The 2 CD's Reviewed below

With the demise of a few gigs already this year, there is less to actually nag about, but what we still have has excellent quality, so don't let it all disappear!!

Thursday, The Hedsor Social Club and the Clive Burton Quintet. This is a unique jazz venue, the music is wonderful, and the ability to make new friends from the audience is also special! All this for about £5 plus a few drinks. What more do you want? 8.30 start, cheap club drink prices.

Sunday, Century Jazz at The Fifield, 8 pm start, great food available.

I thought I would report briefly on the fabulous Shirtlifters evening of Ineluctability, last Saturday at Pinder Hall in Cookham. This was,a usual, a sell out gig, the place was packed. From the Shirtlifters previous earnings, they gave away on the night around £1000 to various local charities, and still managed to entertain us to a mix of traditional jazz tunes, and comedy. There were a number of guest appearances, including one form a very talented monkey (son of Kong?), a welcome return performance by John Brooks, as singer, teller of jokes, and female impersonator (The Sister of Kate no less?), and we even had a guest appearance of Derek Mills on the bones!! The band are still improving, and soon will even have to be taken seriously!! If you haven't already done so, go and buy there CD, as it contains the essence of an Ineluctable experience! A great fun evening, book early for next year.

CD wise, a great item from a little know British label. J&M Records, of Taunton, Somerset, have a release by Marty Grosz and His Collectors Item Cats!! Marty is a pretty good guitar player, a good if slightly comedic singer, and a wonderful raconteur of the American Jazz scene. On this CD he is accompanied by Dan Barrett on trombone, Scott Robinson on various reed instruments, including baritone sax, and Peter Eckland on cornet (OK, there is also a piano,bass and drum selection too) They really do sound like a modern day Eddie Condon band, and the tunes fit the genre to a tee. "You Hit The Spot", "Love Is The Thing", "Bei Mir Bist du Shoen" to mention just a few. Do try and buy it, its called "Thanks", its on J&M CD502, and writing to them (P.O.Box 276) might get it to you!!

The other CD I have listened too a lot this week is another Gerry Mulligan Quartet one titled "Dream a Little Dream". It has some wonderful tunes on it (Try "Noblesse"), "Walking Shoes", "My Shining Hour", and of course the title tune of the album. With him are Ted Rosenthal on piano, Dean Johnson bass, and Ron Vincent drums.It was recorded in 1994, and is on the Telarc label (always renowned for there superb recorded sound quality) as Telarc Jazz CD 83364

Almost all for now, but 2 advanced dates for your diary. The next Give and Take 5 Again concert for Cancer Research UK will be on May 12th, a Friday evening, and there will be another Jazz from Geoff concert at Cores End Church on Saturday October 14th. Please do try and come to both, after all, you know that keeping live jazz alive makes sense!!

TTFN

Geoff C