Wow, its another Wednesday (my life) already. How did that happen?

Just to keep you up to speed, and interested in coming to Hedsor Jazz on a Thursday, below is a list of the front line guests who will be playing for you in the next few weeks.

This week, 31st March the only regular member of the Clive Burton Quintet who will be playing is Clive. BUT, and as you can see it is a big BUT, we do have the following band to listen to:-

With Clive on the trombone will be Vasilis Xenopoulos on saxophone, Nigel Fox, on keyboard, John Monney on bass, and Mike Jeffries on drums. Well worth the £5 entry fee.

I cannot be as precise as to the makeup of the band in the next few weeks, but I think it will be like this:-

April 7th

Clive Burton, John Coverdale on guitar (do you remember the “unforgettable” guitar duet John did at Zane’s benefit concert with Max Brittain? You weren’t there? We still have some recordings for you to buy!), possibly Nigel Fox on keyboard, Ken Rankine on bass, and Mike Jeffries on drums.

April 14th

A triple whammy:- Clive plus Mark Aston AND Tracey Mendham on saxophones and fun! Ken, Mike Jeffries, and a keyboard player.

April 21st

Clive, with the wonderful trumpet and flugel horn of Stuart Henderson, with Martin Hart (back from Texas) on drums (thank you Mike for your help for the last three weeks), Ken, and a keyboard player.

April 28th

The regular band, with an as yet to be named keyboard player, with special guest trombone player Steve Shaw. Is that J&K or what?

May 5th

Guest will be Peter Cook on saxophone.

May 12th

Our guest will be trumpet and flugel horn ace Paul Eshelby, a featured soloist with the BBC Big Band for 17 years.

May 19th

Back with us again as our guest will be Simon Spillett on tenor sax.

May 26th

A welcome return for our guest saxophonist Al Nicholls.

You see, every cloud has a silver lining. The sad fact that our regular saxophonist is grounded (see last week) has meant that many of our other friends have stepped forward to play for us at Hedsor. Tell you mom, bring your friends. We need them like never before. Help us keep the jazz flag flying at Hedsor for live jazz and social contact. Hedsor Jazz must not be allowed to go under in these difficult cultural times.

CD Review

We nearly always have a quintet at Hedsor. Some places without a proper music licence use the two in a bar rule for music. In February last year two musicians played Nola’s Penthouse in New York. They happened to be Saxophonist Scott Hamilton, and the Italian pianist Rossano Sportiello. Their combined talents went un-aided by any others, and the result is a CD of musical charm and warmth.

Very suitably, the CD is entitled “Midnight at Nola’s Penthouse”. There they are playing tunes that are less associated than some with Modern Jazz. Show tunes, love songs, songs that have real melody. “A Garden in the Rain”, “Come Back to Sorrento”, “In the Middle of a Kiss”, but also “Big Butter and Egg Man”, which could possibly be called a love song. After all, it’s about a girl who wants to find a rich farmer to settle down with, someone who is big in butter and eggs!

Yes, it’s late night music, but very well performed, and as it’s on the Arbors label, VERY well recorded. ARCD 19415. I know some ladies who love that rich warm saxophone sound, perhaps you do too, in which case…..

TTFN

Geoff