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Abersoch Jazz Festival 2003 - reviewed // Click here to view Images "What could be better than wonderful Abersoch and music, music everywhere" "Right from the start of phoning that very nice person in your tourist office to the end of the weekend all was great. We love Abersoch 'Jazzpitality'" The sun shining all weekend was the answer to our prayers! 26 bands and soloists played a wide variety of styles of jazz music, from the U.K. and Europe. They ranged from duos to orchestras, local to Dutch, and older favourites to young new bands. One complaint was "there are too many good bands to choose from". There were eight excellent venues; the popular S.C.Y.C with stunning views, the new Glyn Pub and Restaurant with amazing views from above the village, the Harbour Hotel Jazz Lounge and a second venue down stairs (all christened Gary's 1-stop-shop, selling all but petrol!). Our lovely Village Hall offered homemade refreshments, the small but intimate Riverside Hotel Bar and the Marquee superbly placed literally "down by the riverside", and the Italian hospitality of the Sandpiper, to include Andrea's solo with Boston Tea Party. Saturday's Mardi-gras parade had more than doubled in size from the previous year; and was led by four Lusitano Dancing Stallions, a Shetland Pony, 2 Marshall's, 18 musicians and a huge number of fans with their decorated brollies. There was extra fun as the inaugural waiter's race coincided and mingled with the parade as it returned to the Harbour. This year we introduced "busking" on the front patio of The Vaynol Arms pub, on both Saturday and Sunday mornings. This raised £270 for the local playing field fund and entertained the whole village. The local Oakley Brass Band playing on the front patio of The Sandpiper was another much appreciated innovation on Sunday lunchtime. Capel yr Aber was full to overflowing for the bi-lingual Gospel Service, led by the Reverend Nick Hawkins (and his guitar), Marcia Pendlebury, 12 musicians, Capel Craig Sunday School Choir, and, Mr Gwynfor Williams doing the reading. A regular visitor said, "this service comes from the heart, and to learn a few extra Welsh words each year is a bonus". The collection raised £366 for the Capel. The high standard of entries for the Shop Window Dressing, School Jazz Poster and Best Decorated Brolly (child and adult) competitions made judging very difficult. Prior to the Festival, Umbrella Performing Arts Group provided educational and enjoyable workshops for the four local schools, culminating in an interactive concert at the Village Hall on the Friday afternoon to launch the Festival weekend. Friday evening launched into a wealth of music wit Mart Rodgers Manchester Jazz, Richard Bennett's New Orleans Jazz Band with the wonderful Ronald Andersen from Denmark guesting, the entertaining Eagle Jazz Band, T.J. Johnson's Rhythm and Blues Band, the very young Oriental Jazz band from Holland, and the very accomplished, humorous duo Simon Banks and Kevin Grenfell.
More bands on Saturday and Sunday widened the variety and choice of music offered, Chris Hayward and Andy MacKenzie's Django Reinhardt style, the very modern Mill Project, Boston Tea Party mainstream, Marcia Pendlebury's wonderful vocals and band, Jazz Rag Dixieland, the more traditional Chicago Teds, Savannah, Red River and Ken Binns Band. The hilarious Bob Kerr's Whoopie Band kept everyone very amused. The Gwynedd and Anglesey Youth Jazz Band are an excellent 18-piece Orchestra, and the music was ongoing as Botwnnog School Band continued playing during the intervals. Everyone wanted to dance as usual to the Blue Magnolia Jass Orchestra's infamous 'brolly dance' to close the Festival on a Sunday evening. Finally, Dave Mott's All Stars really was as the name suggests made up of notable musicians, many of whom played at the famous Harbour Hotel Jazz Club in the 1960's. One of the main stars was Dave's daughter Sue who sang with the band. More highlights of the Festival include the eventful journey for Oriental Jazz Band who travelled on a bus all the way from Holland; they had two punctures and a flat battery. The drummer had an accident two days before they were due to travel and turned up with his arm in a sling. A fourteen-year-old Pieter de Wit stood in at the last
minute as the drummer. Bob Kerr's Whoopie Band bus got stuck down the S.C.Y.C. cliff edge hill and had to be towed up with great difficulty with a tractor by John Jones and Mike Atherton.
Jazzers really appreciated Evans's bus circulating continually, the laughs at Gwilym's jokes and his nickname of 'Dukes of Hazard' driver!! The event was a success, great fun and more importantly benefited the village and culture.
However, as any jazz promoter knows, it did not happen by magic, but by 12 months of hard work from the local voluntary committee, additional help over the Festival weekend from volunteers and the support of the local community, who are an integral part of the Festival. "It has been so brilliant, I can't wait till next year!" What a quote to end on!
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