After last weeks Halloween inspired evening, this week we have Guy Fawkes!! 

However, this week at Hedsor we do return to something like normality!!

We welcome back after a 3 week break (must be long railings!), our regular reed section, Mike Wills. Not that it will necessarily be the “regular” Clive Burton Quintet. Regular bass player Ken Rankine is accompanying singer Sarah Moule in London this week, so in his place (from last week in the audience) we have Steve Riddle.

Mentioning last week, it was good to see drummer Malcolm Potter again after about 8 years, back at Hedsor as a short notice dep for Martin.

Thinking again about last week I must say that I thought Tracey Mendham played the best I have ever heard her. Her tone was amazingly big, and due to Clive’s arrival being delayed, Tracey started off the evening without him, or the PA, and her self assurance and slightly different choice of tune was a real bonus. Her singing towards the end of the second set was also a revelation, and deserved the applause she got from the audience. Well-done Tracey. She mentioned to me afterwards that she has had a number of appearances recently with The Humphrey Lyttelton Band.

CD’s Listened to This past week.

I have been impressed by two this week, both on the Linn label. Now Linn are a renowned manufacturer of quality turntables, and all of their CD releases are of the finest recorded quality, and that is true of the two I have heard this week. I would point out that I do listen on reasonable quality equipment (Roksan Kandy KA-1 Amp, Marantz Signature Cd player with Cambridge Audio interconnects and Rega Jura speakers), and these two recordings sounded wonderful.

The first is by a gentleman singer that I haven’t listened to before, Joe Stilgoe. He accompanies himself on the piano, but has added a number of great British jazz musicians in this album mostly of his own songs called “New Songs for Old Souls”. It ranges from small group to Big Band, and although I am not generally a fan of male singers, I think this one makes for a refreshing 48 minutes. His style is reminiscent of Frank Sinatra in 1940’s,50’s mode, but almost all the tunes and lyrics are by Joe himself.  Well worth listening to, and reading some of the thought provoking lyrics reproduced in the booklet too. Linn AKD 484 if you want to refresh YOUR Hi Fidelity listening.

Also on the Linn label is a new release by David Newton, a great Scottish born pianist and one of the best in Britain. Here in trio form with Matt Skelton on drums and Tom Farmer on bass they play a selection of tunes made famous on the silver screen. It isn’t often you get to hear these tunes other than in their original settings, and the re-workings of “Chariots of Fire” and “Wouldn’t it Be Loverly” are worth the purchase on their own. But there IS much more to this trio CD than just those two tunes. The album is entitled “Big Screen Take One” and the CD number is Linn AKD 504. It will sound terrific on your Hi Fi too.

HOWEVER, the BEST Fi to listen to is LIVE MUSIC. Become and Audience, then the music will be able to continue!!