Almost every Sunday from 11.30 a.m. – 1.30 p.m. for the past 18 months I have attended The Stables at Wavendon. Here John Dankworth gives an informal talk about all matters pertaining to jazz. John says, “Jazz Matters is my personal ‘baby’ at The Stables – a Sunday lunchtime get-together with anyone who loves my kind of music. Not only jazz, but the tunes and songs of the great masters – Noel Coward, the Gershwins and so on. Whether you’re an expert or just curious you’ll feel comfortable. ‘Live Jazz Matters’ is a monthly jam session with a small group of musos, but every week is lively, and I (or a guest, or both of us) often end up playing ‘live’ – you can never tell. Whatever your musical tastes or age, give it a try. We guarantee you’ll be glad you came.” To say Jazz Matters is entertaining is quite an understatement. John illustrates his talks with music - live (saxophones, clarinet, piano), computerised and recorded. Richard sets up the equipment, plays the discs and generally keeps John under control and keeps tabs on what he loses! John’s talks range from his early days as a musician on the grand cruise liners to New York & his visits to the famous jazz clubs; dealings with Duke Ellington; performing at Carnegie Hall; The Belgian contribution to world harmony – the saxophone; his favourite jazz year and bridging the knowledge gaps. During these talks, John is happy to answer questions & help aspiring musicians with musical technicalities. No matter what the level, John is always ready to encourage a good old jam to the delight of the rest of us! Often guest speakers come to recount their experiences in the jazz world. They are many & varied – Alan Plater, the playwright, told us of his early jazz experiences which hooked him; George Melly entertained us with tales of being on the road; Ed Harvey & Frank Griffith discussed the difference between old & new jazz; Andy Wood illustrated his talk ‘Trombones – the Endangered Species’ with his own trombones; Michael Garrick’s theme was ‘Roots, Humour and the Human Condition’, he had chosen early risque jazz songs to illustrate his fascinating talk. Ken Gibson, Cleo Laine, Alec Dankworth, Allan Ganley, Campbell Burnap, John Chilton, Digby Fairweather, Jacqui Dankworth, Ian Shaw, Macolm Edmonstone & Barry Forgie make up part of the great list of wonderful speakers who have enlightened us on Sunday mornings. Once a month there is a Live Jazz Matters session. John introduces an amazing array of fine musicians who play & of course John enjoys another good old jam, to our delight, again! Amongst the musicians who have given us great pleasure on a Sunday morning are: Karen Sharpe, Alan Barnes, John Horler, Roy Williams, Alec Dankworth, Bobby Worth, Richard Busiakiewicz, Digby Fairweather, Craig Milverton, Len Skeats, Nick Millward, Mark Nightingale, Dave Newton, Stuart Hall, Stuart Blagdon, Campbell Burnap, Nick Dawson, Frank Horder. The sessions are totally informal. The bar is open & refreshments are available as and when people require. Ann & Ken are always there to see that things run smoothly. The Box Office ladies will help you with tickets & other information. Audience numbers vary from about 20 – 30 on the Jazz Matters sessions to 50 – 80 plus on the Live Jazz Matters sessions. Over the months it has become apparent that there is a core of regulars who attend almost every week. A few Sundays ago John asked if we regulars would consider forming a committee with the aim of eventually producing a newsletter. He hopes that with the newsletter we will pool our knowledge and possibly come up with new ideas for the Sunday sessions. Rachel bravely volunteered to be the linchpin who will contact the rest of us by e-mail & keep us in line! Rachel’s childhood was very musical. Her family home was always full of music, people & pianos, four to be exact. She was utterly fascinated by the pianola & the organ with its bellows. Rachel grew up listening to her parents’ records & got to know the music of Frank Sinatra, Glen Miller, Eartha Kitt, Count Basie, Duke Ellington & Oscar Peterson. She says, “Finding the Sunday jazz sessions has been absolutely fantastic, learning so much more about the ins & outs of instruments & what jazz is about & in such brilliant surroundings with like minded people, JD’s fascinating anecdotes, expertise & friends. What more