Club News

2012

Here is the latest news from Jazz Supper Club. I trust that you have enjoyed a wonderful Christmas season and on behalf of all at The Club wish you a happy & successful New Year.  Increases to costs of maintaining the pavilion at Botany Bay means that we are required to increase our contribution the club, which in turn means for the first time in many years we need to increase our admission fees from February by £1.00, making them £7.00 for members & £9.00 for non-members.  This decision has not been made lightly and we hope that we can rely on your regular support

February 2nd Alan Barnes – saxophones

Lovers of jazz saxophone (and jazz saxophonists) are really being spoiled by this programme.  First up on the 10th anniversary of our opening evening is Alan Barnes who is is as wonderfully exciting a performer on both alto & baritone saxophones as you could hope to see, he possesses a superb command of his instruments, which is employed to ultimate effect in the creation of jazz of the very highest quality.  Alan’s versatility and technical brilliance enable him to move through a varied repertoire that often incorporates the musical styles and compositions of those such as Charlie Parker and Gerry Mulligan as well as compositions of his own.  A man with an outrageously engaging sense of humour that shines through his music and punctuates the enlightening and entertaining verbal gems to which he treats his audience.

February 9th Jim Hart - vibes

We see the return of a guest who always delivers jazz of the highest calibre when we host vibes player extraordinaire, Jim Hart.  Jim plays vibes with great touch and dynamism; he injects incredible amounts of energy and inventiveness into his music and never fails to delight his audience.  Originally from Cornwall, Jim Hart began playing drums and piano at age four and soon furthered this to include tuned and orchestral percussion. He is now one of the most in demand musicians on the British jazz scene. If you’ve yet to catch a performance from Jim you owe it to yourself to come along and find out what you have been missing.

February 16th Vasilis Xenopoulos – saxophones

Vasilis began his music education, learning piano & clarinet, at the ripe old age of ten in Athens, the town of his birth.  By 1999 he had graduated from Phillipos Nakas Conservatory and won a scholarship for the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston.  Following his graduation in 2001 he moved to England and, to the delight of British jazz enthusiasts, has settled here permanently. Vasilis is a remarkably talented saxophonist who plays with such passion and composure that he invariably impresses all jazz lovers that hear him.

February 23rd Tina May - vocals

As simply one of the very best jazz vocalists in the country, Tina enchants and delights in equal measure. A beautiful voice that is delicate yet full of authority, exquisite timing and the ability to swing like mad ensure that every performance by Tina has broad appeal.  Whether delivering standards or specialised jazz compositions, all with her very own touch of originality Tina has the rare gift of being able to offer something to please everyone.

March 1st Simon Spillett – tenor sax

Rather than give my opinion of this extremely talented jazz musician, read what the incomparable saxophonist Alan Barnes has to say about him “Simon Spillett is the kind of big toned wailing tenor player that I like. The influences of Tubby Hayes and Johnny Griffin are clearly discernible in his sound, harmonic thinking, and in his no-nonsense determination in getting things swinging. This refreshing attitude is also in evidence in his composing. He has written a whole raft of catchy hard bop tunes which are great launching pads for the soloist and that never fall into the trap of complexity for complexity’s sake. A great player”

March 8th Roger Beaujolais – vibes

An outstanding performer on the vibes, Roger’s music is understandably widely acclaimed and has received high praise from the American vibes legend Gary Burton; and you can’t get better praise than that.  Another musician who refuses to be constrained by style names, Roger is equally at home playing standards, jazz suites, blues and latin; in fact anything he chooses.  Employing wonderful technique the sight of Roger in full flow with multiple mallets is something to behold and he never allows the virtuosity to impede the flow and feel of the music.

March 15th Art Themen – saxophones

Art Themen is just an amazing man, for many years he combined a career as one of the country’s leading orthopaedic surgeons with being a similarly revered saxophonist (you don’t work in the Stan Tracey Quartet for over twenty years without being more than special).  Art’s playing is energetic, thoughtful and inspiring; and he loves visiting us all at Googlies. Anyone who enjoys jazz of the very highest calibre will love an Art Themen gig.

March 22nd Jacqui Hicks – vocals

March 29th Dave O’Higgins– saxophones

One of the most exciting of our guest artists, Dave is an energetic and inventive saxophonist to whom it is a real treat to listen.  That’s our opinion, now see what others say:

"O’Higgins plays with quite exceptional fluency and his fund of ideas never runs out." The Observer

"An understandably popular figure on the London scene, O’Higgins is a virtuoso jazz/fusion saxophonist." Time Out
".. O’Higgins inventive, Coltrane influenced playing on both tenor and on soprano impressed enormously." The Irish News

"The most exciting of our young tenor/soprano modernists." Jazz Magazine International You now have the chance to decide for yourself.

Sunday 12th February at 3pm Suburban Sax

We continue our programme of monthly jazz on a Sunday afternoon with a visit from a wonderful saxophone quartet plus rhythm section (and possibly a guest or two).  Suburban Sax features our resident saxophonist Bill Yeomans.  Get along if you can.

Our Big Band programme copntinues Sunday 12 March and Sunday 4th April pm with a performances by

Sunburban Sax & The Ed Puddick big Band respectively

    J.J.

Please note that we do not have the facility to accept payment by debit or credit card