By nature I am terrified of life and new experience, and the implications and consequences of old age and the thought of dying in sudden circumstances before I have organised everything to reduce the expense and sorting out of issues without them being burden on others is a constant worry, and would prefer not to have to think or spend time on dealing with the practical aspects of such matters and I have so much else that I want to do.
write for myself about myself, something which people are discouraged from doing, with the current expression is too much information. The decision not to write about people who are alive in an identifying way unless they agree or the matter is already a public issue was important and right within the overall concept of public and private art and public and private life, However working out the dividing line is a constant problem with at present communications made and responded to by the English and Wales Cricket Board and Durham Cricket Club. More on this in the next day or so Blogs as events continue to unfold during today Friday, where my first priority is attending to the sudden but fortunately brief appearance of rain water through the ceiling above my main work station during a torrential downpour in the early hours of Thursday morning. I was sitting at the station finishing off some work needed for later in the day when the water dropped on the mouse and mouse pad so the not working out what the problem was I immediate moved the table out of the way, got a bucket as the water continued to fall and switch off the electrics and then did quick tour of all the of all the under roof areas and window. It was only after this did I work out that the rain had come through the comparatively small area about 9 by 3 feet where there is a sloping tiled roof to the widow bay.
The water penetrating only last a few minute during the heaviest of downpours and later in the morning after I was able to grab some brief sleep I was able to check and found that there were no worn slates so I suspect this is a problem which required attention anyway and which the severe rain storm simply brought forward and hopefully means that a greater problem has been prevented.
Although it has meant the cancellation of a mini trip I am not disappointed given recent events and that there are some competing activities which I was unaware when I made the booking.
On Thursday I had an excellent lunch at the national glass centre which comprised a charcoal lemon chicken breast pieces on a bed of noodles which was delicious followed by a fruit food salad although when I saw a neighbours strawberry shortcake which comprise two pieces of biscuit type base shortcake with a generous wallop of cream as a sandwich and on top with fresh strawberries on a beautiful inset glass dish with icing sugar dribbled. I had an iced water with the meal followed by coffee. This set up for the evening entertainment, the first concert of the Whitley Bay Jazz festival which has now fully reached my horizon and will be a priority for my agenda next.
First last night's concert celebrating the music of Benny Goodman and featuring his radio broadcast music in the first part and the Carnegie Hall Concert in the second and where I have the original 2 LP discs sets.
The Story of Goodman is covered in the film which bears his name, The Benny Goodman Story and where I have the video. He was born in 1909, the ninth of 12 children in Chicago, a poor Jewish immigrant family from Hungary, and a pass thought is that GB has become the principal immigrant country for Europeans which once the USA was, When only 10 he was enrolled at the local Jewish Synagogue for music lesson and he then joined a boys, band and came under the influence of its director a classically trained clarinettist. Fortunately for all of us he developed an interest in New Orleans Jazz and clarinettists Johnny Dodds and Jimmy Noone, a few of whose records I have owned for fifty years. At the amazing young age of 16 he was invited to join one of Chicago's top bands, led by Ben Pollock. He moved to New York playing in various well known bands of the day in the 20' and 30's but it was not until the 1935 that the situation and dramatically changed. He had appeared with a band on the radio programme Lets Dance playing stock arrangements of the day but also Swing arrangements by Fletcher Henderson who had been introduced by that extraordinary impresario and recordist music John Hammond. There was only a modest response, until the band performed in Los Angeles with some 4000 young dancers present and given the poor response to the stock arrangements decided to start playing the swing arrangements only to find this was what the young dancers had come for and everyone stopped dancer and corded the bandstand to listen and to cheer.
Among those in the main band at this time was Harry James and Ziggy Elman on trumpet, his brother Harry on bass and the legendry Gene Krupa on drums. Black musicians were not allowed play with white musicians in the full bands so Goodman got around this by creating a quartet with Teddy Wilson on the Piano and Lionel Hampton on Vibraphone, but who could also play the piano.
Last night the part of Teddy Wilson was played by Keith Nichols, the musical Director with Mattias Seuffert playing Benny Goodman Richard Pite the Drums and Raymond Grasier the guest Soloist on the Vibraphone.
Although I enjoyed the first half especially Lets Dance which opened the records and King Porter Stomp together with Down South Camp Meeting and Stardust, most of the programme was not familiar. I also enjoyed the jazz singer Joan Viskant from Chicago and more about the great jazz singer and great to look at young lass later. I was disappointed that there was no performance of Shine, Runnin Wild, Darktown Strutters Ball, the St Louis Blues, Caravan and the Sheik of Araby.
I had not attended a performance in Hall 1 of the Sage, a three tier main hall where the third tier back seat disappear away from the stage some distance seating a total 1700 and which about 12-1300 in hall for the concert. I had asked for a stall and was given one of the best seats in the house second from the stage at one side but just above stage level so one did not have to look up. It will be difficult to get a better seat.
