JAZZ FROM GEOFF

It’s been nearly a week now, and Cookham Bridge has remained OPEN!! What a joy. 5 months of closure, and a good ½ hour diversion meant getting to anything in Buckinghamshire took just too long. Now, for me, Hedsor Jazz is just 10 minutes away! And achievable on roads nearly wide enough for 2 cars! 

I heard on the news today that a road in London (Old Oak Common Lane) was going to be shut for 4 years!! A typical 1½ hour diversion then being required! What do our elected representatives think they are doing!! I quote from the search engine:- 

Old Oak Common Lane runs between the area and East Acton, where residents go for shopping, schools and hospitals. HS2 Ltd has told residents it will have to close the road for four years for work on utility cabling and to lower the road for double-decker buses, and has submitted a planning application.

I’m sure all the planning applications will be scrutinised closely, and all will be normal, in 4 or 5 years time! 

So, what is Hedsor Jazz going to get this coming Thursday, March 28th 

Duncan Lamont Jr that superb melodic tenor sax and flute player, and such a good a friend to Hedsor Jazz, is coming and bringing with him singer Jenny Howe. Jennie hasn’t been to Hedsor Jazz before, and I’m sure she will bring some of the sunshine we need for Spring. There are so many literations you can do on song titles and the weather, so I’ll leave you to work them all out for yourself. But Spring CAN really hang you up the most! 

Duncan Lamont Jr

Jennie Howe

With them this week we will have Nigel Fox on keyboard, Al Pirrie on bass and Martin Hart on drums. 

I spoke with Ken McCarthy on the telephone over the weekend and he promises to be in our audience this week. That is great news. What is even better news is he is promising to be in the band the following week!! For that night (April 4th) he will be surrounded by Mark Aston on reeds, Lester Brown on trumpet, Al Pirrie on bass, and Martin Hart on drums. 

Last week (my photos are below) we had another newcomer to Hedsor Jazz, Trumpeter Ben Cummings (who had been once before to great acclaim) brought with him saxophonist Ollie Weston. AND they will be back, because they are and make a splendid team. It was a great evening of jazz, and a great evening for jazz tunes. I always enjoy hearing “Isfahan” from Duke Ellington's “Far East Suit” and I'm pleased that it is now getting more plays. 

For almost the whole evening we had on keyboard Martin Pickett. Sadly his clock was ½ hour slow, and he missed the first ½ of the first ½! And his absence just went to show how much a chordal instrument can be missed. The emptiness behind the notes can clearly be heard by the audience. Once established he went on to demonstrate just why we need a keyboard player in the mix! 

Stuart Barker was our bass player, and it was good to have him back with us again. He also has a wife (I have too, but his wife also sings jazz!) and Lucinda Fosker sang 2 tunes for us in the second set. Do check out her web site https://www.lucindafoskermusic.com/

I think it amazing that in the past couple of years we have had some really talented young musicians come to Hedsor Jazz who love to play jazz. I just wonder where the young audience is hiding? 

That’s it for now folks, if you already come to Hedsor Jazz and you enjoy it, tell others. In order to keep going and bringing the quality of product that we currently bring to enjoy at Hedsor Jazz, we need more of you to entertain!! “It Could Happen to YOU”. 

 Geoff C