Jazz Portrait: Burt Butler on Banjo. Watch out for Burt at Ramsgate Seaside Shuffle

Jazz Portrait of Burt Butler on Banjo

Burt Butler and His Jazz Pilgrims hail from Kent where they play a variety of venues. My jazz painting and portrait captures Burt during a session in Whitstable back in 2009. During trips to New Orleans, Burt plays with Steam Boat Willie and his New Orleans Jazz Band at Cafe Beignet on Bourbon Street where I was privileged to take jazz photographs of the band
for future jazz portraits.

Watch out for Burt’s Jazz Pilgrims on Ramsgate’s Harbour Parade each July during the annual Ramsgate Seaside Shuffle Jazz Festival.

Burt Butler’s Jazz Pilgrims at 2011 Ramsgate Seaside Shuffle

Visit Burt’s website at www.jazzpilgrims.co.uk

To discover more about Burt Butler’s Jazz Pilgrims click here.

Fine art print of jazz portrait of Burt Butler on Banjo

Burt on Banjo

Trad Jazz at its best
With Burtie Butler on banjo,
Each gig a joyous quest
For the New Orleans beat to flow,
As he and his Pilgrims reach for the grail.

I write a poem to accompany each fine art print of my jazz paintings and for Burt, what better than to describe his quest for traditional jazz!

“I have in my possession one large, wonderful print! I am very impressed! I must get it framed and on the wall in my study. I love the way you made my hair look –
you should be a hair stylist as well.”

Burt Butler, Jazz Pilgrims

Fine Art Giclée Prints of this portrait are available, with or without my descriptive poem. Simply email: [email protected]

 

Jazz Portrait: Laurie Palmer on Drums at Ramsgate Seaside Shuffle

Jazz Painting: Commissioned Portrait of Laurie Palmer on Drums

The jazz drummer is usually obscured back stage behind the trumpets, trombones and saxophones, yet he sets the beat for the band. But playing with Burt Butler’s Jazz Pilgrims harbourside in Ramsgate, Kent, during the 2011 Seaside Shuffle Traditional Jazz Festival, Laurie Palmer starred front stage, his drum kit on full display. Watch out for Laurie with Burt’s band on Ramsgate Harbour Parade in July most years during the
Ramsgate Seaside Shuffle Jazz Festival.

Jazz&Jazz fine art print of Laurie Palmer on Drums

Drums on the Prom

Bass Drum, Snare Drum,
Cymbals and Tom,
Full regalia on the prom,
Laurie Palmer takes Stage One.

Jazz&Jazz Copyright © 2011 Peter M Butler. All rights reserved.

Fine Art Giclée Prints of this portrait are available, with or without the descriptive poem. Simply email: [email protected] to place your order and help support jazz.

Ramsgate Seaside Shuffle 2012 Events: Latest News & Updates on the July Festival and Monthly Gigs

Advanced information about the Ramsgate Seaside Shuffle 2012 Jazz Festival and monthly events. Bookmark this page for latest news and updates.

Logo designed by Jazz&Jazz
WEEKEND PASSES: Covering all Jazz Gigs £35.00
BOOKING BY POST: Please send £35 per person enclosing an SAE to…
John H Morgan, 20 St Clements Court, Canterbury Road, Herne Bay, Kent,CT6 5RT
(Cheques made payable to Ramsgate Seaside Shuffle.)

INITIAL
 ENQUIRIES:
John Myhill: 01843 600059
John Morgan: 01227 361238
Always quote: “Seaside Shuffle”

ACCOMMODATION:
 3 Nights B&B (Continental) at the Comfort Inn,
Victoria Parade, Ramsgate, Kent CT11 8DT. Tel: 01843 592345
BOOK DIRECT: £105 per person (based on two sharing)

2011 Shuffle Seafront Brolly Parade

Ramsgate Seaside Shuffle
Spring Programme 

Court Stairs Country Club, Pegwell Road, Ramsgate CT11 0JE

Friday, 25th May 2012
Burt Butler’s Jazz Pilgrims
8.00 pm 10.30 pm
Tickets: £7.00

Friday, 29th June 2012
Stour Valley Jazz Band
8.00 pm  10.30 pm
Tickets: £7.00

 Tickets
Pay at the door or to book by post:
Cheques payable to ‘Ramsgate Seaside Shuffle’ with SAE to
John H Morgan,
20 St Clements Court, Canterbury Road,
Herne Bay, Kent CT6 5RT
Tel: 01227 361238

 

Don’t miss out! Book now!

