THIS WEEK we have as our guest  at Hedsor Jazz TRACEY MENDHAM

Two Photos of Tracey from a previous appearance at Hedsor

Below is a repeat of this week nagging email!

A quick round robin today just to remind you that we are celebrating Hedsor Halloween tomorrow night with the booting sound of Tracey Mendham and her array of saxophones!!

My mother always used to say the third one is never like the rest, and Tracey is the third saxophonist guest in the last  three weeks, so expect something special. 

If you want to get into the spirit of the Halloween occasion, try printing a mask. 

Follow the link below and lets "enghoul" ourselves tomorrow!!

https://neon.epson-europe.com/PDF/ScarySkeletonMaskPDF

TTFN

Geoff C

Who owns a Zafira and takes broadband etc from TalkTalk. Now should I start buying lottery tickets?

Ken McCarthy has just reminded me that if you are not already booked to go and see Lenore Raphael at Christ Church Marlow on Saturday this weekend (as I am), there is another super gig at Ickenham Village Hall, see below:-

Toots Music Management presents …..

Live Jazz @ Ickenham Village Hall

Saturday 24 Oct 2015, doors open 19.30

33 Swakeleys Rd, Ickenham, UB10 8DG 

 Nick Mills’ Blue Note Project

Featuring - Dave O Higgins, ten sax; Steve Fishwick,tpt;  Pete Billington,pno;  Mick Hutton, bass & Matt Skelton, drums.

A celebration of Blue Note legends such as Horace Silver, Freddie Hubbard, Art Blakey, Joe Henderson, Wayne Shorter and more. Regulars at Jazz Clubs throughout the UK and most recently headliners at the 2015 Ealing Jazz Festival, Nick Mills’ Blue Note Project authentically recreate the Blue Note sound with arrangements and classic compositions from artists of a golden era of music making. A formidable force not to be missed.               

Tickets, £12 – available from Pro Music International, Swakeleys Rd, UB10 8DF, on the door on the night or at

www.tootsmusicmanagement.co.uk/news-events

Licensed bar serving excellently priced beers, wines & soft drinks         

It has been nearly 4 weeks now since our day of jazz at St Piran’s School. A good day, but with a “but” and an “if only”! I must admit that I haven’t had a lot of time to catch up on jazz much since. I have done little listening to my collection of recordings at home, or gone further than Hedsor for my “weekly” fix of the live stuff. But, my normality is beginning to settle back.

It has sadly been interrupted by the need to go to two funerals. And this weekend past it was a choice of 2 out of a possible 4 in the same time frame. However friends and family did come first, and so on Friday we travelled to Salisbury and on Monday we were much nearer home. Sad though these occasions are, there is always a silver lining. The catching up with people whom you haven’t seen for a while.

Whilst away I was able to listen to some music on headphones via Spotify that I hadn’t got in my own collection, and thus I was reminded of how much we owe to the late Humphrey Lyttelton.

Once home I dug out a little known recording made by Humph in Canada. Only released in the UK in 2015 by Delmark Records it has Humph playing with Jim Galloway on reeds, Ed Bickert guitar, Neil Swainson bass and Terry Clarke on drums. It’s on the Sackville label as SK 3033 “Humphrey Lyttelton in Canada”. It is a fine mixture of mainstream recordings, recorded in 1983 during only his second visit to Canada. Many of the tunes you would have heard on earlier released Humph recordings (Looking for Turner, Lady Jekyll and Mistress Hyde and Caribana Queen for example) and include some work by Humph on clarinet as well as trumpet. It swings along nicely, and if you have never listened to either Ed Bickert or Jim Galloway before then this one becomes a “must”.

The other album liberated for a listen I have probably mentioned before. The Howard Alden Dan Barrett Quintet “Swing Street” on Concord CCD 4349, was first released in 1988. With the two named leaders are Chuck Wilson reeds, Frank Tate bass and Jackie Williams drums. This recording reminds me very much of the wonderful days of the Brecon Jazz Festival in its heyday. Precision playing and great swinging drive. Mostly the tunes are those you will have had a chance to hear somewhere else (Flying Home, Cotton Tail) but there are also some Buck Clayton tunes you may not have heard before and others that you may well have!! It is a worthwhile album to acquire or to place on your Christmas list! Again, if you have never heard a trombone playing note for note with a fingerpicker before, then go get it now! Dan Barrett is a formidable musician.

