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Click to enlarge the photo.

Donna , Dave and Russell are doing a great job of refurbishing the Harp. Having started with a complete makeover of the bar, which now has a much brighter and more welcoming feeling, they have now progressed to the lounge.

With the whole pub already rewired the decorators were able to move in to give a new fresh look to the place but not before a few trials and tribulations....such as when Marie and myself, together with 3 year old grandson Adam, went to take down the photos. It transpired that many of them were now an integral part of the building as they were the only things holding the plaster together! This meant that much of the "bandstand end of the room had to be boarded and re-plastered.

This having been done and the decorating completed we were able to put back some of the photos, as you can see below, not totally covering the wall as before but as a "frieze" along two of the walls with many of the framed pictures hung throughout the room.

A splendid new "Jazz Club 90" banner was donated by one of our regulars and there will be new blinds and curtains soon.

With new carpet and furniture promised before too long the lounge will be even more welcoming than before with I am sure still the same atmosphere that appeals to musicians and fans.

Add to all this the superbly run bar, with excellent service from Alan and Nick, and the financial backing for the jazz from Donna, Dave and Russell and I believe we will have a Jazz Venue which will continue to be one of the best in the country.

It was the first time Marie and myself had been to a Friday session and the main reason for going was that our 7 year old grandson, Jamie, is a fervent Neil Diamond fan.

Paul George, also known as Diamond Geezer, was the entertainer for the evening and both he and the already gathered audience were amazed when Jamie walked in wearing a sparkly, sequin covered jacket, just like his idol would wear. Within minutes Paul had brought him a CD featuring Diamond songs and later had a rather embarrassed Jamie out the front to sing a song with him and also had their photo taken together.

The people in the almost "full house" audience were amazed at Jamie being able to sing all the words of every song that the "Diamond Geezer" performed during the evening, even after a little nap he woke up to join in!

Even Donna and Dave came down to see this new little superstar in the Harp and his "air guitar" dancing to the Rock and Roll that Paul finished off with had everyone in stitches.

Dave fetched the "Diamond Geezer" poster out of the display case and gave it to Jamie for his bedroom wall and a rather tired little boy went home very happy.

He is now on  Paul's website "News" page (www.diamondgeezermusic.co.uk) and also the Neil Diamond fan club site (www.iaisnd.com) Message Board.

Without the Jamie factor this would still have been a superbly entertaining evening and Donna, Dave and Russell are to be commended for the work they have put in since taking over the Harp and deserve everyone's support for ventures such as this.

Paul George as "Diamond Geezer"....with little star Jamie.

Click photo to enlarge

On the right is the first photo (11 week scan), not yet old enough to pull pints in the Harp but we await that pleasure in the future!

Congratulations to Russell and Jill from Jazz Club 90.

Another Review in the Shropshire Star

Jazz act sent us all home pleased

New Orleans Heat

The Harp, Albrighton, December 7^th. 2008

Mentioned in one of Britain’s best selling dailies as one of the last bastions of the curious cultural phenomenon — British traditional jazz — The Harp certainly lived up to its reputation by featuring New Orleans Heat. The band did justice to the venue and gave a packed audience a couple of hours of sheer joy.

The line-up consisted of the leader, Barry Grummet on piano, Gwyn Lewis - cor­net, John Scantlebury - alto sax/clarinet, Mike Taylor - trombone, Tony Peatman - banjo, Harry Slater - bass and Colin Bushell on drums. Most of the music was based on their best-selling CDs Walking with the King and Big Manou.

It would be wrong to mention any particular highlight from this top quality band but the pick for me were Down in Honky Tonk Town, Birthday Boy - Mike Tay­lor’s rendition of Sweet Georgia Brown, the haunt­ing cornet playing of Gwyn Lewis in Royal Telephone and Willie the Weeper (he’s also a good vocalist), Love Songs of the Nile, and John Scantlebury’s interpretation of St Jude’s Hymn, which was clarinet playing at its best.

Barry Grummet has done a wonderful job with this hand-picked band and leads a very solid rhythm section.

As an encore the band raised the roof with Panama.

Suitably relaxed by Andrew Brough’s Pale Ale expertly dispensed by landlord Dave Taylor, we went

 home happy with smiles on our faces.

Derek Ruddock

Superb Sounds of Trad Jazzers

Richard Leach’s Jazz Band

The Harp, Albrighton.

