Geoff’s Jazz Nag

With the bank holiday looming, I thought “now’s the time” to give you all a short reminder of local jazz events, but starting with a brief revue of last nights Hedsor gig.

For 2 weeks running now we have been subjected to ridiculously marvellous music at The Hedsor Social Club. Last week I was not alone in thinking that Simon Spillett and Mike Wills had produced a miraculous evening of top quality live jazz. Last night was surely going to be an anticlimax wasn’t it? No two weeks could be on such a high could they? Wrong! Last night, not only Simon Spillett, this time with our regular answer to Vic Dickenson (Clive Burton), but a special surprise visit by another great tenor player, Don Wright. Don runs a 10 piece band called “The Wright Stuff”, has a great CD out with the band, and plays with a great big sound. Two tenors, a trombone, and our usual rhythm section again produced cheering crowds. So you weren’t there!! Gosh!! How sad.

Next Thursday, who knows, but we should be back to the normal line up, which is too good to miss anyway! 8.30 pm start £3 to get in, raffle to get out!

We also had with us last night a number of Cancer Research UK representatives, who came along for a photo opportunity (!!) to enable me to be photographed giving them the cheque for the May Concert proceeds, (which of course they already really had). Look out for it in a coming edition of your local paper!!

Sunday, Fifield offers similar quality music from almost the same quintet, plus a very late Sunday lunch. 8 pm start. Raffle funded by the management!!

CD’s to listen out for:-

This week I have been captivated by a totally different form of jazz music to that which I usually write about. In the very early 1940’s on America’s West coast, some of the dance band musicians were getting bored with playing the same tunes night after night, and got together to research some of the earlier jazz that had become unfashionable. Lu Watters formed his first Yerba Buena Jazz Band to play a form of what we called “traditional jazz”. WW II” came along, and put a temporary stop to their fun, but in 1945 they again reformed and started playing regularly in public. The recording to which I refer comes from a late period series of recordings (1949/50), made at a club called “Hambone Kelly’s”. An all white band playing trad on the West coast inspired many British bands in that period (including The Yorkshire Jazz Band), and that inspiration can be heard on a Jasmine CD called “Doing the Hambone at Kelly’s”. I had often wondered where the early Lyttelton Band had got “Ace in a Hole” from, now I know. There is some wonderful liquid clarinet playing from Bob Helm, some terrific piano from Wally Rose, and Clancy Hayes both sings and plays the banjo. This is not just a fun record, it’s a great jazz listen. Tunes include “Emperor Norton’s Hunch”, “Alcoholic Blues”, “Roll, Jordon Roll” and 17 other trad tunes, some of which are very rarely played today.

The other CD spun up this week is by Monty Alexander (piano), with N.H.Orsted Pedersen (bass) and Grady Tate (drums). Called “Threesome” (!) it’s a lovely light combination, with an excellent “All Blues” sung by Grady Tate. Well worth a listen.

TTFN, keep it live!