Monday night was very special indeed for me. I made it back
to my jazz club – it’s been weeks since I was last there. Either I’d been unable
to go due to family problems, or I was ill or just plain worn out.
The week before I’d been ill, I was also recovering from a
virus and I hurt my back (ouch! that’s just not fair).
Last weekend I celebrated all that and more by dragging out a
room sized carpet heavy with age from under the furniture. Now that’s what I
call pain.
Yesterday I took a car load of stuff down to the council
recycling dump. Everything hurts.
Monday night? I was with Duke Ellington, Horace Silver, Benny
Goodman and John Coltrane (and I do love
the ‘trane).
Robbie Robson was on trumpet, Martin Hathaway on the
Saxophone;
Malcom Edmonstone on piano, Alec Dankworth, bass and Trevor
Tomkins on Drums.
Best of all I was treated to one of my favourite tunes, ‘The
Duke’ by Dave Brubeck. This is by way of Miles Davis who did an unforgetable version of
this number on his album ‘Miles Ahead’. Anyone of my generation who watched ‘Tomorrow’s
World’ on TV, would immediately remember this because this was the incidental music every week.
In a hard, hard week I was very lucky; on Friday I was
enjoying a celebration of Rhythm and Blues, last night it was Modern Jazz. On
Thursday I was Skankin’ with ‘The Reggulaters’. In the space of a few days I was
able to enjoy the three strands that make up the music of the MODs: all that's missing is some sweet, sweet soul. I'm working on that.
You have no idea what a struggle it was but I’ve definitely not left the building, not yet I haven't.
You have no idea what a struggle it was but I’ve definitely not left the building, not yet I haven't.
Neil Harris
(a don’t stop till you drop production)
Contact: neilwithpromisestokeep@gmail.com
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