It’s Tuesday, and time for another blog.

A “strange” blog today, because against all expectations I wasn’t able to get to Hedsor Jazz last week, so NO PHOTOS of Terry Hutchins and Mike Wilkins from their set last week. I am told it was a great session, sadly with very few in the audience. Maybe it was viewing fatigue! My excuse was I had my autumn booster jab for covid 19 AND my flue jab both on Wednesday afternoon, and found that by Thursday I was very “tired”. Sofa, TV and blankets were the order of the day (and evening!)!

So Hedsor Jazz missed my 1 man boost for its audience but I got a 2 jab boost (one in each arm!).

So to this week’s session on Thursday September 29th and something rather different. I am anticipating Martin Hart back from his holidays after 2 weeks of absence, and with him will be Ken McCarthy on keyboard. And of course a guest bass player. However we have 2 very special guests this week. On reeds we have a return of Duncan Lamont Jr (I am glad to say! He is a great player and a great supporter of us at Hedsor Jazz) but he will be partnered by a player, and an instrument that I don’t think we have had before. On HARMONICA we will have Phil Hopkins.

https://www.philhopkins.org.uk/

Phil Hopkins

So, discard the TV remote and venture out. Join us for what I am certain will be a greatly entertaining evening.

If you click on the link to Phil’s web page you will be able to listen to some of his work. He is of course paying tribute in his jazz playing to “Toots” Thielemans, a Belgian who played the harmonica with the Benny Goodman Orchestra when they toured Europe in 1949/50. Click on the link to hear some of his playing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-Zdn0Rzvks

"Toots" Thielmans

Having already written that I don’t think we have ever had the harmonica played at Hedsor Jazz before my memory tells me that we have had a well known harmonica player in the Hedsor audience before....the late Harry Pitch. He was responsible for the signature sounds on “The Last of the Summer Wine”. I do remember Harry coming to one of our buffet evenings at Hedsor Jazz and helping ensure nothing went to waste!

Looking deeper into October we have some super jazz coming to Hedsor. Make sure you keep your Thursday evenings free for it, because Al Nicholls, Max Brittain, The Clive Burton Celebration Quintet,  Vasils Xenopoulos and Nigel Price are all coming to us during October! Lets make it a warm welcome for all of our guest jazz musicians.

For the time being we still only charge £10 entry, and we start at 8.30pm. We are in the big room at The Hedsor Bar, Bourne End, Bucks. SL8 5ES