could you want?” Brian is the ace photographer who keeps a valuable photographic record of all the sessions. Brian’s earliest memories of jazz are in the mid 40s listening to the Glen Miller Orchestra & The Squadronaires. From a young choir-boy in his local church he grew up to see The Ted Heath & Eric Delaney Bands at The Savoy. The first record he bought was “Hushaby/Whistling Rufus” by Chris Barber, it cost 6s 3d! This purchase was soon followed by Humph’s “Bad Penny Blues”. A trumpet playing friend introduced Brian to Bessie Smith, Muggsy Spannier & Sidney Bechet. Since then Brian’s tastes in music have ranged over all jazz styles, classical music, pop & rock. Brian says that Sunday morning Jazz Matters has become a ritual for him. Chris is a bass guitarist who plays in several bands, most notably in a local all women’s jazz band. Chris first heard jazz played by her uncle & on radio but she did not pay too much attention until she heard Gershwin’s ‘Rhapsody in Blue’ – her hair stood on end! After that, Chris’s knowledge of jazz was gained by joining a practical jazz & blues course. Chris plays a Fretless Hohner electric bass & finds life so much easier not worrying about where the frets are. She also owns & loves an Ergo Upright bass stick although it is hard & quite tiring to play. Among Chris’s favourite jazz musicians are Miles Davies, John Coltrane & Charlie Parker. Mike left school at 15 to become a musician. He played mainly pop music around the pubs & clubs in the East End of London. However, his first love was & still is jazz. Mike says he tried, but was not good enough, to make a living from jazz & eventually became an amateur musician & got a proper job! Mike’s instruments are saxophone & flute. George & Joan come to Jazz Matters almost every Sunday. Joan’s first live jazz concert was in the 1960’s, she saw & heard Ed Condon & his All Stars. Joan first heard saxophonist Scott Hamilton at The Stables & for years he was her favourite musician. Since going to the Brecon Jazz Festival & attending Jazz Matters her tastes have broadened to include saxophonists Alan Barnes & Karen Sharpe & trumpeter Martin Shaw amongst her favourite musicians. George has been a jazz fan for fifty years. He has broad tastes & likes jazz from all eras. He leads a small jazz appreciation group in his local branch of the University of the Third Age – “Trying to spread the word!” His favourite musicians include Louis Armstrong, Charlie Parker, Thelonius Monk, John Coltrane, Miles Davis & Sonny Rollins. His favourite British musicians are Alan Barnes, Stan Tracey, Pete King & Michael Garrick. Larry & Brenda return to Glasgow every year to visit a jazz record recital club, which Larry belonged to in the 1970s. He duly gives a recital. Larry’s first introduction to jazz was at school when the occasional record recital was given after lessons. At the age of 14 he started to collect records & at 16 went to live gigs. He has an interest in the history of jazz & the personalities as well as the music itself. Brenda likes live gigs & record recitals, she particularly likes singers such as Ella Fitzgerald, Cleo Laine & other ‘big - band’ artists. Steve has played guitar since he was 12. During the late 80s he had a brief stint with the Danny White Band. In the 90s he toured with Heavy Metal Band ‘Effigy’. Although coming from a rock & blues background, Steve came across jazz through teaching. He teaches at all schools in Milton Keynes for the Music Service & also for the Allman Music Plan at The Stables. As you may predict, Steve’s taste in jazz is guitar based with Wes Montgomery exerting a huge influence on him. His all-time favourite is Martin Taylor. Gordon surprised us all by proving that Beethoven was the first jazz musician! He played us a recording of Beethoven’s Piano Sonata Number 32 in C minor, opus 111. The rhythms are quite memorable &‘Muskrat Ramble’ is clearly in there! Gordon became interested in jazz in the 1950s. He listened to LPs of small group modern jazz such as the Modern Jazz Quartet, Dave Brubeck Quartet, Jimmy Guiffre Trio, Gerry Mulligan Quartet & the Chico Hamilton Quintet. He still plays the LPs & the groups remain his favourites. Gordon says that the Sunday Jazz Matters sessions have broadened his horizons considerably. Ian was introduced to jazz at about the age of fourteen when he