In the next 2 Thursdays we have exciting prospects for lovers of the saxophone, especially jazz saxophone!

This week, Thursday September 27^th , alongside Clive and the Quartet at The Hedsor Social Club, we have Kelvin Christiane. There is much to say about this superb saxophonist, but rather than reiterate, I suggest you go to his web site, http://www.kcmusic.co.uk where you can hear him in action. Needles to say that when you do you will want to come to Hedsor this week (why have you not been the last few weeks?) and hear him “live” in the Hedsor bar, our regular Jazz meeting point. Usual price £6, usual start time for the music of 8.30 pm. Bar opens before 7 pm these days.

Then next Thursday October 4^th we have a VERY special jazz evening, one of our Big Room events! Simon Spillett is NO stranger to us, but this time he is coming with his regular quartet. Jazz royalty! John Critchinson on keyboard, Alec Dankworth on bass and Clark Tracey on drums. This is a ticketed event, and the price is £10 including a light buffet. The music starts at 8.30 pm as usual. Tell your friends, bring your mum, it will be worth your while! AND it might help US to recover the costs!!

To help promote this event Michael Eagleton of Marlow Jazz has very kindly invited me on to his Sunday Evening Marlow FM program to talk about it and to play some of Simons tracks, (and some of my favourites too). The program starts at 9pm.

This week via CD I have been listening to 2 other saxophonists. Incidentally one also has an association with Simon.

“Ben Webster – Stan Tracey, Soho Nights Vol 1” was recorded on to ¼” tape “live” in 1968 at Ronnie’s Frith Street Club and was only released in 2008. That must have been something to do with the official secrets act, because it is a recording of a great event, complete with announcements from Mr Scott himself. Stan Tracey was (always) on piano, Dave Green bass and Tony Crombie drums. Simon Spilletts sleeve notes add to your enjoyment, but the music is special. Two versions of “Londonderry Air”, and one of  “Come Sunday”, ten tunes in all. Ben may have been slipping past his best, his intake of Scotch is legendary, but his ballad playing is to die for. Go and find this CD on RESTEAMED  RSJ 106. Someone in the company obviously has a sense of humour RSJ in my parlance means Rolled Steel Joist!

My other CD goes back to a decade earlier than the Ben Webster. It also features a saxophonist in a lot of trouble. In January 1957 Art Pepper joined the Rhythm Section of the Miles Davis Quintet to record “Art Pepper Meets the Rhythm Section”. He was deeply addicted to Heroin, hadn’t played for a while (he had been in prison), but turned up to play a session organised by his wife, which has become legendary. I was prompted to dig out a 2010 reissue, as Alan Barnes had played a tribute to Art Pepper set at Swanage. It makes an interesting comparison. All the tracks are worth more than one listen, even when Art had the nerve to call one of his compositions ”Straight Life”! You can hear it on Original Jazz Classics Remasters 0888072319929 which could be a telephone number or 3. The original LP number was S7332!! Never mind, that’s progress.

See you at Hedsor, don’t forget to come, or Jazz will die!

Just a reminder that we have another regular session of The Clive Burton Quintet tonight, Thursday September 20th, at Hedsor. Tickets for the October 4th Concert by The Simon Spillett Quartet will also be on sale at £10. Simon’s Quartet are John Critchinson on keyboard, Alec Dankworth bass and Clark Tracey on drums. There will be a light buffet included in your entry fee. Ronnie Scott's? You have to get on a train to get there!

We Play Requests

There was a little discussion at the end of last nights session at Hedsor about the title of my request, which was played as the last tune of the evening. I HATE to say this, but my title "I wish I knew how it would Feel to Be Free" is the correct one. Billly Taylor first recorded it in 1963 and later as an instrumental around 1967, and it's original title was "I Wish I Knew". Later both Nina Simon and The Lighthouse Family recorded it with slightly differing lyrics, and the longer title. Reproduced below are both versions Lyrics.

  As sung by Nina Simone

I wish  I knew how it would feel to be free
I wish I could break all the chains holding me
I wish I could say all the things that  I should say
say 'em loud, say 'em clear
for the whole round world to hear.

I wish I could share all the love that's in my heart
remove all the bars that keep us apart
I wish you could know what it means to be me
Then you'd see and agree
that every man should be free.

I wish I could give all I'm longing to give
I wish I could live like I'm longing to live
I wish that I could do all the things that  I can do
though I'm way overdue I'd be starting anew.

Well I wish  I could be like a bird in the sky
how sweet it would be if I found  I could fly
Oh I'd soar to the sun and look down at the sea
and I'd sing cos I'd know that
and I'd sing cos I'd know that
and I'd sing cos I'd know that
I'd know how it feels to be free
I'd know how it feels to be free
I'd know how it feels to be free

LIGHTHOUSE FAMILY LYRICS

I wish I knew how it would feel to be free

I wish I could break all the chains holding me

I wish I could say all the things that I should say 

Say 'em loud say 'em clear

For the whole wide world to hear 






I wish I could share


All the love that's in my heart 

Remove all the bars that keep us apart

And I wish you could know how it is to be me

Then you'd see and agree that every man should be free 








I wish I could be like a bird in the sky


How sweet it would be if I found I could fly

Well I'd soar to the sun and look down at the sea 

And I'd sing cos I know how it feels to be free








I wish I knew how it would feel to be free


I wish I could break all the chains holding me

And I wish I could say all the things that I wanna say 

Say 'em loud say 'em clear

For the whole wide world to hear 

Say 'em loud say 'em clear

For the whole wide world to hear 

Say 'em loud say 'em clear

For the whole wide world to hear 








One love one blood


One life you've got to do what you should 

One life with each other

Sisters, brothers








One love but we're not the same


We got to carry each other Carry each other

One One One One One...








