The nearest blog to May Day, but no, we are not abandoning our vessel! So there is NO need to panic!

First though, through the experience of printing and putting up the A3 version of the Jazz for Ukraine poster I realised that from a distance the A3 font size is too small, so I have redesigned the poster for A3 size printing with slightly less information. It is however more readable at a distance. For a PDF of the new file go to DropBox and download via https://www.dropbox.com/s/r4wpglfgq9rllso/Ukraine%20concert%20poster%20v3.pdf?dl=0

Revised A3 Poster

 

Old Version with more info
suitable for A4 print size

Note. If you select the correct size paper in your printer after you have downloaded the file you will be able to print this in any paper size your printer will support. Please print a few off and put them up in a place where the public can view them.

Whilst on that subject, our Ukraine fundraising evening is important, and needs your physical and financial support. Thursday May 5^th, with the Hedsor Jazz Rhythm section backing 3 plus super musicians.

But before all that, this week (April 28th) at Hedsor we have a slightly different combination of players, some who have played Hedsor before, some who have not!

On Guitar we welcome back Terry Hutchins. A super player who just happens to regularly help in the Pangbourne Jazz Club.

With him will be another musician who hasn’t played Hedsor Jazz before. Saxophonist Mike Wilkins usually has Terry in HIS quartet. On Thursday this week we anticipate having Ester Ng on bass and we hope to have Martin back from a Silly holiday on drums.

I haven’t yet mentioned a keyboard player. Ken McCarthy, after a successful return from his cut finger exercises is taking a couple of week’s holiday, so we welcome back to Hedsor Jazz Nigel Fox!!

Pictures below are from last week’s excellent session with Stuart Henderson and Jonathan Lewis. Stuart is a well know and well respected figure at Hedsor, but Jonathan hadn’t been to Hedsor before. He is part of Stuarts Big Band (The Remix Orchestra) and with his big sound, will certainly be back at Hedsor again before too long I’m sure.

 

This excellent session also had a guest bass player for two numbers in the second set, and John Porter proved to be a very accomplished player whom I hope we see again.

 

If you would like to see the full Remix Orchestra why not venture to Marlow on May 17^th, where Marlow Jazz Club host them from 8.30pm onwards. See jpeg below for more details. 

It’s the Tuesday following a Bank Holiday Monday, and it still means IT’S BLOG DAY of course.

But perhaps it will be a little more succinct today. 

First off, my pictures from last weeks very enjoyable session with “our” saxophonist Mike Wills, partnered by guitarist Jez Cook. We also had 2 other guests. Pianist Rod Kelly and bass player Esther Ng. Great fun, and nice to have Rod Kelly with us as well. Our regular keyboard player had managed to damage a finger in his left hand such that he needed a visit to A&E. Mike had been playing with Rod the night before our gig, and Rod kindly came to us at very short notice. My assumption was that he was another of the Oxford Jazz contingent, but I was miles out! Rod lives very near Tetbury! Yes, do look it up. It is just inside Gloucestershire.

Coming this week, April 21^st, we are hopeful that Ken McCarthy will be back with us, and with Peter Hughes on bass we have Mike Jeffries on drums completing or rhythm section, Martin having been taken away at last (on holiday you understand!). In front of them will be that well know and greatly respected trumpet player Stuart Henderson. Stuart leads a big band called “The Remix Orchestra” and Stuart is bringing with him one of his Remix musicians, a saxophonist called Jonathan Lewis. So an intriguing evening in prospect.

The following week we have another evening with a difference. On Thursdays April 28^th we welcome back guitarist Terry Hutchings, who hasn’t been with us for some time. He is partnering saxophonist Mike Wilkins, someone who hasn’t been to Hedsor Jazz before. This is a change to our advertised program. On bass will be Esther Ng and we anticipate Martin Hart being back with us. However his holiday is in a foreign field and his arrival back in the UK is Wednesday 27^th, so this might change. Mike and Terry are an experienced partnership and are both part of the very rich Oxford jazz scene.

Our fundraising for Ukraine evening will be May 5^th, see poster art below. More leaflets will be available on Thursday. Please do your utmost to support this evening, and to gain support for it.

 

Slightly further ahead in August we have managed to persuade that British Jazz Legend, saxophonist Alan Barnes to come to Hedsor Jazz on August 18^th. He will be accompanied by Stuart Henderson.

