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Editor: Pete Lay Production: Mike Murtagh EDITORIAL Publisher: Just Jazz Magazine Ltd Typesetting and design: Jim McIntosh Why have bands’ repertoires All advertising, letters, articles, CDs/DVDs and Fest books etc, for review, to be sent to: diminished over the years?? The Editor, o back to the 1950s thru’ 1970s, Just Jazz, a Traditional jazz band’s reper- 92 Mid Street, toire would contain tunes from Jazz South Nutfield, Surrey RH1 4JH theG Classic jazz era, that’s Jelly Roll Châteauneuf-du-Faou Telephone: 01737 822726 Morton to , etc, to the New Email: [email protected] Orleans Revival, Bunk and George Brittany • July 2017 For subscriptions, distribution and all other along with Kid Ory. This would be correspondence: tantamount to a good evening’s aving visited Châteauneuf-du- Sylvia Murtagh, enjoyment. A half a dozen bands Faou Fest Jazz in Brittany in 2016, 29 Burrage Place, Woolwich, managed to continue this trend over SE18 7BG the next twenty years, but with the as a participating musician, I was Telephone: 020 8 317 3837 demise of some of our top musicians Hwondering how it would feel to be there Email: [email protected] the impetus for performance has Advertising Rates this year as a paying customer. I loved it! diminished, with most bands just Back cover full page (colour)...... £200 The freedom to wander at will, dipping Full page colour (inside front or back cover) ...... £175 happy to play their way through a Full page mono...... £150 programme of jazz standards. in and out, was wonderful. The setting in Half page colour (inside front or back cover)...... £125 It gets embarrassing when the fans this small village in the centre of Brittany Half page mono...... £80 Quarter page mono...... £50 ask for tunes and you have to explain is ideal with the main stage marquee Band box ...... £15.00 that we don’t do them anymore, that and other smaller marquee venues locat- Who’s on Where ...... £15.00 the player doesn’t know ed along the banks of the River Aulne Please ensure that copy reaches us by the 25th of them or or player hasn’t the month (e.g. for December issue, 25 October) got the chords. Have we as musicians Audrey Leclair Artwork submitted is subject to approval got that lazy? I understand the phi- The Sweet Peppers Cheques made payable to Just Jazz Magazine Ltd losophy of ‘playing it safe’, but any Discounts for block bookings of repeat good working unit should be able to advertisements: 6 issues for the price of 5 throw in versions of Steamboat Stomp, 12 issues for the price of 10 Disclaimer Mabel’s Dream, Dusty Rag and Yakka All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be Hula Hicki Dula during a gig. reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any other means, electronic, mechanical, Okay, we have lost the likes of Sims, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior Elsdon, Colyer, Halcox, Ball, Cohen, permission, in writing, of Mike Murtagh. Whilst every effort Morris, even Phil Mason, etc, our has been made to ensure accuracy, the publisher cannot accept responsibility for errors or omissions. Submission of articles ‘fountainheads’ when it came to play- and/or other material for consideration is welcomed, on the ing a mixed repertoire. What they understanding that if accepted and subsequently published, played, we followed. It’s sad that no payments will be made to contributors. The views expressed in articles or reviews in this magazine are not because we have lost them, that no necessarily those of the production/editorial team. All one else is taking hold of the reins. communications (letters, faxes, emails) will only be considered Not even amongst our more youthful for publication if the writer’s name and full address is given. Communications sent which are not meant for publication players – that’s a shame as they are should be clearly marked as such. more than capable of doing it – but © Mike Murtagh 2017 ‘playing safe’ has become the norm. Printed by Lowfield Printing Company Ltd, Dartford, Kent That’s sad! I

If you would like a regular copy of Just Jazz magazine to drop through your letter box each month, please subscribe to Just Jazz Magazine at the rates quoted below: For 12 issues (inc. postage) UK £48 Europe £58 Rest of World (excluding and New Zealand) £62 Australia and New Zealand £66 For 6 issues (inc. postage) UK £26 Europe £30 Rest of World (excluding Australia and New Zealand) £32 Australia and New Zealand £34 Name...... Month to commence ...... Address...... Signature...... Cheques made payable to Just Jazz Magazine Ltd. European cheques payable in sterling drawn on a bank within the UK Send to: Just Jazz Magazine, 29 Burrage Place, London SE18 7BG Bank details: Lloyds TSB • Sort code: 30-96-31 • Account number: 01202092 • BIC: LOYDGB21015 • IBAN: GB60 LOYD 3096 3101 2020 92 Front cover pictures Back issues of Just Jazz magazine are available • Telephone Sylvia on 020 8317 3837 Ken Grayson Mills • Icon LP 7: by courtesy of Eric J. Brown and Per Oldaeus Ken Colyer: by courtesy of Fritz Peters Fest Jazz: © Alain Epaillard Jazz is Alive: by Robert Coles 3 JazzAscona 2017: by Chris Krenger JUST JAZZ JUST JAZZ JUST JAZZ JUST JAZZ JUST JAZZ JUST JAZZ JUST JAZZ d r a l l

