Hi Everyone,

I just thought I would nag you again, to remind you that at Hedsor this Thursday we have a session NOT led by Clive Burton, BUT with such luminaries as John Rolls on sax, Tim Best on keyboard, Elliot Toms on drums, and the link to our regular band will be Ken Rankine on the bass. I still think there will be another instrumentalist there as well, but that could just be a tease!! The usual start time of 8.30 pm applies, as does the entry fee of £3 and a mandatory raffle ticket.

On MONDAY 21st, yet another super session that I have been trying to organise for a while. Some of you May like to come and join me in listening to guitarist James Fenn, with Vasilis Xenopoulos on saxophone,and piano player Pete Billington . Lisa Amato will be adding considerable visual attraction to the event (as well as playing very good bass), and we hope to have Nick Marangoni on drums as well. AND you only have to pay £5. That's it, only £5. We at least are trying to control the current world economic crisis. On the 22nd, if not enough of you turn up, you can come and help me control MY financial crisis!!

Sessions continue on Sundays at The Fifield Inn, 8pm, usually led by Century Jazz.

On Saturday 26th, there will be a Jazz Program at The Woodley Theatre, led by Martin Hart:-
Jazz at the Oakwood:
Alan Barnes
acclaimed sax star, backed by
The Martin Hart Trio
and featuring
Ken McCarthy - Piano

Saturday 26 April 2008
All tickets £8.50 from the Box Office 0118 9690827
And on Sunday 24th May Alan Barnes is playing St Mary's Church Wendover at 7.45. Ring 01296 696204 for tickets and more info.

Recent CD Listen
I don't know about you, but I sometimes feel that CD's are too long! Yes, I know that you do need value for money and £12 to £15 is a lot of cakes, but the old LP did give you fairly convenient 20 minutes bite size listens. For me, this usually means that I rarely listen to a complete CD all the way through at any one session. BUT, one CD did catch me this week.
OK,so it was a lady singer (anathema to some of you), and she has got a slightly strange name. BUT she was born in Rochdale, and brought up in Stockport! She also has a very individual style, often likened to Nina Simon. Who am I blathering on about? Barb Jungr.
I started listening to her 2006 CD on Linn Records called "Walking in the Sun". 54 minutes and 42 seconds later, I stopped, because I had listened all the way through. Totally enthralling stuff. Full of passion and real soul. To some, it might not be considered jazz, if that is so, I wont apologise. Just get a listen to it and tell me you haven't had a musical experience.Titles include "Walking to Memphis", "Blind Willie McTell", "Many Rivers to Cross" and of course the album title song. Its superbly recorded,and its on Lynn Records AKD 283.
That's it for now folks, see you Thursday, or Sunday or Monday or.....but do turn out, or the music will stop!

Geoff C

Just a few items of interest.

Last nights Hedsor session with the addition of Duncan Lamont was an absolute delight. It was apparent that the home team raised their game with such an illustrious guest with us, and it was obvious that Duncan enjoyed playing at Hedsor (but then most musicians do). I'm confident that he will come back.

Most of the gigs at Hedsor and Fifield in the next few weeks will have our regular quintet, with Mike Wills now playing for us regularly. There are a few occasions when he will be missing, and one occasion when the whole band will disappear.

At Fifield this Sunday (6th) the guest will be guitarist Max Britain.

On Sunday 13th April at Fifield the guest will be saxophonist Peter Cook.

On Thursday 17th at Hedsor the regular band will be replaced by John Rolls on saxophone, Tim Best on keyboard, Elliot Toms will be on drums, and the link to our regular band will be Ken Rankine on the bass. We are trying hard at the moment to entice another well known jazz musician to come and play as well, more on that later.

On MONDAY 21st we have a very special jazz guitar night. I have attached a file with a poster so you can all help in it's advertising. We are going to combine the talents of guitarist James Fenn, with not only Vasilis Xenopoulos on saxophone, but piano player Pete Billington as well. Lisa Amato will be adding considerable visual attraction to the event (as well as playing very good bass), and we hope to have Nick Marangoni on drums as well.

All that for fiver.

More info when I have it. Keep turning out and we will have to keep running live jazz. Stay at home, and so will all the musicians!!

TTFN

Geoff C

During last Fridays Concert I managed to take some photographs of the artists at play. I thought I would share some with you!

