Casual it wasn't.

I’ve had a few bad days being not so well, as I said yesterday I’m a grumblin’ an a grouchy.

Also this Blog has got behind itself by a day and I can’t seem to get it straight, like getting the buttons on your shirt done up out of order.

Then again I’ve got a couple of (I hope) adventures* planned for this week although I don’t think I’ll be able to do both. At the moment I’m hoping to be well enough to nail one of them.

I’ll keep you posted.

Monday I hit the jazz trail, or perhaps it hit me.

I warned you, I’m being a grouch.

At the Red Lion, Isleworth, it was an odd set. Five fine players, a couple of hours of good music but to me it seemed as though I was only enjoying every other number. Then again 50% ain’t bad.

This is Tim Wells twackin’ the double bass.

 

 And this is Dave O’Higgins on Sax – a really fine musician.

 

 

‘Hackensack’ by Thelonious Monk was as good as ever, who doesn’t like that?

Steve Waterman woke me up with an outrageous, screaming trumpet while John Horler was doing a very reasonable Monk impression with just one hand, a sharp minimalism that looked so casual that you knew it wasn’t. It got the crowd cheering and my neighbour playing ‘air piano’ for the second week running.

The last number was a special version of ‘It ain’t necessarily so’, the instruments fighting it out amongst themselves.

* One of them involves time travel!

 

Neil Harris

(a don’t stop till you drop production)