Town hit by a beatwave

For many music lovers, Monday morning was an anti-climax after a weekend of jazz of just about every description.

There was jazz to suit all tastes, from the African bandstand in the fire station to Scandinavian jazz at the Tornio bandstand at the Royal Oak.

There were also performances from relatively new bands like the Overtones from West Overton and The Myx, headed by virtuoso saxophonist Mick Allport from Marlborough.

Then there were the consummate professionals, the West Country's own evergreen Acker Bilk and his Paramount Jazz Band; blues singer Elkie Brooks, who was was in concert with another old timer, Humphrey Lyttelton; and the Pete Allen Jazz Band whose members live around the Wiltshire-Gloucestershire border.

St Mary's Church was filled to capacity for a concert on Saturday afternoon by the London Community Gospel Choir, which lifted people's hearts and had them dancing in the aisles the volume very nearly lifted the roof.

St Thomas More RC Church was packed for a Jazz Mass on Saturday evening and there was standing room only again in St Mary's on Sunday morning for a jazz service.

As any concert or festival organiser will confirm, the booking of the bands is relatively straightforward the impossible task is to get the right weather.

But for the 14th year in succession, the Marlborough International Jazz Festival committee had chosen a weekend of glorious weather.

There were almost 30 different jazz venues in the town, many of them open air, while the bigger events took place in a marquee in the Priory Gardens.

There was a party in the park atmosphere in the town gardens as families took the opportunity to bask in the sun, picnic and listen to the varied concerts in the marquee.

For Sunday night's finale, on one of the hottest July evenings on record, the sides of the marquee were peeled back so that even those outside who had not paid could enjoy Acker Bilk's performance.

There had been some disappointment earlier in the week when it was revealed that the Wiltshire jazz singer-pianist Jamie Cullum was unable to attend because of recording commitments.

Jools Holland, who had been a festival favourite in recent years, was also unable to attend this year.

But even without these headline performers, the event was hailed a great success.

Former Arts Minister Dr Kim Howells, now the Transport Minister, officially opened the festival and told the hundreds who had gathered outside the Castle and Ball Hotel: "This has always been one of my favourite towns."

Dr Howells, a frequent visitor to Wiltshire, said: "It's great to be here in Marlborough for the 14th international jazz festival."

He said he had been brought up with jazz and was delighted to be at what had become regarded as one of the country's foremost jazz festivals.

The minister said 10,000 tickets had been sold and the weekend would be featuring 77 bands and performers.

Poking fun at his own party, he said: "This is a fantastic achievement and you have done it with very little support from the Government I gather."

Spotting Wiltshire MP Michael Ancram in the crowd, Dr Howells said: "I thought this might have been an opportunity to hear Parliament's most distinguished singer and guitarist, Michael Ancram."

Thousands of people packed the town on Saturday for the stroller day when the £20 tickets were admission to dozens of concerts at venues as diverse as the Marlborough Town football clubhouse to the pavement opposite the Il Capricorno restaurant at the top of The Parade.

With the High Street and New Road closed to traffic for the day on Saturday, the festival revellers were able to wander at will.

On Saturday, tables and chairs were set up on the A4 main road outside the Italian restaurant and hundreds of people stood round for performances on an open air bandstand by groups including the 20-strong Wonderbrass Hot Strings and the Woodbank Street Band.

Wherever you went in the town, there was jazz emanating from the pubs and clubs, from yards behind offices and from the fire station in The Parade.

For three days, we had treble fun

LIKE everyone else attending the Marlborough International Jazz Festival at the weekend, my big problem was trying to get to as many venues to see as many bands as possible.

At the festival launch on Friday afternoon there was a taster of what was to come with brief performances by the Slaughterhouse Seven and by Japanese drumming group Mugenyko.

Mugenyko, in the Clarion Marquee at the Priory Gardens, was an amazing quartet of two men and two women, which gave an electrifying performance and set the beat throbbing for the remainder of the weekend.

The Brasshoppers from Merseyside played an infectious blend of jazz that strayed from Latin and township into R&B and sometimes blended all three. Meanwhile at The Bear, the courtyard was packed for Sir Alan's Jazz Band whose Dixie strains echoed down The Parade almost to the fire station where vocalist Ola Onabule was the first performer on the African bandstand.

Then it was over to the Brewin Dolphin bandstand in The Parade where the Fat Cats were their usual fast and furious selves.

Saturday saw a return by the Pete Allen Jazz band, with traditional New Orleans jazz led by virtuoso clarinettist Pete Allen.

At the Three Big Names bandstand, blues band Shuffle Bones made a popular return with the irrepressible Jazz Jivers showing the crowd exactly how to dance.

Acoustic Jazz had a mobile bandstand in the form of festival sponsors Fullers Brewery dray which took them around the town.

In New Road on the Green King bandstand, Wonderbrass, the biggest band at the Marlborough festival with 20 players, was enjoyed by a good crowd.

In the town hall, the Jazzhearts with an international lineup of performers played their own blend of township jazz, while back in the marquee, the Back to Basie Orchestra was giving another inspired big band presentation.

In the Castle and Ball Hotel garden, new Marlborough band The Myx gave a premier performance, followed by the Overtones from the Kennet Valley.

The three-day event's finale was West Country jazz giant Acker Bilk and his Paramount Jazz Band.

Nigel Kerton