Our Christmas Party will be on December 15^th, where we hope to gather many of the musicians who have been regular supporters of jazz at Hedsor over the years for a bit of a bash!

Coming to Hedsor Jazz this week we have:-

Someone we used to see every week at Hedsor and who we will be a please to see and hear again, “our”

reedman Mike Wills. 

Coming with him will be that talented guitarist Jez Cook. They have played for us at Hedsor Jazz many times before, and have occasionally been known to play some Django Rheinhardt tunes.

Jez has played with some eminent musicians in the past, and we look forward to welcoming him back to Hedsor Jazz.

One of our regular eminent musicians sadly wont be with us this week. Ken McCarthy has managed to damage a finger, which for a pianist of such great repute, is a daft thing to do. We wish him a speedy recovery and light duties for a few days eh Ken?

In his place is another Oxford based musician, keyboard player Rod Kelly. He comes highly recommended by Mike Wills, and probably in the same car!

 

 

Pictures below are of last weeks Hedsor Jazz session with superb singer Sarah Moule, supported on tenor sax by Duncan Lamont Jr.

I have heard Sarah many times, and I really do believe that she sang better than ever last week.

She says herself. “I'm happy in my singing – I guess I've reached an age where I please myself and hope I can take other people along with me, rather than the other way around”. It was a great evening spoilt only by a diminished audience. OK Easter Holidays beckon, but please do keep supporting live jazz. With sessions like last week it won’t be a hardship. With attendance like last week local jazz of this quality will become impossible.

I used the word support above, and details of our support for the situation in Ukraine are becoming clearer.

I can confirm this morning that May 5^th will be our special fundraising  evening for the needs of the Ukrainian refugees.

Committed to the evening so far are our regular rhythm section led by Martin Hart, but with an augmented front line which will include Vasilis Xenopoulos, Frank Walden and Stuart Henderson. There will be others.

I will give more information as it comes to hand, but do tell your friends. All the musicians will be playing for no fee, and all the money from the evening will be going help Ukraine. It may also even be a longer evening than usual, but details have yet to be finalised. Put it in your diary. Lets break Hedsor Clubs capacity rules.

OK, lets hear that interval riff...

That's it for now folks. 

It’s Tuesday again, and we are back to writing a blog on a Tuesday morning. It wont last, as I’m off out at 10.15am for a meeting and it is currently 9.35am!

But a start has to be made BECAUSE we have a super evening lined up for you This Thursday April 7^th.

We have managed to book at long last that superb singer Sarah Moule (About | Sarah Moule) so click the link and have a read.

Not only do we have Sarah coming to Hedsor Jazz, but that lovely melodic saxophone player Duncan Lamont Jr. is coming to.  Always a favourite at Hedsor, Duncan will be making his 3^rd visit to Hedsor this year.  This will be a night of very special vocal jazz, so do book your taxi now.

Last week was pretty good too wasn’t it? We have had both Al Nicholls and Max Brittain before, both singly and together, but last week was the best I had heard each of them play, a truly remarkable evening. It was further enhanced in the second set by a surprise guest appearance of singer Paul Cherrie. As I said, unadvertisable Magic!

My photos are below, but perhaps you missed it? Hedsor Jazz puts on real, vibrant, improvised JAZZ, and in order not to miss some occasional magic, you have to be there. Yes, I know, it isn’t always magic, sometimes it is just plain good, but please, don’t think that the TV will be a better bet on the night when you know you should really travel to Hedsor, because the TV wont give you the lift of live music and friendly conversation (during the interval of course) that Hedsor Jazz can give AND Hedsor Jazz is EVERY THURSDAY. So jazz and conversation is their at Hedsor every week.

 

We are still trying to pin down a suitable night to bring you a fundraising night of jazz to raise money for Ukraine. It will happen and you will hear about it first from this blog (unless YOU are booked to play it! Then you will know before ME!).

One of our regular Hedsor Jazz characters who has been missing now for a few Thursdays is Michael Weinblatt. He is suffering from an infection that isn’t responding nicely to antibiotics and has been in pain for some weeks now, (as well as being in and out of Stoke Mandeville hospital). He is a talented artist, saxophonist, jazz expert, and we have all missed his helpful presence. So “Sir” Michael, just get better will you.

I got back to finishing the text for this blog after getting involved with a “Laptops for Ukrainian Refugees” meeting. It is now 2.10pm.

