PRS for Music’s Michael Hingston reports from the 2015 Herts Jazz Festival, which took place from 18 to 20 September.
Welwyn Garden City in leafy Hertfordshire isn’t the first place you would think of when it comes to top-class jazz, but the Herts Jazz Festival must be one of the best festivals in the country.
Now in its fifth year, it’s held every September at the Hawthorne Theatre in the town and run by virtuoso drummer Clark Tracey, his wife Sylvia Rae Tracey and a team of dedicated enthusiasts.
If you are a jazz fanatic, you can buy a weekend or day tickets – allowing you to completely immerse yourself in the music. But if you want to just see a couple of acts, you can book tickets for individual concerts. Organisers also run free ‘tasters’ in the foyer of the venue.
The festival always boasts a programme brimming with the very brightest British jazz talent. This year, the inventive and experimental big band Loose Tubes stole Friday night.
The Saturday had virtually continuous jazz from 11:30 in the morning until midnight. Dennis Rollins Velocity Trio was an inspiring start to the day with Rollins’ smooth, melodious trombone sound. This was followed by superb sets by the Alan Barnes Quintet, Jim Mullen Organ Trio and the Three Tenors, a band with three top tenor saxophonists: Don Weller, Brandon Allen and Mornington Lockett.
Later, jazz singer Claire Martin put in a suave performance in the evening while the Kellock Trio played in the foyer until midnight.
The first slot on the Sunday is an annual opportunity for the Herts Youth Jazz Ensemble to give a free concert.
To emphasise the age range covered, the next performance was by Fionna Duncan, who has been a professional jazz singer for 60 years and can still put on an impressive show.
The Sunday programme included performances by the musically and technically dazzling pianist Leon Greening and the beguiling abstract forms of Julian Argüelles
Welwyn Garden City in leafy Hertfordshire isn’t the first place you would think of when it comes to top-class jazz, but the Herts Jazz Festival must be one of the best festivals in the country.
Now in its fifth year, it’s held every September at the Hawthorne Theatre in the town and run by virtuoso drummer Clark Tracey, his wife Sylvia Rae Tracey and a team of dedicated enthusiasts.
If you are a jazz fanatic, you can buy a weekend or day tickets – allowing you to completely immerse yourself in the music. But if you want to just see a couple of acts, you can book tickets for individual concerts. Organisers also run free ‘tasters’ in the foyer of the venue.
The festival always boasts a programme brimming with the very brightest British jazz talent. This year, the inventive and experimental big band Loose Tubes stole Friday night.
The Saturday had virtually continuous jazz from 11:30 in the morning until midnight. Dennis Rollins Velocity Trio was an inspiring start to the day with Rollins’ smooth, melodious trombone sound. This was followed by superb sets by the Alan Barnes Quintet, Jim Mullen Organ Trio and the Three Tenors, a band with three top tenor saxophonists: Don Weller, Brandon Allen and Mornington Lockett.
Later, jazz singer Claire Martin put in a suave performance in the evening while the Kellock Trio played in the foyer until midnight.
The first slot on the Sunday is an annual opportunity for the Herts Youth Jazz Ensemble to give a free concert.
To emphasise the age range covered, the next performance was by Fionna Duncan, who has been a professional jazz singer for 60 years and can still put on an impressive show.
The Sunday programme included performances by the musically and technically dazzling pianist Leon Greening and the beguiling abstract forms of Julian Argüelles
Tetra.
The weekend ended with an all-star big band (that included Clark Tracey on drums) playing the music of British jazz legends Tubby Hayes and Stan Tracey (Clark’s late father). It was a barnstorming end to a fabulous weekend of jazz.
Check out some snaps of the performers:
The weekend ended with an all-star big band (that included Clark Tracey on drums) playing the music of British jazz legends Tubby Hayes and Stan Tracey (Clark’s late father). It was a barnstorming end to a fabulous weekend of jazz.
Check out some snaps of the performers:
