We're back!

Yup...been away ..but we are back with news of the New Orleans Club!

This just in from Geoff Mullett

Firstly, Sammy Rimington tickets have now sold out, so if you decide that you’d like a ticket, email to go on the waiting list.

Tickets are available for The legendary Night Owls, playing on Friday 22 April with the 5-piece East Street Vagabonds as support.

The following day, Annie Hawkins brings her band to the Club for their first visit. Still a long waiting list for unwanted tickets, so if anyone has tickets they can’t use, please let me know.

30 April is our AGM. 

Paid -up club members only. 

You should have had the notification, and the agenda and officers’ reports will be with you week commencing 18 April.

Friday 24 June sees the return of the Lucinda Foster Quartet, playing cool jazz and blues, then the following evening, Saturday 25th, the International Delta Six visit again as part of their 2016 tour. 

Tickets for all these events from the web site.

Geoff

Friday Night is Legendary Night Owls Night!

A short reminder that this Friday 23rd October at 8 pm, the Legendary Night Owls continue their residency at The New Orleans Club. They are bringing with them a guest band: the Brinkhill Blues Band. The Legendary Night Owls are proving highly popular: last month they played to a full house and have generated a significant number of new club members.

New Orleans Club smashes through the 200-member barrier

I trust you all enjoyed Hungary's answer to Spike Jones and his City Slickers - The Budapest Ragtime Band - when they were at the club last Thursday. Highly entertaining, the band was rewarded with a standing ovation. Brilliant evening all round. 

This Friday, it's the turn of the Legendary Night Owls. Here is the text I sent to the local press. I'd like to think it will be published.

John Marchant


New Orleans Club smashes through the 200-member barrier
The revival of fortunes at what is possibly the last remaining not-for-profit members club dedicated to keeping alive the music of jazz continues as the New Orleans Club in Queen Street, Louth, has now over 200 members. This number is expected to grow even further as news of local blues band the Legendary Night Owls spreads. Now well into its Friday night residency at the club (also known as Louth Jazz Club) the band will be playing again on Friday 25th of September at 8.30 PM. They will be joined by Stunz and Harpman - Mick Stones and Legendary Night Owl’s singer and harmonica player Ken Mayle - who will take the stage for the first half of the session. The duo have been together on and off for many years, playing blues in addition to Bob Dylan songs. On Friday, they'll be performing an acoustic blues set that will include pieces by Muddy Waters, Jimmy Reed and Slim Harpo, together with a generous helping of their own songs. Stunz is a brilliant slide player for which he uses an eye-catching green steel guitar whilst the Harpman, though less flamboyantly armed, is a top-class player with a bluesmans voice. All in all, a great double bill and not to be missed. Please note that The New Orleans (Louth) Club is a Members' Club. Members are welcome to bring guests, who must be signed in on arrival. Entrance fee for members is £4 and for their guests, £6. The cost for the first 12 months membership is £10, subsequent years £6. Members must be over 18 years of age. Prospective members can join in time for the Friday session on-line at http://louthjazzclub.org.uk/membership.php

If Carlsberg did jazz clubs, they'd be just like the New Orleans Club

Scroll down...this is a long post!

“The best Jazz Club in the country” said Brian Carrick as he brought his set to a close at the Club on Saturday. A capacity audience listened to some great New Orleans jazz from Brian and his much-travelled Algiers Stompers. These guest evenings are as popular as ever, with members arriving before 6.30pm to claim their favourite seat. 

With over 200 members, it’s even more important to keep abreast of what’s happening at the Jazz Club. Guest bands are advertised months in advance, yet there is always a last-minute rush for tickets that leaves some members without their Saturday evening jazz fix. Very few tickets end up in the hands of non-members, and it’s you, the members, who have first call on available tickets.

So, welcome to our new members – 19 in the past month, including our 200th member who comes from Grimsby. Some of these have joined specifically to attend the monthly Blues nights and the Night Owls are certainly getting good reviews. Their next appearance is on the 25th of this month, with guests Stunz and Harpman.

Back to Brian, who has kindly agreed to remain as Club President for a further three years. We are honoured to have such a fine ambassador of New Orleans music as the Club’s figurehead.

Although it’s great to have visiting bands, we are fortunate to have a resident band every Saturday, few jazz clubs can boast that (come to think of it, few jazz clubs have their own premises). So thank you, Queen Street Band, for turning up every Saturday to entertain us, and thank you Easy Riders, for giving us our monthly fix of quality New Orleans Jazz. What would we do without you all? 

This Saturday (12th) Brian Boles leads the Queen Street Band, then on the 19th, we welcome the return of Roy Norton.

Sandwiched between these two, are the Budapest Ragtime Band who play at the Club on Thursday 17th. This 9-piece band was founded in 1980 by former students of the Franz Liszt Music Academy of Budapest. The high standard and creativity of their performances have made them one of the most prestigious jazz bands in Hungary in the last decades. Their repertoire includes pieces of traditional ragtime and classical music, swing melodies, Dixieland music, and instrumental solos as well. The Band usually gives more than 100 concerts worldwide each year, and are appearing regularly in entertainment programs of American, German, and Hungarian TV. We are fortunate to have them here in Louth, if you don’t yet have a ticket, buy online! Money back if not delighted…

Coming up:
Saturday 3 October
Lulu White and The Ancholme River Jazz Band Chanteuse Lulu White will delight the audience with her New Orleans songbook, along with her band, ably led by leader John Thompson. A much anticipated evening, arrive early! (normal admission – no tickets)

Saturday 24 October
The Jellybabies. A return visit for this great Swedish New Orleans jazz band. Tickets now available on the web site

Saturday 21 November
New Orleans Heat. A return visit for this hugely popular band. Just a few tickets remaining!

