Good Morning England

This may be the last blog before both Christmas and New Year, so here is wishing you all a safe and jolly festive time.

Later down in the blog you will see my pics from our concert on December 16^th, sadly the last Hedsor Jazz concert for 2021.

It was one of those concert of jazz at Hedsor that everyone should have been at. The combination of 3 residents from Speen was dam near perfect. In front of Martin Hart, our regular band leading drummer , who has lived in Speen for many years, was trumpeter Johnny Thirkell. And alongside him was tenor saxophonist Frank Walden. Both also now resident in Speen. With Ken McCarthy on keyboard and Terry Davis on bass we had a terrific evening of jazz, with an interesting choice of tune and slightly more adventurous arranging. It was led on the night by Frank Walden, and it really worked.

You may notice from my photos that John Thirkell was playing a trumpet with a black finish to the bell end. I had a chat with him about this after the show and he explained that it had been made for him by a F1 motor racing design engineer who had a theory about the need to stiffen the output end of a trumpet for greater volume. The black finish isn’t a coating, but carbon fibre. The Trumpet was made especially for John, and is truly unique. It also sounded superb. John promised to come (with the same trumpet) to Hedsor again next year.

And so to our plans for next year. You will be pleased to know that we do intend to carry on as and when allowed into 2022, and have already paid in advance our room rent for the year.

SO far we have the following musicians earmarked to come:-

January  6^th     Lester Brown trumpet + Mark Aston reeds

           13^th     Kelvin Christiane reeds + Stuart Henderson trumpet

           20^th     Lester Brown trumpet + Duncan Lamont jr reeds

           27^th     Sue Greenaway reeds +  ?*

*? We are unsure who she will have alongside her. As I write, “our” Mike Wills has a broken wrist!

February 3^rd     Mark Aston reeds +   Lester Brown trumpet

            10^th     Stuart Henderson trumpet + “Tolly” reeds

            17^th     Lester Brown trumpet  +  ? we hope!

Throughout the year we hope to have some other great and well known musicians playing for us at Hedsor, depending on what virus lets us do w h u AND on audience numbers.

We are grateful for all who have supported us since were able to restart live jazz at Hedsor in May, but we could do with at least another 20 people coming to be the audience. In the past few weeks we have had a few new attendees’ but also we have lost a few who used to be regulars. So if you enjoy your evenings of jazz at The Hedsor Club, tell your friends.

CD’s for your Santa Stocking

Of recent weeks I have listened to 3 new issues from the label “Lateralize Records”.

I mentioned one a few weeks ago, “The Heart Wants” by singer Jo Harrop. This month I have listened to two more from the Lateralize stable.

Like Hedsor Jazz Lateralize found that they hadn’t anywhere for their signed artists to play live jazz so they set about recording and issuing an album that has a number of different artists on it but playing tunes written largely by British artists. “British Standard Time” (LR013CD) is the result. If you look them up on the web you will be able to sample some of this album for yourselves, but it is surprising to hear well know tunes played in a different way from the original.

Two stand out for me. I have always been a fan of the U2 song “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking for” and here it is sung by Jo Harrop. Her clarity of diction does mean that for the first time I can understand what the song is about!

Also sung by Jo on this compilation is “As Long as He Needs Me” from “Oliver”. Back in the 1960’s I saw this sung live on the West End stage, and it was really good the have a revived version.

Other singers sing other songs! One is used to hearing “Mad about the Boy” sung by Noel Coward, but to hear it sung by Carroll Thompson kind of wakes you up!

On the whole a good CD to make you realise there is more than one way to....no, not kill the cat, but to sing a well known song. Do take a look and a listen at https://lateralize.bandcamp.com/album/british-standard-time

I have really enjoyed the listen and the sound quality is excellent!

Comments on the third listen from the me will have to wait for their place in this "jazz from geoff" blog as I’m as yet unsure if jazz and harps go well together, so more on that later after a longer listen.

For a parting shot though I will say that I will look forward to hearing more from Jo Harrop. 

One final note. Together with the raffle run on December 16th and the sale of CD'd I was able to pay in to CRUK in Maidenhead a further £70, which make a total raised for CRUK by you good people of Hedsor Jazz since September of £250

Now what was that about stockings?

Jo Harrop

She has been know to sing alongside Nigel Price!

