And a Happy New Year to you all.

For me, for a while at least, the decorating is over, and new carpet will be installed tomorrow!! So, it is time to concentrate on the jazz and to get you marking things up in your diaries.

TOMORROW, Tuesday 17th, is the first Jazz from Geoff of 2006, and is at The Old Bell, Wooburn, from around 8pm. We meet to listen to Jazz CD's, purchase very bargain priced Jazz CD's, and listen to live jazz from "The Usual Suspects", who, if you don't know yet, are Zane Cronje on keyboards, James Fenn on guitar, Lisa Amato on electric bass guitar, and James Davis on drums. Jazz Fusion al la Weather Report, and very, very well performed. Its a free gig, but we will ask for a donation to cover the bands expensive lifestyle (they want to eat food, would you believe!).

THURSDAY, 19th at The Hedsor Social Club, the Clive Burton Quintet, this week without Mike Wills, but hopefully with Peter O'Brian, on guitar, if he is well enough to play, because a couple of weeks ago he fell at a gig and damaged his rib cage, and has been incapacitated. So we do hope he has recovered.

Looking forward into the year, The fabulous Shirtlifters will sell you a ticket for their evening of Winter Ineluctability, which I believe is January 28th. Its usually a smashing evening of Trad Jazz, and is held annually in Cookhams Pinder Hall.

On Thursday 26th Jan, Simon Spillet will again join Clive at Hedsor, and we have him booked for Feb. 16th as well.

On Saturday 11th March, Martin Hart will be presenting an evening of Gerry Mulligan music at Speen Village Hall, see him early to get a ticket if any are left.

Also early in the year look out for some gigs with Howard Alden in the area, as some people we know will be playing with him!! More news when I get it.

During the decorating process, one of the saving graces whilst painting the wall (which stopped me going up it some more) was the ability to listen to jazz CD's.

Some of my listening Highlights were:-

Colin Steele "The Journey Home". Scottish born Colin on trumpet is joined by Julian Arguelles on soprano and tenor sax, Dave Milligan on piano, Aiden O'Donnell bass and John Rae drums. Beautifully recorded modern jazz. Caber Music caber 029.

Bob Wilber "What Swing is All About" is with an international mix, recorded live at the Amerika Haus in Hamburg in 1996, he is joined by Antti Sarpila tenor and clarinet, Mark Shane piano, Phil Flanagan bass, Joe Ascione drums and Pug Horton vocals on some tracks. And swing it really does. Its hard to find swing like this in the shops, and its on a German label, Nagel Heyer 5007.

John Sheridan's Dream Band I have written about before, but it is good, smooth, and worth playing again and again. Arbours Records ARCD 19309.

Keith Smith's "Swing is Here Again" is a compendium of tracks he has recorded over the years more in the mainstream idiom than as an Armstrong clone. But what a collective class. Bruce Turner, Stan Gregg, Mike Pyne, Vic Dickenson, Johnny Guarnieri, with dates spread from 1978 to 1983. Its happy music, with tunes like "Chicken Aint Nothin But A Bird", "Caldonia", "Gee Baby, Aint I Good to You" and "Struttin With Some Barbecue". From Lake Records LACD 80.

So there you go, if you cant get to one of our quality live gigs, you can always support the music by buying the CDs. Go on, you know it makes sense.

TTFN


Geoff C