The CD of this programme was loaned to me by Joyce, one of our Harp regulars who is a friend of Pete's widow Lynne. Lynne very kindly gave permission for me to put this on our site....I am sure there are many fans of this great drummer who will enjoy listening to it.

If you are a Harp regular you will know just how hard Marie works at every session to relieve you of your money for the "kitty" which helps Donna, Dave and Russell to fund the jazz..

If you haven't been before you will see Marie selling raffle tickets, the football card, fresh rolls and anything else she can think of (legal of course!) to raise money.

A very good chance to say "Thank you" to my lovely lady.

On Tuesday, October 14th....to hear the brilliant New Orleans Heat and help us celebrate 15 years of jazz at the Harp. The past 15 years have seen us progress from an unknown club featuring excellent local bands to a venue now known around the world which has been proud to welcome such jazz greats as Kenny Baker, Phil Mason, Terry Lightfoot, Neville Dickie, Peter Appleyard, Tommy Burton and many, many more national and international stars of the jazz world.

We will be holding one of our special raffles with many prizes (just a few of the alcoholic liquid variety!) and, to show our appreciation of all the support we have received over the years, Marie will again be providing light refreshments which usually go down extremely well!.

8.30 start...don't be late!

I must say I enjoyed being on the receiving end of the generosity of our audience, from the very welcome pints of Holden's to the singing of "Happy Birthday", the candles to blow out on the cake, the card with very nice comments, the wine from "mine hosts" and other presents, topped off by the   envelope with the proceeds of the collection amongst the wonderful jazz fans.....my sincere thanks to everyone. Whether I should thank John Bosworth and my lovely wife Marie for the "75" banners and the long forgotten photos of a very young me, and others of Marie and myself, is another matter!

......what a good looking bunch!

The entertainers, Adam and Jamie.....

Carl Sinclair Duo...a brilliant young piano player with Howard Smith on drums

for Sunday, August 31st, starting at 1 o'clock.

Carl was an instant success when he was at the Harp in June with his piano playing, singing and personality...everything from Winifred Atwell to Boogie to Ray Charles and more!

Congratulations to leader John Beckingham and his excellent band

Amy’s talent so amazing.

 I went to see Amy perform on Tuesday evening. What a talented performer she is, with a quite remarkable grasp of the various elements of jazz, considering how young she is. Her quiet, unassuming character and willingness to mingle with members of the audience during and after the performance was refreshing.

However, I am not talking about Amy Winehouse, as some might have thought, but Amy Roberts, a young lass from Cornwall who plays alto saxophone quite brilliantly. She played alongside the Heart of England Jazz Band at the Harp Hotel in Albrighton. What a pity that so few of her own age were there to see such an able performer holding the audience, and members of the band, almost spellbound.

With youngsters like her, there is hope that jazz will survive and grow once again.

John Bosworth, Catholic Lane, Dudley.

Raising pint in memory

THE Harp Hotel, in Albrighton, has introduced a new beer for customers in memory of the former landlord.

“Terry’s Session Beer”, which was named after Terry Pibworth and also honours the hotel’s connection with jazz music, has gone down a treat with punters since being launched.

New landlord Dave Taylor (pictured) said that he has had to order more in already. “It was the head for the brewers Slaters of Eccelshall, Mick Huxley, who came up with the idea as he was good friends with Terry,” he said.

Dave now runs the establishment with his girlfriend,  Terry’s daughter, after Terry passed away last year. But the family links do not stop there as it was Dave’s sister Angela, a graphic designer, who came up with the design for the beer’s name, which can be seen on the bar taps.

“I have been running the pub now since June last year and it’s going really well,” added Dave. We have kept the music going and everyone seems to be enjoying it.”

The Jazz Club, which introduces a variety of jazz musicians to Albrighton most Tuesdays and Sundays, moved, to the Harp Hotel after outgrowing The Bush.

Picture: Simon Devey

Dave sampling "Terry's session bitter" at the bar in the Harp.

Click photo to enlarge

This splendid brew will be available from Sunday, March 2nd. at the Harp.

Click on the picture on the right to enlarge

Monday, March 3rd. 2008

Once again a funeral of a jazz musician has shown the great affection that exists between musicians and jazz fans.