So far, we have raised, and will be able to donate to Cancer Research UK as a direct result of this event, over £900

A well done to everyone involved.

On Thursday THIS WEEK, we have a special guest joining The Clive Burton Quintet at The Hedsor Social Club. Sax legend DUNCAN LAMONT will be joining the front line.

Read more about this fabulous player at http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/musician.php?id=1773

A JPEG of the poster for this event is included in the artwork above, please print off a copy and display it where more people can see it.

And you thought you could rest after our concert!!

Geoff C

I thought I would like to let you all know, those who came and those who didnt, that our Cancer Research concert last night at The Hedsor Social Club has raised nigh on £900 for CRUK. Thank you to all who made such a result possible.

AND the music was wonderful!

AND the music will stay wonderful all next week. Tuesday at Mo's gig at The Bourne End Community Centre you will see a very similar front line to last night, with a change of personnel in the row behind!!

AND on THURSDAY back at Hedsor (now fast becoming the home of the local jazz scene) we are having not only the full Clive Burton Quintet, but saxophone star Duncan Lamont as well.

Keep telling your friends, keep coming out!

And together we WILL keep live jazz alive.

Geoff C

The Hedsor Social Club, Hedsor Road, BOURNE END, Buckinghamshire SL8 5ES

Tel: 01628521921

Hi there jazz fans.

This little reminder is all about the concert at The Hedsor Social Club this coming Friday (March 28th). I just wanted to make sure those of you who are coming knew it was at The Hedsor Social Club NOT The Bourne End Community Centre as in previous years.

You will find a map above for its location (in Hedsor Road) and it is next door to the garden centre. Ample car parking is there, and its FREE.

Also Please feel free to bring your own food, as only crisps and nuts are available from the bar. But do buy all your drinks from the bar, they are very reasonably priced, and it is only through the good offices of the Social Club that we can run this event (and all the other jazz we run there), so please patronise the bar.

I'm really looking forward to it now. The music, I know, will be to a very high standard, it always is, but we are adding in 2 very special people to this years concert. Lynn Garner is a singer who always sends shivers down my spine, she has a tremendous ability to get to the emotional centre of any song. We also have John Slater, another very talented musician, playing trumpet for us this year. He is equally at home on keyboard or bass and he also has a wacky sense of humour. But so has Lynn G, so it could well turn out to be a memorable evening!

There will be a raffle, always a highlight on a Thursday, and I think the prizes are up to the usual Thursday Standard!

So come along, bring your own picnic, and a good time will be had by all.

AND Cancer Research UK will benefit from all the profit we make.

Geoff C

First up, as I write, it is a sunny morning, but with a forecast of rain and snow, AND it's Easter! So I would like to wish all who read this (and probably those who don't too!), a very happy Easter Time. Easter marks a time of fresh beginnings, putting the Winter behind us and helping us look towards the warmth of Summer. With turbulent financial times around, it is also a good time to observe that there is much that we can see in the natural world that gives joy, and is free! If properly prepared and clothed for it, even being out in the cold rain can be a stimulating experience!

And so to jazz.

We had an excellent session at Hedsor on Monday, with Vasilis X joining James Fenn and his team. Great music, but we must have more in the audience if we are to carry on with these quality evenings. Just so that you know who is coming for the next Jazz Monday (21st April) we are combining the talents of James and his team with both Vasilis, and Pete Billington on keyboards. It should be a stunning session, so put a reserve in your diary NOW.

Our next Hedsor gig now, will in fact be NEXT FRIDAY! It's our,now annual, effort to raise money for Cancer Research UK. So many of my friends and family have been affected by this disease that, for me, supporting it is a no brainer. But just to entice you to spend the £10 entrance fee for this cafe concert style presentation, we have not only the remarkable talents of Clive Burton and his Quintet, but in addition, the trumpet of John Slater, and the wonderful vocal talents of Lynn Garner. It should be a great jazz evening AND a great fun evening too. There are a few tickets left, and there MAY be some on the door, but to be certain of yours, go to Crocks and Crystals in Bourne End (01628 528712) or Delizioso in Cookham (01628 522202) in the next day or so.

We were thinking that the band would use Thursday (27th) to rehearse, and we were going to let the public be part of that night as long as they had a ticket for the Friday Concert. BUT, the band has already rehearsed, and they WILL NOT BE THERE ON THURSDAY!

After this Concert event, we are not resting on our laurels (uncomfortable), but we are inviting the occasional guest to appear with the Quintet at Hedsor on our regular Thursdays. The first one will be star saxophonist Duncan Lamont, who will be with us on APRIL 3rd. Duncan has been around for a little while now, has played with everyone (including the Quintet in the past) and we are very much looking forward to his coming to Hedsor, and to YOUR ATTENDANCE there as well!!

Enough now of the gratuitous violence (well, I know I nag).

When you are stuck at home, and you do want to listen to some jazz music, there appears to be an unlimited choice these days. OK, so you do have to find a record store first, but there is some great music from the past to catch up on at home.

Maxine Sullivan became more famous when in 1938 she sang in the Benny Goodman Carnegie Hall concert. A lovely CD of her post war years is now available on the Legend label (CD6004), covering her work between 1944 and 1948. As well as the "Loch Lomand" that caught our ears with BG, here we have some wonderful songs like "Mad About the Boy", "I Cant Get Started", "Miss Otis Regrets", as well as some less well know ("Cry, Buttercup,Cry"). The accompanying musicians include Ellis Larkins (piano), Everett Barksdale (guitar), the Larry Johnson Orchestra, and a number of string sections. A lovely reissue from an almost forgotten period.

A more recent addition to my singers list is Karrin Allyson. Born in Great Bend, Kansas, she brings a warm sensitive smoky feel to her work. She has a number of albums under her slim belt, the one I have listened to this week being a very interesting reworking for voice of John Coltrane's "Ballads" album. All the tunes he played on that recording are here, very sensitively performed, with some superb backing by, among others, John Patitucci on bass, and James Carter on Tenor Sax. Its a Concord recording CCD-4950-2.

As usual, artwork for these albums can be seen on the blog. Karrin has very good website at http://www.karrin.com where you can even download some of her tracks to sample the sound.

That's it for now folks. As I said at the top, do have a very Happy Easter, don't eat too much chocolate, and I hope to see you all on Friday 28th March at Hedsor for the Concert.

Geoff C

Todays Nag will be a short reminder of the next few events in my jazz calendar, starting with:-

Thursday, Hedsor has no actual guests. Mike Wills our regular, and restored to health saxophonist, will be with us for the next few weeks on Thursdays, so do come along and hear some of the harmonies that he and Clive create between them. Last week was a real joy!!
Usual start time of 8.30 pm, usual entry fee of £3, usual raffle hilarity, lets hope that more than the usual suspects turn up!!

Fifield on Sunday, will be a repeat of Thursday, with the exception that it is free to get in, and is funded by a more valuable raffle!! Oh yes, the start time is 8 pm, not 8.30 pm. The landlord likes to get to bed early on a Sunday!

Monday the 17th is our regular Guitar night at Hedsor, with James Fenn in the chair. He brings quality players with him, so come and pay your £5 and see who he brings with him this time! Please tell your friends about this event. We have enjoyed some remarkably talented evenings on these Mondays, but without an increase in audience numbers, this event will have to close (unless I can find a rich sponsor!).

The BIG jazz event in my year, and this time also for Hedsor, is the Cancer Research Jazz Concert on FRIDAY 28th March. Easter will be over, so you wont be "lent" on, but we do want a good turn out for this fundraiser. Remember ALL the profit goes to Cancer Research UK. It promises to be a great evening musically, but we all have more fun when there is a big crowd. This year, joining in the "Dixieland to Swing" theme will be the wonderful Lynn Garner. Tell your friends, print the poster (attached) and put it up for all to see, lets make this one SPECIAL.

A couple of CD's with guitar themes to them have been liberated as far as my cd player this past week, one of them so surprising I couldn't believe it had gone unnoticed in the sales stock for so long.

Guys and Dolls was a super show that I first saw when I was still wearing short trousers. It has some memorable tunes, many of which have become jazz standards. So, perhaps I thought that Harry Allen and Joe Cohn were just going through the financial motions when they recorded a whole album of the songs. I do mean songs, because Rebecca Kilgore and Eddie Erickson join Harry and Joe alongside Chuck Rigg on Drums and Joel Forbes on bass to add the words to the music! It's a wonderful album. Harry Allen is of course well known for his middle period style sax playing, melodic, swinging, punchy sometimes, but always tasteful. Joe Cohn on guitar I hadn't heard so much of before, and is perfectly well suited to join Harry as the front line. For me, for a lot of reasons, the best track on the album is "Sit Down Your Rocking The Boat", but they are all there, "If I Were A Bell", "Luck Be A Lady Tonight", "I've Never Been In Love Before" etc, etc. It's on Arbors Records Jazz Label ARCD 19354.