Talking of formidable musicians, at Hedsor we have two coming for you in our next two Thursday sessions.

This week (October 22^nd), Simon Spillett, last seen by me on September 26^th (wasn’t it great to hear him playing with the Remix, bringing alive those Tubby Hayes arrangements) will be alongside Clive Burton at Hedsor with, I strongly suspect, our regular rhythm section!!

And Next Week (October 29^th) hang on to your chairs, because Tracey Mendham is coming to (Hedsor) Town. Just in time to get you in the Halloween mood, this spot of the year has been traditionally reserved for Tracey and her great BIG tenor tone. A lovely Lady, she comes all the way from darkest Essex to entertain us, so do turn up, park your broomsticks at the door, and be hugely entertained. She herself will probably travel by car as she has a tenor and a baritone to bring, but do ensure you lock your broomstick, she has been known to fly!!

Most of our gigs at Hedsor start at 8.30pm and cost £6 to get in, and these two are no exception.

Another Week...

has gone by, how did I ever find time to go to work? 

So many things seem to have happened this week, including sadly the death of a friend, and another of a relative too. Both had lived to ripe old age, but again, one is saddened by loosing someone from ones circle of friends.

Then there was a car to get MOT'd and serviced, and finding I needed a new exhaust for that car. Getting it all sorted out and fitting all that in with a trip to the dentist, a starving blood test AND a trip to the optician's has brought us round again to THURSDAY. So here is a late blog!!Again!!

Tonight I am delighted to say that at Hedsor we have as a guest pianist Ken McCarthy. Always a delight to listen to, this week with I think the "standard" Clive Burton Quintet. However over the next few weeks this will change!!

Next week (October 15th) we have that delightful young man, and a lovely sounding saxophonist, Robert Goodhew with us. He is also, I might add, a very good photographer!! Below are two shots he took at the St Piran's jazz day.

 Mike Wills and Ken McCarthy

Alan Grahame

Robert will be in place of Mike Wills who is going abroad for about a month!!

So,in Mike's absence we have a succession of visiting saxophonists. The week after Robert on October 22nd we have Simon Spillett. It is really very good to have him back to Hedsor Jazz before he has a second stint at Ronnie Scott's (Sunday November 1st). It is a strange and wonderful thing about jazz, you can talk to the stars of our jazz world face to face, and hear them play acoustically, not over a vast PA system with a huge screen!

Our final guest this month, who has been complaining that she hasn't been to us enough this year, is Tracey Mendham! A lovely lady with a huge big tenor tone, she comes to help celebrate Halloween (well it's our nearest Thursday!) on October 29th.

I always think she looks very fetching with her pointed hat and flying stick!

So a month of delights. Tell your friends about Hedsor Jazz, we need your company, and theirs!!

CD Listened to this week

Whilst browsing a charity shop in Marlow (Upmarket charity shops there!!) I came across a Stacey Kent CD! One that I didn't already have in my collection.

"Let Yourself Go, Celebrating Fred Astaire" is a true delight. We know all the tunes, many of us have seen all the players before too. But the combination is a celebration  of all that is good about jazz. Good tunes, good singing, and excellent playing from her husband Jim Tomlinson, accompanied by Colin Oxley on guitar, David Newton on piano, Simon Thorpe on bass and Steve Brown on drums. It was recorded in 1999, is on the Candid label as CCD 79764 and is well worth seeking out. 

But you wont get it for what I was asked to pay for it, just 25 pence!!

OK, Hedsor will cost you a minimum of £6 to get in, but I bet Ken McCarthy will let you speak to him!!

The Hedsor Jazz Goes to School 

A SCHOOL REPORT

September 26th, (A Day that will live in Memory) has been and gone. And as Nigel Price said, “The Audience was small but perfectly formed!”.

Anyone, even everyone, who came, heard some wonderful jazz music with a great variety of styles, all performed to a very high standard. 