A packed Lodge Hill Crematorium, I would estimate at least 250  family, friends and musicians filling the seats and standing wherever there was space, heard tributes from Selwyn Newton, John Grant, Clive's son Nick and grand-daughter Christie and his son-in-law Giovanni....all illustrating the the way in which Clive touched many peoples lives.

"Clive's Band", which was the members of Heart of England Jazz Band, played "Goodnight Sweet Prince" as the funeral party entered for the Humanist Service, and later played "Mood Indigo" to an eerily quiet audience. The most moving moment was when Clive's voice was heard singing "Tishomingo Blues" from one of the Heart of England CDs.

We adjourned to Northfield British Legion where once again an unbelievable number of people turned up to share memories and listen to music by the many jazzmen present.....to try to name them all would be impossible, needless to say they all played superb tributes to Clive and I think his son Nick released a lot of pent up emotion during a brilliant drum solo!

A collection took place during the afternoon and will, together with other donations made, go to the Childhood Leukaemia Research Charity, a very worthy cause.

I finish with the last line of Selwyn's tribute which you can read below....

We extend our love and thoughts to Denise, Nick, Richard and Claudia, and their families, for their loss is even greater than ours.

This tribute to Clive Millward appeared in the Heart of England Newsletter and is reproduced by kind permission of Selwyn Newton.

**********************************

Clive Millward

25^th.March 1938-16^th. February 2008

Just over two weeks from the date that Clive entered hospital to undergo tests, he is no longer with us. On January 26 Clive was part of the band, as usual, at St.Michael’s-on-Wyre, near Blackpool, and the many enquiries and commiserations already received have one common thread running through them - disbelief at the suddenness of his passing.

 For almost 60 years Clive had been a musical entertainer. From early adolescence, when he first joined his parents on the stage in local clubs, where they presented their Music Hall-style shows, until the end of January this year, he had given pleasure to countless audiences throughout the UK, as well as several European countries and, even, the cradle of jazz itself, New Orleans.

 After discovering a neglected drum kit, whilst investigating his grandmother’s attic, when he was twelve, he soon put it to good use and taught himself to play, joining his parents in their performances.

 During his schooldays he became involved with any performing activity, including plays and pantomimes. But it was whilst in the Army, doing his two years’ National Service, that Clive made several sorties from his base at Aldershot to sample London’s emerging jazz scene, visiting Ronnie Scott’s among other jazz clubs.

 An apprenticeship at what was then called ‘The Austin’, saw Clive embark on a career in the Body Development Department of which he never tired. I have met very few people who said that they enjoyed every day of their working life - in Clive’s case, 47 years. But amongst those young apprentices were several aspiring musicians, including Garry Allcock, and a lifelong friendship began. An apprentices’ band soon became a reality, in which Roger, too, was involved

 In the early 1960s Clive joined a dance band called The Fortunes which played five nights a week at The Cedar Tree in Rugeley; it also had a residency at the Westmead Country Club. It was at this time that Clive first met Arthur Brown, and after ‘depping’ with Arthur’s Jubilee Jazzmen at The Swan at Alvechurch, he was asked to become a permanent member of the band. Later, in the 1970s, Clive joined The New Delta Jazz Band, which included Ray Foxley, Roy Hubbard, Tony Davis, Mick Jones, Pete Barnard and Len Thwaites in its line-up.

 In 1981, when The Arthur Brown Jazz Band was launched, Clive occupied the drum chair for the lifetime of that band, then transferring to The Heart of England Jazz Band when Arthur joined Pete Allen. Despite the number of vocalists in each band, Clive remained the ‘Number One’ vocalist, skilfully adapting his voice to the lyrical demands of songs like ‘Summertime’, the subtleties of ‘Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans’ and Irving Berlin’s 1938 composition, ‘My Old Walking Stick’, or the Charleston-like qualities of ‘Five Foot Two’. He had an extensive collection of old greetings cards upon the back of which dozens of lyrics had been scrawled in case the memory failed.( He sang over 70 songs). Publications such as ‘Just Jazz’ often carry readers’ comments about the low quality of singing in some bands, where it might have improved the performance not to have bothered at all. This was never the case with Clive who was invariably immaculate in both the interpretation and execution of a great range of songs.

 Despite the many other changes that both The Arthur Brown Jazz Band and The Heart of England Jazz Band experienced over nearly three decades, there was only ever one drummer in either band - Clive Millward.

