Hedsor, and all that jazz (blog)!

Will be a shorter one than past weeks. 

I am beginning to regress to former days, where I once ran a youth club and was more involved with folk music that jazz (many young people were very good at that kind of vocal and guitar music). I was about to quote a line from a folk song, ("In this windy old weather, stormy old weather, boys when the wind blows we'll all go together") and Yes I did see Pete Seeger sing that at The Royal Albert Hall, but it aint jazz!

So to bring my mind into focus let me tell you that this week, Hedsor Jazz has a complete version of “The Clive Burton Celebration Quintet”.

This means that we will have with us Lester Brown on trumpet, Mike Wills on reeds, Ken McCarthy back again this week on keyboard, Martin Hart on drums, and a strolling bass player, who I know not! So expect some arranged tunes. “Cookham Bridge” perhaps?

Last week with Stuart Henderson and Kelvin Christiane on the front line and the strolling bass of Ester Ng we had a splendid session. The front line were superb, Ken McCarthy played a beautiful solo, and I had of keep reminding myself that this quality of music hasn’t always been available to me!! OR YOU for that matter. Once upon a time we had to go to a London Club to get the quality that Hedsor brings to us each week.

My pictures of last week are below, and the tune list. Many thanks again for the tune record keepers of Hedsor!

No Shoe Shots This Week!

Set 1
1. Sugar
2. All the Things You are
3. Cape Verdean Blues
4. Bluecette
5. I Wanted to Say   piano feature by Ken McCarthy
6. Alone Together

Set 2
1. Tin Tin Deo
2. The Nearness of You*    
3. Lullaby at Birdland*
4. Voyage

5. There is No Greater Love
6. Relaxin’ at the Camarillo

I must mention that the two tunes marked * had Lesley Christiane as our vocalist. In the past Lesley has been a folk artist herself, with commercial recordings to her name (now there’s a link to my opening lines I didn’t anticipate)!

Going back to those youth and folk club days of the 1960's, an LP came out in those days that I just had to buy, skint though I was. It was (and probably still is) a very unexpected release.

Stan Tracey was Ronnie Scotts house pianist for may years. Acker Bilk was a very popular trad clarinet player and part of the trad boom of the late 50’s. Back in 1968 the last combination you would expect would be Acker and Stan playing together on the same LP!

And then came “Blue Acker”. A brilliant joining of talents, so unexpected, but so good. It is available on CD now via Lake records (LACD218) and I would heartily recommend it.

Look at the cast list! Kenny Wheeler/Ian Hamer/Derek Watkins/Eddie Blair/Les Condon trumpets, Ian Carr on flugelhorn, Keith Christie/Don Lusher/Chris Pyne/Bobby Lamb/Chris Smith trombones, Tony Coe tenor sax, Stan Tracey of course on piano, Dave Green on bass and Barry Morgan on drums. ALL backing Mr Bilk! Also included is a little known Duke Ellington tune called “Lay-By” featuring Tony Coe.

Artwork for this gem is below.

TTFN

See you all Thursday!

and NO I dont know why sometimes the blogging software sometimes leaves out the background colour! Never mind, it's the words that count!