First for today’s  blog a little reminder.

IF you would like to come to any of Hedsor Jazz’s Thursday concerts whilst covid 19 rules apply, you must check in with Tracy to ensure we have a place for you. Not quite West Side Story, but we do need to be able to fulfil our limit or 30 guests in the room, and that we can trace you all if we have a need to do so. Contact Tracy via Tracy Georgiades <tracy.georgiades@gmail.com>

Secondly just to remind you that this week, July 1^st , we have The Clive Burton Celebration Quintet:-

Lester Brown trumpet+ Mike Wills sax + Ken McCarthy keyboard + Peter Hughes bass + Martin Hart drums and leader.

Last weeks session (pictures below) was a great reminder of the sounds we used to hear, with a front line of saxophone and trombone, something that linked us to both Clive Burton, and to the predecessor to his quintet, “Century Jazz”, because both bands had a front line of saxophone and trombone. Last week, the tunes were somewhat different, less from the history of Modern Jazz a la bop, than show tunes, but as other shows used to say, that is the spice of life!

My recording of last week can be found on dropbox via the link:-

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/q0r89g4vj8seumo/AAAF2u_I0bWKWzE-wsDYBwDUa?dl=0

Duncan Lamont jnr with Mike Innes

Ken McCArthy

Martin Hart

Some of the 30 in attendance

Duncan flaunts a flute

IPA !

 

If you want to see what our new regular fan Alex has videoed, not just of last week but on his previous visits to Hedsor Jazz, do take a look by following “Bardmann Baad TV” , a YouTube channel, and checking on it in future weeks.

 

Finally for this week, a hopeful thought for the future.

Saxophonist Vasilis Xenopoulis has moved to be closer to Hedsor Jazz........

He has just moved to ....COOKHAM!!

Those of us who live there already know it makes sense!!

More chat and photos next week.

 

 Our Gig List for July 8th needs to be amended. 

Al Nicholls is no longer going to be able to be with us, and in his place will be Kelvin Christian. 

I have corrected the list in the main blog to reflect this.

 

The link to my DropBox files for the recording of Ian Smith and Ollie Wilby etc from last weeks Hedsor Jazz  is

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/upe5xs7k66r4wv0/AAAx34fM4nJq7LAiKhIBIPC9a?dl=0

Grab them within a month as after that they will be deleted in order to save space.

 Good Morning England

A shortish blog today, but full of potential!!

First, in order for you to get to our now regular Thursday gigs at Hedsor Jazz YOU MUST check in each time with our booking agent Tracy  tracy.georgiades@gmail.com . This is to ensure we meet the covid 19 regulations regarding contact details AND numbers on the night at Hedsor Club. PLEASE NOTE that if you have to cancel on a night you have already booked for please tell Tracy, as we can then reallocate your empty seat. We are only allowed 30 people in to listen, and we do want to keep the numbers up. 

AND there is some splendid music coming up for you to listen to.

Last week Ian Smith and Ollie Wilby, were our named headliners. We also had pianist Martin Picket as a guest dep and they all provided some excellent timeless jazz (no, I mean timeless as in period, not as in they cant keep time!). Later in the week I will put up on DropBox my recording of the night.

For those of you who would like to watch a lot of the evening, our new attendee Alex puts out his private videos of the evening on YouTube, do take a look sometime via his links:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39Kp_ojbEvg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQ5YyIGu79Q

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMr9G9MWtJU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89ughVy3auQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKt5k_jScho

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXCgDvs0z14

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZuRs1nVLzs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1BRwfdiPAU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=585JSgexpjk

My photos of the night are below:-

 

Although we are still limited as to the numbers who can come in and watch and listen AT Hedsor Club, AND you do have to be covid aware to be there we do have a plan for the month ahead. There are some really exciting gigs coming up, so make a note, put it in your diary, and tell Tracy your coming!

