Monthly Archives: March 2019

Bracknell Jazz South Hill Park

The Supertonics Big Band | Bracknell

Jacqui Dankworth: Jazz Sirens | Kenton Theatre, Henley

Pangbourne Jazz Club | Tina May with the Terry Hutchins Quartet

Ade Holland Trio | Caversham

Jazz at the Four Horseshoes – Pro-Am Challenge | Sherfield-on-Loddon

Lea Lyle’s Famous Five feat. Jonathan Judge | Reading, Global Cafe

Jonathan Judge

Sue Greenway & Mike Wills Quintet | Hedsor

Georgie Fame | Kenton Theatre, Henley

Misha Mullov-Abaddo Band | The Gap Gig, Goring on Thames

Ma Bessie | Pangbourne

Gin and Jazz at the Three Guineas | Reading

Note: No Gli Avanzi gig this month – back on 14 April

Sun 10 Mar | No Gli Avazi gig this evening – there is another pre-booked event | Reading | Global Café

Jam in Reading – Mark Burton Quartet | Global Cafe | Reading

Jazz at the Magpie and Parrot – Claire Jones | Shinfield

Claire Jones

Fleur Stevenson Trio | Hare Hatch

Andy Gibson & Duncan Lamont Jnr Quintet | Hedsor

Fusion 6 plus 1 | Reading

Tina May | Maidenhead

The Jazz of Dudley Moore | Marlow – Christ Church

Hugh Turner Heavy Funk Quartet | Global Cafe | Reading

Sat 16 Mar | Come and watch electrifying guitarist Hugh Turner and his quartet with Frankie Tontoh (drums), Anatoliy Vyacheslavov (tenor saxophone) and Stefan Redtenbacher (bass) at the Global Café in Reading. Always a cool hang and full of vigour funk explorations! | Reading | Global Café | 10.00pm – 01.00am | £5.00

The Definitive Collective | Reading

Bracknell Jazz – Young Musicians evening | South Hill Park

The Definite Collective | Global Cafe | Reading

Tue 19 Mar | The Definite Collective, transform often well known and popular Jazz, Latin, Pop, Fusion and Funk tunes, into obscure musical explorations. Jamie Howell guitar, Matthew McNaughton sax, James Newman bass, Tony Imbierski organ, Monte Hall percussion, Paul Glover drums | Reading | Global Café | 9:00 – 11.00pm | No charge, donations welcome

Jazz in Fleet at The Harlington | Clark Tracey Quintet

Silver Heels Swing Jive Jazz Band | Global Cafe | Reading

Guildford JazzFest 20

20-22 Mar | Guildford JazzFest 20 – profits will go to local charity Guildford Philanthropy | Three day festival featuring a wide spectrum of jazz, funk and latin grooves | Guildford | Electric Theatre | Tickets from the Electric Theatre Box Office | Artists appearing include Iain Ballamy, Alan Barnes, Pete Churchill, Nicolas Meier, David Newton, Mark Nightingale, Dennis Rollins,Clark Tracey, Steve Waterman | More details: Website Facebook

Jazz at Progress | Get The Blessing | Buy tickets

Fri 22 Mar | Pete Judge trumpet, Jake McMurchie saxophone, Jim Barr bass, Clive Deamer drums. Progress Theatre, Reading | 7:30pm | £18.00 (£16.00 concessions) plus maximum 5% booking fee. Read more…

Jazz at Progress | Get the Blessing | Buy tickets

Fri 22 Mar | Progress Theatre, Reading | 7:30pm | £18.00 (£16.00 concessions) plus maximum 5% booking fee

Pete Judge trumpet, Jake McMurchie saxophone, Jim Barr bass, Clive Deamer drums

In line with our policy here at Jazz in Reading to offer you a wide spectrum of the jazz scene – now for something completely different.

Formed in 1999 to share a fascination with the improvisation and monophonic nature of Ornette Coleman’s earlier works, Get The Blessing were “total outsiders” and “the punk entry” when they won the 2008 BBC Jazz Award for Best Album with ‘All Is Yes’. Over ten years later and five albums down the line, the same could still be said to hold true, albeit with a little more wisdom at their disposal. Their strategy is a jazz horn sound derived from Ornette Coleman’s unruly sax/trumpet harmonies, laid over the hooks and backbeats of rock, on occasions with laid back nonchalance and at others pounding rhythms, spacious atmospheres and strongly crafted melodies.

