This coming Saturday 20th June, 7.30 til 10.00pm
TAD NEWTON’S JAZZFRIENDS
TOWCESTER TOWN HALL
Get Your Skates On!
Contact Tad Newton for further details:
email – [email protected]
tel – 01604 858549
Web: www.tadnewtonsjazzfriends.com
Saturday 20th June: Tad Newton’s JazzFriends Starring at Towcester Midsummer Music Festival
June 17, 2015 By Leave a Comment
Portrait of The Queen of Jazz
June 17, 2015 By Leave a Comment
Following her portrait of Nina Simone, Grace McKee chose Ella Fitzgerald for her second equally sublime jazz painting.
Two wonderful portraits in quick succession after, having seen her work, I “challenged” Grace to paint jazz musicians. One meaning of sublime is “very great excellence of beauty” – indeed a highly appropriate description for “The First Lady of Song”!
Thank you Grace for adding female charm and beauty to Jazz&Jazz.
Peter M Butler
Editor & Proprietor Jazz&Jazz
Fun in Faversham with Burt Butler’s Jazz Pilgrims
June 16, 2015 By 2 Comments
I have a special affinity with jazz in Kent…
… and especially in East Kent! After all, that’s where the adventures began all those years ago in the late 1950s and early 60s. My oldest school chum is also a keen jazz fan which is great because he lives in Kent and whenever I visit we take in local jazz. Plus I still have my spies strategically placed throughout the region who keep me posted on events.
Brian Summers is one of my chief under cover agents and when he gets scoops he sends them to me to share on Jazz&Jazz. So here is his very latest scoop – one of Kent’s favourite jazzmen, Burt Butler with his Jazz Pilgrims captured on YouTube at Faversham’s Car Classic Car Show in May!
Photo courtesy of Brian Summers. Be sure to watch Brian’s YouTube below. The musicians’ names are listed at the end.
So with no further ado, because in Kent they prefer their jazz to their ado (particularly another friend who recently moved from Gillingham to Faversham), here is Brian’s YouTube. Thank you Brian! Fee on the way when paymaster permits!
Portrait of Burt
And, as an aside, I simply couldn’t let this go without including my portrait of Burt which I painted of him when the Jazz Pilgrims played in The Duke of Cumberland in Whitstable. Nowadays they play regularly in Whitstable’s Two Brewers – sounds altogether more appropriate in more ways than one!
Peter M Butler
Spymaster & Proprietor Jazz&Jazz
When Jazz Meets Gospel Part 5: “I Wish I Knew How It Feels To Be Free”
June 15, 2015 By Leave a Comment
Gary Wood’s Swing Band Presentation and slide show featuring the influence of the African/American tradition on Jazz.
Part 5
“I Wish I Knew How It Feels To Be Free”
Focusing on Bill Taylor & Nina Simone
View the complete set:
Gary Wood’s “Jazz Meets Gospel” Compilation: Parts 1 to 11
Peter M Butler
Editor & Proprietor Jazz&Jazz
Photo & YouTube © Peter M Butler, Jazz&Jazz
The Hot Sardines – “Celebrating hot jazz in high style”
June 15, 2015 By Leave a Comment
“Take a blustery brass lineup, layer it over a rhythm section led by a stride-piano virtuoso in the Fats Waller vein, and tie the whole thing together with a one-of-the-boys voice from another era, and you have the Hot Sardines.”
(About The Hot Sardines)
Forbes Magazine calls them “one of the best jazz bands in NYC today” and without question The Hot Sardines should feature on Jazz&Jazz amongst our “New Generation of Jazz Bands”.
Here is a brief selection of their many reviews:
“Simply phenomenal, crisp musicianship going hand in hand with immaculate and witty showmanship.” THE TIMES (LONDON)
“Celebrating hot jazz in high style and with sharp talent… leaves us wanting more.” JAZZ TIMES
“The charismatic front-runners of vintage jazz play big halls as if they’ve just dropped in to a party.” THE GUARDIAN
“Old-time jazz with new-time energy and style… magic on stage. There is no other band playing live quite like The Hot Sardines.” wfuv.org
Left to right: Jason Prover, Evan “Bibs” Palazzo, Joe McDonough, Miz Elizabeth, Nick Myers, Alex Raderman, Evan “Sugar” Crane, “Fast Eddy” Francisco
The Hot Sardines hit the UK big time in May this year when they appeared on the BBC’s “Later… With Jools Holland”
Peter M Butler
Editor & Proprietor Jazz&Jazz
Jazz Portrait of Hugh Masekela at The London Jazz Festival, 2010
June 12, 2015 By 2 Comments
Jazz portrait of Hugh Masekela at The Royal Festival Hall
My jazz portrait of South African jazz musician Hugh Masekela captures him on flugelhorn at the Royal Festival Hall during the 2010 London Jazz Festival.