The facilities offered by St.Piran’s School were excellent. I must congratulate the school on it catering, talk about value for money! The comparison for anyone who had supported our previous day of jazz at The Crowne Plaza could not have been more marked!! If they all eat that quality of food every day, then the teaching staff and the children are very lucky indeed. 

The Tippet Hall facilities were excellent. I was impressed by the sound within the Tippet Hall. I was also impressed by the stage lighting. 

The bar, courtesy of The Crauford Arms was well stocked and the staff very helpful. Perhaps a course in speed coffee making might have been a good idea, but no one ever let it get them down.

The Headmaster , Jonathan Carroll, worked hard all day and helped to make it a very pleasant place to be for a day of jazz. I will mention one other member of St.Pirans staff by name (the name I know anyway), Matt. Those of you there on the Saturday would not have seen him, but he was a great help on Friday setting up and teaching me how to work the lights. He was also there on Saturday after you had all gone home, helping to clear up afterwards. Here I must also say a thank you to many of YOU, who also made a swift job in helping to put away the chairs.

Clive Burton. Where would be without him? He worked hard all day long, playing, announcing, moving equipment about, and providing us with his own PA for the day. He was ably assisted by Jan, who hosted the musicians in their Green Room.

Was it a success?

Musically and socially without a doubt. Financially, sadly no. In my defence I will say that we advertised as much as possible, but that four letter word “jazz” was in all the adverts, and we only had about 1/3rd of the audience numbers we really needed. 

We tried!! We had mentions on local radio (thank you Marlow FM and Michael Eagleton in particular), we had adverts in local papers, London Jazz News, Town and Around. All of the Public Schools in the area were canvassed for their support. Posters were in place in Maidenhead, Cookham, High Wycombe and Marlow and many other places, libraries, Supermarkets, even Maidenhead Town Hall! But the support wasn’t forthcoming. 

Thank you to all who did turn out. You turned down the attractions of a sunny day and the rugby (both of course being on free offer!). Sadly not everyone did!

For those who did come, I know it was a great musical experience. Someone wrote afterwards that to get so many well known jazz musicians in one place on one day was a great achievement. 

But it IS to the musicians that my final remarks must be addressed. Thank you all for your great support, for continuing to play “in the sticks” for us, and for keeping Hedsor Jazz on your gig list.

It was as one person remarked, a marathon day of jazz. Well done everyone!! Thank you all for coming, whether listeners or players. 

Our next Hedsor special event will be in October when Tracey Mendham will be coming on a day very near Halloween!!

Below I have placed some of the photos that I took from my lighting operators position at the back of the hall.

Clive Burton playing one of Dawkes Plastic Trombones

John Coverdale, who sat in in the second half of the Clive Burton Set

Mike Wills with John Coverdale

Alan Grahame during the Martin Hart Tribute to Benny Goodman

The Remix Jazz Orchestra

Simon Spillett who joined the Remix Jazz orchestra to play Tubby Hayes Charts

Jill Cook, who was joined by Steve Waterman to great effect

John Critchinson, always superb

No jam at the end, but a super blues from Nigel Price's Organ Trio 

with Vasilis Xenopoulos

Hedsor Jazz only has a short time now before it goes to school!!

Our day of jazz at St Piran's School in Maidenhead is getting ever nearer. Slowly more people are becoming aware of the significance of the event. In the next two issues of The Maidenhead Advertiser we will have 1/4 page adverts for the day. Do ensure that you do not miss it. I still have a few tickets left, and there will be more available now on the door on the day.

We do still have 2 more Thursdays to go before Saturday 26th. And I do believe that this week, we have a completely current "Clive Burton Quintet" to play for us at Hedsor.

It IS a super band. Recently we have had other musicians in the audience who have come just to hear "our" band. 

One wrote recently:- 

Hi Geoff,

I enjoyed the music at Hedsor again on Thursday.  Great band ....

So don't forget, you can get 2 hours of great jazz every Thursday at Hedsor for just £6. 

CD Listened to this week

It is one that has been in my collection for some years, but due to the need to rest my eyes after a minor investigation, I pulled out a compilation disk of MP3 recordings to listen via my laptop.

