I love August for the Festivals -not the International one nor yet the Fringe or Film but for the Jazz Festival and then the Book Festival.
The Jazz Festival starts at the end of July and lasts a week or so. I'm not particularly musical and cannot follow the themes or appreciate the skills of the players, but I love the energy and good humour which is there among the players and the respect they show for each other. It is one of those occassions where it is better to be present than listening to a CD. Nor is my hearing loss a problem except for the chat and introductions between sessions!
One disappointment this year was the absence of the traditional 'Jazz on a Summer afternoon' free concerts in the Ross theatre when the Gardens were full of people of all ages and many cultures relaxed and picnicking to the sound of Jazz. Instead, this year a Spiegal Tent was set up there with aJazz concerts throughout the week, which made economic sense but was a big disappointment for many of us.
But it was fun to see Aker Bilk still in good form and Chris Barber full of energy at 80. Many of us oldies where happy to hear again Aker -'one of the hottest clarinet players and one of the most popular names in there has ever been in British Jazz'- and his Paramount Jazz Band, and Chris Barber 'one of the greats of British Jazz' with the Big Chris Barber All Star Band
No comments:
Post a Comment