Saturday 12 March 2016
The Savannah Jazz Band. First visit for this much in demand New Orleans band. Tickets selling fast.

Saturday 23 April 2016
Annie Hawkins and her Funky Butt Hall N'Awlins Jazz Band. Brilliant Bass player Annie Hawkins (remember her with Brian Carrick in 2014?) brings her own band to Louth.

Enough coming ups, I think!

Geoff

Tell your friends

Hi, all, I sent this piece to the local press over the weekend. If you see that it has been published, can you let me know via the"comment" facility at the bottom of the page?

Founded in 1963, the New Orleans (Louth) Club is possibly the last remaining not-for-profit members club dedicated to keeping alive the music of jazz. Part of the Louth area's jazz scene for more than 40 years, the club has the music of New Orleans and Dixieland at its core and from time to time features more mainstream and modern jazz and blues. 

When it comes to blues, there is no finer exponent than The Legendary Night Owls, who continue their monthly residency at the Club in Queen Street , Louth, this Friday 28th August starting at 8.30 pm. The band comprises ex-Visage and ex-Magazine keyboard maestro Dave Tomlinson, Howard Goy (drums), Ken Mayle (harmonica), Jon Newby (guitar) and Andy Dalton on bass guitar. Dave Tomlinson’s reputation as one of the best and most creative keyboard players is well known and singer and harmonica player Ken Mayle is without doubt one of the finest ‘harp’ players in the UK. His life-long love of blues and Chicago-based harp players have shaped his singing and playing into a unique style. The band will play a mixture of favourites and some new interpretations of other classic blues and R&B tunes. 

The New Orleans (Louth) Club is a Members' Club. Members are welcome to bring guests, who must be signed in on arrival. Entrance fee for members is £4 and for their guests, £6. The cost for the first 12 months membership is £10, subsequent years £6. Members must be over 18 years of age. Prospective members can join in time for this Friday's session online at http://louthjazzclub.org.uk/membership.php

Latest from Geoff Mullett

Remember those balmy days of last January and February, when we arrived early at the Jazz Club to get a radiator seat? The tardy ones sat with their coats on. Last night, it wasn’t only the jazz that was hot as a capacity crowd slowly melted, even with the fans running at full speed. Many thanks to Richard N for visiting Morrison’s and returning with a huge bag of ice cubes after our supply ran out!

As for the music, a very talented band were somewhat smothered by Andrew Hall, but then, It was his show. His ‘backing group’ consisted of Brian Boles – trumpet, Mick Murphy – saxophone, Steve Peters – bass, and Ray Bowden – drums.

Ray Bowden will be back in a couple of weeks – much in demand, he will be with Brian Carrick’s Algiers Stompers. The Stompers are the quintessential New Orleans band, playing all the old classics. Brian, our Club President, played before a capacity audience last year and the way the tickets are selling, we should be getting another full house. So, if you still haven’t reserved yours, get your skates on!

Before then, we have the welcome return of the Legendary Night Owls this coming Friday for their monthly spot (8.30 start). On Saturday (29th) Brian Clarke leads the Queen Street Band with John Cooke on trombone. Finally, on Thursday 3 September, the Easy Riders will delight the audience with their New Orleans Jazz. Chris Butt will return on bass, and of course, there will be Colin on trombone.

Just so good!

Geoff

PS. Did I mention those Brian Carrick tickets?

Andrew Hall

Geoff Mullett writes

Andrew Hall has worked in New Orleans for over 40 years performing and recording with all the great local musicians and numerous international stars. He is also Leader of the famous Society Brass Band. This versatile musician has played with the legendary Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Dr John, Olympia Brass Band, George Melly, Chris Barber, Acker Bilk and many leading Rhythm & Blues musicians from the Crescent City.

On Saturday 22 Aug, at the Jazz Club, he will present his fascinating perspective on the colourful heritage of all aspects of New Orleans and its music in a lively, entertaining performance featuring a repertoire of great songs, peppered with amusing anecdotes and recollections.

Andrew Hall’s own band featured at the prestigious New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival for three decades and he has enjoyed the media spotlight over the years, appearing on BBC TV, Good Morning America, Time magazine and in Japanese-made documentaries on New Orleans.

With a reputation built on lively performances in residency, on tour and through appearances at high-profile corporate events, he went on to perform in several Hollywood blockbusters. His movie credits include Clint Eastwood’s Tightrope, JFK with Kevin Costner and working with Sean Penn in All the King's Men.

Andrew Hall is a showman. He is grabbing International audiences and still surrounding himself with the best sidemen available. His stimulating new show works equally well in small, intimate venues and events and larger concert or festival settings. Make sure you don't miss Andrew Hall playing New Orleans Jazz, Rhythm & Blues and Boogie Woogie. Tickets (£6 members, £8 guests) are still available from the web site and this Saturday at the Club, when the Easy Riders are playing.

The Easy Riders needs no introduction! The band plays great New Orleans Jazz monthly on a Thursday and is attracting increasingly large audiences as word spreads. If you haven't managed to see them on one of their Thursdays, now's your chance to see them this Saturday, when special guest Tony Peatman will be playing banjo.

A night not to be missed (in fact, two nights not to be missed!).