"Soulmates" is the title of an album first produced in 1994 by drummer Butch Miles and guitarist Howard Alden. It is on the nagel heyer label (LC02932) and is a real cracker! It was recorded live (you know what I mean, there was an audience there!) in Hamburg. It swings, it fizzes and is an all together great jazz album. Tunes include "Lady Be Good", "Azalea", and "Tickle Toe". And the lineup? In addition to the two "Soulmates" already mentioned above there is Randy Sandke on trumpet, Harry Allen on tenor sax and Frank Tate on bass. They generate enough energy to sound very like the Count Basie band. It is still available for under £9 as it was reissued in 2002!!

However Great Jazz will always need an audience, or there wont be any!!

Hedsor and All that Jazz

or maybe this week it should be "Swing that Music", as in an effort to raise awareness of "our" school day on September 26th at St Pirans, I was invited to say a few words about it on Michael Eagleton's Sunday evening Marlow FM program of that name.

If you didnt get to hear me (and the music I played) live, you can still catch up by going to :-

www.marlowfm.co.uk/listenagain/index.php?programmeID=18&episodeID=20651

Aint science wonderful!

Marlow, but NOT FM!

As The Hedsor Jazz Day at St Pirans is very much a preoccupation of mine at the moment, you may be interested to know that I have got a piece about it on Sebastian Scotney's "London Jazz News". Have a look at :-

http://www.londonjazznews.com/2015/09/news-hedsor-jazz-goes-to-school.html

It is letting people know about "our" event that is the real key. Do let friends and family know about it. We need to sell the day hard now, with only 17 days to go we do need to sell more tickets.

Our regular Thursday evening session at Hedsor this week will have a couple of changes to the personnel. On drums we will be Mike Jeffries, and on keyboard Ken McCarthy.

Today's blog is a short one, the admin of the St Pirans day is taking up most of my spare time (what spare time?). No matter how long ago you start planning an event, it is ALWAYS the last few days that become the busiest, so this will be it for now.

TTFN

Geoff C

Allergic reactions aside, I gather Hedsor Jazz and Simon Spillett went down very well last week. I was just sorry NOT to be part of it!

This week, the regular band perform, but with bass player John Monney in place of Ken.

John was the original bass player with Keith Vitty's Century Jazz and it will be great to see him again teamed up with Clive. John has also had a struggle recently with a leg problem and hasn't been able to visit us even as a guest, so it will be especially good to see him with us at Hedsor.

Because of my chemical reactions, I slept for about 3 days, so I don't have anything really exciting to write about this week. But if you tune it to Marlow FM

around 9pm this Sunday night, September 6th, you will be able to hear ME talking about our Day of Jazz at St Piran's School. I hope to be able to play some of the recordings I have made at Hedsor of some of the people coming to play on 26th September. 

No, I wont be taking over the program, Michael Eagleton

has more knowledge of jazz and more CD than I have and certainly doesnt need any help from me. He has done a magnificent job of keeping the jazz flame alive in the local area since the very early 1970's. But I do have some private recordings of the people coming on September 26th that I think you may enjoy a sample listen to. So if you can tune in to 97.5FM if you are within rang, or listen on line via 

www.marlowfm.co.uk/programmes/swing/index.html

EMails.

Please be aware that my email address book has been hacked, so you may be "approached" by various concerns and people wishing to get you to reveal all. As you should know by now it is important to be secure online, so please ensure you have computer security on your various devices, that it is up to date, and that you occasionally scan for nasties. 

Even so things do get through. TalkTalk have had a security breach via The Carphone Warehouse. They "were subject to a sophisticated and coordinated cyberattack, along with a number of similar sites". If you haven't changed your passwords recently, than I would advise you to do so.

I will be using my Tiscali email address a lot less often in the future!!

On that "happy" note, I will say TTFN and urge you to get you tickets for the St Piran's day very soon. It is now only 3 weeks away!! 

I now need to learn how to sleep at nights!

Preoccupations!

I must apologise to the fans of HEDSOR JAZZ that due to my preoccupation with the day of jazz at St Piran's School on September 26th I have been less active on my blog front. 

Today I am blogging to tell you that on Thursday this week Hedsor jazz presents one of the best saxophonists in the country, Simon Spillett.

Simon will also be at the St Piran's day of jazz in more than one capacity. 

