Brexit Thursday

We have a really suitable topic for a discussion on such a day. 

I am advised by a musician, that our guest saxophonist on Thursday, Anatoliy Vyechslavov, is Ukrainian, not as I had thought, Bulgarian. This isn't certain, but what is certain is that he is a cracking saxophonist! 

Tolly, on Thursday, please let us know...

about your nationality.

Following on from this mornings bit of blogging I thought I would attempt to share with anyone who is interested a track from a recording I made that contained "Tolly", one of our guests this Thursday.

If you copy and past the link below from DropBox you can hear Tolly playing "Tenor Madness" from a Hedsor Jazz recording of 2009. With him in the bar that night were Stuart Henderson on trumpet, Zane Cronje on keyboard, Ken Rankine on bass and Martin Hart on drums. Vibrant music from 10 years ago.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/28lua9e4vwssx91/AADHYbOCayNQSDthYUnBtFyxa?dl=0

Geoff C

It being Tuesday and blog day, this one will be shorter than usual as I have  lot of things on my desk that all seem to shout “do me first”!

Coming to us this Thursday are a combination that we haven’t seen at Hedsor Jazz for a long time. First heard together in the bar, not the big room we use now, trumpeter Stuart Henderson will be with a saxophonist of HIS choice. Know to us as “Tolly”, Bulgarian (I think) Anatoliy Vyechslavov is now a very busy man. Together they play powerhouse jazz and I would highly recommend you to get to Hedsor this week. Recent piano players have been seen to play with their shoes off, (not at Hedsor you understand!) but I think the jazz this coming Thursday will blow your socks off! Miss it at your peril. That’s this (Brexit) Thursday, March 28^th 8.30pm, £7 entry with free parking and a chance to be a winner with our free raffle. 

The photos below are from the session in the old bar at Hedsor in December 2011.

Also coming up soon is a gig Alan Grahame would like to promote for April 27^th . Poster below.

And below are photos from last week’s wonderful session. I know, I do say more often than not how good our sessions have been, rarely do I say they were less than good. Last week’s though was one of those nights that seemed to have had a low expectation (not enough of you in the audience), but I for one am glad to have been at a session where that jazz magic happened. 

Alan, as you may know, hasn’t been well recently. Last Thursdays gig at Hedsor was his first gig in 6 weeks. He wanted to be at Hedsor for it as he knew he would be amongst friends who would understand if he wasn’t as good as usual. He knew we were a knowledgeable audience and was nervous. BUT what a wonderful evening of music it was. Max Brittain and Alan were in perfect harmony all evening, and that oneness seeped into the rest of the quintet. “Our” Nigel was on top form. Once the first number was underway I whipped out my mobile phone and recorded the rest of the evening and wonder of wonders , that recording sounds pretty good too. You can try it by using the link to my DropBox folder below.

DropBox link to last Thursdays music:-

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/csuyqklq4lls7q5/AADbps5TaFmP0VPdsBCp3n96a?dl=0

Mention must be made as well as we had a guest musician sit in during the second half. Bass player Andy Crowdy. Watch out for him, he will be with us again on April 11th.

This photo thank to Geoff Swaffield

The Jazz at Hedsor is alive and well, but to survive we need more in the audience more regularly. Go on, come out to The Hedsor Club on a Thursday and let music be the food of …. Oh I don’t know, you tell me!

I’m writing this blog a little earlier than usual, and there is more looking back than there is looking forward, but that’s also the story of my life!

Alan playing at Hedsor on his 90th birthday

Coming to us this week we have someone who has a considerable amount of looking back to do, and we all hope it keeps on growing. Alan Grahame, King of the Vibes, is going to be with us on Thursday at Hedsor Jazz, and he will be alongside another veteran of the British Jazz Scene, guitarist Max Brittain. They will be accompanied by our usual rhythm section which this week features Peter Hughes on bass. This should be a lovely melodic evening. 

Last week was a bit "unexpected" on a number of fronts. 

I’m sorry but we didn’t get enough advance warning out to you all, but we had that great swinging saxophonist Al Nicholls alongside trumpet man Andy Gibson, not Duncan Lamont Jnr as I had blogged, and some good stuff was played by them. Following in the ethic of our old band leader Clive Burton, who always encouraged young players who wanted to sit in, we added into the mix (for two tunes) a young lady singer -  Bulgarian born and opera trained Yuliya Nedyalkova. She has a very good voice, and given more experience in my opinion she will make a very good addition to the local jazz scene. I think she threw everyone at first by singing the first tune in French, but she has lived until recently in Paris. Photos of the session are below. She has said that she would like to become a regular part of our Hedsor Jazz audience, so do make her welcome when you see her.

