Fantastic new venue for Guildford Jazz

Exciting times for Guildford Jazz last night as a packed house enjoyed the first night at their new venue. The Pavilion, at Guildford Rugby Club near Godalming, proved to be excellent in sound, atmosphere and parking which all bodes well for future gigs.
Marianne Windham, who runs Guildford Jazz, gathered some amazing musicians for the opening night and the energy and talent throughout both sets gripped the crowd. Two amazing alto sax players - Alan Barnes and Tony Kofi - stunned with their range and musical talent, working together and separately, moving through compositions by Barnes himself and well known tunes by Duke Ellington and Miles Davis. Alan's droll sense of humour was an enjoyable addition to the introductions to various numbers, and also revealed itself in his composition, The Snail, a wonderfully uplifting bossa nova. Alan's CV is staggering and too long to list here but Pasadena Roof Orchestra, Humphrey Littleton, Stan Tracey and BBC bands all feature and of course, numerous awards. Tony Kofi is also mutli talented, a player of alto, britone and soprano sax as well as the flute. He has also won many awards and composed original music for his 10 piece group, the Afro jazz family, and his quartet and trio.

Making up this dynamic quintet were John Turville on keyboards, Rod Youngs on drums and Marianne on double bass. John is an incredibly smooth pianist, rippling across the keys with ease, despite only having had 2 hours sleep! Marianne, who we should remember may not have played with these guys before, hit the fret board running - playing some incredibly complicated pieces and providing a very strong bass line to every number. Modest as ever, she attempted to keep her solo spots short, but Alan was having none of it and simply strolled away leaving her to delight the floor with another phrase or two. And last but far from least, Rod Youngs was simply one of the most mesmerising drummers I have seen. A quote from the Guardian once said, “Rod doesn’t so much hit the drums as massage them.. total mastery.” And that truly sums him up - he is totally immersed in his playing, moving from some very solid, incredibly rhythmic solos to gentle whispers with his drum brushes - totally hypnotic and wonderful to watch.
Writing it down reminds me that it is all the more amazing that these guys, who play some major international venues, came all the way to Guildford to play at the The Pavilion - or 'Fleet' Alan kept calling it, with his tongue in cheek humour. But we all knew it was Guildford Rugby Club and I am sure most of the audience will be going back for more.

The next gig at The Pavilion is on Weds October 8th - Martin Shaw plays Miles Davis.
For details of all Guildford jazz gigs visit www.guildfordjazz.org.uk Twitter: @guildfordjazz

The Pavilion
Broadwater Sports Club

Guildford Road

Godalming

Surrey

GU7 3DH

Daytona - charming yet punchy at Richmond Theatre

A play about three old folks and their interwoven relationships sounded like gentle, relaxing theatre to me. So, on a surprisingly blustery September evening, I set off for Richmond Theatre to see Daytona, leaving plenty of time to nab a precious parking spot around Richmond Green. With the charming Maureen Lipman as leading lady, accompanied by a companionable duo in Harry Shearer and Oliver Cotton, I anticipated fine acting but, I wondered - but would the storyline keep us hooked? I need not have feared. Oliver Cotton's script positively whips along, like the bitterly cold wind in the New York suburb where Jewish couple Joe (Harry Shearer) and Elli (Maureen Lipman) live in contented old age, enjoying their dancing classes and gently bickering over the small fry. The play opens with them practising their dance moves in preparation for a dancing competition the following day. But when Elli goes to her sister's for a final dress fitting, Joe's evening is disrupted by the unexpected arrival of his boisterous long-lost brother Billy, whom he hasn't seen since Billy walked out on the family business 30 years before.

Oliver Cotton as Billy

Oliver Cotton not only wrote the script, he gave himself the most colourful of roles. He is terrific as Billy, pacing the apartment in nervous apprehension, running his hand through his hair and shuffling his feet. His entrance lifts the play to another level, and we are hooked - wondering who he is and why he has turned up after 30 years absence. I am always intrigued when writers act in their own plays. Do they hanker to play a particular role for many years, so eventually they write a play around that character? Or are they already mid-writing when they think, "I am fascinated by this guy, and I can do the role justice." How wonderful to have the talent, power, wherewithal - to create a role of your choice. In this instance however, Cotton says the idea for the play came 'by a poolside in the Florida resort of Daytona, an hour north of Orlando. Lying by that crowded pool I suddenly imagined the inciting moment of the play and couldn’t get it out of my head."

Without giving the plot away, it becomes clear that Billy has committed a terrible crime and hopes his older brother will bail him out. But after an absence of 30 years, Joe questions why he should. In fact, he questions everything to that point that Billy shouts are him - "Why so many Why's? Quit asking so many questions." But of course there are plenty of questions  we all want to ask for Billy's outrageous story make sense. And there are questions we ask ourselves as an audience about what is right and wrong, and why can a crime committed many years ago slip through the justice system, yet be worthy of a jail sentence today? And is revenge acceptable in certain cases? Cotton explains that, as he wrote the play he became aware that Billy was seeking atonement - and because we like Billy, we kind of hope he gets it. And because this is essentially a thriller/comedy, we sometimes forget how serious a crime he has committed.

It's an enjoyably gripping play for one that looks, in the opening minutes, like it might be a quiet living room drama. It is keenly directed by David Grindley and the pace is terrific. All three actors are wonderful in their roles; Lipman is delightful, yet passionate as Eli and Shearer is endearing as her decent, but somewhat unexciting, loyal husband. Cotton explodes into their lives like a firework, dangerous yet enticing - frankly, I couldn't take my eyes off him. 

Daytona is at the Richmond Theatre until Saturday September 6th, then touring. Tickets from www.atgtickets.com/shows/daytona/richmond-theatre or 0844 871 7651