His powerful performance of his anti-repression composition “The Coal Train” – described as
“a rousing expression of resistance and celebration of the human spirit” – brought the house
down and inspired the acrylic portrait.
I produce Fine Art Giclée Prints of my portraits and as I tend to write poems inspired by the paintings, if preferred, I can include the poems on the Giclée prints as below.
Fine art print of jazz portrait of Hugh Masekela performing The Coal Train
The Coal Train
Hugh Masekela,
South African of valour,
Condemns the Coal Train
With resonant rancour.
Jazz&Jazz Copyright © 2010 Peter M Butler. All rights reserved.
A Certificate of Authenticity is issued with each print.
Peter M Butler
Editor & Proprietor Jazz&Jazz
If you are interested in a Giclée Print please email me at [email protected]
Nina Simone Vibrant in Oils
June 11, 2015 By Leave a Comment
Years ago Dr Grace Clements came to my rescue in my crazy college days when I pitched out of a top bunk and fractured bones in my hand. She patched me up brilliantly. Just last year Grace (now surname McKee) and I caught up with each other through a College Reunion and I discovered her new found talent as an artist. I’ll let Grace tell her story.
Grace chose Nina Simone, star of jazz, blues, folk, R&B, gospel and pop.
“I started painting about eight years ago. In a way art is related to my former career as a cytopathologist – looking at beautifully-coloured cells down a microscope! I have always loved drawing so painting seemed to be the next step. My favourite medium is oil although I do play with watercolours as well. I enjoy painting still life, landscapes, portraits and figurative work. If what I see is beautiful I have to paint it! I am really excited about being shortlisted for the Wildlife Artist of the Year and having my bison painting exhibited at the Mall Galleries in London at the end of the month.”
Grace has since taken an interest in Alan Bateman’s and my jazz portraits featured on Jazz&Jazz. So I “challenged” her to join us and paint a jazz portrait herself.
She chose Nina Simone, singer, songwriter, pianist and star of jazz, blues, folk, R&B, gospel and pop. Upon seeing the portrait I suggested her next subject should be Ella Fitzgerald. She has already sent me the work in progress. It’s good!
Peter M Butler
Editor & Proprietor Jazz&Jazz
PS Congratulations, Grace, on being shortlisted for Wildlife Artist of the Year. I got very close in to a Wildlife Artist award once upon a time:
Satchmo, Jazz Personified in Oils!
June 11, 2015 By Leave a Comment
“I have many portraits of Louis lined up to paint, mainly from black & white photos. I was particularly drawn to this photo as it was perfect for a “double portrait” that I wanted to paint for a friend, so I “grafted” them together on a 24 x 20 inch canvas in colour.
“Its quite a challenge to paint black and white pictures in colour and there are many other musicians from yesteryear I want to ‘bring back to life’. Hopefully I haven’t been too unkind to
Louis in his attire.”
Alan Bateman, Jazz Musician and Artist Unkind, Alan? There’s little doubt Pops would approve!
Alan Bateman, Jazz Musician and Artist Unkind, Alan? There’s little doubt Pops would approve!
Jazz … “You’ve Changed”!
June 9, 2015 By 1 Comment
A lot’s happened since I followed jazz in the 50s/60s!
2011 Eric Webster, Trefor Williams and Sammy Rimington back on Sammy’s old stomping ground in Kent
Sammy Rimington did the East Kent Jazz Circuit back in those days and still includes Kent on his annual tours with his International Jazz Band. His was and still is a firm proponent of New Orleans Revivalist Jazz dating back to the era of his mentor, the legendary George Lewis. That too was the era of Acker’s “Stranger on the Shore” and Kenny’s “Midnight in Moscow” – bringing back memories of my early flights of fancy.
I remember one late night party in a grand old Georgian Terrace house on Herne Bay sea front. Two jazz hits played over and over again that night still haunt me to this day – Miles Davis’s “Lift To The Scaffold” and Lonnie Donegan’s “Seven Golden Daffodils”.
So when my old school chum Roger and his wife Chris re-introduced me to jazz back in 2007 I was stunned by the extent of its decline. But I got right back into the groove at Jazz Clubs and Festivals and even started photographing and painting portraits of jazz musicians.
Continental Hotel, New Orleans, 2010.
Then my wife Ginny won the star prize of a trip for two to New Orleans for the French Quarter Festival in 2010! That did it! I felt I had to give something back to jazz for such a wonderful opportunity. So in 2010/2011 I launched this website (Jazz&Jazz) aimed at doing my bit to give jazz a boost.