The CD that had literally been knocking about in the bottom of the box is one by, I presume, a German Guitarist Wolfgang Muthspeil. I don't have any sleeve for this, and all the music looks as though it has been written for or by Wolfgang himself (I may be wonderful but I could be wrong!), Its a trio format, and is a great funky fusion sound. It's called "Bright Side", and is on a label called Material Records and was released in 2005. I'll do some more research before next week, but do look out for it, or him, because its terrific modern jazz.

Well, that's it for now folks,

Turn out for live jazz, or it will get turned off. "thejazz" closes at the end of the month!

Geoff C
http://jazzfromgeoff.blogspot.com/

And you all thought it was safe now to STAY IN!! WRONG

Because there are so many things to go out for this week, and into the not too distant future. AND they are all near YOU, AND don't cost much more than £5 each (bar one).

That one first, is the Concert we are organising for Cancer Research UK, which is a £10 ticket price. A PDF file with all the details is attached. Please note, it has been amended to include the news of our two super guest artist. There may be more coming, but I have run out of room on the poster, so you will just have to come and see on the night. Please support this very worthwhile cause.If you can print and display the poster near you, please do.

THIS WEEK
Tomorrow, Tuesday 4th March, There will be Jazz at The Bourne End Community Centre Bar from 8.30pm. It will be a small group and singer organised by drummer Terry Parsons. Entry, including a light supper, and a raffle, is £4.

Also tomorrow, slightly further a field, guitarist Tim Saunders will be playing The Brook Green Hotel, Hammersmith, together with saxophone star Duncan Lamont. 8.30 pm start, free entry to the cellar bar.

Thursday, our regular gig at The Hedsor Social Club has the return of our "regular" sax star Mike Wills. Expect some wonderful harmonies. 8.30 start, £3 in plus a raffle.

Sunday, at The Fifield Inn, Century Jazz play host to that wonderful saxophonist Pete Cook.

Rushing towards us at the speed of time, Our next James Fenn guitar led evening at Hedsor is Monday 17th March. 8.30 start, £5 to get in, and that's it, NO RAFFLE! Tell your friends, we need the audience, the music is wonderful, but people don't know that yet!

Two bits of round plastic that you might like to consider adding to your round plastic library this week.

Most recent first is a DVD (yep, you can watch AND listen) of the Liane Carroll Trio LIVE at the Brecon Jazz Festival. It was recorded last year, and has a typical session from this wonderfully entertaining singer. Described by Julian Joseph as having a "smoky voice" (well ,she used to be able to sing, play the piano and smoke, all at the same time, now the law only allows her to sing and play the piano, and THAT only in suitably licensed premises, because, as we all know, live music is dangerous to your health), she has got a very distinctive sound. She conveys real emotion for all she performs, and some of her songs (Dublin Morning) will become future standards I'm sure. Its a good hour of concert, reasonable filmed, the sound is slightly hollow and needs the wick turning up a bit, but on the whole does give you a satisfying echo of her performance. Songs include the aforesaid Dublin Morning, and other favourites like "That Old Black Magic", and "Caravan", which allows the other two members of her trio to feature. Nothing, however well produced, is as good as hearing and seeing the performance itself, BUT Splash Point Records SPR007DVD is a great souvenir of her recent live act.

Going back to 1974, I've dug out from my vault this week a CD that I paid £13.50 for!! Ruby Braff might have been known as "the poisoned dwarf", but his playing was magical, lyrical, and so complete. In 1974 he played a concert in New York, and the CD has all of the music. With him, as his foil, was guitarist George Barnes. They produced magical music together, but there association was short lived, as they found they couldn't stand the site of each other!! BUT happily the music lives on. Light and springy and full of tunes you know. "There Will Never Be Another You", "Thou Swell", "Squeeze Me", and even "Here There And Everywhere" by Lennon and McCartney. The label is Chiaroscuro, and the number is CR(D)126. And it is a great listen!

As usual, the artwork will be on the blog.

TTFN

Geoff C

Just in case you missed the poster for the cancer Research Concert, here it is again. If you would like a PDF File of this, please contact me with your email address and i will send it to you.

