Hedsor Jazz’s next evening on May 16^th is rushing towards us, and, yes, I will mention it in a moment, but even nearer is tonight’s gig at MARLOW JAZZ CLUB.

DO checkout there website (https://www.marlowjazz.co.uk/may2024eventsupdate.pdf) for featured there tonight May 14^th will be Simon Spillett and Alex Garnet (two tenors for, well £10!!) and they will be backed by FRANK HARRISON on Piano STUART BARKER, bass and ELLIOT TOMS drums

And then, before we get to Thursday, this Wednesday, May 15^th, as part of Cookham’s Festival of the Arts at Cookhams Pinder Hall we will have Vasilis Xenopoulos on saxophone with Paul Edis on keyboard playing music from their new CD “Feels Like Home”. Check out the webpage https://www.cookhamfestival.co.uk/vasilis-and-paul for more detail, but for Vasilis, Cookham is now home!

And now we do come to Thursdays gig at Hedsor Jazz! May 16^th.

We will be welcoming back the sound of the trombone, driven this time by Nick Mills. A fine musician, and a band leader in his own right, who has been with us a number of times before. This time he will be accompanied by a well know face (and sound!) at Hedsor, Mark Aston, on saxophones. It could even become a night where we get a pair of trombones, as Mark not only plays the saxophone, but has also been seen and heard playing the trombone! 

That’s this Thursday May 16^th at The Hedsor Bar (nee Social Club). £10 entry, please pay very near the door!

Nick Mills and Mark Aston with us in January

Last week was another of our session where we listened to the combined talents of Lester Brown on trumpet and  Mike Wills on reeds various. A lot of nice tunes, all freshly arranged by Mike for what has fast become a legacy band, The Clive Burton Celebration Quintet! Mike takes a lot of care over these sessions, nearly always bringing along a whole evening of fresh arrangements for the band to play. No mean achievement, arranging and printing the scores for about 10 tunes. Those of us amateurs who used to play just star in awe as they are all played by all at first sight! On keyboard was Nigel Fox, on bass Peter Hughes and on drums Mike Jeffries

It was also a delight to have Ken McCarthy in our audience for the first time in a number of months, having had a number of stays in hospital since February. We look forward to his reappearance on keyboard, but I must take the opportunity of thanking Nigel Fox for deputising during all of Kens absence. Thank you Nigel.

My photos are below.

 

OK, that’s one bank holiday over, only another one to go this month!

BUT its not all over for jazz! There is a lot on this month, so lets start with tonight, May 7th!

“In The Pocket” is at Bourne End Community Centre,(Wakeman Rd, Bourne End SL8 5SX) tonight from 8pm and for £8. 

Led by drummer Mike Jeffries, this well established band play a mix of funky jazz, with saxophonist Mike Wills and guitarist Jezz Cook standing at the front.

In a weeks time (May 14^th) Marlow Jazz Club (British Legion Hall, Station Approach, Marlow, SL7 1NT) have 2 saxophonists standing at the front, Simon Spillett and Alex Garnett from 8.30pm for £10 per head. Behind them will be Frank Harrison on keyboard, Elliot Toms on drums and Stuart Barker on bass.

BUT AT HEDSOR JAZZ (The Hedsor Bar, Hedsor Rd, Bourne End, SL8 5ES) THIS THURSDAY (MAY 9^th) we have Lester Brown on trumpet, Mike Wills (back from Bourne End via Oxford) on reeds, Nigel Fox on keyboard, Peter Hughes on bass, and a drummer Mike Jeffries! Mike isn’t back from anywhere as he lives just up the road!

Lets not go so far into the future to forget last weeks session at Hedsor Jazz that had saxophonist Frank Walden and guitarist Mark Ridout.

What a session! It is rare that the Hedsor’s discriminating audience are roused to cheers, but last weeks session had them erupt at the end of more than one tune.

When “Song for Bilbao” was announce in the second half of the evening Frank instructed the drummer (Mike Jeffries!!) how it should be played (no score sheets were to hand!). The person sitting next to me asked if I thought the drummer understood what was being described. In full authoritarian command, I said “Of course”!

The tune was written by Path Metheny in 1983 and has a distinctive format with a repetitive, well recognised break. Not only did the drummer get it right every time but so did everyone else, and the applause and cheering at the end was memorable. All of the playing was world class!

Yes, last week was one of those jazz nights that one hopes to get now and again, memorable! So do remember it was at Hedsor Jazz!

My pictures from last week are below.

 

At Hedsor Jazz On Thursday May 16^th we have a return of that adroit trombone player Nick Mills. He will be playing alongside saxophonist (and jazz promoter) Mark Aston.

ALL our sessions at Hedsor start at 8pm, and finish around 10.30pm. Our entry fee is £10.

One newcomer came late last week having read somewhere that we started at 9pm. On line sabotage? Who knows, but she enjoyed it so much she said she would come again! But an hour earlier next time.

If YOU have enjoyed a session at Hedsor Jazz, tell others, we need to sustain what we have been doing for over 20 years, presenting Live Modern Jazz in front of a small but discriminating audience. The years have given us experience, now we need more audience to carry on our 20 plus years of high quality modern JAZZ.

We always offer a friendly face, and rarely growl. Me, I’m a Leo!!