A lot’s happened since I followed jazz in the 50s/60s!
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.
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
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)
This coming weekend..”Jazz on a Summer’s DAY” @ Walnut Tree Inn Station Rd Blisworth nr Northampton NN7 3DS featuring in the Ellington Room
12.30-3pm Tad Newton Jazzfriends with guest Simon Spillet
4.40-6.45PM-Ben Holder Quartet
7- 9.30pm- Bob Dwyer’s Bix and Pieces Jazz Band
3.15-4.15 free session in the bar with Rachael Johnson and Mellow Avstrieh Baku
Ellington Room events £10 each [or all 3 for £25] tel 01604858549 or on door if available
01604859551 for accommodation rates if required. This will be a great jazz day..come and support it if you can!!