Geoff C

Hi Fans,

I just thought now would be a good time to tell you about some of the future gigs we have planned.

Thursday 21st February at Hedsor the guest with the Clive Burton Quartet will be guitarist Martin Cooke.
Sunday 24th February at Fifield, Century Jazz will be complete with the regular saxophonist, the remarkable Mike Wills.

Thursday 28th February at Hedsor the guest will be sax star Peter Cook.
Sunday March 2nd Fifield will have the complete Century Jazz, i.e. Mike Wills will be on sax.

Thursday 6th March, Mike Wills is again with Clive Burton.
Sunday March 9th at Fifield the guest will again be Peter Cook.

On MONDAY 17th March we will have another evening of guitar jazz from James Fenn and Friends.

On FRIDAY March 28th, we are running our Cancer Research UK Charity Concert at The Hedsor Social Club. The Theme is "From Dixieland to Swing AGAIN", and the Clive Burton Quintet will be augmented by John Slater on Trumpet. I am assured other guest will be included in this wonderful evening of fund raising Jazz. Tickets are now on sale from me, and very shortly from Crocks and Crystals in Bourne End, and Delizioso in Cookham. A PDF file of the poster is attached to this mailing.

As this will be the weeks major jazz event, we are NOT planning to have a regular Thursday Session at Hedsor. BUT, the band will be rehearsing there on Thursday 27th, and if anyone wants to turn up to listen, they will be welcome, and there will be NO CHARGE!! But we will ask to see your ticket for Friday!

A very special Jazz guitar night is in prospect for Monday April 21st (note change of date from that previously published). With James Fenn on Guitar and Lisa Amato on Bass Guitar, we are gathering together the multiple talents of Pete Billington on Keyboard, Nick Marangoni on Drums, and Vasilis Xenopoulos on Saxophone. Don't miss this one!

Other jazz gigs are on around the area. At The Bourne End Community Centre on the first Tuesday of every month. At The British Legion Hall in Marlow on Alternate Tuesdays (Tonight IS one of those, and the guest there will be Simon Spillett). Do keep an eye on the blog http://jazzfromgeoff.blogspot.com, and as well as seeing the live stuff advertised, you will get the occasional CD Revue/recommendation.

So, there we have a few things for you to look forward to, and I look forward to seeing you at some, if not all, of these full value jazz nights.

TTFN

Geoff C

More information on our guest pianist for next Monday's guitar jazz night at the Hedsor Social Club. The pianist will be :-

Holger Skepeneit

- Holger started playing classical piano at the age of eight and turned to jazz and blues at fourteen. After finishing school he briefly attended a full-time jazz course in Frankfurt/Germany. He then came to England to study piano, jazz piano and composition at the London College of Music, graduating in 2000 with a first class honours degree. The same year he started and completed successfully an MMus in jazz piano at the Leeds College of Music. Since graduating he’s been a sought after pianist, keyboard player, composer and MD. During his career so far he has performed and recorded along side artists such as Pete King, Jeff Clyne, Tina May, Alan Barnes, John Wheatcroft, Steve Waterman, Alan Shaw, Mark Nightingale, Kiranpal Sing, John Surman and many others. Apart from having played in most of the UK’s major live music venues (including the Southbank, Cadogan Hall, Shepherds Bush Empire, Peel Bay Festival, and the Wigmore Hall), he has so far performed in over 20 different countries, in Europe and overseas. Furthermore Holger has played for the guests of her Majesty the Queen and was awarded the Westminster prize for improvisation. Apart from being a busy performer, Holger is quite a prolific composer as well. His first works (for piano and sax) were published when he was only seventeen. Since then he has written a variety of highly acclaimed pieces ranging from piano concertos and string quartets to Big Band pieces, solo piano works and trio suites. At the moment Holger works mainly with his own trio (with Chris Nicholls on drums and Alan Mian on bass), the Counterfeit Stones and the Balkan Fusion line-up Dark Raki (with Vasilis X). He is also part-time tutor for keyboard and theory at the Institute for Contemporary Music Performance and Thames Valley University). www.myspace.com/holgerskepeneittrio

Thanks to Eddie Fowler for finding/providing this info.


Geoff C

Jazz Nag EXTRA

Information from the front regarding Monday nights guitar led jazz session at Hedsor, with James Fenn and Lisa Amato.

