Peaked too soon.

Come Monday and we made it to our Jazz Club at The Red Lion, Isleworth but I had definitely peaked too soon!

I'd still been feeling good and did a fair amount of stuff during the day including going for a walk in the afternoon but by the time I got to the pub I was out of it; I spent the first half squirming in pain and part of the second asleep.

All of which was very unfair to the musicians who were Trevor Tomkins on drums, Alec Dankworth on bass and Alex Hutton on keyboards.

New to me were Robbie Robson on trumpet and Frank Griffith on Sax;

I was some way under the weather and didn't respond too well to Frank's cheerful jokes but his playing was good.

And Robbie Robson had me warming to the trumpet, never my favourite instrument.

I enjoyed the Dexter Gordon piece they played and 'The Duke' written by Dave Brubeck but owing a lot more to the Miles Davis cover version this time.

Neil Harris
(a don't stop till you drop production)
Home: helpmesortoutstpeters.blogspot.com
Contact me: neilwithpromisestokeep@gmail.com

Leave the lights on; Mr Harris has not yet left the building.

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.

Neil Harris

(a don’t stop till you drop production)

Home; helpmesortoutstpeters@blogspot.com

Contact: neilwithpromisestokeep@gmail.com