Preoccupations!

I must apologise to the fans of HEDSOR JAZZ that due to my preoccupation with the day of jazz at St Piran's School on September 26th I have been less active on my blog front. 

Today I am blogging to tell you that on Thursday this week Hedsor jazz presents one of the best saxophonists in the country, Simon Spillett.

Simon will also be at the St Piran's day of jazz in more than one capacity. 

He will be joining The Remix Jazz Orchestra, directed by Stuart Henderson, in the performance of some of Tubby Hayes Big Band scores.If this were his only part of "Hedsor Jazz Goes to School" it would be worth the price of the ticket. Nowhere else are you going to be able to hear a live presentation of some of Tubby's big band music presented with such authority.

Later in the evening Simon will also be playing with his own quartet, John Critchinson, Alec Dankworth and Clark Tracey. You would pay more to hear THEM at Roni's than the price for our entire day!! 

This Thursday you can come and here Simon for Just £6, yes, Just £6!!

Simon has been a good friend to Hedsor Jazz, and alongside Clive and our regular rhythm section you will hear everyone in a different light, as somehow, they all bring out the best in each other. It will be another "special" Hedsor night!

So, tell your friends. Not only about this Thursday, but about Hedsor Jazz at St Pirans.

www.stpirans.co.uk

 I still have some of the especially reduced rate tickets for September 26th but come and get them from me VERY SOON!!

OK. Back to the day job, yes, computers go wrong, AND now you have Windows 10 to learn as well.

Geoff C

Holiday Times

BUT our audience at Hedsor Jazz has been a good one for the last few weeks, long may that trend continue!! We have had some excellent sessions from the various shapes of The Clive Burton Quintet, guest saxophonists and guest bass players et al.

I myself this last week have been plagued with one of those weeks where everything has gone wrong, cars, computers, radios, cables, printers, I am obviously supposed to be going to Ninerva but didn’t set out on the journey!! (Do read up the story of Jonah)!! I’m off to Ipswich this weekend, so a collective crossing of fingers is required!

Our jazz this Thursday is again with our regular guys, so there will be an assured quality about the whole thing. Do tell your friends. I know that one or two of you have done so already, and have brought them with you. Once they know of our rich jazz quality at Hedsor, they do want to come again.

It IS that rich jazz quality that I want to demonstrate in our “Hedsor Jazz goes to school” day at Maidenheads St Pirans School. All bar one of the musicians who are on the bill have played at The Hedsor Social Club on a Thursday, and when you see the cast list, you yourself will be surprised. Please do buy a ticket and come for this splendid day. I don’t really want to mortgage my house again!

Below there is a timetable of who and when, it really will cause you a problem of choice!

OK it is now half past 77!!

Well, almost a week has gone by, so I can say “how time flies”.

Last weeks celebration of survival was a very enjoyable affair. The food provided was pretty edible! (Really it was wonderful, thank you Jan and June), and the music was excellent.

Robert Goodhew, our guest saxophonist, is getting better and better. His tone is big, with time and space for the thoughtful improvisations he is producing. His version of “Tickle Toe” was inspiring, and so reminiscent of Lester Young.

The Quintet rose to the occasion too. The larger than average audience always helps, but our Hedsor Jazz, hidden in the outback of Bourne End, is something to cherish. The music is of a very high standard, and I am proud to be associated with it.

Not that it cannot improve with education!! Which is why “Hedsor Jazz is going to school”. September 26^th will place our regular guys on the same stage and on the same day as some of the best in the country. It is now only 5 weeks away, so do make sure you get your ticket by going on line to www.stpirans.co.uk or coming to see me at Hedsor on a Thursday.

This week we are back to our normal sized Clive Burton Quintet, but on bass this week we will have Steve Riddle, a great bass player and king of the motor cycle!

CD Heard This Week.

I am a fan of the Stride Piano style. It is exciting and fun. There is an American lady pianist called Judy Carmichael and I managed to purchase on of her earlier CDs this week as an American import. Entitled “Pearls”, it was recorded in 1991 and features Warren Vache on cornet, Howard Alden on guitar, and Red Callender on bass.  Jazzology JCD 204. It is light swinging and fun. I think you will be richly rewarded by the music if you can find a copy.

The title is taken from the tune by Jelly Roll Morton called “The Pearls” and I am reminded what a great tune it is. Dare I say, it could be played by a “modern” jazz group to great advantage! Because it is deemed “ragtime” modern jazz musicians often forget what good tunes there are from “back in the day”. Not all modern jazz tunes have to be composed in the 1950’s. One of the strengths of the pioneers of jazz was their ability to take hold of popular tunes of the day and translate them into jazz. So lets have a list of recently composed and popular tunes that could be used with “our” Quintet at Hedsor, and we will see what happens!!

That’s it for now folks, just tell your friends about Hedsor Jazz, and about our very special day on September 26^th.

PS Message for Clive!!

I visited Dawkes this week, who will have a stand at our St Pirans day. Jon showed me a PLASTIC trombone, light enough for a child to hold, that costs just £125!!

with apologies to Robert 

his surname is spelt Goodhew, not Goodhuw

77

Yes, it is amazing, certainly to me, that I have survived 77 years, most of them with a love of all things jazz. The last 13 years with jazz at the Hedsor Social Club almost every week.

In my middle years most of my jazz listening was done via LP, then CD’s came along. Whilst it is wonderful to be able to listen in the comfort of your own home to jazz greats from the past, and even form the inaccessible present, I have appreciated very much the difference it is to listen to live jazz, performed by people who have the ability and the art. People you can go and talk with, share a joke with, even share music you have found with. The experience of live jazz music is truly the best.

This year my major preoccupation has been and still is with the one day jazz festival coming up on September 26^th. From this seat it seems to be coming up at lightning speed! I do hope you will all come and support the public face of JAZZ, Hedsor Jazz, and Cancer Research all in one go. The musical prospect is very exciting indeed.

The musicians performing on 26th September

if you right click your mouse on this you will be able to enlarge it!

So with this preoccupation, and with a desire not to overshadow the September event I haven’t booked too many of my favourite jazz musicians to help me celebrate my survival this year.

Saxophonist Robert Goodhuw will be joining the regular Clive Burton Quintet from our usual starting time of 8.30pm. Other guests may appear, after all it is live jazz and we live with the unexpected!!

There will be a light buffet at half time, other than that I hope you will join with me in celebration.

BUT if you only want to come and listen to this weeks guest, that’s OK with me!! He has been twice before, and is a very melodic player, perhaps not so well known as some of our other guests, but a young man now making his way in a difficult musical industry.

Last weeks guest, Duncan Lamont Jnr, gave us a great night of entertainment. There was a good crowd, and some great music was generated by all. From my seat I was aware of a lot of faces, all smiling with enjoyment, both at the quality of the music, and the familiarity of the jokes! We will certainly be asking Duncan along again very soon.

Alas last week we sadly bade farewell to Kim, our barmaid at Hedsor for some years. She has always been a smiling face and a helpful person. I don’t know how much she knew about jazz before she became Hedsor’s barmaid, but she is now a firm fan, and we will see her in our audience from time to time in the future. She already has a ticket for September 26^th!!

So come and get your tickets for September 26^th from me at Hedsor. You will have a very enjoyable day, and help raise funds for Cancer Research UK. If you are in a position to do some advertising for it let me know.

See you Thursday