Music in the Garden

A weekend off from politics and constitutional matters - the coming week will be busy enough - with the "Emergency Budget" due on Tuesday at Westminster. Instead I had a superb couple of days listening to the first concerts in the "Music in the Garden" season, held in Wavendon - the home of Dame Cleo Laine.

I have been writing posts for a blog about this season - and already have some superb video footage; photographs; personal reviews and information. Some have already been posted - others will go up in the next few days.

Please do visit the blog - which can be accessed here - and if you are able to come along, you'll have a great time in this little village very close to Milton Keynes.

Here's a quick view from yesterday -

The Stables

This morning, at the Stables in Wavendon, I enjoyed listening to a presentation (with some great music) - with contributions from the "audience" - about the original Stables. It was presented by Brian Whitehead who was involved in recordings made there.

This month has been one of reminiscences - as we have mourned the death, and celebrated the life of Sir John Dankworth. The Stables are adjacent to the home of Sir John and his wife, Dame Cleo Laine. They were the moving spirits behind setting up what has become one of the top ten music venues in the UK. As well as jazz - the 350 or so concerts a year include all types of music and also a fair range of comedians.

During the first half of this mornings presentation the 'old' Stables were described and the theme of the music played was "Mostly Home Grown" performers. The second half's theme was "the transatlantic stars".

The current Stables is a modern building with a decent sized auditorium, but the 'old' Stables was just that - a converted stables. During the Second War War it was used as a nuts and bolts factory - and local rumour has it that these were produced for the work going on at Bletchley Park.

"Jazz Matters" are held on Sunday mornings in "Stage 2" - where the outside wall is original - and the interior stands where the foyer of the 'old' Stables were. Sir John Dankworth started these Sunday morning sessions - and he attended and participated in almost every one when he was in the country. Many of the regulars have been coming for many years, though I've only been attending frequently for the last 12 months or so. Further details are available here. Tickets can be purchased at The Stables website.

Renegade

This evening Richard Wolffe is due to speak at Chatham House on "Obama's First Months: Was the hype and hope justified?". I'm very much looking forward to hearing his talk. Recently he has published a fast moving, but thoughtful study of the new American President "Renegade: The Making of Barack Obama". As well as attending Jazz Matters at the Stables, Wavendon - and two superb visits to Bletchley Park this weekend, I've been reading this book - which I would recommend to anyone wanting a deeper insight into the President.

Richard Wolffe was born in Birmingham, England and graduated with a first from Oxford University. He has worked as a journalist (Deputy Bureau Chief & US diplomatic correspondent, Washington DC) for the Financial Times before moving to Newsweek where he became their Chief White House correspondent. Currently he is a Senior Strategist for Public Strategies Inc. is a political analyst for MSNBC.

This short video shows Richard Wolffe talking about the book

Sax transcends Social Hierarchy

Yesterday I enjoyed a superb afternoon in Wavendon (a village just outside Central Milton Keynes) where, in the grounds of the home of Jazz legends Sir John Dankworth and Dame Cleo Laine. The National Saxophone Choir of Great Britain were performing as part of the "Music in the Garden" series. It was amazing what could be done with Saxophones. The highlights for me were Toccata in D Minor (J S Bach Arr N Wood); Nesun Dorma (Puccini arr N Wood); Bolero (Ravel arr N Wood) and Carnival (Karen Street).

The photograph illustrates how the sax transcends the social hierachy. Three saxophonists star in the picture - MR Alan Barnes - one of my favourite contemporary saxophonists and co-host of "Music in the Garden"; SIR John Dankworth - co-host of "Music in the Garden" and host of the Sunday morning "Jazz Matters" (an important reason why I wished to move to Milton Keynes) and LORD (Robert) Winston (Professor of Science and Society and Emeritus Professor of Fertility Studies at Imperial College. He has an international reputation for his researches into human reproduction and has pioneered advances widely used in fertility and IVF treatment. He is also an active member of the House of Lords. In addition he been learning how to play the Sax - and played with the Choir as well as narrating 'Peter & the Wolf' at the concert)