He will be joining The Remix Jazz Orchestra, directed by Stuart Henderson, in the performance of some of Tubby Hayes Big Band scores.If this were his only part of "Hedsor Jazz Goes to School" it would be worth the price of the ticket. Nowhere else are you going to be able to hear a live presentation of some of Tubby's big band music presented with such authority.

Later in the evening Simon will also be playing with his own quartet, John Critchinson, Alec Dankworth and Clark Tracey. You would pay more to hear THEM at Roni's than the price for our entire day!! 

This Thursday you can come and here Simon for Just £6, yes, Just £6!!

Simon has been a good friend to Hedsor Jazz, and alongside Clive and our regular rhythm section you will hear everyone in a different light, as somehow, they all bring out the best in each other. It will be another "special" Hedsor night!

So, tell your friends. Not only about this Thursday, but about Hedsor Jazz at St Pirans.

www.stpirans.co.uk

 I still have some of the especially reduced rate tickets for September 26th but come and get them from me VERY SOON!!

OK. Back to the day job, yes, computers go wrong, AND now you have Windows 10 to learn as well.

Geoff C

Holiday Times

BUT our audience at Hedsor Jazz has been a good one for the last few weeks, long may that trend continue!! We have had some excellent sessions from the various shapes of The Clive Burton Quintet, guest saxophonists and guest bass players et al.

I myself this last week have been plagued with one of those weeks where everything has gone wrong, cars, computers, radios, cables, printers, I am obviously supposed to be going to Ninerva but didn’t set out on the journey!! (Do read up the story of Jonah)!! I’m off to Ipswich this weekend, so a collective crossing of fingers is required!

Our jazz this Thursday is again with our regular guys, so there will be an assured quality about the whole thing. Do tell your friends. I know that one or two of you have done so already, and have brought them with you. Once they know of our rich jazz quality at Hedsor, they do want to come again.

It IS that rich jazz quality that I want to demonstrate in our “Hedsor Jazz goes to school” day at Maidenheads St Pirans School. All bar one of the musicians who are on the bill have played at The Hedsor Social Club on a Thursday, and when you see the cast list, you yourself will be surprised. Please do buy a ticket and come for this splendid day. I don’t really want to mortgage my house again!

Below there is a timetable of who and when, it really will cause you a problem of choice!

OK it is now half past 77!!

Well, almost a week has gone by, so I can say “how time flies”.

Last weeks celebration of survival was a very enjoyable affair. The food provided was pretty edible! (Really it was wonderful, thank you Jan and June), and the music was excellent.

Robert Goodhew, our guest saxophonist, is getting better and better. His tone is big, with time and space for the thoughtful improvisations he is producing. His version of “Tickle Toe” was inspiring, and so reminiscent of Lester Young.

The Quintet rose to the occasion too. The larger than average audience always helps, but our Hedsor Jazz, hidden in the outback of Bourne End, is something to cherish. The music is of a very high standard, and I am proud to be associated with it.

Not that it cannot improve with education!! Which is why “Hedsor Jazz is going to school”. September 26^th will place our regular guys on the same stage and on the same day as some of the best in the country. It is now only 5 weeks away, so do make sure you get your ticket by going on line to www.stpirans.co.uk or coming to see me at Hedsor on a Thursday.

This week we are back to our normal sized Clive Burton Quintet, but on bass this week we will have Steve Riddle, a great bass player and king of the motor cycle!

CD Heard This Week.

I am a fan of the Stride Piano style. It is exciting and fun. There is an American lady pianist called Judy Carmichael and I managed to purchase on of her earlier CDs this week as an American import. Entitled “Pearls”, it was recorded in 1991 and features Warren Vache on cornet, Howard Alden on guitar, and Red Callender on bass.  Jazzology JCD 204. It is light swinging and fun. I think you will be richly rewarded by the music if you can find a copy.

The title is taken from the tune by Jelly Roll Morton called “The Pearls” and I am reminded what a great tune it is. Dare I say, it could be played by a “modern” jazz group to great advantage! Because it is deemed “ragtime” modern jazz musicians often forget what good tunes there are from “back in the day”. Not all modern jazz tunes have to be composed in the 1950’s. One of the strengths of the pioneers of jazz was their ability to take hold of popular tunes of the day and translate them into jazz. So lets have a list of recently composed and popular tunes that could be used with “our” Quintet at Hedsor, and we will see what happens!!

