Birling Venezualen dancers at the Jazz Festival launch party.  The one in red is birling too fast for my phone camera to cope.  It was a good evening.  Dignitaries made speeches, artistes sang songs, dancers and punters (though not me) danced around to jazzy rhythms and drink was drunk (by me, and others).

When the festival proper started I went to St Brides to a gig featuring music by or associated with Lee Konitz.  The band was led by Martin Kershaw who told us how much he admired Konitz and how listening to him had been a major influence when he was studying in the States  Martin's alto was accompanied by Helena Kay's tenor and a fine rhythm section. 

That was a good start and over the weekend as well as an afternoon of convivialty at Siobhan's and a crackers rehearsal I managed to get to two gigs.  In the Jazz Bar, where I bumpted into some saxophone friends Sue Mackenzie entertained with a trio consisting of her, a harpist and a percussionist that grew into a septet with the addition of alto sax, trombone and double bass.  The music was all written by Sue and was excellent

After that, with one of the people I had bumped into, I went off to George Square to hear a marvellous alto player from the States.  Lakecia Benjamin can screw that horn up to high doh and beyond and down again at lightning speed with frightening precision and musicality.  The energy, physicality, good humour and interaction she put into the show was great.  And her piano player was awesome.

Anyone who is in Houston TX on September 8th can catch her at the Miller Outdoor Theatre.

One of the first jazz records I owned when I was a teenager was an EP of Sydney Bechet which I loved so a gig featuring Dick Lee and his band Nouveau Bechet was a draw.  With Dick on clarinet and soprano sax, Colin Steele on trumpet and vocals by Ali Affleck it was a treat.  Not everything was echt Bechet, but what wasn't was in the same genre and drawn from the same well.  

Because I was rehearsing I didn't see the Wimbledon men's final and because I was partying I didn't see the ladies final either.  But I'd seen a lot of the championship and had I been a betting man would have put money on Jabeur and Djokovic.  How wrong.  No prophet I.