Ok, back from five days away, its again back to the jazz fray, and TOMORROW night, Monday 30th April we have the second in my series on the jazz guitar, held at The Hedsor Social Club. With this series, I'm trying to demonstrate different aspects, and use, of the guitar in jazz, and tomorrow we have London Based guitarist Tim Saunders, who, with local guitarist Max Britain, will be showing us his interpretation, which is slightly more ethereal than the fusion sound we had last month from guitarist James Fenn and his team (wasn't it a wonderful start to the series?). As before, my chosen musician chooses the people he wants to play with him, and we hand the evening over to them to entertain and educate.It starts at 8.30pm, it will cost you £5 to get in, and you will be totally free to leave after that! No raffle!! The musicians get paid what you pay at the door, so the more of you that come, the more they get!!

An advance notice about the May guitar jazz evening. It will be on Monday 21st, and will feature Monty Greenhalgh and the sounds of Club Django. For more info on them see their web site http://www.clubdjango.co.uk/pages/pv.asp?p=ls3

Tuesday May 1st at The Bourne End Community Centre Bar, Mo is puttin on the Katya Kaplinski Five. 8.30 pm start, £4 entry, which includes a raffle ticket, and you get a supper break thrown in too.

Just to also remind you that at Hedsor on Thursday 3rd we have Sax star Pete Cook, and on Sunday 6th at Fifield we have another sax star Simon Spillett.

Concerts are popping onto the near horizon (can you have a near horizon? Yes, certainly if you are an organiser!!). Saturday 5th May for the Shirtlifter organiser Charles Benson is a near one!! The Cookham Festival's Jazz evening involves that locally based trad fun band in a concert at Cookhams Pinder Hall. 8 pm start £8 entry, cafe style seating, bar etc.

And for me, my near horizon is Friday May 11th at The Bourne End Community Centre. The (now) annual Jazz Concert to raise money for Cancer Research UK starts at 8pm, and tickets are available at £10 each from Crocks and Crystals in Bourne End, or Delizioso in Cookham. Again, this is a Cafe style Concert, bring your own food, and buy your drinks at the club bar. This year the title of the concert is "From Dixieland to Swing", and I'm sure it will get all of your feet tapping.

More on jazz later in the week, but for now

Goodbye.


Geoff C

After last weeks mammoth posting of all things jazz, only a little reminder that TOMORROW Thursday, at The Hedsor social Club, we have alongside the Clive Burton Quartet, that wonderful sax player Simon Spillett. Do come along, pay your £3 into the Red Box to get in, listen to some wonderful music, and buy your raffle ticket to enable you to get out!

Also, on SUNDAY at The Fifield Inn, a great combination of Pete Davis on saxophones, and guitar ace Max Britain, backed by Century Jazz. 8 pm start.free entry

Max Britain is also playing at Hedsor on Monday April 30th, alongside Hammersmith guitarist Tim Saunders as part of my "Guitar Jazz" series of mini concerts. £5 entrance for these Monday events

Looking and Booking ahead for this, on May 21st my Monday Date will be guitarist Monty Greenhalgh, who will be demonstrating the influence that Django Reinhardt had on guitar jazz and he will be bringing others with him to help get that distinctive gypsy sound. Tell your friends, and please note, there are 2 bank holiday Mondays in May, but this isn't one of them!

Also a little reminder to get your tickets for the May 11th Cancer Research Concert "From Dixieland to Swing". £10 each. This will be a Cafe style concert in the Bourne End Community Centre from 8 pm.

That's it for now folks. Reviews later, but don't forget to look out for further bargain packs of second hand, part used, almost new CD's at most of my gigs!!

Geoff C

http://jazzfromgeoff.blogspot.com

Geoff's sporadic reminder

Or Nag, about JAZZ!

First, I hope you all had a happy Easter break, and that the stress and strain of getting to all the gigs we put on has been repaired by the sunshine!!

And just to test your resolve, below is the list of some of the gigs in the next few weeks that I hope you can now support!

TOMORROW night April 11th, at The Players Theatre Thame, Martin Hart will be leading a rhythm section behind Elvin Roy on clarinet,and a host of guitarist in "Guitar Summit".

This Thursday April 12th at The Hedsor Social Club.
Clive is taking a short break to investigate Suffolk, and this week we will have a quartet led by John Rolls on tenor saxophone. Its £3 to get in and a raffle to get out! Start 8.30 pm. And in case you have forgotten, The Hedsor Bar is now a smoke free zone.