Looking back on last week some of us went to Norden Farm to see Tina May on Friday. She was in terrific form, with a great band around her. Pianist Alex Hutton played his shoes off, (yes really, he didn’t wear them whilst playing.) Andy Cleyndert on bass needs no introduction as he is a very accomplished player who has been on the scene for ages, despite his youthful looks. On drums was Bobby Worth. He still looks like the perfect bank manager, and is still a brilliant drummer, despite or because of the fact that that he was born in 1949. The young saxophonist with them I didn’t know, and still don’t know his name, but it was a great gig, with everyone swinging like mad.

Also looking back, last Saturday at Marlow’s Christ Church and playing their Bechstein grand piano we had Chris Ingham, who with Paul Higgs (tpt), Marianne Windham (bass), and George Double (drums) were playing tribute to the music of Dudley Moore. An interesting and illuminating evening as not only was the music of as high a quality as the piano, but we all learnt aspects of Dudley Moore that we didn’t know before (probably!). Do check  out the web site for some excellent photos from the evening. 

http://www.musicinmarlow.org.uk/dudley-mar-2019/4594569115

A Sample of the Music in Marlow's Photos

Before I finish this week’s shuffle backwards and forwards, on Friday at 8pm in Cookham’s Methodist Church we have "The Echoes of Swing Big Band". All proceeds from this event will go to charity.

Future dates for your Hedsor Diary are (all on Thursdays of course and all accompanied by The Clive Burton Quartet Rhythm Section):-

March 28^th Stuart Henderson trumpet with “Tolly” on tenor sax. Our bass player for the evening will be Steve Riddle

April 4^th Lester Brown trumpet with saxophonist Mark Aston. Our bass player will again be Steve Riddle

Lester and Mark play regularly together in Lester’s Dad’s band "The Phil Brown Swingtet"

April 11^th Our band this week will be Robert Goodhew on tenor sax, with Andy Crowdy on bass, Nigel Fox keyboards and of course Martin Hart on drums. Others may be around, as there is a private jazz recording session in the club in the afternoon and some of the leftovers may be served up in the evening, you never know!

Andy Crowdy Playing at Hedsor

STOP PRESS

We have a very late change to our advertised program for TONIGHT.

Our guest alongside trumpeter Andy Gibson is saxophone star, all the way from “Blue Harlem”  Al Nichols

I know a number of Hedsor jazz fans have asked for him recently, but it is absolutely wonderful that we can have Al tonight.

DO tell as many people as possible of this late change of program

The link to my DropBox folder for the music from last weeks session is below.

Please click on, or copy the link and past into your browser

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/5ng9gw54h5jwxjm/AACzd0X2_FNmWU2v5ZLG65uUa?dl=0

This will allow you to download all the tunes from both sets, and a cover for your CD if you need one.

Enjoy

Another week of jazz comment

That’s comment forward and comment backwards.

Forward.

This week is one full of promise and expectation. In our local area there are 3 good gigs on the trot starting with of course 

Hedsor Jazz on Thursday (March 14th), where we welcome back saxophonist Duncan Lamont Jnr, who this time is accompanied at the front by trumpeter Andy Gibson. Usual start time and entry fee, and of course as from last week the re emerged RAFFLE. How can you resist?

Then on Friday at Norden Farm, Maidenheads Arts Centre, we have singer Tina May in  the Studio setting, with Simon March on alto and tenor sax, Alex Hutton on piano and Andy Cleyndert on bass. Start time is 8pm, and tickets are around the £16 mark.

To finish the week on Saturday we have a Tribute to Dudley Moore performed by that excellent pianist Chris Ingham, together with Paul Higgs on trumpet, Marianne Windham on bass and George Double on drums. All this takes place in Marlow’s Christ Church in Oxford Road, Marlow. Tickets can be purchased or reserved via phone on 01628 486227.

Looking Back

Last weeks Hedsor Jazz Gig featuring Sue Greenway and Mike Wills playing the music of Al Cohn and Zoot Sims was a very high grade event. Right from the start (The Opener!) the sound of two tenor sax’s in combination and harmony blew ones lower limb coverings right off. And they managed to do the same with two clarinets too. Mike as we know is Hedsor Jazz’s now irregular sax section, and Sue has been to us a couple of times before, but this is the first time we have had an evening of arrangements (by Mike) for them both to play. It was a wonderful evening, and I did record it! It may become available on my DropBox site for later listening so watch out later for the link. Pictures below.

