The Ellington Birthday Concerts and the Jimmy Witherspoon Album







"Good Lord, its one of those nag things again!". You are right!! They have become a bit sporadic of late, but all with good reason. I trust at least SOME of you have been listening to the 2 jazz programs on Cookham Summer FM (87.90 or via www.cookham.com) and can appreciate that talking some rubbish on a microphone does take a little preparation! Honest.

But, at least this week, you can read about the local jazz events, and not just listen to them. If you do want to listen, then Mondays at 9 pm brings you "Mama Africa" followed by "The African Influence in Jazz" taking you to 10 pm. On Fridays "Never the Same Way Once" brings you 3 hours of jazz music and comment from 8 pm 'till 11 pm.

So now about live jazz:-

On the First Tuesday of each month, in Marlow's Liston Hall you can go and see Club Django.
ALSO on the first Tuesday of every month, you can go to The Bourne End Community Centre and see Mo's selection of living musicians for around £4, but this does include nibbles at half time. Start time 8.30 pm.

Every Thursday you can catch The Clive Burton Quintet at The Hedsor Social Club, 8.30 till 11 pm £3 to get in, raffle to get out (some never make it out!!).

Sundays at lunch time you can listen to Zane Cronje on piano at The Christopher Wren in Eton, and in the evening from 8 pm you can go to The Fifield and hear Century Jazz for free, but you will get raffled to get out.

It's not so much of "what have I been listening to this week", but what have I been playing on the radio.

One cd set that I played from last Monday has been in my collection for many years.A double album of Duke Ellington recorded during his English tour over the period of his 70th birthday in 1969. Its the Ellington Orchestra at its best, well recorded before a living audience. All the top names were in the band, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Cootie Williams, Cat Anderson, Lawrence Brown. All playing at their collective best. My copy from 1991 was on Sequel Records, part of the Castle Communications group. Numbered by them as NED CD 183.

One cd already selected for a future broadcast is Jimmy Witherspoon with Jay McShann and His Band recorded in 1957. This album has the legendary J.C.Higginbottom on trombone (He wrote "Give Me Your Telephone Number"), and on some of the tracks Emmett Berry on trumpet. You will also find Kenny Burrell on guitar. Listen out for that, because its a cracking good blues album.

BUT, I must keep digging at the CD face, or we wont get Fridays 3 hours put together. DO listen out on Friday, because I will be taking to Zane Cronje about his life in music, and he will be playing live on air. AND Simon Spillett is coming in to give a talk about the late great Tubby Hayes.

SO

TTFN

Geoff C