 Throughout his life Clive had always been incredibly creative and practical in all his enthusiasms. He had built working steam locomotives and aircraft, from scratch, rebuilt classic cars, and had an envious ability to be able to find a solution to almost any practical problem.

 When not concentrating ferociously hard on his playing or singing, he invariably had a smile on his face, was always a gentleman and had a calm, relaxing disposition which endeared him to so many.

 As founder member of two major Midland jazz bands, Clive was also founder member of the ‘family’ that each band became, so that all of us who ever made music with Clive, have lost something so much more than just another passing musician, but a very dear friend. It is more true than in many other cases that without Clive our band will never be the same again.

 We extend our love and thoughts to Denise, Nick, Richard and Claudia, and their families, for their loss is even greater than ours.

 Selwyn Newton

****************************************

Click photo to enlarge.

This review by Derek Ruddock of a recent session at the Harp was in the Shropshire Star on February10th. 2008.

Jazz Club 90--Harp Hotel--Albrighton--Shropshire.

Tucked away on the Shropshire/Staffordshire border under the stewardship of John & Marie Howell, lies a haven for traditional jazz enthusiasts. On Sunday we were not disappointed, The Antique Six Jazz Band played to a packed audience at the Harp and gave two hours of pure joy.

This is a well knit band with no weaknesses. Led by the legendary classic jazz playing of Chris Mercer on trumpet and vocals, the front line also featured Chris Pearce on clarinet/saxes, his particular rendition of ‘The World is Waiting for the Sunshine’ was superb and watching his imagination unfurl and take flight was an engaging experience. Richard Leach, apart from playing trombone, did all the intros and possesses a wicked sense of humour. His interpretation of ‘On Treasure Island’ was full of ingeniously inventive touches.

No jazz band is successful without the drive and expertise of a top class rhythm section. Graham Smith on drums was quite exceptional, whilst Dennis Mowatt provided subtle changes of key in a very solid performance of banjo playing. Last but not least the most unheralded of musical instruments is the bass but Len Thwaites really made the double bass talk.

 This is very much a fun loving jazz band and from the opening number ‘Joe Averys Piece’ to the final number ‘Nagasaki’ they really seemed to enjoy each other’s company.

They are due back at this wonderful intimate venue on April 15th 2008. Definitely a date not to be missed — see you all then.

       Derek Ruddock

This did not deter the hardy members of the party who assembled at 10.00am sharp in order to board under the sharp eye of Captain "Big John" Bosworth and his trusty mate, "Her Indoors" Barbara. Making up the passenger list we had Gladys and Gordon, Iris and Terry, Marj and Roy, John and Pat, Frank, Marie and yours truly and of course John and Barbara. One absentee was the other Gordon who cried off because of a stomach bug, or was it too much wine?...we shall never know!

Having had a senior moment and left my camera in the boot of the car I am indebted to our captain for the few photos below.....his duties as commander of the rather long ET 2nd. meant his photo opportunities were restricted, especially when turning the 70ft. vessel round to face the other way!

Setting off in a southerly direction it wasn't long before refreshments were called for with tea, coffee, red wine (at 10.30am!!!) and nibbles soon appearing from the galley. The showery weather at the start of the voyage meant that the two Johns, Bosworth and Hill, were able to get us safely to Dimmingsdale, which was our "winding" point in a wider part of the canal, where the efforts of the captain and crew succeeded in getting the very long boat jammed across the "cut"!.....a problem soon resolved by the brilliant seamanship (should that be canalmanship) of John No.1 and the brawn of John No.2. We thus finished up facing north to retrace our steps (?waves) past our mooring and on to the chippy at Newbridge.

Along the way we were again able to marvel at the tremendous engineering feat which led to the construction of the waterways with the locks being a brilliant way of getting vessels up and down inclines. John and Barbara both commented that they had never seen the water level so high, most of the time it was only a few inches below the towpath. The amount of water pouring over the overflow "weirs" was amazing and made us think of the hardship faced by those flooded out by the recent torrential rain along the Severn valley.

Having collected 13 packs of fish, chips and mushy peas from the excellent chippy at Newbridge we continued a little further to moor up for lunch. The packs of cholesterol laden food were distributed by gorgeous waitresses (I was told to put that in!) who also kept us supplied with wine and beer. As if fish and chips wasn't enough we were then plied with several delicious puddings (desserts if you are posh!) which included strawberries and cream, tiramisu, the best bread pudding I have tasted in a long time and fruit flans etc. It may have been wet outside but we had a very comfortable lunch....many thanks ladies.

