Geoff’s Blog, and if you read this straight away on Tuesdays, then Tonight (August 23rd) at Marlow there is some local jazz for you. Vasilis Xenopoulos (a Cookham resident!) is playing alongside Nigel Price at The British Legion Hall as part of Michael Eagleton’s program of concerts. Do refer back to last weeks blog for more detail of his Autumn program, but tonight the evening starts at 8.30pm and will cost you £10 to get in, just as it will in October when Vasilis and Nigel play Hedsor Jazz, (that’s on October 20^th).

Coming to Hedsor Jazz THIS WEEK (Thursday August 25^th) we have another influential jazz saxophonist. After a break at least as long as the covid one, we have a return of alto player Peter Cook. Peter has trained many of the saxophonists you listen to, being Head of Jazz at The London Collage of Music (https://www.uwl.ac.uk/staff/pete-cook). Also see his web page at 

http://www.petecooksax.com/Site/Welcome.html 

He has a cool pure “Paul Desmond” like approach, which I’m sure you will appreciate, and on Thursday he will be partnered by that super trombone player Nick Mills. Our usual trio will be backing them.

 

Looking back on last weeks concert, what a super evening it was! The combination of Alan Barnes, a saxophonist I have listened to for over 20 years, led by our local trumpet star Stuart Henderson was superb.

 As many of you know my wife and I have recently celebrated 63 years of married life, and I had to mention to Alan that this was as long as he had been around! Yes, he was born in 1959! And long may he continue. He has given so many of us so many happy musical memories, and also many cd’s to keep the memory alive when we are at home. His version last Thursday of Duke Ellington’s “Isfahan” just added to the memories. Superb. 

If you look on Michael’s Autumn program (in last weeks blog) you will find you can hear Alan there again in November.

Some pictures from last Thursday are below.

 

However if you want to listen to Alan again before November 15th, then go to The Wooburn Festivals 30^th September jazz festival dinner, where Alan will be laying alongside pianist David Newton. They shared the same room at Leeds where they both studied music and they have played together many times since. You can check out their Wooburn Festival appearance at https://www.wooburn.com/jazz.html

With the cost of everything going up, we do hope to keep our entry fee at Hedsor Jazz to just £10 per head. That could be made more certain if a few more people came to each concert. We are attempting to raise our profile, and we do now have a miniscule place online in the Bucks Free Press. Do let people know and check it out for yourself by going to

https://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/local-events/?_evDiscoveryPath=/event/1286013-hedsor-jazz

If you click on “more info” you can to get to my blog! A full circle from here!

That’s it for now folks