My Blog this week, unlike last weeks edition, can starts with good news.

Clive has had one long day of Chemotherapy (last Friday) and is feeling fine AND his goitre has already shrunk!

He is obviously taking each day as it comes, but so far so good, and he hopes to be with us at Hedsor tomorrow, which will therefore be a regular band session.

There is a non Hedsor Jazz event coming up next Tuesday, but one that does have some of our regular Hedsor guys playing on it.

At The Bourne End Community Centre on Tuesday 4^th April the band “Why Us” will perform from 8pm. The band contains it’s founder member John Monney and also Hedsor’s regular saxophone section Mike Wills. I am assured they will play material, which is “to be a bit different from the usual swing material”.

Our regular guardian of the Red box (Dee) will be away for a while as she is having an op on her knee. In her place for a week or so will be either John Dutton (Jazz Angels treasurer) or Helen Weinblatt (by volunteering she becomes a Jazz Angel treasure!). No matter who takes your money, please still turn out to support live jazz. At just £7 with the bonus of free parking and a raffle ticket it’s the best value live gig around.

Now for a long missing CD Review!!

When Traditional Jazz is talked about in the UK one thinks of the kind of music that was performed by “Ball, Barber and Bilk” with perhaps Ken Colyer thrown in for good measure. Those of us who lived through the late 50’s and early 60’s will recall trumpet, trombone and clarinet, with a banjo somewhere lurking behind them. However, this is NOT the only concept of how to play jazz in a traditional manner. In those days a tenor or alto sax would gain you a banner telling you to “Go Home”!! However, coming out of New York comes a band with terrific musicality called “The Hot Sardines” (https://hotsardines.com/). This is a band with terrific panache and a Tenor Sax, a Lady Singer, a valve trombone, and a guitar, etc. I now have two of their CD’s. The first to come was simply called “The Hot Sardines” and has a mix of instruments and tunes that just entrances. I repeat myself, but they are all dam good at playing, have a sense of humour, (but NOT in the “Spike Jones City Slicker” form) and play a wide choice of tune. The first album had “Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen”, “Petite Fleur” (with vocal!) and “Your Feet’s Too Big”.

The second album is called “French Fries + Champage” and has an equally eclectic choice of material, including “Running Wild” and “Until the Real Thing Comes Along”!

Both albums are on the Decca label and more info can be had from their website (above).

For a bit of real joy do look them up. It’s Trad, but not as we know it!

Geoff C