Blog time again. I really don’t know where the time goes, but it does, and so much quicker than when I was paid money to work!!

First, a bit more information about the Vasilis Xenopoulos evening coming up on May 13th at The Hedsor Social Club.

The line up is The Clive Burton Quartet, with of course trombone maestro Clive Burton, Ken Rankine on bass and Martin Hart on drums, but with special guest pianist (by special request seeing as Zane is taking a holiday break) Malcolm Cliff. I managed to miss him somehow when he last visited Hedsor, but I certainly don’t want to do that this time, and neither do you!! Add to this the formidable talents of Vasilis AND the young singer Michael L Roberts, and you have a gig worthy of any jazz club in the land. I still haven’t forgotten people coming up to me at the end of last years Cookham Festival jazz event telling me how wonderful Michael was, and how they had never heard a singer anywhere as good as that!!

So, I have taken the (financial) liberty of hiring Hedsor’s big room, so do come and see for yourselves how good he is. Tickets are available at £8 from Cookhams Stationary Depot, or from me, or possibly on the door. BUT do make sure YOU get in.

The X Factor? Well it is a week since you would have put your cross on a piece of paper, and Xenopoulos has plenty of the X factor so beloved of television!

CD’s Listened to recently.


First, a download. I was recently lent a tape of a Gerry Mulligan Concert. The music on it was excellent, but unfortunately, the tape had seen better Hi Fi days years before. So, I searched the net, and got a very respectable download from Amazon. “Gerry Mulligan, Chet Baker at Carnegie Hall” is a 1974 bringing together of the 1950’s partners, playing some of their original repertoire, and some new.

Names on the stage with Gerry and Chet, include Ron Carter, John Scofield and Bob James.
One of Mulligans loveliest ballads was recorded here for the first time:- “A Song for Strayhorn” is art in music at its best. Other titles include “Line for Lyons”, “For an Unfinished Woman”, “Bernie’s Tune”, and “K4 Pacific”. They are all typically unpolished concert performances, but with that team, they were pretty shinny anyway! I recommend you check it out via the download route; you can listen to excerpts before you commit to money.


The other album, released in 2007, is a finger snapper. A compilation of Horace Silver tunes on the HighNote label, called “Funky Pieces of Silver”! “Sister Sadie”, “Juicy Lucy”, “Song for My Father” plus many more, recorded by a selection of the exponents of the funk art. Charles Earland, Joey DeFranceso, Houston Person, etc. If you like funk, it’s a great compilation. If you aren’t sure what funk really is, it’s a good lesson! HighNote HCD 7176. Try looking on Amazon (search “Funky Pieces of Silver”, new they have it for £14.49) or on the HighNote website www.jazzdepot.com

Well that’s it for now, keep coming out for live jazz, you can vote every week for the Jazz Party at Hedsor.

As well as having an election to cope with, and the following Thursday a VERY special night at The Hedsor Social Club with Vasilis Xenopoulos and singer Michael L. Roberts (May 13th), there is ONE MORE activity to fit in between being counted out (or IN), and Vasilis.

Our regular drummer Martin Hart is running another of his evenings of Jazz at The Woodley Theatre on May 8th. This time his guest is saxophonist Sue Greenway. Now, to the best of my knowledge, I have never heard Miss Greenway play, but a quick trawl of the mighty web gave me the following info:-

Sue Greenway
Saxophone, clarinet, flute, vocals. Four years with the Syd Lawrence Orchestra. Several years with the RAF Squadronnaires. Appearances with the BBC Big Band. Many West End shows.

SO she seems to be something special.

I cant find a mention of her, or Martin's night, on the Woodley Theatre web site, so I thought I would bring it to your attention myself. The Woodley Jazz Nights are usually good fun, and if you ring the Box Office 0118 9690827 you may find out more about it, like how much and what time!!

In the meantime I can only urge you to vote EVERY Thursday for the Jazz Party, care of, The Hedsor Social Club, Bourne End, Bucks. Like most voting, even if by foot, it will only cost you money, this time £5, to get in. After your in, well, you never can tell what a vote will cost you!!

TTFN

Keep Live Jazz Alive

A very brief new edition this week.

First, what a great jazz night we had last night at Hedsor. Al Nicholls was in great form, and made many new fans. It was also great to see so many of you there in the Hedsor Bar.

Which leads me to the announcement of another special event!!


Michael L Roberts


Vasilis Xenopoulos

At Hedsor on Thursday May 13th we have another saxophonist of renown coming. Vasilis Xenopoulos. OK, he has been before, and he has played the bar before. BUT this time he is bringing with him a singer who took the Cookham Festival by storm. Michael L. Roberts is coming to sing alongside Vasilis, and because I am convinced we are going to have a demand for this event, we are putting it on in the main hall at Hedsor. A small additional charge will be made, and I'm selling tickets before hand in order to have some control on numbers. Tickets are available now from me at the very reasonable price of £8 From Monday I hope they will also be on sale at The Stationary Depot, Station Parade, Cookham (01628 531178). In order to enhance the evening we are also providing some nibbley bits for each table. If you wish to bring a picnic, please do, but you must buy all your drinks from the bar!

If you really cant wait until May for another special night out, next week you can have some Rabbits at The Bourne End Community Centre Bar jazz night on Tuesday (dont ask, I think its a trad band), and on Thursday we have that terrific trumpet player from Reading Stuart Henderson, joining Mike Wills, Zane, Martin and Ken at Hedsor.£5 entry.

All these gigs start at 8.30 pm!!

Looking further ahead to the Marlow Jazz day in October, we have now added to our list of star guests ex Humph and Alex Welsh saxophonist John Barnes. Do make sure you have got October 23rd firmly inked into your diary. It will be a splendid jazz event, and a great fund raiser for Cancer Research UK.

More later, but for now......

TTFN

Geoff C