Sunday 15th at The Fifield Inn, with Century Jazz we have lovely swinging tenor from Al Nichols. 8 pm start, hot food available, free entry, raffle funded.

Thursday 19th at Hedsor, the guest will be Simon Spillett on tenor saxophone.

Sunday 22nd at Fifield, an almost unmissable evening with Pete Davis on saxophones, and Max Britain on guitar, plus of course, Century Jazz.

Thursday 26th Hedsor welcomes back Al Nichols

Saturday 28th at The Woodley Theatre, Martin Hart will be propelling (if needed!), Simon Spillett

Sunday 29th at Fifiled the guest will be reedman Clem Adleman.

Monday 30th at The Hedsor Social Club, the second in my series of Guitar Jazz sessions we have Tim Saunders and Max Britain. 8.30 start, £5 to get in, no raffle, just enjoy the jazz.

A couple of May evenings to get you all excited about:

Thursday 3rd at Hedsor, we have Pete Cook on saxophones.

Saturday 5th in Cookhams Pinder Hall The Fabulous Shirtlifters and friends will be taking part in the Cookham Festival 8 pm start, £8 to get in, and it will be cafe style.

Sunday 6th at Fifield it will be Simon Spillett

But most important of all Friday May 11th is another of my annual Jazz Concerts to raise money for Cancer Research UK. This year its entitled "From Dixieland to Swing", and we will be delighted to take £10 from you for a ticket. I've attached to the email version of this nag a PDF file of the advert. If you can print and display it I would be most obliged. You will have seen most of the players before, but a special welcome is reserved for Mike Wills, whom we are looking forward to greeting following on from his recovery from the serious heart attack he had just before Christmas. Another cardiac recoverer appearing that night will be trumpet and keyboard ace John Slater. Yes, he like me has had heart surgery!

Well enough for now. Do put at least some of these dates in your diary. We try hard to keep jazz music alive in this area, but it will only stay alive if you come out to listen!!

TTFN

Geoff C

Gigs this week

TONIGHT April 1st
You still have time to get to see Simon Spillett at The Fifield Inn with Century Jazz from 8 pm, raffle funded, hot food available.

TUESDAY
The Al Nicholls Quartet, featuring Max Britain, Rex Bennett and Bob Haddrell are at The Bourne End Community Centre for Mo's Monthly Jazz event. £4 entry gets you in, but also gets you half time refreshments. Its should be a great evening, after all, look who's playing!

WEDNESDAY
There is another spectacular at the Harrow (up the Hughenden Valley) 8.30 pm - courtesy of hosts Paul and Elaine.. i.e its totally free and a Sort of pre-Easter blow.This of course will feature the usual suspects of Lynn Garner, Brad Lang and Ken McCarthy - so anything can happen. (and Ken said that!).

THURSDAY
Back to The Hedsor Social Club for a very pre Easter blow, from Clive Burton and the boys in the band, with a "very special guest", who may even have been booked by now!

The Cancer Research Jazz Concert Fundraiser
This year is on May 11th, is called "From Dixieland to Swing", and tickets are available at £10 each from me, Crocks and Crystals in Bourne End, or Delizioso in Cookham. The great news about this event is that Mike Wills will be part of the band. Yes, he is well enough now to start playing again. He cannot drive himself yet, but by careful use of energy, he is back playing).

Don't forget that all profit from this concert goes to Cancer Research UK.

CD Review
Those wonderful people at Lake Records have just released a double album that fills in the gaps in their previous releases of Humphrey Lyttelton recordings. It covers that great transitional period from Bechet style revivalist to mainstream. Here is the bit in the middle. From 1955 - 56, including all the tracks from 2 10" LP's and a number of EP's. Its that band that had Stan Greig on Drums (he couldn't get a job as a pianist!), but saw him replaced by Eddie Taylor. Its that band with Bruce Turner and Walley Fawlkes, Its the band with John Picard on trombone. Its that band that played "Bad Penny Blues", and its follow up "Echoing The Blues". This is a double album, and it ends with "Christopher Columbus" and "Swing Out" which he surely went on to do.

This album should be in every British jazz lovers collection, and although all of the previously issued vinyl tracks have been in my collection for decades, it surely going to be kept in my CD racks from now on. Go and buy it, or you will miss out, not swing out!
LACD238, 2 cd's for the price of one and yet its called "Bad Penny Blues"!

That's about it for now, but do go and see some of the live jazz that's near to you, after all, we try to keep it available!!

Have a great Easter, but don't eat too much chocolate!

Geoff C
http://jazzfromgeoff.blogspot.com/