 

Forthcoming Gig List for Hedsor Jazz

THIS THURSDAY 24^th JUNE 

Duncan Lamont jnr sax + Mike Innes trombone+ Ken McCarthy keyboard + Peter Hughes bass + Martin Hart drums and leader 

1^st July               

Lester Brown trumpet+ Mike Wills sax + Ken McCarthy keyboard + Ester Ng bass (to be confirmed) + Martin Hart drums and leader

8^th July               

Kelvin Christian sax+ Max Brittain guitar +Ken McCarthy keyboard + Peter Hughes bass + Martin Hart drums and leader

15^th July             

Martin Nickless sax+ Simon Wyld (trombone) + Ken McCarthy keyboard + Terry Davis bass + Martin Hart drums and leader

22^nd July

Mike Wills sax + Gary Woods (trumpet) + Ken McCarthy keyboard + ??? bass +

Martin Hart drums and leader

29^th July 

Alan Graham vibes+ Mike Wills sax + Ken McCarthy keyboard + Terry Davis bass + Martin Hart drums and leader

Slowly but surely we are adding musicians to the list of those who haven’t played Hedsor before, and we will continue to do so. On June 24th trombonist Mike Innes is that person. It should be a cracking evening.

Our plan is (when the covid restrictions are relaxed) to have one named (star?) musician every quarter, but never fear, all those who come to pay for us are well worth turning out for. Sometimes one particular musician plays something beyond expectation, and then even the rest of the band can be heard applauding. Its JAZZ, It’s improvised, albeit within a structure, but the guys and girls we get to Hedsor Jazz are well versed in the rules of the game, and occasionally magic happens.

Dont miss it!

 

 The blog is a day late this week, but this time for a very good reason. 

Yesterday The Jazz Angels held a meeting!! We do keep meetings and administration down to a minimum, and obviously for 15 months we have been “dissuaded” from having any anyway. With another 4 weeks of a limited ability to gather for Hedsor Jazz kindly donated by our government , we thought a little forward planning might be useful!

Over this past month we have been able to resume live jazz at The Hedsor Social Club with a limit of 30 attendees. We have pretty well achieved this target, we do have a bit of flexibility still so if you are thinking of coming do please let Tracy Georgiades know before you travel. We do have to keep a log on who comes, so we will need to know your contact details, and Tracy can let you know if we have room for you on any given Thursday evening.

I think our return to live Hedsor Jazz has, bye and large, been a great success. We are gradually getting used to coming and going within the club with masks on and generally  behaving with practiced covid sense. I know most of us have had 2 jabs, but do please keep to at least some of the rules, face masks when away from your table, space, clean hands etc.

The music has been of a very high quality. All of the musicians were only too pleased at having the opportunity to play in front of an audience again. Our future plans will maintain our aim of being a small club with a high quality jazz performance. Even with the restriction in place at the moment we can still accommodate 2 or 3 more of you, and if you haven’t yet experienced Hedsor Jazz, do request the pleasure. Tracy’s email address is tracy.georgiades@gmail.com

This Thursday, June 17th,  we have another pair of jazz musicians who have played for us before with great acclaim. Trumpeter and raconteur Ian Smith is coming with saxophonist Ollie Wilby. Ian and Ollie were two of the last guests at Hedsor before the lockdown of 2020. With them this time will be pianist Martin Picket from Oxford, who was last with us in January 2020. Martin Hart will as ever be leading from the rear on drums

Over the past few years, prior to 2020, we have tried a number of different means of making Hedsor Jazz a better known venue. I am pleased to say that Tracy has volunteered (yes, nothing was twisted, she genuinely volunteered) to take on this task. My blog will continue, but other forms of advertising will be tried.

As soon as the covid restrictions are lifted, and we are able to raise the number allowed in the room, we are planning to invite a well know jazz name to come and play for us at Hedsor at least once every quarter. 

Many names have been mentioned, many of them have been before and have enjoyed playing in our unique venue. When we stared having well known names some years ago, a number of the London based players commented on the lack of street lights at Hedsor, but I think they are getting used to it now! However some famous jazz musicians still haven't found the joy of playing Hedsor Jazz, so do watch this space for the names.

I think it is an exciting time for Hedsor Jazz. One of those musicians who were used to the bright lights of London will in fact be moving to Cookham very soon, and as he said to me yesterday “you may well find other well known musicians walking around Cookham during their visit to me very soon”. Lets hope they can be persuaded to come on a Thursday!!

The list of future gigs has a lot of “to be finalised” in it at he moment, but on June 24th we have a return of Duncan Lamont jr. He is bringing with him trombonist Mike Innis, I think it will be his first visit. You can check him out via his trombone reviews on Dawkes Instruments website.

