U3AC JAZZ ON A MONDAY AFTERNOON AUTUMN 2024
FOLLOW-UP INFORMATION FOR THOSE INTERESTED
Basic Texts:
“Jazz” by John Fordham. Published by Dorling and Kindersley, 1993. Out of print but check on the internet for very cheap used copies at around £3 including postage. It is very well illustrated and particularly good for beginners, aimed at a wide audience including young people.
“A New History of Jazz” by Alyn Shipton, 2nd Edition 2008. Published by Penguin. Currently used copies on eBay for around £4 including postage.
The Players:
“The Rough Guide to Jazz” by Ian Carr, Digby Fairweather and Brian Priestley, 3rd Edition 2004 (Miles Davis on the cover). Published by Rough Guides distributed by Penguin. Out of print but around £6 used including postage on eBay. It is good for giving details of a large number of jazz performers and their key recordings.
The Recordings:
“The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings” by Richard Cook and Brian Morton. The latest (and probably last) edition was the 9th published by Penguin in 2008. Up until the 7th edition it listed and reviewed all the UK Jazz catalogue that was current at the time of the edition, so old editions are still very useful and can sometimes turn up cheaply in charity shops and on the internet. This is the “Bible” for jazz recordings. The seventh edition of 2004 is considered to be the most useful as it fully covered all recordings available at the time, whereas editions since 2004 were selective. The 2004 7th edition is now quite sought after and is currently available on eBay for around £8 including postage. Paul Neeve (books and CDs on the north side of Cambridge Market by Rose Crescent) on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays often has copies for sale for around £5. Taken from the above Penguin Guide is “A History of the Music in 1001 Albums”. There are mixed feelings as to how useful it is.
A BBC Music Magazine Special Jazz edition of “100 Jazz Legends” by Geoffrey Smith was published in 2011. It is very useful with recommended recordings for each of the 100 legends. Currently £8 including postage on eBay. There is also a small format “Rough Guide to 100 Essential Jazz CDs” on eBay at around £3:29 including postage. This is a real bargain.
The jazz magazine with the widest coverage is “Jazzwise” available monthly from W H Smiths in the city centre but cheaper on subscription. An internet subscription web based edition with access to all back-numbers is also available. It has articles and reviews of new recordings and re-releases. They also have “The 100 Jazz Albums that Shook the World” published in 2022 for £14:99 which is excellent.
The full series of the Ken Burns “History of Jazz” made for US PBS TV is currently available in a 4 DVD box set for £8:50 on eBay. The accompanying book is also well produced and can currently be got on eBay for £3:50 including postage.
THE CAMBRIDGE LIVE JAZZ SCENE:
The current (late October 2024 - things can change quickly so you must check out the situation before you go) jazz sessions in the city are:
Cambridge Modern Jazz, now has only one gig a month on Thursdays at Hidden Rooms, Jesus Lane, Cambridge. See the current leaflet and their website for information and to buy tickets on line: www.cambridgejazz.org
There are jazz gigs at Stapleford Granary but be warned that public transport back from Stapleford late at night is poor.
The Cambridge Jazz Festival will be back live starting on 7th November and running till the 24th November. Check the brochure and their website for details.
Listen put on jazz gigs in Cambridge covering the more free improvisation spectrum of jazz. These are normally held in the Unitarian Church, 5 Emmanuel Street, next to Christ’s Pieces, Cambridge. Check the web for details.
There is free improvisation jazz on the last Sunday of the month at 2:30pm in the basement of the Thrive Restaurant in Norfolk Street, Cambridge.
Regular Jazz Sessions
The current (September 2024 - things can change quickly so you must check before you go) regular jazz sessions in the city are:
Tuesdays 7:30pm, The Tram Depot, off East Road opposite Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge. This is a variable but friendly and laid back jazz jam session.
The Cambridge Jazz Speakeasy has well organised gigs on the first Wednesday of the Month at the Tram Depot and on the third Wednesday of the month at the Newnham Croft Social Club, Hardwick Street, Cambridge. 7:30pm, no entry charge except for special one-offs. You do not have to be a member of the Social Club to get in.
Sundays 7:30pm at the Tram Depot Andy Bowie’s quartet play mainly 1950s and 1960s numbers. No charge but they take a collection for the band. A great way to end the weekend especially as we don’t have to go to work the next morning!
The Gonville Hotel overlooking Parker’s Piece has live jazz on Friday and Saturday evenings at 7pm to 9pm. You just have to buy an (expensive) drink! They also have one off jazz gigs.
Parkers Tavern at the University Arms Hotel in Regent Street, Cambridge, (overlooking Parker’s Piece) has live jazz on Fridays between 7:30pm to 10pm. You just have to buy a drink.
The Lab Cocktail Bar on Regent Street, Cambridge has live jazz gigs about once a month on Sundays.
Hot Numbers Cafe in Gwydir Street, Cambridge has occasional live jazz but is really set up for drinkers and diners. Audience talking remains a problem.
Cambridge University have a jazz orchestra (CUJO) that is of an exceptionally high standard and gives occasional but poorly publicised concerts. Keep an eye on the internet. Individual colleges often have their own jazz groups but this obviously varies from year to year depending on the student intake.
Clare College has jazz gigs in the cellar under the chapel. These normally start at 9pm on occasional Saturday evenings in term time. You need to keep an eye on the internet. They are not fussy who they let in.
Cambridge Junction, Cambridge Arts Theatre and Cambridge Corn Exchange have occasional jazz gigs.
Sadly Herts Jazz and the Herts Jazz Festival did not survive the pandemic and have shut down. Peterborough Jazz Club restarted monthly gigs at the Key Theatre in January 2024.
The Apex venue in Bury St Edmunds has some jazz gigs but for those without their own wheels be warned that public transport out of Bury in the late evening is a nightmare! Saffron Hall at Saffron Walden also has jazz gigs.
The St Ives (Cambs not Cornwall!) Jazz and Blues Festival takes place in September. It uses many venues in the centre of the town, so you walk from one event to the other. It is mostly free in terms of no admission charge not the type of jazz.