Having been forgiven my "grounding" exploits of last year I was once more delighted to be at times in charge of the Ernest Thomas for parts of the journey, taking great pleasure in navigating locks and bridges with minimal, or even better, no contact with the walls!

Turning at Autherley Junction we then proceeded south again through gradually heavier rain so that the two brave Johns (not me!) finished up rather wet and bedraggled looking. We arrived back at the mooring at exactly 4.00pm following six hours of absolute pleasure in spite of the rain.

Plenty of talking, plenty of eating and drinking, looked after by lovely ladies....what more could we want! Our thanks once again to John and Barbara for inviting us. Here's to next year!

Click on photos to enlarge

The Oldies

Pat and Strawberries

Captain, for a little while!

Marie and Marge

Oldies, still talking!

I found this on Fred Burnett's "Jazz in the North West" website and have the writer's permission to reproduce it here.

"Hi Fred, I have just returned from Ascona Jazz Festival where I talked to several well known musicians from New Orleans about the situation there now, nearly two years after Katrina. I was appalled and very upset by what I heard so thought I would pass some of it on. I don't think a lot of people realise just how little is being done. The French Quarter, the Business Centre, and the Garden District were little affected and are almost back to normal. The surrounding areas were devastated. Everything was flattened. Even after two years hardly any building is going on, no houses, no schools. A few people are existing in trailers and huts made from the wreckage and trying to rebuild their homes.  The levees which keep the water out have not been repaired! Very frightening now the hurricane season is about to start. Apparently they were never built to specifications in the first place due to corruption and bad practice hence they collapsed underneath with the pressure of water and did not breach at the top. The USA government has contracted all the rebuilding work to a construction company, Haliburton, and made a law that forbids any local construction workers to work for anyone else. Haliburton pay the minimum wage possible!  The musicians who are still there are working hard to keep the culture of New Orleans alive ( we saw a film about he Creole Culture) but are very bitter about the way thousands of New Orleans citizens have been treated and are still treated. 

A remark that was made to us was very telling! “ The money spent in two weeks in Iraq would be more than enough to rebuild all of New Orleans”

Makes you think! - Annie Cousin"

Doesn't it just?....if anyone has any comments they would like to add please let me have them.

Look at www.halliburtonwatch.org to see comments about the company rebuilding(?) New Orleans

Setting off after Terry's funeral Marie and I had a very good journey to Upton and were amazed to see how many caravans were already there....we finished up along the edge of the field rather than in one of the usual circles but this turned out to be more convenient as we had the dogs with us.

A dry evening allowed us to put up the awning with time to walk to the "chippy" only to find it was closed! Next morning was also kind to us and we were able to erect Mo's tent before she arrived. The entertainment was provided by Pat and John Hill who spent several hours erecting their tent,......without the instructions! Then followed the airbed blowing up saga which necessitated the use of superglue and puncture repair outfits. We are told that this had to be repeated several times during the night...at least that's how John explained the heavy breathing! Kevin and Anna also arrived to complete the party.

Needless to say the usual round of eating, drinking (in moderation of course!) and sleeping, as shown by Jess, Billie and Mo Bayliss in the photos, also led to the usual washing up session.

There was plenty of jazz to listen to with Harp favourites Rod Chambers' Louisiana Joymakers and Antique Six who both played emotional tributes to Terry, violinist Ralph Allin at last on the stage of a big marquee, the Chris Barber Big Band as professional as ever and many more who all contributed to the weekend.

The sometimes muddy conditions on parts of the site which needed tons of straw put down to get around the festival did not deter the fans  nor the dancers....there is no truth in Marie's suggestion my hands were shaking too much to take more than one photo of the dancers! The weather forecast however did prompt us to leave at lunch time on Sunday, a fortunate decision as the photos below show the state of the field on Monday morning!

Our thanks to Mo, Pat, John, Kevin and Anne who helped to make a most enjoyable weekend, to everyone connected with the festival who did a great job keeping everything moving, and to the musicians and fans who created an enjoyable atmosphere.

Here's to next year!

Today was the funeral of Terry Pibworth, owner of the Harp Hotel

"Wow, what a send off!"

Those were the opening words of The Reverend Canon Jim Richardson, OBE, at the start of the service for Terry at Bushbury Crematorium. 