July 1st has yet to be finalised, but  the following week, July 8th we have the return of 2 other great Hedsor favourites Al Nicholls on tenor sax, and Max Brittain on guitar. As usual our front line guests will be accompanied by keyboard and bass and our leader Martin Hart on drums.

One of the additions to the audience at Hedsor Jazz since  our return a month ago has been Alex and his wife Nicole. Alex is a keen videographer, and has filmed many of our recent gigs, do check them out, his files from last week can be found at 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgQGeBz5da0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7CpjCl5uQ0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Sn6z5-AmtY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1ImcI6C54I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERySpg29sqU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5Skj_IE-RU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ej0Zxef4Vqw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqhQTzLjoeM

And my previous blogs have the links to earlier weeks.

My photos of last week, dedicated to the music made famous by guitarists, are below.

If you would like to download the files to create a double cd album of June 3rds concert please go to 

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/vaw951nafdz7ul3/AADPI9tpjj06ygk92FduPD1Wa?dl=0

You will find the mp3 files for 2 cd’s and the artwork for a sleeve.

That’s about it for now, stay safe, put on sun block! (well whilst the sun shines anyway).

 

We have now had 3 Hedsor Jazz Returns sessions on a Thursday, and it almost seems like we had never had a 14 month break. It has been really great seeing everybody again, welcoming back the musicians, and enjoying some really fine jazz.

 

Last week was no exception. Lester Brown played at our first “return” session, and he was here again with us last week. Alongside him was another of the saxophone team we had waited to see, Mark Aston. It was also Mark’s birthday, and it was marvellous that he should consider spending his birthday with Hedsor Jazz.

 

It was also nice to see Lester’s parents in the audience last week as well.

 

One of the “apprehensions” I had about our return to live jazz was that after such a long break many of the musicians who come to play for us might have been a little bit rusty after not having played in public for such a long time. I don’t know about you, but in my estimation they have all, without exception, played better than the last time we heard them 14 months ago.

 

Our new regular attendee, Alex,  has again recorded a large chunk of last week’s session on video, and links to his YouTube files are below.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RQNyrhgxjY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSCqHB4piHA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SO1f6JzUSE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-yCEX0MfJ4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgGWTgrD4PE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SX5GTiyhONk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5oNbsy7Buw

 

My mp3 recording of the evening will be available later in the week, BUT some of my photos are below.

We do have a change to our program for this coming Thursday, June 10^th. Alan Graham who was coming to play vibes for us is now not very well, and is therefore not able to be with us, so to accompany the return of our regular saxophonist Mike Wills, guitarist Jezz Cook will be taking Alan’s place. Jezz has been to us a number of times before, and it may well be that we have a few Django Reinhardt tunes added into our evenings mix. On bass we welcome back Mr Peter Hughes, (and his braces), and on drums our regular drumming band leader Martin Hart.

 

Jezz with Mike Wills on a previous visit

Do please confirm your intention to come each week with Tracy at tracy.georgiades@gmail.com

Until all covid restrictions are lifted we are limited to 30 people as audience at Hedsor Club, so do please ensure you have a space reserved with Tracy who is our booking agent at the moment. It is a legal requirement that we have traceability for all who are in the club on our Thursday nights.

 

On 17^th June  we welcome back Ian Smith on trumpet with Ollie Wilby on saxophone. Ken McCarthy will be on keyboard, Martin Hart drum. Our bass player is yet to be confirmed.

 

Ian Smith

One final sad note, we learnt last week that Ken McCarthy’s son died suddenly last month. I am sure you would all like to join me in offering ever condolence to Ken and Maggie at this very difficult time for the family. Words are never enough at times like this, but our love and support go out to Ken and his family.

Geoff C

My recording of last Thursdays Hedsor Jazz is now available from my DropBox account. You can download the mp3 files and a cover artwork via  

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/5w32x6q2nx9lrkx/AAB2jKjq9bvpIYyX0U20ewv6a?dl=0

It will be available for one month only. 

 

A brief blog today, as I have been enjoying the sunshine at Boulter’s Lock, and still feel in holiday mood!

Just to say that if you haven’t yet been given the approval of Tracy Georgiades for this coming Thursday, June 3^rd do hasten to do so, there may NOT be places available even as I type.