Lisa Amato writes:-

"We have a great pianist coming on Monday for the regular monthly modern jazz thrash. His name is Holger Skepengeit (I think that's how it is spelled) and he's very melodic (we like 'em like that). Still trying to fix a drummer, but I'll let you know when they return my calls!"

We know the usual quality provided by the Fenn team, so do make sure you "get a ticket on the jazz island line" for Monday 18th February!!

TTFN

Geoff C

Here we are, and almost already at the Valentines Day post! For me, the significance of the day has changed. It was 6 years ago that I came out of Harley Street after my heart surgery. Time has really flown. But we have also seen and done so many things since, including starting up this regular Jazz Nag.

So, just to keep you occupied this Thursday on St. Valentines Day, we have at The Hedsor Social Club, on all the reeds, Mike Wills, together with the Clive Burton Quartet. Last weeks session with Mike and John Rolls was a really joyous occasion too. The music was wonderful, we had a reasonable turn out, and we almost had enough money to pay the band, which always leaves me smiling! Thursdays at Hedsor always start at 8.30 pm. We still only charge £3 to get in, and we still run the best raffle in Hedsor!

Sunday at The Fifiled Inn it will be the same combination, Mike and Clive. Start time 8 pm, free entry, raffle funded. And the music is just as good!

Don't forget to put in your diary next Monday, February 18th, because at Hedsor we have another guitar led session from James Fenn and Friends, and you know the kind of friends he brings along. So although this month is a pot luck one for the guest, it will be well worth turning out for.

Many of the musicians who play for us at Hedsor are well nationally known names in the jazz firmament, and although we cannot pay them what they are undoubtedly worth, they love coming because of the friendly, knowledgeable audience, and are very happy to keep coming back. I hope that also applies to you!

Bearing that preamble in mind, our next Concert for Cancer Research UK is on Friday March 28th, and at Hedsor (for the first time). We are trying to make Hedsor the local "home" for jazz, and I hope many of you will come along and support the charity. £10 will get you in and we have tickets for sale now!

Also in to the future, we are organising a very special Monday Date at Hedsor. On April 28th with James Fenn, Lisa Amato, and Nick Marangoni we are putting together Pete Billington on Keyboard and Vasilis Xenopoulos on Saxophone. (I wonder if anyone who saw Vasilis with Clive the other Thursday realise that it was the first time he had played the alto sax, as well as his usual tenor! It was new to him!). This session is a special, it will cost us more money, but it will be unmissable, put it in your diary NOW. It could be the start of a whole new band!

When your not out soaking up the live jazz, you may want to listen to some at home. CD's I've listened to recently, and can heartily recommend are:-

"Billy Taylor and Gerry Mulligan Live at MCG"

Recorded in Pittsburgh in 1993 this late Mulligan session, recorded before an audience, is a wonderful addition to the Mulligan catalogue. Dr Billy Taylor is a very accomplished pianist, in full sympathy with the small group Mulligan sound. There are some wonderful tunes ("Laura", "All the Things You Are", "Come Sunday") and the quartet (Chip Jackson is on bass and Carl Allen on Drums) play with great integration. It's well recorded too. I think you will need to order it from a specialist jazz dealer, as its on MCG Jazz (a local to Pittsburgh label). MCGJ1025 is the number, you can see the rest of the catalogue at http://www.mcgjazz.org/ so you may well be able to order online too.

The other CD is much more home grown, but very similar in style and feel.

"Karen Sharp Wait and See" features the young lady saxophonist who first came to most peoples attention with the Humphrey Lyttleton Band, which she left last year to further her own career. With Karen are Adrian Fry on trombone, John Perry drums, Richard Busiakiewicz on piano and John Day on bass. This combination of instruments is very familiar to listeners of the Clive Burton Quintet, and Karen's playing is mature, the ensemble playing recognises the harmonies that work, and the solos are all well executed. Many of the tunes are Karen's own, but two exceptions stand out, "Pure Imagination" and"Struttin' With Some Barbecue". It was recorded in 2006, and is available on 33 Records 33JAZZ152. 33 records often pick up and present fresh talent, who usually go on to be contracted to more prestigious labels. I'd go out and buy this one now, as it will become a collectors item! Its also a great listen, and over the last fortnight, not been put into a storage draw.

That's it for now folks, don't forget to support local live jazz, without you in the audience there will be no jazz tomorrow!

