A packed audience of jazz enthusiasts turned out for the play off of the fourth annual Budvar Brewed Jazz event held at the Budvar sponsored Cheltenham Jazz Festival this weekend It was unanimously agreed that the event, to spot some of the best up and coming talent in the UK’s pubs, was like the festival itself, one of the best yet. No doubt the opinion of the enthusiastic jazzers attending from all over Europe was due in part to Mediterranean style weather and seductive quantities of Budvar. Indeed Budvar’s man in the West Country, Steve Cosgrove, reports that a second tranche of Budvar had to be rushed to the scene of the festivities on Saturday night so great was the demand. The final play off between the three finalist groups held on Cheltenham’s Budvar stage was described by festival artistic director, Tony Dudley Evans, as “the closet run thing you could imagine”. This year’s winner was a trio, Infusion. Playing a range of jazz and swing music, by winning the Budvar Brewed event the trio finally comes out on top having been piped at the post last year when they were finalists in the UK Jazz Radio Young Performer of the Year Competition. One of their regular venues is the Buckhurst Hill, Essex Sports and Social Club where they have an enthusiastic following. Runners up were the Wishbone Frenzy Jazz Ensemble and the Joseph Howell Quintet. Since their formation in the West Midlands in 2006 Wishbone have gained an enormous following for their eclectic offering of swing, trad, blues, latin and, their favourite, funk. The Joseph Howell Quintet, also Midlands based is devoted to modern jazz but its music could be described as eclectic. The Quintet are regular performers at the celebrated Birmingham jazz pub the Spotted Dog. Artistic Director of the festival, Tony Dudley Evans says that the Budvar Brewed Jazz program has helped raised the game for the Cheltenham event when it comes to celebrating the very best up-and-coming talent on the UK pub music scene. “This Budvar initiative has always produced some really exciting entrants and it continues to prove what diverse and outstanding talent the UK pub scene has to offer” he said. Besides free cases of Budvar the winning group gets a £300 cash prize and an opportunity to play alongside the jazz greats at the festival. The real attraction however is the leg up that winning the Budvar Brewed Jazz program gives. 2011-05-02
