Christiane reeds + Stuart Henderson trumpet

              20^th     Lester Brown trumpet + Duncan Lamont jr reeds

              27^th     Sue Greenaway reeds +  ?*

*? We are unsure who she will have alongside her. As I write, “our” Mike Wills has a broken wrist!

February 3^rd     Mark Aston reeds +  Lester Brown trumpet

             10^th     Stuart Henderson trumpet + “Tolly” reeds

             17^th     Lester Brown trumpet  +  ? we hope!

We anticipate that the drummer for all these events will be Martin Hart and the keyboard player Ken McCarthy. A variety of selected bass players will be there as well!

Whilst on the subject of bass players many of you will know that for many years Ken Rankine was our regular bass player. Sadly he left in September 2016 to join that great orchestra in the sky, but he left his bass behind. For many years Ken was great friends with saxophonist Willy Garnet, and acted as an uncle figure to Willy’s son Alex, also now a renowned saxophonist. Alex took charge of Ken’s bass and had it overhauled and refurbished, and it is now in use as the house bass at Ronnie Scotts!

Ken Rankine

Willy Garnet

It is his upright bass that is in use at Scott's, not the electric one seen in the above photo.

Ken’s sister Linda gave me this news at Christmas time with obvious pride in her voice. So often we take bass players for granted, but Ken was a great player. He taught me to listen to the bass, not just in their solo spots, but to listen all the way through a tune at how they support and propel the music forward.

Resent Recordings from Hedsor Jazz

I have collated all the recent recordings I have made at Hedsor Jazz into my DropBox as one listing. Please use the following link, all others are now inoperative.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ocu5evtwvoo93no/AACupgEyWXQMS5j05DpSbdOMa?dl=0

Please only use the music for your own enjoyment and not for any other reason.

As that cartoon often says, "that's it for now folks"!!

Geoff C