“To blog, or not to blog, that is the question”

or even recently "Can I blog at all"!!

Apologies to those who have turned to my blog pages this last 2 weeks or so to discover what is on and where in the local jazz scene, I have been unable to write the page due to an unpleasant and debilitating illness. I am ever so glad to say that I am now much better, and in a position to let you know what is happening, not only tomorrow, but next week as well!!

Tomorrow, June 16th at Hedsor Jazz we have a saxophonist that we haven’t seen for a little while. Peter Cook will be alongside Clive. It will be good to have him back with us, and I hope you all feel energetic enough to come out and hear the combined efforts of Clive, Peter and the rest of the boys(?) in the Quintet. To catch up with Peter’s career, try his web site http://web.mac.com/petecook/Site/Welcome.html from which you can tell he IS well worth turning out for. We have had some wonderful sessions with him in the past, and tomorrow will not be the last time we invite him.

Tomorrow you will have the joy of passing ME the £5 entry fee. Dee will be away, and I have been loaned the RED BOX!! And the shopping bag to keep it in!!

The following week (with Dee back in charge of the £5 notes) we are delighted to have saxophonist Simon Spillett back with us at Hedsor again alongside Clive. I have always thought that those two can put together great harmonies, and we are privileged to have such support from professional musicians like Peter and Simon for our Hedsor Jazz.

For those of you who enjoy another of the saxophonists who have graced Hedsor Social Club, Vasilis Xenopoulos you might like to know that his Xtet will be playing this Sunday (now you haven’t forgotten it is Fathers Day have you?) at The Lodge Tavern in Ealing.

If that venue is outside the range of your motoring experience, then you might like to know that he will be at the Marlow Jazz Club, held in the Marlow British Legion Club, on Tuesday June 21^st. AND he will be playing alongside Mr. Art Theman, recently retired from his day job as an orthopaedic surgeon. Art has been a giant of the British Modern Jazz Scene for a number of decades, and you may not have realised that music was not his day job!

Coming back to us we hope in July will be our regular saxophonist Mike Wills. Keep your fingers crossed as he needs to get his driving licence back since his little episode with his pacemaker, but he hopes to be with us very soon. We have arranged a little welcoming match for him. On July 28^th, that lady of the saxophone, Tracey Mendham will be joining us again!

Bye the way don’t forget that we can always add in an additional star musician of your choice into our regular Thursday night mix. If you would like to sponsor someone, either on your own or together with some friends just tell Clive or me and we will see if it can be arranged.

You will see above the Certificate Awarded to Hedsor Jazz by Thames Hospicecare after our presentation last month of the proceeds of our Tribute to Zane Cronje Concert (£635). So well done to all of you for making it such a worthwhile sum.

In a week or so I shall be getting into training for the Swanage Jazz festival, and will be disappearing from your ranks for 2 or 3 weeks. I promise to try and tell you before I go of some of the CD’s I would recommend you taking with you on your holiday. OK, you may MP3, but you don’t get the sleeve note or the artwork, and yes, I do MP3 as well!!

So, with this first blog since coming out of the closet, I bid you adieu (It wasn't an earth one I promise, here in Cookham the ceramic ware is really quite sophisticated!).