music and playing their i a p E n socks off. i a l A © l l

The programme kicked off A as usual on Thursday evening at the riverside Tar al Pont venue with a lively session from the Sweet Peppers (Montpel- lier) followed by Dorine de Wit and Jamie Brown- field’s set of rocking (with a hint of ska). The Frog and Henry blues/ jazz/ from New Fernando Morrison • Sweet Peppers Orleans (and elsewhere) had assembled by now and gave an impromptu performance to round off the evening. This was our first opportunity to hear the wonderful Leonie Evans sing the blues and listen to this fine collective of street musicians. For many they were the stars of the festival, with three past and present members of Skinny combining Jack Cotterill, Jamie Brownfield, Dorine de Wit with , violin and mandolin banjo to play a wonderful close to the municipal campsite. Several locations in the village mix of blues, jazz, string band, , and dance band styles also host performances throughout the festival. being from the ‘20s and ‘30s. Superb! France, food is never far away, with several outlets on the festi- Throughout the weekend over 20 bands performed several val site itself, including a dedicated food marquee. times each, in sets which were usually restricted to 75 minutes. Each year hundreds of bands apply for a place in the programme This seemed to keep fans on the move and added to the lively which is possibly a reason for the wide range of musical styles atmosphere. I recommend going to the festival website: on parade, all drawing their influence from 100 years of ‘jazz’ www.fest-jazz.com and following the various links to get an and other genres. Once again this festival was notable for the idea of the variety and very high standard of musicianship at high percentage of fine young performers clearly influenced by this festival. ‘first hand’ exposure via the Internet to the real thing, loving the The main stage with its synchronised light show and other effects (get over it!) proved to be a good backdrop for some of the more ‘serious’ performers such as Ola Onabule, the Agathe Jazz Quartet and through to the less ‘serious’ but very entertaining Gunhild Carling band. At the same venue on Friday evening pianist James Compton set the marquee rocking and the dancers hopping with his driving Fats Domino/Ray Charles influenced performance. On Saturday morning in the vil- lage square the local mayor and his deputy officially welcomed Fest Jazz to the village once again, giving their blessing to the pro- ceedings in the form of copious complimentary wine for all. After Out of Nola