That’s it for now folks, just tell your friends about Hedsor Jazz, and about our very special day on September 26^th.

PS Message for Clive!!

I visited Dawkes this week, who will have a stand at our St Pirans day. Jon showed me a PLASTIC trombone, light enough for a child to hold, that costs just £125!!

with apologies to Robert 

his surname is spelt Goodhew, not Goodhuw

77

Yes, it is amazing, certainly to me, that I have survived 77 years, most of them with a love of all things jazz. The last 13 years with jazz at the Hedsor Social Club almost every week.

In my middle years most of my jazz listening was done via LP, then CD’s came along. Whilst it is wonderful to be able to listen in the comfort of your own home to jazz greats from the past, and even form the inaccessible present, I have appreciated very much the difference it is to listen to live jazz, performed by people who have the ability and the art. People you can go and talk with, share a joke with, even share music you have found with. The experience of live jazz music is truly the best.

This year my major preoccupation has been and still is with the one day jazz festival coming up on September 26^th. From this seat it seems to be coming up at lightning speed! I do hope you will all come and support the public face of JAZZ, Hedsor Jazz, and Cancer Research all in one go. The musical prospect is very exciting indeed.

The musicians performing on 26th September

if you right click your mouse on this you will be able to enlarge it!

So with this preoccupation, and with a desire not to overshadow the September event I haven’t booked too many of my favourite jazz musicians to help me celebrate my survival this year.

Saxophonist Robert Goodhuw will be joining the regular Clive Burton Quintet from our usual starting time of 8.30pm. Other guests may appear, after all it is live jazz and we live with the unexpected!!

There will be a light buffet at half time, other than that I hope you will join with me in celebration.

BUT if you only want to come and listen to this weeks guest, that’s OK with me!! He has been twice before, and is a very melodic player, perhaps not so well known as some of our other guests, but a young man now making his way in a difficult musical industry.

Last weeks guest, Duncan Lamont Jnr, gave us a great night of entertainment. There was a good crowd, and some great music was generated by all. From my seat I was aware of a lot of faces, all smiling with enjoyment, both at the quality of the music, and the familiarity of the jokes! We will certainly be asking Duncan along again very soon.

Alas last week we sadly bade farewell to Kim, our barmaid at Hedsor for some years. She has always been a smiling face and a helpful person. I don’t know how much she knew about jazz before she became Hedsor’s barmaid, but she is now a firm fan, and we will see her in our audience from time to time in the future. She already has a ticket for September 26^th!!

So come and get your tickets for September 26^th from me at Hedsor. You will have a very enjoyable day, and help raise funds for Cancer Research UK. If you are in a position to do some advertising for it let me know.

See you Thursday

The Next 3 Weeks at Hedsor Jazz

OK, so for the first time in 13 years, apart from the Christmas break, we were NOT able to run a jazz Thursday at Hedsor!! A long standing (well I hope it will be!) arrangement for a wedding took our place last week! Did you miss us? What did you do? Were some of those CD’s used to fill the gap? Well, no need to worry this week, because we certainly plan to continue!!

Next Thursday 23^rd July, we will have a session by our regular regulars, the Clive Burton Quintet.

Thursday 30^th July we have a SPECIAL GUEST. Saxophonist Duncan Lamont Junior will be coming as a dep. for Mike Wills. In the past he has often brought his famous Dad along too. Duncan Lamont Senior. We can’t say that this will be the case on the 30^th, but you never know!

 Father and Son

August 6^th! Well it’s time for me to celebrate another year of survival, and for my special guest night we have saxophonist Robert Goodhew coming to join the team. We may have other guests too, so make sure you get to Hedsor early for your usual seat. There may even be some nibbles for half time.

Our MAJOR musical fundraising event this year is the day of jazz at St Pirans School, Maidenhead. Hedsor Jazz Goes to School, September 26^th. It is a complete day of jazz, with all the Hedsor Team and many of the guests we have seen over the last few years joining us for at least a portion of the day. Go NOW to http://www.stpirans.co.uk/ and book YOUR ticket.

