If Pop Festivals can use psychedelic lighting, why not Jazz Festivals? Why not stage lighting with intense, vivid colours in swirling abstract patterns? That was the thinking of Trevor Stent’s young festival team for Fest Jazz 2016. And it worked! Even if it did play havoc with my Sony/iPhone lens camera for hi def filming. But with the right settings and a few iMovie tweaks I believed the resultant YouTubes could be almost as spectacular as the live events. Even though filming from the very back of the fan-packed marquee.

French Rag recreate the swing and dance music of the pre-war years.

Ginny and I were put to the test on the very first evening in “Stêr Aon” i.e.Scene 1 – The Grand Marquee where we filmed The French Rag and Mr Boogie Woogie, and here are the YouTubes. Yet more evidence of youth appeal at a wonderfully successful festival.

Forthcoming Instalments
This is Part 2 of a series of posts featuring Jazz&Jazz YouTubes taken at Fest Jazz 2016. Further instalments are currently under production. 

Part 1: Fest Jazz 2016 – A Blue Print For Jazz Festivals

Be sure to revisit Jazz&Jazz soon for each  successive instalment.

Peter M Butler
Editor & Proprietor Jazz&Jazz

(Photos & YouTubes © Peter M Butler, Jazz&Jazz)

I’m impelled to start this feature with two very pertinent comments on the
preceding Jazz&Jazz feature:

Why Overseas Bands Aren’t Touring the UK – “Penny pinching attitude is not going to rejuvenate the beleaguered situation” (Just Jazz)

“Having visited Fest Jazz this year for the first time, I was blown away by the standard of the young bands at the festival. (Thanks to the heads up and info from this site) French Rag and Dizzy birds were just brilliant. Louis Prima Forever got every one jumping, what a show. But for me, if someone could get Sant Andreu Jazz Band on Main line TV in this country then surely that would jump start interest from our youngsters. What a great teacher Joan Chamorro is. So approachable, his English is not the best but he was willing to chat to me and my wife and friends, nice bloke. I paid to see them in Barcelona last year, at a packed Palais de Musica so I know people will pay to see them. Also there is the human interest element, how do those young kids play that well?

“In my opinion, we need to somehow build interest from a younger audience. If we had that, bands would want to come here. We’ve got the NYJO (National Youth Jazz Orchestra), but contrast that with the relaxed fun approach of Sant Andreu. Surely the way to go.”

Adrian Watkins, Canterbury
Member of my Facebook Jazzers Group

And this from jazz promoter and Jazz&Jazz supporter, Norman Gibson, included in Fred Burnett’s 13th August Jazz North West News Update:

“A young and vivacious Angelina Beauvir became the new Fest Jazz Festival President last year and this change has taken Trevor Stent’s organising team to a higher level. We, and the team themselves, believe this year’s event was the best yet. The 3000 attendance target was exceeded on this amazing weekend. More so this year was the emphasis on young musicians playing good swinging jazz for young and old alike. Of course the Sant Andreu Jazz Band from Barcelona, on their return visit, were a star draw, but Dorine de Wit Band and the Ben Holder Quartet made a big impact. Taimane Gardner (Hawaii), on her European tour, dropped in for a one hour show, to great applause. Surprising us all by what can be played at such high speed on a simple Ukulele ! She’s pretty as well, check her out on Youtube! ‘The French Rag’, ‘Dizzy Birds’ (Berlin), ‘Louis Prima Forever’ (France, kept the young Swing dancers more than busy. Our gite was next to one with 6 dancers and you can see them by Googling – I Charleston Brest.”

Norman Gibson
Jazz Promoter ‘JAZZ4FUNDZ’

This year my role for Trevor Stent and the Fest Jazz Team was, with my wife, Ginny’s careful coordination, to film as many of the festival bands as possible, swinging from venue to venue over the entire weekend.

The quandary has been how to present so many YouTubes (some quite lengthy) – en mass with this feature, or in a series of features linking back to this post. I’ve opted for the latter, else it could be too long before anything appears. Please note that the YouTubes are not studio recorded or edited for sight and sound. They were filmed live, from whatever angle or position was possible with my magic Sony Lens Camera amongst the thronging fans. I even include some of what I term my “Take Two” YouTubes.

I believe the results are evidence of a brilliantly successful and wonderfully organised festival. The way to go for other festivals? I’ll leave you to judge and comment below.

Thank you Angelina, Manon, Trevor and team for such a wonderful opportunity. And OK, yes, I agree with Adrian and Norman, this is the way to go for the future of jazz,

Peter M Butler
Editor & Proprietor Jazz&Jazz

First up for YouTubes, Dorine de Wit and Her Band. Two reasons – that they opened Fest Jazz in The Food Village on Friday evening so we were able to stay for the entire gig and, more importantly for me, because it had been so long since Dorine and I had last met.

Next up on Friday evening The French Rag and Mr Boogie Woogie!