IT IS IMPORTANT THAT YOU READ THIS ISSUE

 Most times I write it is only information about what is next happening at Hedsor Jazz. That in part is still true, but sadly due to events completely out of our control, I have to tell you that our Christmas Party Event for December 23^rd has been CANCELLED. Please tell others who may not get a nudge about my blog first hand

We took this decision based on the information we have at the moment regarding the virulence of the new corona virus strain. I felt it safer to cancel our party as it was so near to people travelling to relatives and friends for Christmas, perhaps in different parts of the country, only a day or so after our party and therefore unwittingly spreading the virus.

So let me just say a big SORRY to both Sarah Moule and Duncan Lamont jr who would have been our Christmas guests. I know they are disappointed just as I am at not being able to put on this gig at this time. HOWEVER, we will put it on at a suitable time in 2022.

We ARE NOT going to cancel this coming Thursdays gig, and we do plan to resume on January 6^th. We have bookings through into February 2022.

But we would like you to be perhaps more careful within Hedsor Jazz than we have been in the recent past. Please bring a mask and wear it when away from your table. We are not going to ask for proof of vaccination, or of testing, but I do recommend that you get 3 vaccinations, as it seems at the moment that that will give you 70% protection from serious illness. 

Again, because of the need to restrict close contact within Hedsor Club we won’t be providing food. There will be no buffet this week as we had hoped.

There will be a Christmas Raffle during the interval though, so do come prepared to buy tickets, as all the money raised from this raffle will go to Cancer Research UK. We have already raised over £180 for CRUK from the sale of CD’s. Many thanks to all who purchased one or more.

So having got the negatives out of the way we are going to offer you something rather special by way of JAZZ this Thursday, December 16^th. On trumpet we will have an internationally renowned player who has been on more than 20 number one hit records, Johnny Thirkell. Alongside him will be tenor saxophonist Frank Walden, another session player who has been to Hedsor Jazz before AND has also played alongside Johnny Thirkell before as well. Usual start time of 8.30 and our usual entry fee of £10

I don’t have pictures from last weeks Hedsor Jazz to show you, as for the first time since we got back to jazz in May I wasn’t here!

The pictures below will show you a small sample of the chaos our house was suffering last week. The boiler was being replaced and the project was providing our plumber with a number of problems. He finished the installation at 6.45pm on Thursday. The house was then being warmed, but we then had to have our hot meal of the day and learn the new programmable system courtesy of “Nest”! I decided I needed my brain to have a holiday and the rest of me to have a Scotch, so I stayed in our new warmth.

After all the negatives and problems of the past year can I say thank you to all who have supported Hedsor Jazz since we reconvened in May. We have had some marvellous jazz. We aim to have more marvellous jazz in 2022 too. Keep an eye on the blog. If we can keep it going with all of us taking sensible precautions then we will.

Can I then take this opportunity of wishing you all the finest seasonal greetings. Have a happy and safe time full of joy this Christmas.

Geoff

Ho Ho Ho! 

A short bog today as we are in the midst of muddle. Our 20 year old boiler is being replaced by a new combi boiler, and chaos reins!

Last week we had a return of the Clive Burton Celebration Quintet.  A night to remember, AND a night to remember both Clive, and some of the tunes he liked to play.

Pictures below

 

News of Jan Burton.  She has had her operation in The John Radcliff Hospital following on from her recent stroke. She will shortly be moved to Newbury for further rehabilitation then hopefully she will be able to return to her own home. She is slowly regaining some use of her right side, so good news.

Gil was also with us last week, and there is good news about him too, he is still cancer free! He will need some further surgery at some future date, but he is still able to enjoy Hedsor Jazz, and all that goes with it!

As mentioned last week, we have that swinging tenor player Al Nicholls playing for us this Thursday (Dec 9^th) at Hedsor Jazz and he will be playing alongside guitarist Max Brittain. Another great night of jazz music to look forward to. Do check out the link in last weeks blog for a 25 minute session of Max at Marlow.

Talking of Marlow, Marlow Jazz has just issued it Christmas Greeting with an update for its coming events, see jpeg file below.

Our Christmas Party is still planed for December 23^rd. In view of the present circumstances surrounding covid 91 we will limit the numbers to 45, so please ensure to let Tracy know you intend to come. If I get the time I will print some tickets as your place marker. Entry will still be £10, with a buffet and with a raffle to raise funds for Cancer Research UK with a the prize of a Christmas Hamper. Start time will be at 8pm to give you that bit of extra time to enjoy yourself!

On the Cancer Research front, this week I have paid in another £115 from the sale of CD’s, at Hedsor Jazz see receipt below.

 

More Blog may follow when my circulation returns!

But for now listen to Jamie Cullum - But For Now Lyrics - YouTube