Geoff C

A Belated Reminder that tomorrow is another Thursday, which means we have some Jazz at Hedsor from 8.30 pm onwards. For a measly £3, we will give you two tenors!! With our regular rhythm section, you can hear Mike Wills, and John Rolls. What a bargain!

And rushing towards us is Sunday, where at Fifield, you can listen to another great saxophonist, Al Nicholls. And this one tenor, is actually free. You do of course have to buy a raffle ticket, but we must be better value than Mr. Livingston.OK, so it's jazz by stealth! 8 pm start.

Not too distant is our next effort to raise money for Cancer Research UK. Tickets for March 28th are now available at £10 each. See the above for the poster. (A right mouse click will let you save it full size).

CD reviews soon, its been a busy week,

TTFN

Geoff C

PS Booking is now underway for the Swanage Jazz Festival. July 11th, 12th and 13th. A Copy of the booking form is above (but very small!). Contact the Festival Office on 01929 422215 for your own copy of the brochure and booking form.

GC

A little nagging about some of the good live jazz that's on this week.

Wednesday at "The Harrow" up Hughenden Valley, Lynn Garner, Ken McCarthy and Brad Lang team up again to give you an evening of song, with a little humour. The Little Jazz Bird will sing from 8.30pm, its a free event, and hot food is available.

Thursday, the guest at The Hedsor Social Club, alongside The Clive Burton Quartet, will be saxophonist Brian Thompson. Again it's an 8.30 start, its £3 to get in, and further funding for the band is provided by the famous raffle.

Please add in to your diary Friday 28th March, when we will be again running a concert to raise money for Cancer Research UK. This year it will be at The Hedsor Social Club, which is fast becoming an important local jazz venue. Tickets will be available soon at £10 a head. It will be run on similar lines to before, in Cafe style, where you can bring your own feast, but you must get the drinks from the bar.

One last word for now at least, and that is a retrospective look at The fabulous Shirtlifters evening of Winter Ineluctability (last Saturday).

The place was packed, the fun was HIGH, and they had as guest Rolf Harris!! Yes, he did play his accordion with them on at least 2 numbers, and told a couple of quality jokes to boot! And it wasn't John Brooks in drag!!

Mike Wills was another playing guest with them for the evening, and he played his very small 1910 bent soprano sax with real style.

Overall it was the sort of relaxed evening that meant you got really close to people you had never met before, and really really close to those you already new!!

Well done Shirtlifters. It's amazing that they can go on doing it year in, year out, giving away many thousands of pounds to charity over those years.

TTFN

Geoff C

Just to remind and inform you that the cast for the jazz guitar night on Monday (21st Jan) at Hedsor is James Fenn, guitar, Lisa Amato, bass, Nick Marangoni, drums, and Peter Billington on keyboard.

Peter is the keyboard player for Pendulum (It used to be called The Berkshire Youth Jazz Orchestra), and usually plays keyboard for the Jazz at Norden Farm sessions.

Do come along (for an 8.30pm start), bring your friends, pay the measly sum of £5 and sit back for a night of great entertainment!

TTFN

Geoff C

Another Repetitious Reminder Or NAG to those who know!

At the Hedsor Social Club this week, we are delighted to welcome back, not exactly a guest, more a member of the band, Mr Mike Wills. He will be joining with Clive and the rest of the fellows to bring you our usual entertaining, mellifluous, swinging LIVE JAZZ.
Entry will be the usual £3, raffle money will also be extracted. Start time 8.30pm
Sunday, The Fifield Inn's guest will be that wonderful guitarist Max Britain. Entry is free, hot food is available, and there WILL be a raffle to fund the band.

Two advance notices, unfortunaly for the same day. Its done to test your allegiance of course, BUT on Saturday 26th Jan, at Cookhams Pinder Hall you can take part in a Winter Ineluctability, organised and featuring the fabulous Shirtlifters. Contact Charles Benson (01628 472163) for more details, entry by ticket, so buy ticket @ £8.

BUT also on the same night, our regular drummer Martin Hart is running a concert in The Woodley Theatre featuring music from the 1971 New York Town Hall concert given by the MJQ and the Dave Brubeck Quartet.

Paul Desmond becomes Peter Cook, Alan Graham will be on vibes, Nigh Pugh will be on bass and Ken McCarthy will be on the piano. Martin of course will be on drums, and giving the chat!

Contact the theatre for your ticket.