The fact that I can refurbish old PC’s for charitable causes has been discovered! And I thought I was busy before. No seriously folks, if you have a laptop that you no longer use, but will work, do consider donating it. The Ukrainian refugees have often had to flee with none of their electronic devices, very often needed for their children’s schooling. I have been helping Ghana teach their children using discarded UK PC stuff for over 10 years now, so please consider what you do with your old potential land fill! The Ukrainian needs are being addressed by a well know local Oxfam fundraiser with whom I am in touch.

So for now let me say...tatarfernah  or TTFN for short. Yes, it was ITMA! 

A short blog today.

Yes, there will be jazz at Hedsor this Thursday, March 31^st. Al Nicholls and Max Brittain will be joining us. 

I am still clear of covid, my last test was negative, and I will test again on Thursday morning. So I hope to be back with you all at Hedsor, having isolated for a week or more as my wife June went down with the “nasty cold” variant of covid 19 two weekends ago 

However the main reason for this particular blog issue is to pay tribute to singer Tina May, who died on Saturday. 

If you haven’t already read it, do please look at https://londonjazznews.com/2022/03/27/rip-tina-may-1961-2022/  the announcement and tribute to her from her son. 

Tina had an inoperable brain tumour and had been ill since last October, when she had to cancel all of her engagements. Her family wanted to keep this piece of news to themselves and so I haven’t been able to write about it before, but now she is gone, and she is at rest, we can share our memories. She sang for us at Hedsor Jazz many times, and one of the cancelled gigs would have been one for us. 

I have listened to her, talked with her and bought her CD’s over more than 30 years. The first time was in the Old Windsor Fire Station Arts Centre, the last time was at The Norden  Farm Arts Centre. 

Her partner of the last few years is another musician known to Hedsor Jazz, Simon Spillett, and I’m sure we will all want to offer our sympathy to her family and to Simon for their loss. 

But many many people will miss her and be saddened by her passing. 

The last time I saw her was at Norden Farm in February 2020 just before lockdown. As usual it was a packed house, but a few Hedsor people were there and chatted with her after the show. She was relaxed and felt at home with us.  

Now we all have memories and memories can be shared. That is one advantage of living for a long time. We have more memories to share.  It has been a privilege to have known Tina, and the great joy of 21^st century living is that we can still listen to her whenever we choose, she made many recordings. Today listening to them and reminiscing with others will be with a great sadness. 

Tina sang for us at many Hedsor Christmas parties, and the one photo I want to share today is one from our Hedsor Christmas party on December 19^th 2013

OK, it’s a day late, and might become a little light on content. 

BUT I have a good excuse!

First I want to assure you all that before last Thursday I took a lateral flow test and I was negative. However the following day my wife went down with “a cold”. By Monday she wasn’t very well, and we both did a lateral flow test. She was positive, and I was still negative. So we are both shielding, (mainly from each other), but I am doing the shopping and cooking. The earliest we can be sociable again, if we both pass negative on those flow tests, is Saturday.

SO I will not be with you all on Thursday. Which for me is a great shame because we have that terrific lady saxophonist from Oxford, Sue Greenway, coming to play Hedsor Jazz. And she will be alongside “our” Mike Wills, who was also with us last week. 

And what a session last week was, with John Thirkle standing in for Lester Brown. It became a master class in trumpet playing, and a pretty good lesson in singing (from John) too. The program, put together by Mike, was full of great tunes, including “Mercy Mercy Mercy”by Joe Zawinul,  which I don’t think has been played by anyone at Hedsor before.

The song from John T was “I Fall in Love Too Easily”. It was down as a trumpet feature, but he started it as a song but with trumpet interludes!! 

I really do believe that to sit at Hedsor Club and listen to such superb musicians in such an intimate atmosphere is truly life enriching.

My pics of the evening are below. Regular Hedsor attendees will recognise Brian, Martin Harts dog, always loyal to his masters jazz scene!

 

We are still trying to firm up the evening fundraising for Ukraine. We have a number of musicians who would like to be part of that evening, but we have to makes sure they can all make the same Thursday!  Watch this blog space as it might all be announced in short order. Just as an aside, if you buy anything on line and use PayPal they are now adding the option to donate to a fund for Ukraine.

Otherwise the program is as advertised in previous blog issues. One alteration is that on March 31^st the drummer will be Mike Jeffries, as Martin is taking another short break. I think this time it is to fill in potholes (a community service, well he does live in Buckinghamshire). One always knows when one leaves Berkshire and goes into Bucks, the road surface becomes, shall we say “more compromised”!

