Newcomer to the Cheltenham Jazz Festival scene this year (April 29-May 5) was the MA’s Budvar Brewed Jazz programme to find the UK’s best pub jazz bands. Promoting pub-based talent at this major event in the calendar of jazzers world wide, the play off between the three finalist bands in the competition took place at Cheltenham’s Kandinsky Hotel, one of the celebrated hang outs of some of the world’s jazz greats.
Like the Cheltenham Festival itself the play off reflected the broad Church that Jazz is. This was also reflected in the choice of judges, all significant players under the Chairmanship of Festival artistic director Tony Dudley- Evans, celebrated world wide for his work on the Birmingham jazz scene.
The judges selected the final three bands from entries from all over the country, representing just about every jazz strand. These were Fat Digester, the Nicky Mitchell Experience and the Derrick O Quartet. Fat Digester was entered by Paul Needham, manger of the Punch Unicorn Inn, Newton Sloney near Burton. The Nicky Mitchell Experience was entered by Bill Smith of the Joogleberry Playhouse, Brighton and the Derrick O Quartet by Ron Anderson, manager of the privately owned Inn at Freshford.
Fat Digester describe themselves as a “music based collective” embracing rappers, dancers and visual artists. The judges liked the way they fused fun and social comment in a blend of Jazz, Funk and Hip Hop. Describing them as “pure excitement” Dudley-Evans feels that bands like this could be the future. The Nicky Mitchell experience on the other hand is a seven piece band specialising in punchy modern arrangements of 20’s and 30’s standards. The judges were struck by Nicky Mitchell’s stunning voice and her high standard of musicianship. Importantly she showed herself to be an entertainer and not just a purist creator of music.
The Derrick O Quartet on the other hand as a main stream jazz exercise featuring some rather unique talent. John Martin the group’s brilliant key board player for instance was once in charge of music at Scottish Television and had also been Harry Secombe’s musical director. Unsurprisingly their regular Thursday night performances have made the Inn at Freshford a destination.
. In the event and after a lot of deliberation it was Fat Digester that took first place and won the coveted prize of getting to play at the festival in the Budvar Jazz Marquee. Now in its second year this has become one of the geographical hubs of the event and the quality of the music to be found there has earned the praise of national press music critics. The importance of getting to play at Cheltenham is understood when it is remembered that it not only attracts the greatest new talent from all over Europe but all times greats- this year the star cast included the likes of Eartha Kit, Van Morrison and Courtney Pine, to name but a few.
Both audience and participants expressed themselves excited with the event and their words suggest that there isn’t enough support about. Derrick Oldroyd for instance expressed his admiration and thanks to the MA and Budvar for organising the contest. “We very much enjoyed taking part and hope that you feel that your efforts were worthwhile” he said. We do Derrick and thank you. Similarly Nicky Mitchell said “we had a great time and many many thanks”. Lastly Sarah Ramsey, manager of Fat Digester said “ I would just like to say on behalf of the band a massive thank you to the MA and Budvar, and all the staff at the Cheltenham Jazz Festival for making us feel so welcome”.
“ We really have got a great success on our hands” said Denis Cox Budweiser Budvar UK’s Public Relations Controller “and we are looking forward to developing the event with the MA and Cheltenham next year. This year we have started the process of making the Cheltenham, Jazz Festival a show case for all the wonderful jazz talent there is in our pubs and next year we propose to engage with it further. We want to get more Cheltenham Jazz Festival into the pubs and more pubs into the festival”.
Budvar sales didn’t do badly either. This is proved by the fact that the coolers on two of the mobile Budvar bars dispensing draught at the festival experienced a temporary melt down; a result of having been in action pouring non-stop for nine hours. (ends)