The second half was superb. The Carnegie Hall concert was a triumph Black tie event and the first of its kind. Don't be that way opened last night's as it did the original 1937 concert and Life Goes to a Party with Body and Soul played as a quartet although as a trio at the concert and Avalon followed by the Man I love. Blues skies was played as the build up to the finale last light although it came earlier at he original show and I was pleased that
Joan Viskant did both Loch Lomond which was a popular swing number of the day and Mei Mir Bist du Schon. China Boy from the concert was played in the first half from the radio performance. There was also Swing time in Rockies and the man I love. However the anticipated highlight proved to be even better this was the concert version of Sing Sing Sing released as double sided 12 inch 78 record and where Richard Pite reproduced as effective, and dare I say it, more effective drumming performance than Gene Krupa. You have to hear it to believe what is one the of great piece of Jazz band music of all time and which also has exceptional solos. The show was closed with Goodbye, the traditional ending for the band followed by an encore.
At the concert Johnny Hodges played alto and Soprano Sax, Lester Young the tenor and Buck Clayton had joined Harry James on Trumpet. Count Basie also performed at the Piano with Teddy Wilson.
And now to Joan Viskant who is on tour in the UK over the summer and appearing with Pete Long and his Benny Goodman band at Marlborough this weekend, then Hever Castle with the Ella Fitzgerald show. At Aldeburgh at the Maltings in August followed by the Dover Street Wine Bar on August 18th which the day I coach back from my London visit. She has released three CD's and I was able to listen to a couple of snippets from each on line However she thrives before a big band. She has very good stage presence and is a great mover in a lady like restrained way which reminds me of Anita O'Day (Jazz on a Summer's Day. Joan is a slim woman who worse a black dress with little slit at the from and a glamorous but tasteful top which she discard for an over the shoulder scarf. Style, finesse and quality are words which immediately come to mind.
The performance is part of the Whitely Bay Jazz festival where for £65 there are three days of traditional and big jazz band music from noon to midnight with day tickets at a new Hotel Village between Whitely Bay and Newcastle because the Whitley Bay venue is being modernised. Six of the 20 bands can be heard fro free at the Tynemouth Jazz Stage by the Rock of Gibraltar between noon and six over the weekend.
There was only one potential hiccup to the end of the evening having decided to prepay the car park fee at the Sage I pressed the wrongs sequence so that the ticket did not show the correct departure time. However there was someone on the exit barrier and there was no problem so I returned home contently to watch the end of Question Tine and the weekly Parliament Show
write for myself about myself, something which people are discouraged from doing, with the current expression is too much information. The decision not to write about people who are alive in an identifying way unless they agree or the matter is already a public issue was important and right within the overall concept of public and private art and public and private life, However working out the dividing line is a constant problem with at present communications made and responded to by the English and Wales Cricket Board and Durham Cricket Club. More on this in the next day or so Blogs as events continue to unfold during today Friday, where my first priority is attending to the sudden but fortunately brief appearance of rain water through the ceiling above my main work station during a torrential downpour in the early hours of Thursday morning. I was sitting at the station finishing off some work needed for later in the day when the water dropped on the mouse and mouse pad so the not working out what the problem was I immediate moved the table out of the way, got a bucket as the water continued to fall and switch off the electrics and then did quick tour of all the of all the under roof areas and window. It was only after this did I work out that the rain had come through the comparatively small area about 9 by 3 feet where there is a sloping tiled roof to the widow bay.
The water penetrating only last a few minute during the heaviest of downpours and later in the morning after I was able to grab some brief sleep I was able to check and found that there were no worn slates so I suspect this is a problem which required attention anyway and which the severe rain storm simply brought forward and hopefully means that a greater problem has been prevented.
Although it has meant the cancellation of a mini trip I am not disappointed given recent events and that there are some competing activities which I was unaware when I made the booking.
On Thursday I had an excellent lunch at the national glass centre which comprised a charcoal lemon chicken breast pieces on a bed of noodles which was delicious followed by a fruit food salad although when I saw a neighbours strawberry shortcake which comprise two pieces of biscuit type base shortcake with a generous wallop of cream as a sandwich and on top with fresh strawberries on a beautiful inset glass dish with icing sugar dribbled. I had an iced water with the meal followed by coffee. This set up for the evening entertainment, the first concert of the Whitley Bay Jazz festival which has now fully reached my horizon and will be a priority for my agenda next.
First last night's concert celebrating the music of Benny Goodman and featuring his radio broadcast music in the first part and the Carnegie Hall Concert in the second and where I have the original 2 LP discs sets.