Twenty years from their formation and still with a creative cutting edge, Get The Blessing are internationally lauded and renowned for their live performances. Their albums attract excellent reviews and whilst Jake McMurchie has appeared for us at Progress a few years ago, this is the band’s debut for us and we look forward to an evening of original and invigorating music.

“The most original and exciting band on the British scene” – Jazzwise

“One of the most interesting bands around – and terrific live act” – Ian Mann, the Jazz Mann

Pixie & The Gypsies | Stoke Row

Fleur Stevenson hosts Jazz Singers Night | Global Cafe | Reading

Stuart Henderson’s Remix Jazz Orchestra | Finchampstead

The Jazz Experience: Moscow Drug Club | CourtGarden House, Marlow

Dinner Jazz at The Angel – Lea Lyle/Robert Otwinowski | Woolhampton

Fleur Stevenson Trio – Gin and Jazz Evening | East Hagbourne

Sunday Jazz at The Retreat – Stuart Henderson with Karen Sharp and the Simon Price Trio

Sunday Jazz at Jagz | Sara Dowling Quartet | Ascot

March 2019

It has been drawn to my attention that I have neglected this blog for twelve months. I cannot deny this and plan to make amends with regular publication again. So beware!

There has already been some great music since 2019 kicked off and the gigs I have been to have been well supported. So my choice does echo that of many of you fans. I have also read that Jazz is having a nation wide revival, led by “Jazz Refreshed” in London. Frankly I get irritated by some of the rubbish written by non-jazz journalists about the jazz scene. Yes, there are some brilliant young jazz musicians newly on the scene and they are creating a stir, but to suggest a) that the scene nationwide needed reviving and that b) this is happening because of a certain spot in London, is ludicrous. Jazz events in the Reading area abound and have done for years now. This applies to many towns and cities. It never died so, does not need reviving. Young musicians revitalise established musical genres and that may be what is happening and that is great. Let us hope we get some more of the new blood in our area in the coming months.

Oh, look we have!

Goring Jazz welcomes the Misha Mullov-Abaddo Band on Friday 8^th. A sextet of newcomers led by the bassist Misha, who in 2014 gained the Kenny Wheeler Jazz Prize and the Dankworth prize for music composition. Since graduating from the Royal Academy he is extremely active in the London jazz scene and this gig is part of the new album tour. A friend of mine saw this band recently and was very impressed.

Young in heart Georgie Fame is at the Kenton Theatre, Henley on the 7^th although the website detail is rather scant I am sure he will delight the audience with his unique vocal style and tales from his now many years in the business.

A musician who enables the younger generation to gain experience through gigging is drummer Clark Tracey and he brings his quintet to Fleet Jazz on Tuesday 19^th March featuring Alexandra Ridout on trumpet and outstanding pianist Elliot Sansom, Sean Payne-Alto, James Owston-bass. I experienced the band last July at Swanage and they are great.

We have two lovely vocalists on the scene this month. Tina May on the 15^th at Norden Farm, Maidenhead and Sara Dowling at Jagz in Ascot on Mothering Sunday 31^st March, at lunchtime.

Jazz In Reading at Progress Theatre on Friday 22^nd Get The Blessing make their debut at this popular venue and promise an evening of explosive Jazz-Rock and punchy be-bop. Pete Judge trumpet, Jake McMurchie saxophone, Jim Barr bass, Clive Deamer drums. A chord-less set-up and

bass-drum driven by the Portishead founders.

Most of these shows mentioned are in the gigs diary with links to the venues for tickets.

2019 will be a momentous year for the UK and I for one am not looking forward to it. I was talking to one of our well known jazz artists recently who had just been to Malmo, was going to Poland and then another Eu country. Let us hope that his and others trips remain hassle free, but as we will one day be joining the queues for non-Eu passport holders, that is just one of many hassles to come that we do not need.

Best wishes for Spring,

Bob

Jazz n Stuff

Fleur Stevenson and Hugh Turner | Wallingford

Mike Miller Trio | Basingstoke

Claire Jones Quintet | Global Cafe, Reading

Claire Jones

Annie Parker

Jazz on Broadway with Teddy’s Jazzmen and Katrina | Reading

March 2019
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March 2019
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