Seaside Shuffle Festival 2012

6th, 7th & 8th July 2012

FESTIVAL JAZZ GUIDE AD PRODUCED BY JAZZ&JAZZ

COURT STAIRS MANOR & COUNTRY CLUB

 

The Ouse Valley Jazz Band Soaks Up Peartree Applause

The Peartree Monday Jazz Club welcomed the Cambridge based Ouse Valley Jazz Band and Angela on their first visit to Welwyn Garden City on 18th June and what a welcome it was!

Peartree Promoter Brian Smith joyfully announced the club’s highest ever turn out of fans and band leader Dudley Hedge and his gang were on top form – “ouseing” a full repertoire of traditional jazz from reeds, brass and percussion, with legendary Harvey Weston on bass, and accompanied by the dulcet tones of Angela – without doubt a formidable jazz singer.

Applause raised the roof and when, at the close of the evening, Dudley asked if the fans would have the Ouse Valley Band back, they answered as one: “Yes, if you’ll play another two numbers!”.

The Ouse Valley Jazz Band

Band Leader Dudley Hedge

Angela turning on the style

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Harvey Weston superlative on bass

Dave Marchant in the groove

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Derek Scofield on baritone sax

 

 

 

Les Cirkel

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full House!

Doug Parry

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full stretch and on key!

Visit The Ouse Valley Jazz Band’s Website

(Photos © Peter M Butler, Jazz&Jazz)

Don’t Miss The Ouse Valley Jazz Band Live in Welwyn Garden City on 18 June

Original Drawings of the New Orleans French Quarter by Bill Stotesbury

Preservation Hall

Featuring the works of Bill Stotesbury, Jazz Man, Artist and Tour Guide on Southern Sounds annual New Orleans French Quarter Festival Tours.

View more of Bill’s jazz drawings on his website:

http://www.millbury.co.uk/acatalog/New_Orleans_French_Quarter.html

To discover more about Bill the Jazz Man go to:

http://www.millbury.co.uk/billssite/jazzman.html

Or contact Bill direct at: [email protected]

Ginny and Peter want to thank you for the memories, Bill and Chris.

“Is this the way to go?” Attracting ‘young blood’ to join our Jazz Clubs

Lois Lloyd wrote to me today. She said: “Hi Peter, I see you (Jazz&Jazz) are noting our [jazz’s] history, a useful deed as we are losing so many wonderful musicians and at 64 David and I are often the youngest punters at the gig!” Lois is a member of the Plymouth Jazz Club.

Plymouth Jazz Club

Just Jazz magazine ran an article by Ken Butler in the March issue entitled “Is this the way to go?” featuring the Leeds Jazz Club and their success in attracting ‘young blood’ to join them (Just Jazz, March issue, p 6). Ken had asked a young singer, Tessa Smith, to join him at the club to see if she liked it. “She did and she enjoyed it so much that she has been back virtually every week since. Not only that, she has spread the word among her friends to such an extent that [recently] I counted at least 20 youngsters dancing and having a really good time.”

