Jazz Appreciation
MEETING This group meets in the members' homes around Taunton and its outskirts, from 10am to 12noon, usually on the last Wednesday of the month.
CONVENOR For further information, please email the convener by clicking on the link on the right hand side of the page.
Group knowledge ranges from rudimentary to average. The main essential is a willingness to explore all types of music which, broadly could be called jazz. We are 99% a record recital group, though we do try to attend live gigs in the area.
We are verging on full but don't let that stop you making contact. We rarely, if ever, have 100% attendance, so can usually squeeze another one in!
We are a group of 12 to 14 people who meet once a month (last Wednesday usually). We are a home based group, and we rotate our meetings around members’ houses. Because we are home based, we have to keep an eye on numbers. If we all turned up, some of us would have difficulty in finding enough chairs in our sitting rooms. Because of that, we may have to either start a waiting list or (if there are enough) start a second group. But if you are a Taunton U3A member and interested in jazz, please don’t let this stop you from getting in touch. I like to know how much interest there is in the subject.
Chiefly we play discs, or show the occasional DVD, but occasionally we try to support live jazz in the area. We have supported most of the jazz events that Queens College has put on, and some of the Brewhouse concerts. Recently a small detachment went to the Brewhouse to see the Ronnie Scott All-Stars. A larger party headed for Clare Teal’s gig there at the end of November, and interest is already gathering for an outing (Brewhouse again) on 28th January to support the Cotton Club show with the Harry Strutters Rhythm Orchestra and the Lindy Hop Dance company.
This demonstrates the eclectic nature of our taste. We will listen to anything that is remotely jazz – we make a point of not trying to define what jazz is. We will give everything a hearing (though we may not always buy the CD !) We also believe in involvement.
Each meeting has a subject – maybe a musician (we’ve gone from Jelly Roll Morton to Cannonball Adderley via Ted Heath recently)or maybe a genre (eg boogie piano, Cuban music, ragtime). Members volunteer a subject, research it and present it to the rest of the group. We do not expect a high degree of knowledge – as
I’m always saying, we don’t set an exam paper at the end of each meeting. We do, however, expect an open-eared approach. You can’t say you don’t like it till you’ve heard it!