A short blog today.

Yes, there will be jazz at Hedsor this Thursday, March 31^st. Al Nicholls and Max Brittain will be joining us. 

I am still clear of covid, my last test was negative, and I will test again on Thursday morning. So I hope to be back with you all at Hedsor, having isolated for a week or more as my wife June went down with the “nasty cold” variant of covid 19 two weekends ago 

However the main reason for this particular blog issue is to pay tribute to singer Tina May, who died on Saturday. 

If you haven’t already read it, do please look at https://londonjazznews.com/2022/03/27/rip-tina-may-1961-2022/  the announcement and tribute to her from her son. 

Tina had an inoperable brain tumour and had been ill since last October, when she had to cancel all of her engagements. Her family wanted to keep this piece of news to themselves and so I haven’t been able to write about it before, but now she is gone, and she is at rest, we can share our memories. She sang for us at Hedsor Jazz many times, and one of the cancelled gigs would have been one for us. 

I have listened to her, talked with her and bought her CD’s over more than 30 years. The first time was in the Old Windsor Fire Station Arts Centre, the last time was at The Norden  Farm Arts Centre. 

Her partner of the last few years is another musician known to Hedsor Jazz, Simon Spillett, and I’m sure we will all want to offer our sympathy to her family and to Simon for their loss. 

But many many people will miss her and be saddened by her passing. 

The last time I saw her was at Norden Farm in February 2020 just before lockdown. As usual it was a packed house, but a few Hedsor people were there and chatted with her after the show. She was relaxed and felt at home with us.  

Now we all have memories and memories can be shared. That is one advantage of living for a long time. We have more memories to share.  It has been a privilege to have known Tina, and the great joy of 21^st century living is that we can still listen to her whenever we choose, she made many recordings. Today listening to them and reminiscing with others will be with a great sadness. 

Tina sang for us at many Hedsor Christmas parties, and the one photo I want to share today is one from our Hedsor Christmas party on December 19^th 2013