It was a send off which started when his family, friends and customers gathered at the Harp to await Terry's arrival for his last journey through the village. By the time the funeral party left, to spontaneous  applause, there was a crowd which filled the green and the road in front of the Harp, a crowd which followed the hearse along the High Street as it was led by a jazz band made up of musicians who play regularly  at the Harp.

On reaching the Crematorium we were amazed to see even more people, there must have been 300+ waiting Terry's arrival, many had to stand outside as the Chapel became packed to the doors, thus prompting Canon Williams' remarks.

The entrance music was the Blues Brothers' "Gimme Some Lovin'", a favourite of Terry's.

The "service" was one of the most relaxed and friendly we have ever been to, made even more relaxed when Canon Williams left his platform to talk to Donna and Russell whilst reflecting on Terry's varied and sometimes colourful life. Reference was made to the Harp's beer festivals, the music nights including Jazz Club 90's twice a week gigs and the late nights in the bar! Terry was a great one for mechanical toys, especially if they had a musical interest, so it was no surprise to some of us when Russell was asked to come to the coffin to turn on "Ossie" the tap dancing ostrich..... Canon Williams then led everyone in clapping in time with "Ossie"!

"All things bright and beautiful" and "Guide me , O Thou great Redeemer" were sung with genuine feeling by the congregation either side of the poem which starts "Don't grieve too much over this thing called death, I have only slipped away in to the next room" and ends with "All is well, let the music play on"....a comment Terry would have appreciated.

We left the chapel to the tune of "You're My Best Friend" by Queen, again Terry would have approved.

Russell and Donna invited everyone to join the family back at the Harp to "Rock On" and remember Terry in style.....Marie and I had to leave much too early to go to Upton Jazz Festival  but we were told by spies at the festival that "remembering Terry" was still in full swing at midnight....just as he would have wanted!

Terry made an outstanding financial commitment to help establish the Harp and Jazz Club 90 in the jazz world and will be remembered and missed by musicians and fans alike.

The musicians leading Terry through the village were Selwyn Newton, Kevin Morgan, Pete Ainge, Tony Billingsley, Dave Smith and Derek Rowland.

Last Sunday the Harp was full of rumours about the future....it was to be knocked down and a block of flats built, it was going to be a restaurant, a "sports" pub full of Sky TVs and more!

None of this is true, Terry's daughter Donna, her partner Dave and her brother Russell are going to keep the pub going for at least 18 months to see if they like the pub life and if they can make a good living.

Donna has said she wants the jazz to continue as a tribute to Terry.......Marie and myself are obviously delighted to do all we can to maintain the reputation the Harp has as a jazz venue, a reputation which would not exist had it not been for Terry's support of Jazz Club 90.....with your help we, and the Harp, can go from strength to strength.

Jazz Club 90 is still alive and kicking and the jazz will continue with the programme you can see on our Home  page!

With the club packed with friends and family of the the birthday boys music for the evening was provided by Heart of England Jazz Band with guest Richard Leach on trombone. To add to the entertainment two rich oil sheikhs, or possibly illegal immigrants, entered the room to join in with the band.....surprise, surprise, they turned out to be Gordon, displaying his prowess on the trombone and Frank performing, amongst other numbers, his own version of Sheikh of Araby. By the end of this episode Frank had lost his beard and moustache but kept on his new eyebrows, he hasn't had so much hair on his head for many a year!

Organised by Gordon and prepared by the club staff an excellent buffet was available during the interval, combined with very nice club drink prices this enhanced even more the enjoyment of a very special party.

Later in the evening the band were joined by Kevin on soprano, Gordon Fryer on clarinet, Pete on trumpet, Anne on penny whistle, Doreen on slide whistle with Frank and Gordon out of disguise for a rousing version of "Mamma won't allow" which saw some virtuoso performances from the novices!

A brollie parade was inevitable and brought forth some very nice creations, I do wonder what the "non-jazz" members of the party thought of it all.

A splendid evening was had by all, our thanks to Gordon for arranging a very special "do" and to Frank for being the inspiration behind it, we look forward to the 150th!

Trombone playing Gordon....

Heart of England Jazz Band

...Frank's Sheikh of Araby

Marie leads the brollie parade

Penny Whistle Anne

The Birthday Boys

A few Harp regulars

Richard Leach's Clubhouse Five provided the music, with several tunes applicable to the occasion (see More Gig Reports), and a great time was had by all.

