NEW RELEASES Six new CDs for your Summer enjoyment - including four by bands new to P.E.K. - PKCD-289 The OKeh All Stars “Rhythm Kings”
PKCD-290 Sheila Fawkes & The Guys “If I Could Be With You”
PKCD-291 Dennis Armstrong's Oliver Band “Joe Oliver's Music”
PKCD-292 The John Maddocks Jazzmen “Here We Are Again”
PKCD-293 Colin Kingwell's Jazz Bandits “In The Spirit”
PKCD-294 The Delta Jazz Band with Colin Bowden featuring Jim Holmes “The Delta Jazz Band with Colin Bowden” (Further details of these albums are given on the "New Releases" Page)
LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL I was slightly disappointed that more of you have not bought a copy of “Let The Good Times Roll” (PKCD-284). This CD is being sold by me to raise funds for the Normal Appeal to help the stricken musicians of New Orleans, following the devastation caused last year by Hurricane Katrina. To date I have been able to send a total of almost £850 to the Normal Appeal, the result of sales of just over 100 copies - but I had hoped for many more sales. The CD will remain in my catalogue until the end of the year; so please, if you haven’t yet bought a copy, do so now. Just because the destruction of a large part of New Orleans is no longer “news” it does not mean all is well in the Crescent City. The musicians there still need all the help we can give. For each copy of this CD sold £8 will go to New Orleans musicians. Please buy this CD.
KESWICK FESTIVAL
I thoroughly enjoyed my holiday in the Lake District! This year it was a holiday as I did not record any of the bands at the festival. I had been asked to record one session, The Mike Lovell Allstars, but, thinking how nice it would be not to record at all, I was able to reschedule his recording for later in the year. My cousin Elizabeth went with me to Keswick and we had a thoroughly good time. Elizabeth, who is new to the delights of traditional jazz, has become a keen fan of Jeff Barnhart’s music - she is clearly a lady of good taste. I managed to see a good number of excellent bands; how nice it was to be able to ‘stroll’ from one session to another. I even had my first ever ride on the jazz-bus.
LOOKING AHEAD
I am determined to cut back a bit! I know, I’ve said it before and nothing has happened, but I have taken a couple of decisions which, in due course, will enable me to have more free time; more time for myself. Firstly I have decided not to record any “new bands”, i.e. bands new to P.E.K., unless there is a very good reason to do so. Secondly from the next Newsletter (September) I plan to release no more than five CDs per quarter and ideally no more than four.
I expect the September releases to include CDs by The Bob Howarth Big Band (18 piece band playing big band swing music of the 1930s and ‘40s), Richard Leach’s 7 Stars of Jazz, The Unity Stompers, Keith Nichols’ Collegians, and possibly one other.
I have recently recorded Martin Bennett’s Old Green River Band, The Forest New Orleans Jazz Band, The Ken Colyer Legacy New Orleans Band and the Excel Jazzmen. So watch out for CDs by these bands towards the end of the year. In the next couple of months I am booked to record Rod Chambers’ Louisiana Joymakers, The Martin Bennett Quartet, and The Mike Lovell Allstars. Then it will be time for the Bude Festival - at which I will be recording, but I don’t know who yet!
