Another Week

that enables the live jazz experience to come your way via Hedsor Jazz.

For our usual £6 entry fee The Clive Burton Quintet will be the providers of the music. The providers of the  warm atmosphere and friendly conversation will, of course, be yourselves. So do come along and experience all the makes up HEDSOR JAZZ. This and every Thursday at The Hedsor Social Club, which is now gently emerging from its many years of gestation into a Swan. The Club's refurbishment is coming on apace, and if you haven't been for a while, come and see what it looks like now.

CD Review
On days when Hedsor jazz isn't available we all do sometimes resort to our home music collections. This week I have been very impressed by another of Tommy Smith CD's on the Sparticus Records label. A new release, it features just T. Smith with pianist Brian Kellock.

They have done one or two duet albums before, which have been great listens, and this one is no exception. I sometimes shy away from Tommy Smith's small group recordings as I find on occasion he can be a bit too avant guard for my taste. He is however a wonderful musician, and I still rate the Scottish National Jazz Orchestras album "Tribute to Duke", which he directed, one of the very best jazz big band recordings of this century so far. On the latest album "Whispering of the Stars", Brian Kellock and Tommy Smith combine to play tunes that we are all familiar with with absolute beauty of tone and phrase. I have seen Brian play a couple of times, and he alone is a star. A pianist who really explores the tune without loosing sight of the rhythm. Tommy Smith I haven't seen perform, but that experience is now on my wish list! Together they make an excellent partnership. The tunes are also a great choice. My only slight criticism is that the medley fragments could all have been longer. In addition it is also a superb recording and I heartily recommend it. See Cover below for titles, it is a new release, Sparticus STS019

PS if you click on the artwork, it can be enlarged for easier reading!