On Wed, 27 Aug 2008 14:01:31 +0100, stuart noble
wrote:

Stephen Howard wrote:
On Wed, 27 Aug 2008 12:06:33 +0100, stuart noble
wrote:

snip


On the whole, jazz fans tend to prefer going to specialist venues -
and with good reason. I once went to see the great Eddie Thompson play
in a bar in Essex...and there was a guy shoving coins in a fruit
machine for half the first set. The landlord refused to switch the
machine off.

Should be interesting over the next decade or so, with the influx of
decent and extremely cheap instruments from China.


The only semi-serious jazz venues in London seem to be The Vortex and
The 606. Ronnie's has become the typical corporate night club, which I
guess was inevitable, and the pizza houses don't do it for me. Hovering
waiters etc.
I think young British players are perhaps trying too hard to be
innovative and have forgotten how to enjoy themselves.

Depends what you mean by 'serious'. In 'big name' terms, perhaps - but
there are some very seriously good players to be seen at places like
the legendary Bull's Head, Dover St. Wine Bar, Jazz Cafe etc.

I'd disagree with your statement about young British jazzers, mostly
on the basis that I get to meet or hear about a lot of them ( as you
might imagine ), and they seem to be thoroughly enjoying themselves.
Check out someone like Paul Booth or Dunstan Coulber, for instance.

Regards,



--
Stephen Howard - Woodwind repairs & period restorations
www.shwoodwind.co.uk
Emails to: showard{whoisat}shwoodwind{dot}co{dot}uk