This coming week we are looking forward to seeing Lester Brown again, this time with Mark Aston on reeds. On keyboard will be Ken McCarthy and on bass Ester Ng. Martin Hart will again be on drums, and microphone! 8.30pm start and £10 entry.

Last weeks session was another of those where we all realised why we like to listen to live jazz. Lovely music, played by masters of their jazz craft. Stuart Henderson and Duncan Lamont jr. ably supported by Ken, Terry and Martin, played some not so well know tunes, and some better known ones too. However one in particular I hadn’t heard since around 1945! “You are My Sunshine” finished our evening!

Again, we were just about on our allowed limit of 30 people. Can I repeat that we must all try and abide by the covid guidelines. I know it is difficult, we do so like being back amongst our jazz friends, but the virus hasn’t gone away and we must try and be aware of the distance and masking guidance when away from our table.

Below are a few of my photos of the last Thursday evening, my mp3 recordings will be available later in the week.

Our new friend Alex has again forwarded on links to his YouTube page with videos of the evening.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2r1-s5b7UKE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52-UZ-GyLW8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEabSgLfl7M

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVg98cQHPTU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9XMFR53yFY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NgZmtju-T4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oV5Y2FXWfa8

It is so evident that the musical therapy of the evening does his wife Nicole so much good.

On June 10^th we have on Vibes Alan Grahame, and we hope to have back with us on all the reeds, Mike Wills. Again, you must check with Tracy that there is still space for you attend. Book with her via email at tracy.georgiades@gmail.com  

Enjoy the rest of your week, which does seem to have SUNSHINE!! Maybe we should ask for more weather related tunes. Perhaps "I think it's going to rain today" should NOT be amongst them! Great tune though!

 

Another short update for Jazz from Geoff 

This Thursday May 27^th we appear to have our audience of 30 already. DO check with Tracy tracy.georgiades@gmail.com  to see if you are on the list before coming to Hedsor Club.

For our second evening of covid rules jazz (no, sadly not a game) we will have Stuart Henderson on trumpet, Duncan Lamont jnr on tenor saxophone, Ken McCarthy on keyboard, Terry Davis on bass and of course Martin Hart on drums. The evening will start at 8.30pm. Entry £10

As I mentioned above, we are fully booked for this Thursday, but DO CHECK with Tracy to see if we have any cancellations. IF you have already booked, but find you can now no longer come, please let Tracy know and your place can be reassigned.

The government rules for an indoor gathering will apply until all rules are relaxed; try to be sensible with your distancing, wear a mask when away from your table. Hand sanitising gel will be available, please use it to reduce any risk of virus transmission.

Future Gigs

On June 3rd we have Lester Brown on trumpet with Mark Aston on reeds, plus Ken McCarthy keyboard, Martin Hart drums and a bass player yet to be finalised.

June 10^th, we have our vibes friend Alan Graham coming to play, and we also hope to have Mike Wills back on reeds. 

Please book now via Tracy tracy.georgiades@gmail.com for any or all of these.

Last week we had with us a couple, Alex and Nicole, who were at Hedsor for the first time. Alex is a keen videographer and filmed a lot of the evening. He has made most of his footage available on YouTube and you can watch his films of our evening via the following links:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlTxUbIpqeM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7fn8dVO6K4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvDjuSvlgY4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DUvpkC2nAg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWh8QrkSD5w

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0g5kBMeAmY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yS4tiSR_qAc

Alex’s wife Nicole sadly suffers from both MS and Parkinson’s disease, and in seeking his permission to link to his video clips, which include shots of Nicole, he sent this reply:-

I'm grateful to yourselves/Hedsor SC for allowing me to film - I'm glad for you to use as much or as little as you wish. As for Nicole, I take the footage in part to show how much she enjoys it and the hugely positive benefit to her conditions and wellbeing; for that reason, the more you choose to show of Nicole the better it is for us and will hopefully open the eyes (and ears) of others to her plight and others who are also frail.

That’s it for now folks, don’t forget to book ahead with Tracy for the evenings you want to come.

Geoff

 Hedsor and the Night and the Music

For those of you who weren't there (and for those of you who were if you would like a souvenir), here is a link to my DropBox files containing all of the music, and the artwork for a cover if you want to create your own cd's of Hedsor Jazz's first night back. There is some terrific work here. "Chelsea Bridge" will take some beating!