When we weren’t able to gather during lockdown I used to point you at YouTube clips of jazz that I had found that I thought you might like as well. Well, I am a keen fan of Tony Coe, and decided to search YouTube for him. There is a fair bit there, but I was surprised to find him in the company of Ellingtonian clarinettist Barney Bigard. Back in 1977 Tony was part of a French “Grand Parade Du Jazz”. Do check out

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVDTK59yGak&t=72s

And also

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMBMFul2mKI

The second clip has some very adroit playing by trumpeter Joe Newman.

Well, that’s about it for now from Cronin Covid Headquarters. See you on the other side, or is that just too spooky? 

Hedsor Jazz this week welcomes back Mike Wills. Once upon a time Mike was at Hedsor every Thursday as the saxophonist and one fifth of The Clive Burton Quintet. Since Clive’s passing, and Mike’s own pacemaker problems, he hasn’t been quite so often. We tend to forget how far Oxford is when it’s time to go home!!

But this week, alongside the very special trumpet of John Thirkell, we can welcome Mike back.  This is a change to our published program, and we are delighted to get the trumpet of John Thirkell back to Hedsor Jazz so soon after his last visit. So don’t miss this, it will be SPECIAL!

Check out John Thirkell’s CV:-   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Thirkell

If you do come this Thursday don’t forget to pick up a printed copy of  Hedsor Jazz’s program which we now have up to the end of April. There may have to be one or two amendments as yet unforeseen, but we are planning at some time in the not too distant future to have an event or two to raise money to help towards the Ukrainian situation. We are only too aware that that fine musician “Tolly” has parents still in The Ukraine. So do watch this blog for the details.

Once upon my time we used to raise money to buy Spitfires! The nub of the world’s problems hasn’t changed. One man, one country, wants to rule the world. For men like that human life has no value, apart from their own of course. Somehow no one seems to look at history and learn from it. Hitler just wanted more living space. Unfortunately what he went after in 1939 wasn’t his.

Last week we had a superb session from Duncan Lamont Jr alongside Mike Innes on trombone. The playing, the arrangements and the sight reading were all of a very high order. My photos are below.

OTHER JAZZ EVENTS

Just to keep you off the streets other jazz events are now cropping up. On Wednesday (16^th March) Vasilis is joining Mark Aston see poster below

 

This Friday (18^th March) Alan Barnes is at Norden Farm. Tickets are still available (if your quick), and Alan is in fine form at the moment. Check out the link to Norden Farm via

https://norden.farm/events/alan-barnes-sax

a chance not to be missed.

 

Now in my diary that looks like you could be out to jazz Wednesday, Thursday and Friday!

Now don’t nod off, because Marlow Jazz is also back after a short intermission (riff?? Does anyone play that these days?). April 12^th sees none other than ALAN BARNES this time with Scottish trumpeter Bruce Adams.

See poster below.

It’s Tuesday, and as you regular readers will know, Tuesday is blog day. Today I am a bit pushed for time but do still want to encourage you all to come out to listen to some superb live jazz at The Hedsor Bar. Yes, Hedsor Jazz is still up and running and we have a program for every Thursday until the end of April. Do look below.

You will see that week we have another evening featuring Duncan Lamont Jr. This time he will have alongside him that superb trombonist Mike Innes.

Please ensure you are free from covid infection by taking a lateral flow test before you come. An honest response to this requested test, coupled with a sensible approach to the usual social distancing measures would be appreciated by all.

Our future program:- 

March 10^th         Mike Innis trombone + Duncan Lamont jr sax+ Peter Hughes bass + Ken McCarthy keyboard + Martin Hart drums

March 17^th         Mike Wills reeds + Lester Brown tpt + Peter Hughes bass + Ken McCarthy keyboard + Martin Hart drums

March 24^th         Mike Wills reeds + Sue Greenway reeds + Terry Davis bass + Ken McCarthy keyboard + Martin Hart drums

March 31^st          Al Nicholls reeds + Max Brittain guitar + Ken McCarthy keyboard, + a bass player + Martin Hart drums

APRIL 7^th           Sarah Moule singer + Duncan Lamont jr + Ken McCarthy keyboard + a bass player + Martin Hart drums

April 14^th           Mike Wills reeds + Jez Cook guitar + Ken McCarthy keyboard + a bass player + Martin Hart drums

April 21^st          to be arranged

April 28^th           Mike Wills reeds + Mark Aston reeds + Ken McCarthy keyboard + a bass player + Martin Hart drums

Please note that April 7^th is a red letter day. Sarah Moule was going to be our special Christmas Guest, but due to rampant covid, we had to cancel Christmas (well almost, we had to cancel Hedsor Jazz’s Christmas Party!), so just pretend it is party time, and come out for a superb evening of vocal jazz.