I’m currently in Gloucestershire. Today I went round the roof of Dyram Park, a stately home near Bath now run by The National Trust. It is in the process of having all the slates removed from its roof, the woodwork renovated and the slates replaced. The National Trust has given every visitor the chance to see the work at first hand. A few photos below

 These are Chimneys!!

Before Work Began

My Thoughts and Listenings on

Swanage 2015

Friday July 10^th

My first live music from Swanage this year came from The Andy Hague "Conjunto Gringo"!

Andy is a Bristol based trumpet player of considerable talent, and has appeared at Swanage a number of times before. He regularly organises bands to play in a variety of jazz styles, and to show his own arranging ability.

Over the years he has been associated with another Bristol based musician, saxophonist Ben Wakehorn (yes, that is really his name). This year the band (an Octet) was formed to play Latin based music. Top class musicianship, top class presentation, a great sound, and a great start to this years Swanage. They don’t seem to travel much outside of Bristol, but if you can, do go and see Andy, no matter what the band might be called!!

Andy was in Marquee 2, usually reserved for jazz of a more Modern style. For my next musical adventure I traveled (Yes, Swanage, with its various venues and hills, does keep you fit. Perhaps more correctly, it makes you wish that you were fit!!) to a recent addition to the venue scene at Swanage, The Methodist Church. 

I wanted to see how Sarah Gillespie interpreted the work of Bessie Smith. She had good musical support (Kit Downes was on piano) and she herself plays a guitar in a kind of folk style. The Methodist Church, whilst a comfortable enough venue, has, for music, appalling acoustics. No one I met at Swanage this year had a good word to say for the acoustics of the place. I had experienced this before, but hope springs eternal so they say, and maybe the handling of the acoustics had improved since last time. Well, they were so bad I could not understand a single word of the songs she sang (even knowing the words didn’t help). Maybe this deficiency also had an effect on the musicians with her, as I got the impression that they were under rehearsed. A disappointment.

Saturday 11^th

On arrival on the previous evening we had been given quite a long list of amendments. Usually this means changes of personnel, but this year, quite a number of timings had been rearranged, which, if like me, you had planned who to hear and when to take your breaks, was a bit annoying. It meant inevitably that some gigs I didn’t get to see/hear. However, what I did see was all very enjoyable, and on Saturday, the sun shone, and Swanage was again in the South of France.

Before all the venue music got underway we had the traditional reproduction of a New Orleans Street Parade.

Sadly it is now restricted to walking up and down the closed off road on the front. Once upon a time it went round the town, surely giving encouragement to visitors to Swanage to seek out the free venues that were around. Some may well have become attracted to jazz. We all know we need more, and younger, members in our audiences at home base! On a purely financial basis a parade around the town would have raised more money for charity than from the jazz faithful following the band up and down the front. The local authorities cannot be blind to the amount of cash the jazz fraternity has brought into Swanage over the last 26 year? Why stop this ½ hour of street fun?

Gripe over, now to the advertised program!!

First up in Marquee 2 was a celebration of the MJQ. Called “MJQ Celebration”, the band had been formed about 4 years ago with Pianist Michael Garrick. Since his passing, the concept has been kept alive by bassist Matt Ridley. Barry Green is now in the piano chair, with Jim Hart on vibes and Steve Brown on drums. It was nostalgic to hear many of the original MJQ tunes again, and this year as before they started off with “The Golden Striker”. Fans of Hedsor Jazz will recognize the tune, for although The Clive Burton Quintet has never played it, it has been quoted by more than one of them more than once!!

Time for another walk!!

This time to The Conservative Club!

Sue Richardson is a blond singer and trumpet player, or is that a blond trumpet player who is also a singer? She is good a both, and for this set she was playing homage to Chet Baker in a trio format and the title was “Too Cool”. The other members of her trio are Andrew Cleyndert on bass and Paul Richardson on piano. A lovely, intimate session, with Sue telling the life story of Chet Baker, and singing and playing like him to add emphasis to the story. A little bit of jazz magic, with ALL the words being clearly heard!! The Conservative Club is a comfortable venue, perhaps a little on the small side; so you just have to get there early!