I knew how it would feel to be free


I knew how it would feel to be free




The instrumental version was of course used by Barry Norman as his intro to "The Film Program" on BBC TV.




I know that my request caused some consternation at the end of the evening, but I was glad I asked for it, and they did play it rather well.




Don't forget, tickets are now on sale for October 4th, the Simon Spillett evening in the Big Room at Hedsor. As well as from The Stationery Depot in Cookham, they can be purchased on Thursday at Hedsor.

First, what/who is on at Hedsor tonight?

Answer, our regular guys! Clive Burton on trombone, Mike Wills on various reed instruments, Nigel Fox on keyboard, Martin Hart on drums and Steve Riddle on bass depping for Ken Rankine.

I spoke with Ken yesterday.  He is slowly improving, and has had the odd outing. His brother in law, who lives in the house where Ken fell, is a disabled person, and happens to have a wheel chair. The ever resourceful Sue “borrowed” this, and Ken was able to enjoy an outing to Weymouth, and to sit in the sun on the front. Since then, he has been given some crutches, and can manoeuvre himself (very carefully) around his cottage. He still has an amount of pain, but hopes to be able to go on holiday to his beloved Malta in mid October!!

Ken is very grateful to all of you who have sent him get well messages, and who have occupied his time by making a phone call to him. Thank you all.

Ken is having one of those enforced rests that enables you to do things you might consider yourself to be too busy to do in normal times. I told him to read a book, but catching up with your recorded listening might also be one of them.

Yesterday I had occasion to go and search my reserve stock location (the loft!) for an LP I was certain I had (Vaughan Williams Symphony No 6), but which I then couldn’t find, (it is now on order from Amazon)! However it was a bit like my past life passing before my eyes (and glasses!).

There were LP’s I had forgotten about. Music I used to pull off the shelf and listen to when the children were I bed. I still have the means of playing them, but no longer the downstairs space to conveniently store them. There is some great music up in my long-term storage unit! I really must get some down, and digitise for convenient listening.

One thing the LP gave you that the MP3 player doesn’t, and that is a sleeve note and artwork. The CD does give you some with its booklet, but the shear 12” size of the LP sleeve generated some terrific artwork, and was usually a joy to hold and observe whilst you listened. Easily read too, no 8 pt font for you here. And informative. Who is that clarinettist? When was it recorded, and by whom? You may have read it all before, but wasn’t it good to revise your knowledge as you listened again! Yes, you did get the odd crackle and click from LP’s, but a 20 minute side did seem a natural length. And you couldn’t easily jump tracks, you had to listen to each side just as the record producer wanted you to do. Now, skip and jump, reorder tracks (even play in random order!) is the order of the day (sorry), and I just feel that maybe, the “more” of CD is actually “less” relaxing!

Sonically CD’s can be more dynamic, and have a cleaner sound, (maybe a colder sound), and I know you can still go out and buy a turntable that will set you back the cost of a small car, proving that LP’s do still have a dedicated following.

CD’s might also now be on the way out. Less are being released by the major companies, and a lot are reissues of the same LP’s I have in my loft. But jazz music in all it’s forms has never been more accessible than today.

So, have I listened to anything new on CD lately? Yes, one really new recording released in April this year is by Clare Martin on Lynn Records LO 11615 entitled “Too Much In Love To Care” where she is accompanied on piano by Kenny Baron.

Beautifully recorded by Lynn, as you would expect from a Hi Fi manufacturer, Clare does a very good job on some fairly well know Love Songs. “Time After Time”, “Weaver of Dreams”, “I Only Have Eyes For You” plus 10 others. I think she does a very creditable job on all of them.

Another CD recently acquired is a reissue. The title almost says it all, because it isn’t exactly short! “Ben Webster, Johnny Hodges, The Complete 1960 Sextet Jazz Cellar Session”. 17 tracks taking 73 minutes to play. Mostly recorded in November 1960, there is a 5 track “bonus” from January 1961. With 2 giants of jazz blowing, you only need to know that they are accompanied by Lou Levy on piano, Herb Ellis on guitar, Wilfred Middlebrooks bass and Gus Johnson on drums. It’s well worth searching out, on the Solar Records label 4569895.

Well, that’s almost it for now folks. Just one more plug. I will have tickets for sale as from tonight for the Simon Spillett concert at Hedsor on October 4^th, priced at £10. Simon is bringing his regular quintet of John Critchinson, Alex Dankworth and Clark Tracey with him to Hedsor. Jazz Royalty no less. And you can come and hear it all for just £10