Newsletter Jan'22

Dear Jazz Friends

Compliments of the season to you! Like everyone else, I've been waiting to see what happens pandemic-wise, needing to be sensible but at the same time wanting to do things! It seems that promoters are keen to carry on, which is great news. Please do check with venues (or with me) if you have any questions.

This Friday I'm delighted to say that the Sunset Cafe Stompers (6 of us including singer Hamish Maxwell) will be at one of our favourite venues, Ilminster Arts Centre, to kick off the New Year. And the following weekend at Dillington House near Ilminster, I'll be presenting my informal day course "Oh Mr Jelly!" on the life, times and music of Jelly Roll Morton, the self-styled "Originator of Jazz". Thanks, by the way, to everyone who came to my lunchtime ragtime concert at Dillington in the autumn. What a tremendous audience!

An upcoming highlight at the beginning of February is my SpeakEasy at Dorchester Arts in the newly-refurbished Corn Exchange, with star guest Julia Titus, singing the songs of blues and vaudeville super-star Bessie Smith. Steve Graham (trumpet) will join us. This combination was a huge success last time we performed together.

One piece of very good news I must mention is that Raymond Wood's jazz promotions at Cheap Street Church, Sherborne are to continue. You'll find several of those dates included in the lists below.

Hope to see you there!

Mike