Hedsor Jazz meets again this week, but with no extra guests like last week. Only our regular deputy drummer Mike Jeffries appearing in place of Martin Hart.

Our new entry fee of £7 lets you in at our old start time of 8.30pm. Good music and good company will then follow, as is usual for a Hedsor Thursday.

Last weeks session with guests, saxophonist Robert Goodhew and singer Judy Vaughn, was one of our really special nights at Hedsor, something a Hedsor evening can sometimes spring upon you. So don’t stay at home thinking you have heard the band before. Come and hear them again (and again and again) as you never know when the magic will take place.

Judy I had not heard before, and an accomplished singer she really is, singing songs of a slightly 1940’s vain, whilst Robert is improving all the time. In my view he is someone who needs to be kept an eye on. (As probably does his new young 2-month-old addition to the family! Congratulations to Robert and Anna).

I have done a bit more copying of tapes to CD this month in order to make them more accessible here in Cronin Towers, (yes I had to go into the loft to find some of them), but the CD that has delighted me most this week has been one that I had had half of before!!

Duke Ellington was the author of the remark and the tune “It Don’t Mean a Thing if it Aint Got That Swing”, and he knew how to make a big band swing, and of the musical elements you need to make the big band in the first place. He had a number of key musicians in his orchestra that helped to give that Ellington sound and one of those was alto saxophonist Johnny Hodges.

I was a dedicated trad jazz man in the late 40’s early 50’s, and Johnny Hodges was the man and sound that won me over to liking and “tolerating” the saxophone, followed closely nearer to home by Bruce Turner.

I have had the LP of “everybody knows JOHNNY HODGES” since 1965. It is a wonderful album of Ellingtonian musicians, but NOT under the leadership of the Duke! Slightly different arrangements are played of “The Jeep is Jumpin’”, “Main Stem” and “Open Mike”, but the CD that came my way this week (first released as such in 1992) has added to it music from another LP that was recorded under the leadership of Laurence Brown, Dukes trombonist. Recorded a year later (as “Inspired Abandon”) it does have mostly the same Ellington musicians, but with a few variations, and again the tunes are slightly rearranged Ellington standards. Its just as good as the first LP, and as I didn’t have the original LP, so what a bonus! This excellent combination of music and musicians was issued still as “everybody knows JOHNNY HODGES” on the GRP label  GRP11162. The artwork on the front is as the first LP, so you may well have passed it over if you had seen the reissued CD in a shop (obviously I am talking of the past, there are very few shops selling CD’s any more). Don’t let it escape now!

TTFN

Geoff C

This coming week at Hedsor Jazz has a very exciting prospect indeed

Yes, our regular band (now with John Monney as our bass player) is good, and last week (my first for weeks) they were exceptionally good (or does absence make the heart grow fonder?). But on the Thursdays where painting railings (a good community service thing to do) takes one of our regular players away, something a bit different can titillate the ear buds!! And this week it will excite!

Barbadian singer Judy Vaughn will be singing for us.

I managed to miss her last time she was at Hedsor (Yes, I was in hospital), but I know from a number of you how much you enjoyed her singing. 

We also have, just to keep Clive company at the front, and to add to the harmonies, that wonderfully toned young saxophonist Robert Goodhew (http://www.robertgoodhew.com).

One final personnel change this week (for another painter of railings and photographer, Martin Hart), is Mike Jeffries who will be our drummer this week.

We had a good crowd last week, and I didn’t get the chance to meet the new ones, so I do hope you all come again this Thursday for our new entry fee of only £7. 8.30pm start, bar open from 7pm

This week on my home stereo I have been busy listening to some old cassette tapes, and dubbing them into MP3 format to make it easier to listen again in the future. It made me realise what a rich musical heritage we have. Music created years ago can be played at home almost as though the performers were with you now.

I have checked on line, and I don’t think Tommy Smith playing “STANDARDS” is available new now. It comes from 1991, and was recorded by him in Oslo. I have had it on cassette tape from a about 1991, and it is timeless playing. With him are Neils Lan Doky on piano, Mick Hutton on bass and Ian Froman on drums. It is clean, melodic, modern jazz. I am delighted to have liberated the tape. The tunes include “Star Eyes”, “Speak Low”, “Night and Day”, “You’ve Changed” and 10 others. Do search it out, try the charity shops, but watch what you pay for it. I did notice one online shop asking over £40 for it!

The next buried treasure released from my cassette archives goes back slightly further to 1966/7. Benny Goodman recorded at a set of live performances in The Rainbow Room, part, according to my cassette, of Yale University’s Music Library. As well as BG it has some remarkable musicians alongside him. Zoot Sims, Joe Newman, George Duvivier in 1967, and Herbie Hancock and Less Span from 1966. The earlier tracks also have a singer, Annette Saunders, who is “OK”, which probably dams her with faint praise! The 67 tracks are however a great listen.