Martin Hart, Photographer

A couple of blogs ago, when we anticipated a little less drumming from Martin Hart, and a little photography instead, I wrote:-

As many of you know, for the sake of a bit of colour for this blog, I take some snaps of each Hedsor Jazz session. Martin is however a prize winning photographer and I hope you will be able to tell the difference!!

So, instead of my photos of last weeks session with Lester Brown and Duncan Lamont Jr I am publishing, with Martins permission, HIS photos of the session performed on February 17^th. 

I have to say, I can tell the difference! 

BUT I will still take mine, just for the blog you understand!

 

Those taking part were

Lester Brown trumpet

Frank Walden Tenor Sax

Ken McCarthy keyboard

Terry Davis bass

Mike Jeffries drums 

Todays Blog 

A Month full of interest at Hedsor Jazz

We have a month of super gigs lined up for you this month. All start at 8.30pm and all have a £10 entry fee

March 3^rd           Duncan Lamont jr sax + Lester Brown tpt + Steve Riddle bass + Ken McCarthy keyboard + Martin Hart drums

     March 10^th                 Mike Innis trombone + Duncan Lamont jr sax+ Peter Hughes bass + Ken McCarthy keyboard + Martin Hart drums

     March 17^th                 Mike Wills reeds + Lester Brown tpt + Peter Hughes bass + Ken McCarthy keyboard + Martin Hart drums

     March 24^th                 Mike Wills reeds + Sue Greenway reeds + Terry Davis bass + Ken McCarthy keyboard + Martin Hart drums

Hedsor Jazz takes place at The Hedsor Bar, Hedsor Rd, 

Bourne End SL8 5ES

Please ensure you are free from covid infection by taking a lateral flow test before you come. Only come to Hedsor Jazz if you pass as clean using the government approved test kit. We have contacted all the musicians who will be with us in March and they have all agreed to abide by this requirement and we would ask you to do the same. No, we won’t ask for proof, only an honest response to this requested test, coupled with a sensible approach to the usual social distancing measures.

It will be great to welcome back to Hedsor Steve Riddle playing bass for us this week after a longer than desired gap.!

Last Thursdays photos are below.

 

Last week Martin Nickless and Max Brittain put on an interesting show, with Mike Jeffries providing the propulsion as Martin was taking a short break. The word “interesting” might raise the odd eyebrow, but it was, we don’t often get to hear a clarinet played all evening as the main front line instrument and many of the tunes played were from “The Great American Songbook”. Obviously well know to both our guests but not often heard in quantity at Hedsor.  In the second set they were joined from the audience by singer Kay Day (apologies if I miss heard the name) who I understand is also the wife of our bass player of the night Terry Davis.  He also joined her on bass and voice in the two songs she sang. It was a great way to celebrate her birthday in this way.

Coming this month in different places.

Alan Barnes is playing Norden farm on the 18^th March. Follow the link https://norden.farm/events/alan-barnes-sax and you can fine out more and book a ticket or two!

I went and saw Alan with John Pearce on keyboard at The Milford Arms in Isleworth last night and he is in fine form.

A few days earlier this month another of our favourites, (and now Cookham resident), Vasilis Xenopoulos is playing alongside Mark Aston at Marks monthly jazz meet.

See pic of poster below:-

 

I am still convinced, and I hope you will be too having read the months gig list, that what we provide at Hedsor Jazz is as good as can be had in anyplace. So do support it. If you are already convinced, then bring your friends. A very budget entry fee and free parking, club bar prices plus some of Britain’s best jazz musicians should also help to convince you to leave the telly behind for a night!

At Hedsor Jazz we also sell “part used” CD’s, and since September 2021 we have donated to CRUK £311 from their sale. Thank you to all you collectors.

The February Contribution

For now its time to publish. Perhaps before I do we might like to remember the musicians now living in the UK who come from the Ukraine, and to think of them and their families at this incredibly stressful time for them. "Tolly" who played for us in February, is one we know. 

Geoff C