Vi was presented with a card signed by all their friends and flowers from Jazz Club 90 to mark 50 years of wedded bliss (Roy told me to put that in!), whilst everyone tucked in to the sandwiches, Spanish onion and black pudding provided by the happy couple.

We wish Roy and Vi many more happy years together and look forward to the Diamond event!

 50 years together for Roy and Vi.

Click photo to enlarge.

Jamie, (5½ going on 26!) has had some great news this week. Having been diagnosed 5 years ago as having a serious kidney condition, which may need a transplant before he is 10, the staff at Birmingham Children's Hospital have now said the diagnosis may have been wrong, he has not deteriorated as they expected (the opposite in fact, he is a very healthy little lad). He should now be able to come off the blood pressure and thyroid tablets (yes, for a pre-5 year old!) which he has taken so well for the last five years. The condition he was diagnosed with meant it was possible he could die in his 20-30s so this is the most marvellous news.

Adam is growing apace and now is following in father and grandfather's shoes by picking his place at the bar!....the photo was taken at his 1st. birthday dinner with Mom and Dad and Marie and myself.

Needless to say, Jamie and Adam get on very well together. Click on the photos to enlarge

Jamie snowballing

Adam in garden

Adam at the bar

Adam

Best pals

Adam again

Roy and Chris, regulars with their friends on alternate Tuesdays, will have been happily married for 40 years next Tuesday {March 27th.) but will be celebrating on a sun kissed shore in an exotic part of the world.....actually I believe they will be in Eastbourne!

Friend Barbara rang me to ask if the band could surprise them by playing a suitable number....after much deliberation New Washboard Syncopators, discarding such tunes as "I had someone else before I had you and I'll have someone after you've gone", came up with "Your lips they say No! No! but there's Yes!,Yes! in your eyes." to the delight of the still happy couple.

We wish them even more happiness in the future and look forward to the "Gold"!

Click photo to enlarge

It looks as if Frank is intent on catching his supper from the waters near his caravan in Wales......probably as a change to the extravagant eating out he will be able to do with his 25p a week pension increase!

Needless to say this had to marked in the appropriate way and Frank was duly presented with a card signed by his many friends and a be-candled birthday cake brought in by Marie.....complete with a kiss and hug, followed by many more from his lady admirers!

Frank then took up his trusty tenor sax to join in several numbers with Heart of England Jazz Band, see More Gig Reports for details of his musical exploits.

We wish Frank many more happy, jazzy years.

Click photos.....

Frank, Marie and the cake

Frank with a puzzled Selwyn Newton

Sheikh Frank!

The superb videos are now being put on a new site and can be found at http://www.dailymotion.com/boberwig

Another gem from Fred Burnett's "Jazz in the North West" web site..... Go to http://www.jazz-toolbar.com/ and download the Toolbar. Now you will have an instant choice of over 100 jazz stations at your fingertips providing you are running Windows XP and Internet Explorer.....downloads very quickly.

Marie would like to thank every one who helped to make her birthday celebrations such a success.

 Starting off on the Tuesday with musical tributes from Heart of England Jazz Band and a card and gifts from the Tuesday regulars Marie, like the Queen, progressed to her actual birthday on November 25th.

 This was a party at Rachel and Paul's which brought together family and friends and a chance to be the centre of attention for a change!   As you can see Adam and Jamie were also very much part of the celebrations with Jamie not only helping to cut the cake but also leading the chorus of "Happy Birthday".

A very special thank you to Rachel and Paul who made everyone so welcome

The third birthday celebration came the next day at the Harp when a surprised Marie was met with a room decorated with photos from the previous 60 years (almost)! John Bosworth had done a brilliant job producing the banners and posters. New Washboard Syncopators provided the music and Mo presented Marie with the Sunday gang's card and presents.

A fitting week of tributes to a lady who puts so much effort into making sure the jazz at the Harp is a success.

This is from Fred Burnett's "Jazz in the North West"  website.....

The King Oliver Complete 1923 recordings are re-issued. The 2-CD set, produced by "Off The Record" features 37 tracks, all freshly re-mastered from the original recordings for the first time in decades—including the ultra-rare "Zulu's Ball."

Find more at  http://www.archeophone.com/index.php, You can also go via our "Links" page.

Bookings for 2008 are on our home page