Leeds Jazz Club

Struck by this, I decided to follow up Ken’s article with this letter published in the June issue of Just Jazz:

Dear Pete

Got my copy of the March issue of Just Jazz yesterday. Very timely because of the article on Leeds Jazz Club “Is this the way to go?” about attracting “young blood” back to Traditional Jazz Clubs.
Tessa Smith raises the very pertinent point that youngsters today can’t relate to jazz. They hear “the squeaking of horns and discordant piano solos or free improvisation, or technical mastery …… that lacks a discernible melody” and proclaim “I don’t like jazz”! Then when they hear traditional jazz they say “but I like what you just did”!
Barry Price at the Hemsby Autumn Festival last year asked the girls behind the bar if they liked jazz. “No!” was the answer. So, pointing to the stage he asked, “Do you like this kind of music?” And they said they did! So he told them this was original, traditional jazz. So the jazz that put them off had to be modern jazz!
Just like the Leeds Jazz Club, locally in Welwyn Garden City I’m striving to help Brian Smith build up the ageing membership by attracting younger fans. We’ve made a small start but there’s a way to go. Bob Thomas and The Thomcats used to play in our village pub and Bob also organised a weekly rota of other bands. In fact Bernie Tyrrell recently mentioned to me that Bob is no longer advertising in the Jazz Guide and I told him that’s because with landlord changes, the Long and The Short Arm had stopped the jazz nights.
That’s why Brian (“Smiffy”) started The Peartree Monday Jazz Club and now that we’ve been working on rebuilding the “disbanded” fan base with some success, yes, it’s time to try to get the youngsters along, some of whom used to wander in from the other bar in the pub.
Why am I keen on mentioning this right now? Not just because you might like to use this as a response to the Leeds Jazz Club article in the next issue of Just Jazz but also because I’m constantly seeking ways to help reinvigorate real jazz via my website jazzandjazz.com.
It takes time for a new website to catch on and “go viral” (horrible expression). Yet although perhaps not so many older fans use the web, it’s got to be one of the ways of reaching a younger audience.
It’s a hard slog but I want to get there. One of the approaches I’m aiming at is to contact “younger” musicians who attract younger fans such as “Dom Pipkin & The Ikos”, “The Fallen Heroes” and “Young Blood” crews. I’ve got plenty of photos of them in action to display what I’m about, although to make this pay or at least recuperate my costs I need to sell more commissions, portraits and prints. But that will come.
This brings me to a key point of this email, which I hope isn’t boring you due to its length but I think you can tell I feel passionately about this.
As a fairly recent “returnee” to the trad jazz scene I don’t want it to appear I’m knuckling in. You know I’m not. but I have in mind approaching clubs like Leeds and Plymouth to link up endeavours.
Regards
Peter Butler, Welwyn Garden City, Herts 
With Pete Lay’s permission I intend submitting another article analysing the current state of traditional jazz in the UK. Hopefully it will appear in the August issue of Just Jazz.
In  the meantime I would like to hear the views of clubs, musicians and fans. Just email me: [email protected]

No Stranger to Potters Bar, Acker Bilk Packs Willyotts Theatre

Fans turned out in force at the Wyllyotts Centre to welcome Acker Bilk and his Paramount Jazz Band back to Potters Bar on Thursday, 31st May. The theatre was packed and the applause raised the roof.

Now an octogenarian, Acker is a living legend and a highly honoured legend at that, having received his MBE from the Queen back in 2001 and then on 24th May this year, the Special All Party Parliamentary Jazz Award for his services to music.

Acker played with Ken Coyer’s band at the height of the jazz era back in 1954 and by 1956 he had formed the Paramount Jazz Band. So soon we will be celebrating Acker’s very own Jubilee Year.

He lived in Potters Bar in those earlier years but originally hailed from Somerset and, living back in his home county now, he remains a Somerset lad at heart. Hence his nickname, because in the local dialect ‘Acker’ stands for ‘friend’ or ‘mate’.

And to this day, his staunch Potters Bar fans truly consider him to be their friend and mate.

Colin Wood

John Day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Richie Bryant

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ian Bateman

Mike Cotton

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Acker in wry humour mode!

 

 

Thank you Acker, for allowing us to meet you. L to R, Bob Thomas of Bob Thomas & The Thomcats, Peter Butler of Jazz&Jazz, Acker and Brian Smith who runs The Peartree Monday Jazz Club in Welwyn Garden City.

 (Photos © Peter M Butler, Jazz&Jazz)

 

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