Retracing my steps back to Marquee 2 I listened to a set by American alto player Allison Neal and her quintet. The main attraction for me was her pianist. Nothing wrong with Allison’s brand of modern jazz, she is an excellent player, but Leon Greening is an astonishing piano player. When he takes off on a solo, he takes off, wonderful and exciting. The remainder of her band were Nathaniel Steele on vibes, Julian Bury on bass and Steve Brown on drums. It was all kind of Art Pepper, and left me ready for tea!!

After a nice long break for food, I trotted uphill back (against my better judgment) to The Methodist Church. This time I climbed the winding staircase to the gallery, where I had been told the acoustics were marginally better. And here I listened to a magical set by singer Georgia Mancio. She was accompanied by Dave Newton on piano, Julie Walkington bass and Dave Ohm drums.

The sound was still very muddy, but her voice, and Dave’s playing were worth it all. Another great session. Sadly the church seating in the gallery is still “hard pew”, so bottom fatigue finally overcame me, and I left after the first of 2 sets. The hour I had listening to this small band was a truly memorable experience.

One part that should have been amplified was Dave Newton gently warming up on the piano before the gig began and whilst all the others were doing microphone checks. It was worthy of a recording. It reminded me very much of Duke Ellington’s playing when he thought the microphone was turned off and they were recording a tribute to Johnny Hodges.

The weather on Saturday had been brilliant all day; sadly all was to change on the Sunday!

Sunday 12^th

Because the day dawned windy, and rainy, damp and cold!!

But were we downhearted? NO.

Because Marquee 2 hosted one of the best sessions of the weekend!

Karen Sharp-Robert Fowler Quintet play Al and Zoot.

Absolutely fabulous music. First of all, the supporting cast was David Newton on piano, Andrew Cleyndert bass, and Steve Brown drums. As the title suggested this ensemble played many of the tunes associated  with Al Cohn and Zoot Sims, two of the greatest tenor duo’s ever. But I really do believe that both of them may well have raised an eyebrow in surprised appreciation of what the two saxophones, Karen and Robert, did with their tunes. The musicianship was faultless. Perfectly in tune, the two tenors sounded as one. I was sitting near the front and could see the fingering, and I can assure you that on occasions they were playing alternate notes so fast that I’m sure the bulk of the audience were unaware that this was happening. It sounded seamless. Just as a bonus to the ensemble sound, every solo was also a delight to listen to.

So what could follow that? It had to be something completely different, so I did a walkabout to the Conservative Club and listened to a banjo player!!

Spats Langham. He was joined by Ben Holder on violin, and Richard Exall on clarinet and sax. It was definitely different and very clever, bouncy music. I left in the end as I thought it was all getting a bit too frantic. I had however cleared my ears for a less direct comparison with what was to come in the evening.

For yet another year a number of us went to the Black Swan for our festival meal, which is always very pleasant. It helps you realise that a jazz festival is not all about the music, but also a celebration of the friends you make listening to our kind of music.

After our refreshment I went back to Marquee 2. By now on a Sunday you really only have the choice. Marquee 2 or Marquee 1, but by now some of the weekends fans had started to travel home so it wasn’t unreasonable to wind up some of the venues. That is, from an organisers point of view!!

At Marquee 2 we had The Alan Barnes Reed Breed. No Swanage Jazz weekend would be complete without seeing at least one of the sessions containing Alan, but this one had him surrounded by 4 other saxophonists! The line-up was Karen Sharp and Robert Fowler with the same rhythm section as in the morning, plus Alan, Dave O’Higgins and Sammy Mayne. What a wonderful big sound. As I had been sitting most of the day I elected to hear half the evening standing at the back (OK, at the bar then!). It was a wonderful way to end the festival. I think this year, the Reed Breed had actually mugged up on the parts, as the ensemble playing was much less messy than last year similar finale.

Full personnel of the bands I have listened to can still be found on the Swanage Jazz Web Site http://www.swanagejazz.org/

So, again it is well done to Fred Lindop and his fellow organisers. A positive example on how a jazz festival should be organised. I was taking on board lots of organisation points, as I myself will be the musical director of a day of jazz in September. Yes Hedsor Jazz Goes to School on September 26^th. I hope to see all of you and many more at that one!!

Geoff C