(Photos & YouTubes © Peter M Butler, Jazz&Jazz)

Last weekend was truly eventful! I was down in deepest East Kent covering the Ramsgate Seaside Shuffle Jazz Festival but a good jazz friend had tipped me off that The New Orleans Swamp Donkeys were starring at The Duke Of Cumberland in Whitstable on Sunday afternoon during their UK “Brexit Hot Jazz Tour”.

So having contacted the Duke and The Swamp Donkeys I headed for Whitstable with my pal Peter Clifford to film them. My YouTubes tell it as it was – brilliant jazz, brilliant entertainment – and The Duke was packed with fans young and older.

I had packed the lens away to head back for Ramsgate Seaside Shuffle when The Swamp Donkeys launched into this version of “St James Infirmary”. Sensing it was going to be something special, I re-geared as quickly as possible! It’s “St James Infirmary” Swamp Donkey Style!

“EARLY JAZZ WITH A MODERN TWIST”

“A Swamp Donkey is a member of a New Orleans based traditional jazz band that plays old style jass from the 1900s – 1930s.”

“The New Orleans Swamp Donkeys are an extremely versatile group of young musicians who play traditional jass, blues, vaudeville, original music, modern jazz adaptations, and many other jazz and New Orleans-derived styles. They started in the authentic, New Orleans, grassroots music scene, playing local festivals and second lines, and transitioned into world-class music programs, festivals, and events, playing in concerts all over the globe. Their sound is enormously accessible with their frontman, the Louis Armstrong-sounding, soulful and sweet James Williams.”

Be sure to view their own movies on: http://neworleansswampdonkeys.com

Peter M Butler
Editor & Proprietor Jazz&Jazz

(YouTubes © Peter M Butler, Jazz&Jazz)

An Afterthought:

Back at Ramsgate Seaside Shuffle Pete Lay mentioned to me his Editorial in this July’s Issue of Jazz&Jazz. It’s very pertinent:

Where are the younger bands and where is the younger audience?

“Bringing in younger bands to jazz clubs and festivals doesn’t guarantee that young audiences will follow. And, not only that, it doesn’t guarantee that the regular club/festival goers are willing to push out their comfort zone to try something new.

“In today’s world, young people have a plethora of entertainment options at the tap of a screen, a veritable ‘supermarket’ of choice. And they employ ‘smart’ m marketing techniques through social media to reach a vast audience. They don’t seem to embrace the monthly or bi-monthly jazz club and festival circuit as we know it.

“How do we encourage the younger bands to come to clubs or festivals if he regular attendees are reticent to spend on something they think they might not like? Do we take a gamble? Do we come up with brilliant marketing schemes as well?

“Or do we continue on with the status quo, bemoaning the fact that audiences are dwindling and clubs are folding? I don’t know the answer. What I do know is that doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity, So perhaps it’s time to gamble, to push out of the comfort zone and try something new to achieve a new result.

“Anybody game? You tell me”

Pete Lay
Editor, Just Jazz

Pete, I wonder if our clubs and ageing fans would react as positively to The New Orleans Swamp Donkeys and other younger bands I have featured on Jazz&Jazz as did The Duke of Cumberland fans to The Swamp Donkeys. On a positive note, fans reacted very, very favourably when Hippocampus Jass Gang featured at The Bay Jazz Club, Enfield.

Cheers, Peter

PS We would welcome and value Readers’ comments!

© Laurence Cumming, Jazz&Jazz 2016

© Peter M. Butler, Jazz&Jazz 2010

Changes in New Orleans: Jazz&Jazz photographer Laurence Cumming visited New Orleans in May this year and captured a series of magical photographs which inspired me to revisit the photos I took six years ago during the French Quarter Festival.

So here is our “Then and Now” NO Photo Story.

© Peter M. Butler, Jazz&Jazz 2010

© Laurence Cumming, Jazz&Jazz 2016

Dew Drop Hall

© Peter M. Butler, Jazz&Jazz 2010

© Laurence Cumming, Jazz&Jazz 2016

© Laurence Cumming, Jazz&Jazz 2016

© P. M. Butler, Jazz&Jazz 2010

At The Palm Court

© Peter M. Butler, Jazz&Jazz 2010

© Peter M. Butler, Jazz&Jazz 2010

© Peter M. Butler, Jazz&Jazz 2010

© Peter M. Butler, Jazz&Jazz 2010

The Spotted Cat

© Laurence Cumming, Jazz&Jazz 2016

© Laurence Cumming, Jazz&Jazz 2016

© Laurence Cumming, Jazz&Jazz 2016

© Laurence Cumming, Jazz&Jazz 2016

“THEN AND NOW” IN NEW ORLEANS
TO BE CONTINUED
Street Bands & Street Scenes
Street Musicians
Fritzells
The French Quarter Parade
Steamboat Willie
Donna’s Bar
Jazz at The InterContinental
The Music Factory
The Candlelight Lounge

Peter M Butler
Editor & Proprietor Jazz&Jazz