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/9qcs468dwcjojm5/AAD-rrU0vpYxUQJx_YTGw0cMa?dl=0 

 

WOW, what a great night of music and reunion
 
Hedsor Jazz is BACK

 

As we gathered on Thursday May 20th it was so strange and yet so normal. We hadn’t met each other for 14 months and yet it seemed like only last week. Yes, there was some slight confusion at the beginning as to where to sit. Maybe it was in a different place to the last time you were there. But we were all there, and the musicians really did sound as though they had only played there the week before. Yet for all of us, it was the first gig this year!

There was also an unexpected treat! Food had been provided for the 2 short breaks by Jan Burton and Gill Jones. Thank you both.

SO, until further notice, Jazz at Hedsor IS BACK.

It really was a thoroughly enjoyable evening and later this week the recording I made of it will be available via my DropBox link, but please, a few more days to complete that is still needed.

The evening had some differences, no raffle and no CD’s to buy, felt necessary to help out with the social distancing.

We were up to our maximum audience of 30 and we will need to keep to the rules regards facemasks, distancing, toilets and hand cleanliness which are becoming basic common sense. 

From Hedsor Jazz’s viewpoint we will need advance notice of your intention of coming to any of our future gigs until at the very earliest June 21^st when we anticipate a new statement from the government about indoor music events. 

You must be assured via Tracy tracy.georgiades@gmail.com  that there will be space for you. 

Our next gig on 27^th May is already fully booked. 

DO book now for June 3rd

Please look at our forthcoming gigs listed below and book ahead via Tracy. You must also provide contact details for track and trace. A phone number and/or email address would be great. The email address would also give us a chance of letting you know by email what is happening in the future.

Next week we are also back to asking for money at the door. £10 per person is our entry fee, which we will keep under review.

We will also be back to our normal start time of 8.30pm.

So below some photos of the evening from myself and from Geoff Swaffield (our very sound guy, he does the lights as well), then our next few gigs.

Photos from our first night back

 

Future Gigs please book for these via Tracy. Max attendance is limited to just 30 people, first come first served

27th May      Stuart Henderson trumpet + Duncan Lamont jr saxophone + Ken McCarthy keyboard+ Terry Davis bass + Martin Hart drums, leader and announcer.

3rd June      Lester Brown trumpet + Mark Aston saxophone+ Esther  Ng bass+ Martin Hart drums

10^th June      Alan Graham vibraphone  + Mike Wills reeds (? hopefully) + bass to be arranged + Martin Hart drums

17^th June      Ian Smith trumpet + Ollie Wilby saxophone + Ken McCarthy keyboard  + bass to be arranged + Martin Hart drums

One final thought for now.

I am very aware that we have to have pre knowledge of your intention to attend, and your contact details. I am reading a book at the moment called “The Store” by James Patterson, and although it all seems very slightly far fetched, maybe not so far. We have already been ordering items online for home delivery, we know how certain web sites prompt you to buy from the knowledge they have already of what you have looked at in the past on the web search engine of your choice. You now have to have passwords and triple confirmation of identity for every web site you visit or software you use. Yesterday I tried to download the drivers for a friend’s printer that I was trying to mend. I couldn’t do that without being asked for my post code! They only wanted to help! Did we really transition through 1984?

So I do apologise for our needs to ask for your contact details. Just as soon as the government restrictions introduced as part of the covid legislation are lifted, I assure you that you will be able to come to Hedsor Jazz without us knowing who you are , or who you are with (well only so that we can be friends!).

Do have a read of

 

Social Distancing

One observant reader has noticed my error over social distancing. My example of 1 meter or 6 feet was wrong. 1 meter is approx. 3 feet, half of Kelvin's height!

However it has made me investigate what is really expected for our social distancing rules at Hedsor Club.

Herein lies the rub!

Below are 3 different organisations guidelines on what social distancing now means.   

Social distancing between groups is encouraged

That was from the BBC

 

Separate parties should keep their Social Distance.

·         One way systems and control in toilets should remain in place.

