Unfortunately due to illness in the family Al Nicholls will not be with us on Thursday 29th. 

We have been fortunate in getting Alam Nathoo as his replacement

Geoffs jazz blog is back to normal. I have returned from my holiday break, have now left the cough and cold behind, and am looking forward to more live jazz.

This week that bit of live jazz will be really cool live jazz!

 

Both Al Nicholls and James Fenn have been associated with Hedsor Jazz over many years, and it is really very pleasing to get them both to us again.

Last week, I searched the net for live jazz in the Cotswolds, but couldn’t find any. You at Hedsor had the full Tracy Mendham experience, with trumpeter Ian Smith in attendance as well. The line-up was completed by Nigel Fox on keyboard and Steve Riddle on bass with drummer Simon Price depping for an unwell Martin Hart at short notice. Its a real pity I missed this gig, but you would none of you have liked my cold, cause I didn't! 

The photos come courtesy of Peter England, who took your money last week. He may also do it this week as Tracy G was in France the last time I had email contact with her.

Ian with drummer Simon Price depping at short notice

Next week is the first gig of July (6^th) and will be led by Duncan Lamont Jr, see poster jpeg below.

 

 

Perhaps sadly I will then be missing again for a week, as on my way back from Swanage I am going to visit Ken Rankine’s sister on Portland. Sufficient time has now gone by such that many of you will not know that Ken was our regular bass player for over 17 years up until his death in 2016. He had a house and family on Portland in Dorset with whom I try to keep in touch.

The late Ken Rankine

 

You might like to acquaint yourselves with the Swanage Jazz Festival program. I understand a lot of it is now sold out, but even strolling the streets of Swanage over the festival weekend you will get you to hear lots of super jazz music. Follow the link for the full colour program!

https://swanagejazzfestival.co.uk/main-programme-2023/

You may or may not get a blog and or reminder of what’s on at Hedsor Jazz over the next 2 weeks, but please bear in mind that we are at the Hedsor Bar EVERY Thursday, with top quality modern jazz. If you have recently been to other jazz venues you will realize that out entry fee of £10 is a bargain, so please do your best to support this quality local weekly jazz event.

Other local jazz venues are around, the nearest being Bourne End Social Clubs monthly event on the first Tuesday of each month and Marlow Jazz Club also on a Tuesday evening, see  https://www.marlowjazz.co.uk/JUNEWEBSITE.pdf

We are fortunate in this area to have so much great jazz available to us. Whereas the Cotswolds, beautiful though it is, seems to have very little.

Good Morning England. A non jazz blog today, I am away in the Cotswold's, and it is the first wet day right from the start of it! So a brief word or two, but not about jazz, because although the buildings are lovely, and the Westonbirt Aboretum is beautiful I have yet to trace down any live jazz hereabouts. There is nothing like Jazz In Reading, telling you of all the gigs in the area, because I don't think there is any jazz at all in the area! We saw a great production of Noel Cowards "Private Lives" in Cirencester's "Barn Theatre" and the interval music, via a recording, did sound like Bix Beiderbecke, but it was a recording, and unattributed at that!

So, just to make sure you know what is happening at Hedsor on Thursday, and to save you looking back a few blogs, I will tell you, but wont be there myself!

On trumpet Ian Smith, on tenor sax Tracy Mendham, on keyboard Nigel Fox, with Martin Hart on drums, and as is our wont, a guest bass player! That's Thursday 22nd June from 8.30 at The Hedsor Bar.

You can tell me what last week was like, I wasn't there to hear or take pics, but just to show what I have seen this week, a few snaps are attached.

Do look closely at the picture below the poppies, the trees are a reflection in a pond, with the ripples from the fish are under a leafy branch!

That's it for now, coffee time, enjoy Jazz at Hedsor you lucky people. 

Don't forget Jazz in Swanage is beckoning! There may still be tickets:-

https://swanagejazzfestival.co.uk

 It is with the deepest sadness that I have to announce that 

Michael Weinblatt  died this morning.

I have just spoken with Helen, Michael’s wife, and in response to Michael’s wished, there won’t be a funeral, it was just something he didn’t want. His ashes will be scattered at Beachy Head and there will be a celebration of his life at a future date.

Michael will be greatly missed by many people, both for his contributions to jazz, and for his art.

A personal  reminiscence. He and I shared a love of 3 great British reed players, Sandy Brown, Bruce Turner and Tony Coe and swapped the music of each whenever we found a recording we hadn’t heard from them before. Only two weeks ago he was asking for more Sandy Brown!

Regarding live jazz at Hedsor Jazz, please look back on last weeks blog entry for the next few weeks listings, as I wont write more today.

Geoff C