Another Tuesday, and another year (and a week) older! But to celebrate that survival, this week on Thursday at Hedsor Jazz, we have that magnificent saxophonist (and as Duncan Lamont Jr said, comedian) Alan Barnes.

Our usual trio, including this week Al Pirrie on bass, will be behind him all the way, so do turn out in your thousands (!), to welcome him to Hedsor. Our usual charge of £10 will be asked of you on entry, in exchange for our usual warm Hello.

On the last couple of occasions that Alan has come to us, we have paired him with another of our favourite front line guests. This year, considering the amazing talent he brings to us, we thought he might like to be the solo figure in the front line. It is often easier for a guest to play alone at the front than to wonder what the other front line member can accomplish. So Alan, it’s over to you this week.

 

I don’t have any pictures of last week at Hedsor, because I played truant. To celebrate our 65 years of marriage we took a trip to Basingstoke to visit the Milestones Museum. You may think that choice was appropriate! And yes, some of the items on display were kind of familiar! So below are a few of my photos from last week.

Hop Scotch Anyone

You were mobile, the phone wasn't!

Do look back on past blogs to see the rest of our August program, and we have most of September now confirmed. I will publish that next week. However, for your diary now we plan to run an evening to commemorate “our” reed player, Mike Wills, who past away last month. September  19^th will be the evening, and a number of guests will be coming to celebrate Mike, including Lester Brown and Sue Greenway. Please try to be with us that night.

Mike was one of the founders of The Clive Burton Quintet and came regularly from Oxford most weeks until Clive passed away and then perhaps less frequently to play alongside Lester Brown as part of the Celebration Quintet. He was a superb musician and Oxford graduate, playing initially trombone, then moving over to reed instruments, an example of almost all of which were in his possession. He started playing in the traditional jazz idiom, but soon embraced all styles. He collaborated with Alan Graham on a number of occasions to replicate The Benny Goodman Sextet and in recent visits to Hedsor he had scripted arrangements of many tunes for him to play with whoever the guest would be. So come and celebrate with us Mike’s lifelong contribution to our jazz enjoyment.

Mike with Alan Graham at the St Pirans Jazz Festival Sept 2015

 

I hope to see you this Thursday, you may like to come early.

 I will be bringing guests, so please don’t pinch my seat!