·         This is 2 meters or 1 meter separation with mitigating measures such as sitting side by side or back to back

   This was from Advice for licensed premises

 try to stay at least 2 metres (3 steps) away from people you're not meeting with – you can choose to have close contact with friends and family. 

      That from the NHS

What I said to my error corrector was that I would advise an average of my error!

A brief “to the point” blog this week. 

After 14 months we are going to listen together again to 

Live Jazz at Hedsor Club!

Something to really celebrate.

 

But this week, ONLY if you have already received an invitation. We do have our maximum of 30 people. No invitation, NO ENTRY

The evening starts at 8pm. You will be sitting spaced along the lines of what are now well established rules. Look for a table with this sign

  

If you are in a bubble already, 2 people can sit in one place. If you are in a 2 household bubble you can sit together as long as there are no more than 6 people in your two bubbles.

You will be able to sit at your table without your mask on, but anywhere else in Hedsor Club please wear a mask.

You can order drinks from the bar, but don’t wait for them, they will be delivered to your table. 

The one meter rule applies, in old money that is 6 feet. If in doubt think how big Kelvin is, yes that far apart please!

I didn’t make up the rules, or the language (no, I’m “not forever blowing bubbles”), but following the safety rules means we can hear again Lester Brown on trumpet, Kelvin Christian on reeds, Ken McCarthy on keyboard, Peter Hughes on bass and Martin Hart on drums. So the pain is really worth the gain!

This week you have been  invited, but if you want to donate a contribution to defray our costs please talk to John Dutton or Tracy.

The following week May 27^th we will be asking for money at the door for an 8.30 start.

If you would like to come you must reserve a place with Tracy, either this Thursday, or by email to tracy.georgiades@gmail.com . You probably wont want to miss this, as we will have Stuart Henderson on trumpet, Duncan Lamont jnr on reeds, Ken McCarthy on keyboard, Martin Hart on drums and Terry Davis on bass.

Every week we will be limited to a maximum of 30 people, and we will have to follow all the covid rules until at the very earliest June 21^st, a government decision Monday! After that date I hope we can get back to the old normal.

As you read last week, Nigel Fox is staying in Suffolk for a while. I thought you might like to see what his new normal looks like!

Dare I say "Stay Safe"!!

In my blog of April 18^th  I wrote this:-

As you will have read, we are planning to have a trial or pilot run in the hall of Hedsor Club using the indoor guidelines that apply, on Thursday May 20^th. I can now confirm that this will take place.

This pilot evening will be limited to 30 people who will have with them an invitation ticket. If you have already said you would like to come you will receive this invitation in the post with a covering letter from Jazz Angels treasurer John Dutton. If you would like to be considered for this (or future covid restricted Hedsor Jazz gigs) and haven’t already done so, (or even if you have, as a double check for us!!) please send your contact details to Tracy at tracy.georgiades@gmail.com. IF you come on May 20^th and don’t have that initial invitation you may be turned away.

This return evening will start at 8pm in order to give everyone time to get used to the revised arrangements and also, perhaps more importantly,  to give time for you to chat to other jazz people (from 2 meters apart of course) for the first time in many months.

Please note the full Hedsor Club indoor rules will be sent out later, but one thing I will clarify is that face masks must be worn within Hedsor Clubs premises EXCEPT AT YOUR TABLE. You can order at the bar with you mask on, but your drink will be delivered to your table. You will not be allowed to congregate at the bar! Preferred payment to the club is by card or electronic transfer.

This all still applies, but as the day draws closer I thought I should remind you. The invitation ticket doesn’t hold the start time as it hadn’t been decided at the time they were printed BUT YOUR INVITATION LETTER DOES STATE AN 8pm START! Please also bring your invitation ticket with you.

A couple of other points about an indoor gathering at Hedsor Club. On entering the club you must have your facemask on, and you must also use the alcohol dispenser for cleansing your hands on entering. The rule of six will apply. Six people from 2 families can share a table, and “Bubbles” can also share a table. Other than that social distancing rules must apply. In addition at Hedsor Club the outer toilet doors will be open, and social distancing must be practiced within these facilities as well as in the rest of the club. Once at your table, you can remove your mask. Away form your table you must replace it.

The club buildings will be providing positive ventilation. Doors and windows may be open so you might like to consider if you will need a coat or similar as the evening wears on. May evenings could be chilly!