Ramsgate Seaside Shuffle Brolly Parade
Ramsgate Seaside Shuffle
This coincided with plans for a brand new UK Jazz Festival in East Kent – the brainchild of Betty Renz, a wonderful lady and jazz singer from Thanet. Betty put her longstanding dream to Chris and Chris recommended to Betty that Ginny and I be asked to handle the promotional material for the launch of Ramsgate Seaside Shuffle. You only have to keep up to date with Seaside Shuffle on this site to realise the success the dedicated organising committee have made of the Festival and monthly club sessions in four short years – financially lean years at that! And the 2015 Festival promises to be bigger and better yet!
Expanding Online Promotions
Since then I’ve expanded my online jazz promotions. This site – www.jazzandjazz.com (Jazz&Jazz for short) – is firmly established as my primary URL and now also as the catalyst for co-ordinating and interacting with my subsidiary promotional Social Media sites:
Jazz&Jazz YouTubes:
Filming jazz for YouTubes has become a key feature in my promotional presentations. Launched not so long ago, already at the time of posting this, Jazz&Jazz YouTubes have exceeded 72,000 viewings with 119 subscribers. Plus I have a collection of YouTubes not yet released and more constantly in the making.
Jazz&Jazz on Facebook:
My primary Facebook page is listed as Peter Mark Butler (Jazz and Jazz) and is open to family and friends in general as well as jazz friends. It is updated regularly, mainly with jazz items and with links to Jazz&Jazz.
Facebook Jazzers Group
This is a Closed Group featuring jazz related items which I launched specifically for jazz fans, musicians, bands, clubs, festivals to participate in. Items posted on Jazz&Jazz are regularly featured on Jazzers, along with posts by other members of the group from around the world. If you are not already a member of the Jazzers Group, first send a Facebook Friend Request to me at Peter Mark Butler (Jazz and Jazz) and I will invite you aboard.
Jazz&Jazz on Twitter:
Jazz&Jazz posts are featured regularly on my Twitter page: https://twitter.com/CelebratingJazz
Linkedin
I also feature Jazz&Jazz posts and articles on Linkedin where you will find me indexed under: Peter Mark Butler Jazz & Jazz.
OTHER ONLINE FUNCTIONS
As well as my day-to-day involvement in helping promote jazz musicians, bands, clubs and festivals by featuring their upcoming events, I give specific support to Ramsgate Seaside Shuffle and Lemsford Jazz Club via Facebook pages I manage on their behalf.
Facebook: Seaside Shuffle
In view of my early jazz years in East Kent and my more recent involvement with Ramsgate Seaside Shuffle it was a logical follow up to launch Seaside Shuffle on Facebook.
But to give it a separate identity, I launched the page as Peter Butler rather than Peter Mark Butler. Upon reflection this might be causing some confusion but now that I have explained my “split personality”, I will invite my Peter Mark Butler Facebook friends as friends on Ramsgate Seaside Shuffle, setting the page up for “Likes” to enhance promotion.
Facebook: Lemsford Jazz Club
Ginny and I lived in Lemsford for 19 very happy years until August 2013 during which time I went to jazz gigs at The Long and The Short Arm public house and then to The Pear Tree Jazz Club in Welwyn Garden City run by my good friend and jazz hero, Brian Smith, aka “Smiffy”. So when jazz finished at The Peartree, Smiffy decided to set up Lemsford Jazz Club in the modern, well appointed village hall. This presented me with a wonderful reason for getting back to Lemsford at least once a month – and to continue to support the club.
Hence Lemsford Jazz Club Facebook Page which I update and monitor regularly. As with Ramsgate Seaside Shuffle, I now need to take time to invite my Facebook Jazz&Jazz friends to also become Friends of Lemsford Jazz Club.
Jazz&Jazz “Like” Pages
I’ve also set up a “Like” page for Jazz&Jazz, namely Jazz & Jazz Entertainment Website and would appreciate it if you could all log on to and “Like” this page – again to help swell the ranks of active jazz fans!
Another “Like Page” is in the pipeline with others will follow as time allows.
The Future of Jazz
So yes, Jazz “You’ve Changed” since the 1950s/60s. Yet we are reaching another turning point and future prospects are promising with a number of excellent up-and coming younger generation jazz bands and musicians, followed by younger fans, making their mark.
Jazz&Jazz has featured a number of these bands in the post “Let’s Avoid the Generation Gap” and will feature more at every opportunity. The list is already long and is growing yet longer.
Thank you all for supporting Jazz&Jazz and its associated Social Media sites.
Peter M Butler
Editor & Proprietor Jazz&Jazz
(Photos © Peter M Butler, Jazz&Jazz)
When The River Meets The Sea!
June 6, 2015 By Leave a Comment
Ramsgate Seaside Shuffle
Presents
The Old Green River Band
Telephone John Morgan to book in advance: 01227 361238
Don’t forget Ramsgate Seaside Shuffle Festival Festival
10th, 11th & 12th July.
If you make a Block Booking in advance you get five £12 tickets for £50 (a saving of £10) plus the free events. Phone John Morgan on 01227 361238
and quote “Seaside Shuffle”.