The Story of Goodman is covered in the film which bears his name, The Benny Goodman Story and where I have the video. He was born in 1909, the ninth of 12 children in Chicago, a poor Jewish immigrant family from Hungary, and a pass thought is that GB has become the principal immigrant country for Europeans which once the USA was, When only 10 he was enrolled at the local Jewish Synagogue for music lesson and he then joined a boys, band and came under the influence of its director a classically trained clarinettist. Fortunately for all of us he developed an interest in New Orleans Jazz and clarinettists Johnny Dodds and Jimmy Noone, a few of whose records I have owned for fifty years. At the amazing young age of 16 he was invited to join one of Chicago's top bands, led by Ben Pollock. He moved to New York playing in various well known bands of the day in the 20' and 30's but it was not until the 1935 that the situation and dramatically changed. He had appeared with a band on the radio programme Lets Dance playing stock arrangements of the day but also Swing arrangements by Fletcher Henderson who had been introduced by that extraordinary impresario and recordist music John Hammond. There was only a modest response, until the band performed in Los Angeles with some 4000 young dancers present and given the poor response to the stock arrangements decided to start playing the swing arrangements only to find this was what the young dancers had come for and everyone stopped dancer and corded the bandstand to listen and to cheer.
Among those in the main band at this time was Harry James and Ziggy Elman on trumpet, his brother Harry on bass and the legendry Gene Krupa on drums. Black musicians were not allowed play with white musicians in the full bands so Goodman got around this by creating a quartet with Teddy Wilson on the Piano and Lionel Hampton on Vibraphone, but who could also play the piano.
Last night the part of Teddy Wilson was played by Keith Nichols, the musical Director with Mattias Seuffert playing Benny Goodman Richard Pite the Drums and Raymond Grasier the guest Soloist on the Vibraphone.
Although I enjoyed the first half especially Lets Dance which opened the records and King Porter Stomp together with Down South Camp Meeting and Stardust, most of the programme was not familiar. I also enjoyed the jazz singer Joan Viskant from Chicago and more about the great jazz singer and great to look at young lass later. I was disappointed that there was no performance of Shine, Runnin Wild, Darktown Strutters Ball, the St Louis Blues, Caravan and the Sheik of Araby.
I had not attended a performance in Hall 1 of the Sage, a three tier main hall where the third tier back seat disappear away from the stage some distance seating a total 1700 and which about 12-1300 in hall for the concert. I had asked for a stall and was given one of the best seats in the house second from the stage at one side but just above stage level so one did not have to look up. It will be difficult to get a better seat.
The second half was superb. The Carnegie Hall concert was a triumph Black tie event and the first of its kind. Don't be that way opened last night's as it did the original 1937 concert and Life Goes to a Party with Body and Soul played as a quartet although as a trio at the concert and Avalon followed by the Man I love. Blues skies was played as the build up to the finale last light although it came earlier at he original show and I was pleased that
Joan Viskant did both Loch Lomond which was a popular swing number of the day and Mei Mir Bist du Schon. China Boy from the concert was played in the first half from the radio performance. There was also Swing time in Rockies and the man I love. However the anticipated highlight proved to be even better this was the concert version of Sing Sing Sing released as double sided 12 inch 78 record and where Richard Pite reproduced as effective, and dare I say it, more effective drumming performance than Gene Krupa. You have to hear it to believe what is one the of great piece of Jazz band music of all time and which also has exceptional solos. The show was closed with Goodbye, the traditional ending for the band followed by an encore.
At the concert Johnny Hodges played alto and Soprano Sax, Lester Young the tenor and Buck Clayton had joined Harry James on Trumpet. Count Basie also performed at the Piano with Teddy Wilson.
And now to Joan Viskant who is on tour in the UK over the summer and appearing with Pete Long and his Benny Goodman band at Marlborough this weekend, then Hever Castle with the Ella Fitzgerald show. At Aldeburgh at the Maltings in August followed by the Dover Street Wine Bar on August 18th which the day I coach back from my London visit. She has released three CD's and I was able to listen to a couple of snippets from each on line However she thrives before a big band. She has very good stage presence and is a great mover in a lady like restrained way which reminds me of Anita O'Day (Jazz on a Summer's Day. Joan is a slim woman who worse a black dress with little slit at the from and a glamorous but tasteful top which she discard for an over the shoulder scarf. Style, finesse and quality are words which immediately come to mind.
The performance is part of the Whitely Bay Jazz festival where for £65 there are three days of traditional and big jazz band music from noon to midnight with day tickets at a new Hotel Village between Whitely Bay and Newcastle because the Whitley Bay venue is being modernised. Six of the 20 bands can be heard fro free at the Tynemouth Jazz Stage by the Rock of Gibraltar between noon and six over the weekend.
There was only one potential hiccup to the end of the evening having decided to prepay the car park fee at the Sage I pressed the wrongs sequence so that the ticket did not show the correct departure time. However there was someone on the exit barrier and there was no problem so I returned home contently to watch the end of Question Tine and the weekly Parliament Show
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