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which 13-year-old Manouche guitarist Elliot Busca, with his instruments from trumpet dad on rhythm , appeared to effortlessly follow in the to via , footsteps of Django. etc; but listen carefully and There is a serious and contagious Lindy-Hop following for this you will hear tone and festival which was apparent all round the village where dancers phrasing, particularly on could be relied upon to spring into action at any opportunity. , which many On Sunday afternoon the dancers turned out en masse to sup- players would be very port local band, Good Time Jazz, who gave them exactly what happy to possess…and they were looking for – a good time! she is a real entertainer! Meeting up with other aficionados to discuss/dissect perfor- Closing the festival on mances was always interesting – particularly as there were so Sunday night Ben Toury many bands we had never heard before – lively discussions gave a virtuoso piano per- and frank opinions, as drink would have been taken! formance scattered with a Niklas Carlsson • Second Line Jazz Band One of the most enjoyable aspects of any musical gathering is stunning combination of styles. He looks like he really enjoys the un-rehearsed moment and we were not to be disappointed the noise a piano can make …and so did I. when, on Sunday evening, Dorine de Wit and the gang, having In 2016 and 2017 we stayed at a B&B in the village where we performed their final set, were besieged on stage by the force were made most welcome. We have already booked for next that is Gunhild Carling. It appears that Gunhild ‘streams’ (broad- year. For more details on the festival, go to casts) live to the world every Sunday evening at 8pm – wherev- http://www.fest-jazz.com/english I er in the world she happens to be at the time. So, as it was now Mike Lunn Cornwall 8pm on a Sunday evening, we got the Gunhild and Dorine show, where not everyone knew all the tunes but – what the heck – Comments from visitors to Fest Jazz 2017 the world got to see what fun jazz music can be. For team UK, “What a wonderful time we had. With the exception of the Dorine Dorine charmed us with her version of Everywhere You Go, Tom de Wit band, the 20+ bands were new to us. Deciding who you Kincaid’s solo in a scarily rapid version of Tiger Rag brought the are going to see is made easier as most of the bands play several house down, Jamie Brownfield took it all in his stride accepting times over the festival. It was such a delight to see and hear so a once-in-a-lifetime ‘Strictly’ opportunity to waltz round the many young bands with different sounds, from different coun- stage with Gunhild, whilst Dave Vaughan calmly held it all tries; their happy smiling faces and interaction with each other together on reeds. and the audience soon had our toes tapping and hands clapping. Gunhild herself is a fine musician, which can sometimes be Definitely something for everyone to enjoy. overlooked as she literally tap-dances her way between various We like to dance, which is very much encouraged, the main tents having wooden floors, and at other venues we managed to find a space. Sometimes it was just great to sit and watch the young dancers, so full energy and enthusiasm. When it came to eating on site there was plenty of choice and all at reasonable prices. Great festival with great organisation. Thanks to all involved.” Linda and Kevin Peace Leicestershire “I had a brilliant time. It was the first time I had been to Fest Jazz. It was such an amazing festival; the only way to truly explain it to those who have not been before, is to encourage them to go so that they can absorb the whole gorgeousness of the event for themselves. I love to dance, and Fest Jazz actively encouraged all styles of dancing, which is fantastic. The bands wanted people to dance, which in turn showed an ultimate appreciation and enjoyment of their music. Fest Jazz was great because of all the mixture of age groups of visitors and musicians alike. The Festival oozed an atmosphere of Gunhilde Carling strutting her stuff, under the watchful eyes of Benjamin Faconnier and Sammy Khalfoune (Sweet Peppers) 5 JUST JAZZ JUST JAZZ JUST JAZZ JUST JAZZ JUST JAZZ JUST JAZZ JUST JAZZ

the blended energies of carefree youthfulness and unrestrained grown-up-ness of maturity. I found it a superbly organised festi- val where everyone was welcome. I will be going again.” Louise Rutlidge North Cornwall “It was my first time at a Jazz Festival (yes, ever!) and what a good time it was! Great company, great music, beer, food and atmos- phere. I absolutely love it and wouldn’t hesitate to go again!” Shaun Gifford North Cornwall ‘Duelling and New Orleans Girl Power!’ Frog and Henry • band members below think that just about sums up this year’s edition of Fest Jazz, the 13th edition, but certainly not an unlucky one! Many bands were led by women singing, playing or even dancing.I We were very lucky as the ‘Dorine de Wit Band with Jamie Brownfield’ to be asked back, as the festival protocol dictates that bands to not get a second innings two years in a row! A festival where you cannot predict the unexpected. Last year we ended up on television whilst we were playing on Ryan Baer (guitar) rowing boats in our time off, and this year some of the band ended up being live streamed to 100,000 Gunhild Carling fans around the world. A festival for me is like a place to meet new friends, listen to some truly wonderful music (which in the musicians’ area would go on and on and on), eat dinner with all festival vol- unteers and musicians three times a day, and just to be sur- Ewan Bleach (reeds) Robin Rapuzzi (washboard) rounded by a good vibe which is hard to find elsewhere! The lighting on the main stage is something else and is one of the five stages by the pretty river that runs through Châteauneuf- du-Faou. I take my hat off to Ewan Bleach (reeds – Frog and Henry) who didn’t stop playing all weekend. Each night he and all the other members of Frog and Henry and Sweet Peppers and others played during the jam session, but on the Saturday night Ewan led the jam session which was 20+ big. It consisted pretty much of all the musicians of Frog and Henry, Sweet Peppers, the Second Line Jazz Band and Jamie Brownfield, so you can imagine, at least three of each instrument; yet, it did not sound Above: Leonie Evans like a house was on fire – it sounded like a band that I was Right: Maxwell Poulos happy listening to. It was organised, and it was music. And that, to me, says more about the musicianship that comes to Fest Jazz than anything else! So I take my hat off to Angelina Beauvir and Trevor Stent (the organisers) for putting it all together and keeping the music alive! (N.B. The journey to Fest Jazz is such an easy one from the UK. Plymouth-Roscoff and just over an hour’s drive in France. Once you are there you don’t need the car until you leave!) I Dorine de Wit www.dorinedewit.com All photographs, including front cover © Alain Epaillard Coleman Aiken Todd Burdick

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