Jazz & Jazz

Brian Turnock’s Belgium based New Orleans Z’hulus have been “on the warpath” for 30 years and Welwyn Garden City’s Peartree Jazz Club is pleased to announce them as star guests this coming Monday, 14th April, during their UK Anniversary Tour.

It’s surprising what a bit of top rate promo can do! For instance this from Martin Bennett:

“Blistering session yesterday at The Pear Tree, Welwyn Garden City, organised by Smiffy. A very generous reception given to the band by some very enthusiastic supporters and a gang of onetime neighbours and good friends of mine from when I was living in Essendon, Herts, 40 odd years ago.

“Peter Butler (Jazzers) was in there in the front with a brand new machine that transfers sound and film directly to YouTube. He was delighted with his new toy and as far as I could understand, he has put a lot of the concert on YouTube. I’ll be more exact once I have heard from him. This magical device of his is about the size of the bottom half of a half-pint glass. It could be dangerous!”

Blistering Drum Solo

With that, Martin, you’ve shot The Old Green River’s performance of “The Algiers Strut” to the top of the “Jazz&Jazz YouTube Parade” at the same time as giving Smiffy’s Peartree Jazz Club in Welwyn Garden City a well deserved plug. Also because it features Stuart Smith’s blistering drum solo.

I’ve videoed a selection of YouTubes of equally powerful performances by various bands using my “magical half pint glass” but they will follow later as they take time to process. However, a bit more praise like Martin’s and others too could jump the queue!

By the way, please excuse the step ladder behind the set. I have to have a means of escape should the musicians cut up rough!

Hard on the heels of their sell out success at

The Bedford Jazz Club on 27th March,

Tad Newton presents Barry Palser’s Super Six

at The Castle, Wellingborough.

Barry Palser’s Super Six Jazz Band celebrating “Dixieland to The Duke” at Bedford Jazz Club

(Photo © Peter M Butler, Jazz&Jazz)

Beginning  Sunday 6th April with

The Jazzfriends

and the Doughboy Zydecajun Band

Tad Newton’s Jazz Friends with Trevor Whiting on sax

Barry Palser

Tad Newton’s “Jazz At The Bedford” presentation of Barry Palser’s Super Six Jazz Band celebrating “Dixieland to The Duke” was an enormous success with all seats fully booked in advance! (Apologies to late comers who couldn’t buy tickets at the door).

Led by Barry on trombone and vocals the band were true to their word, delivery an array of numbers from that great era of jazz. With fantastic musicians like John Crocker (sax and clarinet, vocals, ex Chris Barber Band), Alan Gresty (trumpet and vocals, ex Monty Sunshine Band), Harvey Weston (bass, ex Alex Welsh Band), and Tony Pitt (banjo, ex Kenny Ball, Terry Lightfoot Bands) and Barry’s own dynamic drummer, John Tyson, the gig brought the house down with rapturous applause.

Jazz&Jazz was at The Bedford and can vouch for an evening the likes of which are treasured by rapturous fans. Jazz&Jazz videos were taken at the event, but given our current workload covering jazz, they have yet to be processed for YouTube.

During the evening, however, in introducing Bix Beiderbecke’s Davenport Blues, Barry mentioned a Jazz&Jazz YouTube of his band performing the number earlier at The Peartree Jazz Club. So as a preview to a full report on the Jazz at The Bedford sell out, it is featured here, especially as, due to the crush of fans, it wasn’t so easy to film it at The Bedford.

However, YouTubes successfully take at The Bedford will be featured in a later post.

Alan Gresty and Tony Pitt

(Photo & YouTube © Peter M Butler, Jazz&Jazz)

For sheer jazzmospherics get on down to Olney Jazz Club run by pianist and (I’m sure he won’t mind) would be jazz songster and effervescent host, Alan Haughton. You will find the club at The Carlton House Club, High Street, Olney, MK46 4BB. If they wish, fans can make an evening of it and dine at the club.

 Without clubs such as Olney where would jazz be, where would fans go, and how would our great jazz musicians and jazz bands organise their nation wide tours? It’s not just about the music. It’s about Jazz Clubs with their on stage conviviality and repartee, and about the role they can play in bringing about a resurgence of jazz.  

Indeed, without Jazz Clubs what would become of jazz and phenomenal jazz musicians like Amy Roberts, Ian Bateman and Richard Exall who thrilled a packed house at Olney on Tuesday, 4th March this year.

Or of The Frog Island Jazz Band who will doubtless thrill a packed house at Olney, 8.30pm this coming Tuesday, 2nd April.

John Whitehead (cornet), Nick Singer (banjo), and John Jeans (trombone)

 With their repertoire of Classic New Orleans Jazz from the 1920′s and 30′s, The Frog Island Jazz Band bring a refreshing change to the post war Traditional Jazz of the 1950′s and 60′s. Their’s is the music of Jelly Roll Morton, Johnny Dodds, Papa Celestin and King Oliver. I would go so far as to say that The Frog Island Band all but stand alone in taking us back to the wonderful music of that all but forgotten era. Founded in 1962 the band recently celebrated it’s 50th Anniversary and to this day is performing as powerfully and sublimely as ever.

Keith Durston

Rob Fullalove

Jim Hurd

See also: Olney Jazz Club – Keeping Jazz Live and Alive

(Photos © Peter M Butler, Jazz&Jazz)

Chris Marchant slow tempo …

…… and prestissimo

Alan Haughton, Ian Bateman, Amy Roberts & Richard Exall – Olney Jazz Club Tuesday, 4th March.

Summing it up: Jazz Clubs +Jazz Fans + Jazz Bands Equals


JAZZ+JAZZ+JAZZ = GREAT JAZZ WITH A GREAT FUTURE!