Ken McCarthy guested on two tunes in the second half

One final comment. By a timing coincidence  a CD came my way this week by pianist Chris Ingham, playing the music of Stan Getz. Called simply “STAN” its an excellent tribute to Mr Getz. Mark Crooks plays the tenor sax role, with Arnie Somogi on bass and George Double on drums. It has made me even more interested in seeing “DUDLEY” on Saturday because it is a well produced album, albeit with the recording volume set a bit high. The sleeve says it was “Recorded at home on 22 September 2018”.

One tune I particularly enjoyed was “Detour Ahead” which I think is a Herb Ellis composition, but many of the well known Getz favourites are there, including “The Peacocks” by Jimmy Rowles.

Its on Downhome Records, so it may only be purchasable at gigs. BUT of course there is one coming on Saturday at Marlow!

It’s that special time of week again, where we wet your appetite for all things Hedsor Jazz!

Two things to look forward to on Thursday at Hedsor.

Firstly our celebration of the music of Zoot Sims and Al Cohn, provided by our very own saxophone section, Mike Wills, partnered by saxophonist Sue Greenway.

This should have you learning some new tunes. Perhaps if I put in a request, it might get played, so how about “Brandy and Beer”? I’ll drink the beer!

I know some of you have stayed away because we missed it out, but no longer do you have to watch TV at home on a Thursday because this week we welcome back THE RAFFLE.

Sir Michael is getting into quick draw mode, so do bring your quality gifts to share via this amazing piece of entertainment.

Just looking into the future (no not via clairvoyance) next week (March 14^th) we can welcome back Duncan Lamont Jnr. 

This time we have him teamed up at the front with trumpeter Andy Gibson. I am told he has been to Hedsor before, but it must have been during one of my absences because I don’t know him. He plays in the Scott Wilcox Big Band and also in a number of West End pit orchestras, so paring him with Duncan seems like a good idea. I’m sure he will be able to expand on his CV when we get to see him.

A week after that we welcome back Alan Graham. It’s so good to have him back again after his recent illness, which stopped him in our tracks twice! With him we will have Max Brittain on guitar. Max is a star in his own right, and we tend to take some of our regular playing friends of Hedsor Jazz for granted, but search Google, and you will find this written about him

Max Brittain.

Max has worked with
Humphrey Lyttelton, Ronnie Scott, Georgie Fame, Jamie Callum, Cleo Laine,
Marion Montgomery, Val Doonican and many more. Max plays a MikeVanden Custom 'Max Brittain' arch top and a Gibson L7 acquired from Ike Isaacs.

“OTHER” THINGS

Last week we learnt of the death of Andre Previn. When I got home on Thursday evening BBC 2 were showing a repeat in tribute to him. A program with Andre of his best moment with the BBC. I was staggered by the quality of the sound and vision, as some of the material was from the 1970’s. What a treasure trove the BBC has and what a shame that they a) don’t show much of it now and b)rarely put out such quality music these days. Yes, we get the proms, but rarely do you get such good quality (yes “classical” music) these days.

Just to place Andre back into my jazz scenario, he produced a superb CD back in 1999 with just David Fink on bass. It was a tribute to Duke Ellington entitled “We Got it Good and That Ain’t Bad”. And yes, it wasn’t bad at all! I highly recommend it. It was on Deutche Grammophon 463 456-2

My second “Other” is about an article in the Birmingham based jazz magazine “The Jazz Rag”. It’s an interview with Simon Spillett by Ron Simpson titles “Life After Tubby”. It is an extended article covering 3 pages and well worth a read.

Follow the link to read all of this latest issue

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MDZhi1JeOUpj4Eabq_ekL81sIUqE0ICg/view 

My final “Other” is a reminder from our ex employee student Rory. See poster below.

Finally, as I know we all like pictures, a few from last week, showing the very newly married Lester Brown alongside Kelvin Christiane. Lester, by the way, travels to us all the way from Dorking to play for us. I hope we all appreciate his commitment. Well done Lester and congratulations of the new state of marriage.

Finally finally, I have NO Idea why blogger randomly changes the text background, but its the text that counts!!