Now that the rules of the game are out of the way I want to share with you an email I had from Nigel Fox.

Nigel at Hedsor in 2016

Dear Hedsorians!

Ingrid and I will be spending more time in Suffolk this Summer and so I will be unavailable for Hedsor for a while and will be away from this Thursday.  Ken McCarthy has agreed to take over on piano which makes sense as he’s within walking distance (he’s a very keen walker!) I notice I’m listed for June 17th but hopefully Ken can do that one as well?

I hope all goes well for the “trial” run on May 20th.

Best wishes and keep safe.

Nigel

A Typical Saxmundham Street

Nigel has done sterling work for us over many years at Hedsor Jazz and I do hope this is only a temporary stay in Suffolk. I can understand that after the kind of year we have all had that a stay in Ingrid’s cottage in Saxmundham should be taken full advantage of and I wish both Ingrid and Nigel a happy stay in East Anglia. As Nigel rightly says we do have an excellent local dep in the form of Ken McCarthy, so although we will all miss Nigel, its not all bad for those left behind!

Ken McCarthy with Mike Wills
taken at the ST Pirans jazz event in 2015
courtesy of Robert Goodhew

One final point about our event timing. AFTER our first night our start time will revert to 8.30pm. The rules inside the club will stay the same until further notice.

The latest  list of proposed gigs can be found in my blog for May 5^th.

SO, not long to wait now! May 20^th, one small step for jazz!

Its blog time again, with little new to report, but we are edging closer to Hedsor Jazz’s “trial” run on May 20^th. Hopefully you now have your invitation to this. We were over subscribed, so if you weren’t fortunate enough (or quick enough) to get a place this time, remember that the following week, May 27^th, we will be launching a return event. As this is still under the covid rule of 30 at an indoor event, please ensure you have your name down with Tracy ( tracy.georgiades@gmail.com ) for each week you want to come. After May 20^th we will be charging at the door, but there will be a limit on audience numbers, and those who don’t pre book MAY be turned away.

For those with an invitation to May 20^th do remember that we will be starting on that night at 8pm. After that we will be reverting to our previous normal time of 8.30pm. That is the time the music starts of course, the bar will be open earlier, and the earlier time on the 20^th will be allowing time for unforeseen snags and for greeting each other (at a distance) after 14 months!

Martin Hart has been busy, and below is a pretty interesting gig list.

20^th May      Lester Brown + Kelvin Christian + Ken McCarthy + Peter Hughes + Martin Hart

27^th May      Stuart Henderson + Duncan Lamont jr + Ken McCarthy + Terry Davis + Martin Hart

  3^rd June      Lester Brown + Mark Aston + Esther  Ng + Martin Hart

10^th June      Alan Graham  + Mike Wills(? hopefully) + Martin Hart

17^th June      Ian Smith + Ollie Wilby + Nigel Fox +  Martin Hart

Hopefully by June 24^th there will be less need for social distancing, and we can get back to how things were.

Can I thank everyone for your continuing support of Hedsor Jazz.  It has become a bit like an extended family, and we do want to get back to regular, unhindered, jazz sessions. More than ever, we need to encourage others to join our jazz sessions. This will ensure continuance, additional star guests, and a bigger presence on the jazz club scene.

More Jazz Past

I pulled out a CD the other evening, thinking that it was fairly new to me. I have always loved the duets that Alan Barnes plays with Dave Newton. They studied together at The Leeds Music  Collage in 1977, and have had a particular affinity shown in their music. Both musicians have an identifiable voice, but when just the two of them play together their is an understanding of each other that is almost twin like.

 

So I pulled out “Inside Out”, enjoying that cohesion. Chick Corea’s “Windows”, Strayhorn’s “Lotus Blossom” ,Bill Evans “Very Early” all smoothed out my day. Then I caught site of the date it was recorded, and I could not believe that this “new” addition to my collection was gathered in 2011!

On the same evening I was leafing through the booklet that came with the Billy Holiday limited edition of the complete commodore and Decca masters.

 

This is really a box set disguised as a book, with 3 cd’s of some of the greatest and most poignant songs ever sung between 1939 and 1950. With the convenience of smart phones to hand, I idly decided to see if you could still purchase this.

You can, BUT Amazon want £370 for it. I was GOBSMACKED!