My last listen from off tape came to me very recently already on CD! Our regular drummer, Martin Hart, as a young man in the mid 1960’s played with a band called “John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, and although not on this recording, he is listed as a member of that band on their web site. The band evolved in the 60’s to become Fleetwood Mac. This CD is from tapes that were kind of bootlegged, being recorded very much live in various clubs in 1967 on a punters reel to reel machine. The band as recorded includes guitarist Peter Green, with John McVie on bass and Mick Fleetwood on drums. John Mayel sings and plays an Organ.

Yes, I did hear them in the 1960’s, and was only talking with Martin about that band a week before I went into hospital. The CD landed on my mat for me to hear when I came out. It has a really snappy title of “John Mayell’s Bluesbreakers Live in 1967” and can be found on Forty Below Records FBR 013

KEN RANKINE

Ken at Hedsor in 2012

I have just received details of Ken Rankine's funeral from his sister Linda. They are as follows:-

FUNERAL ARRANGMENTS

FRIDAY 4^TH NOVEMBER 2016

11AM  SERVICE AT ALL SAINT’S CHURCH,  1 STRAITS, EASTON, PORTLAND, DORSET, DT5 1HG

SMALL CARPARK OR CAN PARK AT TESCO CARPARK OFF EASTON SQUARE – PERMISSION IS GRANTED

12PM   BURIAL PORTLAND CEMETARY, WESTON ROAD, PORTLAND,  NEXT TO ST. GEORGE’S CHURCH  (CHURCH ADDRESS AT TOP OF REFORNE AND ON WIDE STREET, DT5 2JP  - IF PREFERED NOT TO GO TO THE BURIAL, CAN GO DIRECTLY TO THE BLUES CLUB

AFTER:-

PORTLAND BLUES FOOTBALL CLUB, NEW GROVE CORNER, GROVE ROAD, PORTLAND, DT5 1DP

PLENTY OF PARKING IN FOOTBALL CLUB CARPARK

ANY DONATIONS TO THE BRITISH HEART FOUNDATION WHICH KEN HELPED WITH. DONATIONS CAN BE GIVEN ON THE DAY TO THE FUNERAL DIRECTOR, OR SENT TO THEIR OFFICE,  ROSE FUNERAL SERVICE, 23 SHRUBBERY LANE, WYKE REGIS, WEYMOUTH, DORSET, DT4 9LY  TEL 01305 785832 

OR DONATIONS CAN BE MADE ON LINE TO HEAD OFFICE OF THE BRITISH HEART FOUNDATION

OR IF PREFERRED DONATIONS CAN BE TO ANY CANCER CHARITY

However you remember him, I'm sure he will not be forgotten.

Geoff C

HEDSOR JAZZ 

is still operating (to everyone's joy) every Thursday even at the slightly increased price of £7. This week will be another week with the regular band and if you have never heard this band (shame on you) why not take the opportunity on Thursday to visit and enjoy tuneful swinging jazz, with a sprinkling of humour and, dare I say, virtuosity!

During my enforced period of home based relaxation (!) I have listened again to a CD I listened to first a month or so ago, and it is so good, and such fun, that I thought I would nag on about it again!

"Down in the Deep Deep Blue" by The Man Overboard Quintet is brilliantly recorded, and will give your Hi Fi a good massage, the musicians are incredibly together and clean sounding, the enthusiasm for their music is obvious, and yet again, I had to smile. On the three counts they are good, good, and good!!

Manouche in style they may well be, but their choice of material goes way past Django's! "Please Don't talk About Me When I'm Gone" introduces the CD, and the voice of Louisa Jones, a lady I have not met, but maybe I will seek her out. She has a very attractive "cold" pure presentation, which suites the songs beautifully. The CD is available on the Champs Hill Records label as CHRCD089

One final plug for live music. I was email yesterday by Mike Jeffires:-

Evening Everybody,

I would just like to remind you all that tomorrow Tuesday 4th Oct we have the 2nd airing of the band "In The Pocket" at Bourne End Community Centre in Bourne End starting at 8.00 - 10 .30, We will be playing a mix of music from some standards but mostly more funky stuff from the likes of Stevie Wonder , Paul Simon, Billy Joel and others.

The musicians are ; Martin Pickett on Organ and vocals, Jez Cooke - guitar, John Monney- Bass guitar, Mike Wills Sax and myself on the Four Skins and a mike. It is only £5 .00 on the door including raffle and nibbles so please come and support live music because when it's gone you will be left with discos and rapp and what could be worse than that ( well perhaps Punk) even if it is live, well only just.


Hope to see you all.

Sadly I wont be able to be there, but perhaps you could take my place!! It's a bargain price, especially to hear Jez Cook again.

Until I see you all,

TTFN

Geoff C