Another advance notice, but this time not so far away, I will be running another in the series of guitar jazz recitals at Hedsor on MONDAY January 21st, with that very talented young guitarist James Fenn and his team of chosen musos. Do come, you know he always brings great players with him. Entry will be £5, we don't do a raffle, so THAT IS REALLY ALL YOU NEED TO PAY TO HAVE A FIRST RATE JAZZ NIGHT OUT!!

A notice for February, Centre Jazz will be running their first jazz night since the death of Bernard Spinks, it would be nice now to support that venture even more than ever now, and the music on that night will be led by veteran drummer Bobby Orr. That's February 5th.

Yes, there is a lot of jazz roundabout to support, and we are very lucky in it being so. It aint like it everywhere, so why not make the most of it whilst it's still there.

TTFN

Geoff C

What an Inexcusable Ineluctable mistake!!

I missed the poster art from the blog!! Here it is in glorious black and white.

Geoff C

First, a sad addition to my emailings.

I learnt just after New Year that Bernard Spink, (who did the announcements and took your money at the Bourne End Community Centre Jazz nights) died on Friday December 28th. He will be sorely missed in and around Bourne End, and I would certainly wish to pass on my condolences to his Family. He was a lovely man, and a great Friend to the local jazz community.

He was a great Al Nichols fan, and I'm sure he wouldnt mind me following the above, with the below!

Some January Gig dates are on the list above (to see an enlarged view or to print the artwork, right click your mouse).

BUT you can also add in some from Al Nichols:-

"Barley Mow, Watersplash Road, Shepperton, Wednesday 9th January (8.30 - 11pm) with the house band.

Fox & Hounds, Englefield Green, Monday 14th January (8.30 - 11pm) with the house band

Now King & Castle, Windsor January
16th & 30th - Al Nicholls Trio with Rex Bennett & Bob Haddrell
9th & 23rd - either the Jenny Carr or Dave Priseman Trio

Hope to see you at some point.
Al"

You will note that THIS THURSDAY we DON'T HAVE Peter Cook, he was offered a much better paid gig in London.

On January 26th you can have an evening of Winter Ineluctability with the fabulous Shirtlifters, see also above!

AND you will see mention in the gig list of a one off event at Cores End United Reformed Church (which many of you go past to get to Hedsor). I have been invited to run a Jazz Service there THIS SUNDAY. We will have a wonderful lady singer called Melrose, together with Zane Cronje on keyboard, Keith Wilkins on Clarinet, Ken Rankine on bass and Mike Jeffries on drums. Do feel free to come along, it starts at 10.30 am, should last about 1 hour, and will include some Bernstein and some Ellington!

I hope to see you all somewhere soon, do help jazz to thrive in 2008.

Jazz that has thrived in the past is always available on CD, and I have 2 to recommend today.

One from 1953 features Lionel Hampton and His Big Band recorded live for Swiss radio.

I think most of us feel we know Lionel from his days with Benny Goodman, but he did form his own big band soon after the famous Carnegie Hall Concert, and went out on his own. He continued to performed well, even in his later years, and this recording is not only good musically, but in good clear technical terms as well.

The band he gathered around him contain some interesting names as well. In the trumpet section are Art Farmer, Clifford Brown, Benny Bailey, and Quincy Jones!! You will also find Gigi Gryce and Clifford Scott in the saxophone section. But Lionel IS the star here. He plays swinging vibes, plays some very attacking 2 fingered (almost) piano, drums, AND sings. It is a really great album, with tunes like Moonlight in Vermont, How High The Moon (in Vermont?), Flying Home (well it wouldn't be complete without) and 7 others. A good buy for your Christmas record voucher. Its on the Montreux Jazz label TCB 02172.

The other album is more recent (DEC 2006), and contains some of Britain's foremost musicians. Almost as iconoclastic as Lionel H, Stan Tracey has teamed up with Norma Winstone and Bobby Wellins to produce a classic British album. With them are Andrew Cleyndert and Clark Tracey. Its a wonderful recording of standards, and some well known tunes with new added words. So as well as "Something's Gotta Give", you will get Norma Winstone's take on Monk's "Crepuscule With Nellie".

It's a double album, with 20 songs very well recorded. Anyone who has ever heard any of the above mentioned musicians cannot help but love this cd which is on Trio Records TR 576.

Geoff C
http://jazzfromgeoff.blogspot.com/