heard someone playing an improvisation of “Tenderly” on the piano. He was captivated & persuaded the player to teach him about the chord symbols. He then superimposed this knowledge onto his earlier “sparse & tortuous piano tuition.” Ian augmented this with hours of listening to jazz records from Armstrong & Morton through to Gillespie & Parker. This resulted in an appalling set of A – level exam results as he had also used a lot of his time playing piano in pubs around The Angel Islington with various “modern jazz” groups & had then spent more hours listening enraptured to the likes of Kenny Clare, Vic Ash & Alan Ganley in the Star Club & the Flamingo when he should have been at home studying! National Service in the RAF (highlight was playing the piano in the Cardington NAFFI accompanied by the bass player Malcolm Cecil) broke the pattern & was followed by a return to studying & a degree in mathematics, a short service commission in the Royal Navy & then thirty odd years in computer software. A decision to attend a jazz workshop at The Stables in April 2004 & an introduction by Mike to the ‘Open Band’ got it all going again & Ian now spends much of his time at the piano trying to make up for fifty years lack of practice. Libby is the author of this web site. She first heard ‘Twelfth Street Rag’ & similar jazz on her grandfather’s 78s. Later she began to listen to blues & was entranced by Nina Simone & Billie Holliday. From early jazz & the likes of Jelly Roll Morton she progressed through to Duke Ellington & still has her 5 shilling ticket & programme from seeing him in the Albert Hall in 1967. She thinks she can remember every minute of the amazing experience, especially as it was the first time her parents allowed her to go to London on her own! After that Coleman Hawkins, Charlie Parker – Swing & Bebop & on into the Modern & Avante Garde eras – Thelonius Monk served a knock out punch & she began to collect records & read as much about jazz as was printed. Listening to Charles Lloyd’s ‘Forest Flower’ in the late 1960s made her wonder who the brilliant pianist was. It was Keith Jarrett, who has been her jazz hero ever since. She also has her ticket & programme from his concert at the RFH but it cost considerably more than Duke Ellington’s five shillings. A face you will see a great deal at The Stables is piano tuner Joseph Boland. He is there so often that he feels as if The Stables is his second home. He tunes the pianos in readiness for all the concerts. Some pianists like the piano to be tuned just before the actual performance & retuned during the interval. Joseph must have an amazing ear & to be able to do that with crowds of people moving around & chatting excitedly & quite loudly. When you come to The Stables you will first see the new Stables Theatre. This superceded the original stable block which was built at the start of World War Two. John & Cleo opened The Stables for “Allmusic” concerts (i.e. music of every kind) early in 1970. After 25 years or so it became apparent that facilities at The Stables were not sufficient for modern audiences & performers so plans were put in place to build a modern concert hall. In April 1999 building work began & the new Stables Theatre was born. The old Stables building became a second bar & overflow area. The first Jazz Matters took place here & then as winter approached we moved into the Mancini Forum. The old Stables building is undergoing another transformation & work is underway to make a second performance space, & restaurant. When this is complete in the spring of 2007 Jazz Matters will take place there. You can always be sure of an entertaining, relaxing & informative two hours when you come to Jazz Matters. It has become such a big ‘baby’ for John that he appears to get withdrawal symptoms. Whilst Ian Shaw was talking to us the other Sunday morning, John actually phoned from California (5 a.m. in USA) to see how we were getting on! Richard held his mobile phone to the microphone so that we could all hear him & join in the conversation. To learn more about The Stables’ story, there is a book entitled “The Stables Inside Story”. To find news of the latest events & the location I hope that you will feel inspired to join in with John, the regulars & staff at The Stables for Jazz Matters & Jazz Matters Live on Sunday mornings at 11.30 a.m.