A Short Essay today, (as I think my A level assessment has passed me as B+ )!!

I have managed to do one new thing this week though, and I have self assessed myself as A+ for doing it.

For my recent birthday I was given an Echo Dot.

Now that is a device that I had never thought of putting on my present list (which I don’t have anyway). I was pleased with myself when I managed to get it to work, and to get it to link to my tablet and for it then to play Scala Radio for me. I then considered getting it to play through my Hi Fi, so I sorted out the appropriate cabling, plugged it together and LOW, Scala Radio through the Hi Fi. I would mention that the Echo Dot, by itself, doesn’t produce very good sound for listening to music .

Then I wondered if I could link Eco to my Bluetooth device, already connect to my Hi Fi for playing music from off of my phone. And Lo and behold, the two linked (I think the correct terminology is “paired”) and so with no visible means of connection Alexa could obtain Scala Radio and I could hear it, wire free, through my Hi Fi, and all by asking "Alexa, play Scala Radio"

Considering the number associated with that last birthday, I was very pleased with myself. Alexa did however get a bit confused when I asked “her” to play me some music by Sandy Brown. After assuring her that I didn’t want to sign up for some subscription music channel, she did play me some jazz, and eventually, Sandy Brown was in the mix, but before then I'd had some Acker Bilk, Chris Barber, Ken Colyer etc!! 

I think she and I still have a lot to learn!

If when you arrive at Hedsor Jazz this coming Thursday (which as this blog is now a day late will be tomorrow, Thursday August 12^th) you ask to hear Lester Brown, Kelvin Christian, Ken McCarthy, Terry Davis and Martin Hart, you will be given an A+ as well, because Hedsor Jazz will be able to oblige!

Maybe it’s Hedsor Jazz that gets the A+!!

Last week we heard at Hedsor for the first time a young saxophonist, Frank Walden, and what a great player he is. SO until Tom Jones next international tour begins, we will be able to invite him back to Hedsor (Frank is in the touring orchestra backing Tom Jones). I did record the evening, and in due time I will remaster the recording and that of the past two Hedsor Jazz sessions and put them out on DropBox for you to download, but until then, my photos of the evening are below.

Next week (August 19th), our Thursday Jazz evening will have a wonderful pairing (I knew that was the right verb after all!), of two great musicians, Duncan Lamont jnr on saxophone and Mike Innes on trombone, They will be backed by our regular rhythm section led by Martin Hart.

"OK, play the Loony tune, its time for coffee."

Sadly Alexa doesn’t actually make coffee!