The previously scheduled Randy Crawford concert at North Sea Jazz 2009 has been cancelled. This is reported to be due to ill health although details are sketchy at this stage.

It would also appear that all of Randy’s previously scheduled concerts have been cancelled. While no official announcement has been made on her MySpace page, the upcoming concert list has been updated with a cancelled notice beside each event. Posts from fans sending their best wishes have already started to arrive in the comments section.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish Randy all the best for a speedy recovery and I hope we will have the opportunity to see her in concert again soon.

So my flights, hotel and entrance tickets are all booked for the 2009 North Sea Jazz festival in Rotterdam. Given that the festival is just over a month away, I am more than just a bit excited about the line up and how awesome being this close to so much musical action is going to be.

At present I’m thinking my concert attendance during the festival is going to be something along the lines of the following.

Friday 10 July

• 16:45 – 17:45 : Nationaal Jeugd Jazz Orkest conducted by Peter Guidi
• 18:00 – 19:15 : Lee Ritenour
• 19:15 – 20:00 : The Temple Jazz Orchestra
• 20:00 – 21:00 : George Benson A Tribute to Nat King Cole
• 21:00 – 22:15 : BB King
• 22:30 – 23:30 : Ari Hoenig Group
• 00:00 – 01:15 : Roy Hargrove’s RH Factor

Saturday 11 July

• 16:45 – 17:45 : Codarts Big Band conducted by Maria Schneider
• 18:15 – 19:30 : Randy Crawford & Joe Sample Trio
• 19:30 – 20:45 : SMV feat. Stanley Clarke, Marcus Miller, Victor Wooten
• 21:00 – 21:45 : Blazin’ Quartet
• 22:00 – 23:15 : James Hunter
• 00:00 – 01:15 : Candy Dulfer Band with special guests

Sunday 12 July

• 15:00 – 16:00 : Amsterdams Conservatorium Concert Big Band plays the music of Porgy and Bess conducted by Justin DiCioccio
• 16:30 – 17:45 : David Sanborn and Horns – feat. Ricky Peterson, Richard Patterson, Gene Lake
• 17:45 – 19:00 : John Scofield Piety Street Band
• 19:30 – 20:45 : Seal
• 21:00 – 22:15 : Anthony Braxton Diamond Curtain Wall Trio w/Mary Halvorson and Taylor Ho Bynum
• 22:30 – 23:45 : Jazzanova Live! featuring Paul Randolph

In addition to enjoying all of this music I will be writing reviews of each performance for my site and taking plenty of photos.

If you are going along to the festival, please get in touch and maybe we can meet up!

I’ve now got my BBC listening down to a T such that I’m always listening to an appropriate radio station at any given point in the day.

I wake in the morning to Radio Swindon and in so doing I’m provided with up to the minute tit-bits of news and travel from the mouths of happy and bouncy presenters – just what I need to get me out of bed and to work (avoiding all the traffic). I’m also notified of what’s going on in the local area which is just what a newcomer needs.

On my way to and from work I listen to Radio 3. The soothing blend of classical pieces in the morning are just what I need for a positive start to the day. On the way home the repertoire varies from the realms of opera to jazz and never fails to make me feel ready for a good night out or a relaxing night in, whatever is the order of the day.

At home in the evenings and on longer car journeys I turn to Radio 4. With its thought provoking documentaries and hilarious comedies I never fail to enjoy myself, whatever I might be doing at the time.

I’m not sure what made me post about this, but in so doing I realise I have further justified my stance on supporting the BBC. We have to use it or lose it and I know what side of that fence I sit on. Why not tune in? I’m sure you’ll like what you hear.

Listening to this just made me go all gooey inside. Its a wonderful piece of jazz music, an excellent live performance from candy Dulfer on saxophone and Dave Stewart on guitar. The tune is entitled “Lily Was Here”.

Christmas just isn’t complete without this song. It means something different to everyone who hears it.

My past week has been spent working in my capacity as president of Jazz and Blues Leeds to recruit new members to the society and I’d like to report that it has gone particularly well.

Our publicity consisted of running s freshers week stall all week, on one day having a stall in two places, holding a free gig in the outside tent and handing out over 2,000 flyers, each one coming with comments from me about what we had coming up and how our social consisted of free food and drink.

We had our first social on Thursday evening and at the end of the night I’d met a load of great people who were as into Jazz and Blues music as me if not more so and also added over 65 paid members to the books.

This financial injection is going to ensure the future of Jazz and Blues Leeds for the coming months and provide us with the ability to deliver some of the best jazz and blues events that Leeds University Union has ever seen.

A few days ago I was contacted by the new promoter of events at the Wardrobe jazz club and it looks like we may finally be seeing some improvements at the club. I’ve been given a preliminary event listing for the next few months and it all looks very positive.

I’m hoping to try and work closely with the Wardrobe when planning events for the Jazz and Blues society and perhaps together we can help bring some superb jazz and blues to the university and indeed to the whole of Leeds.

While the frequency of events at the Wardrobe doesn’t seem to be returning to what it once was, it does look like we have a little more jazz in Leeds to get our teeth into and that can’t be a bad thing.

If you haven’t heard guitar playing that made your insides go all gooey before, you’re about to. This performance by Mark Knopfler from Dire Straits is overflowing with emotion and brilliance. My title words “pure magic” just don’t do the music and the way it makes one feel anywhere near enough justice.

I was listening to the radio today when Phil Collins’ song, Both Sides of the Story, was played. The words seemed to say a lot to me about the world today and how we frequently misunderstand things just because we don’t consider everything we have the ability to consider. For this reason I thought I’d share them here.

‘Though we might hate to admit it, there are always two sides to every story…’

Find yourself in the gutter in a lonely part of town
Where death waits in the darkness with a weapon to cut some stranger down
Sleeping with an empty bottle, he’s a sad and an empty hearted man
All he needs is a job, and a little respect, so he can get out while he can

We always need to hear both sides of the story

Both sides of the story

A neighbourhood peace is shattered it’s the middle of the night
Young faces hide in the shadows, while they watch their mother and father fight
He says she’s been unfaithful, she says her love for him has gone
And the brother shrugs to his sister and says “looks like it’s just us from now on”

We always need to hear both sides of the story

We need to hear both sides of the story

And the lights are all on, the world is watching now
People looking for truth, we must not fail them now
Be sure, before we close our eyes
Don’t walk away from here
’til you hear both sides
No no no nooooo

Here we are all gathered in what seems to be the centre of the storm
Neighbours once friendly now stand each side of the line that has been drawn
They’ve been fighting here for years, but now there’s killing on the streets
While small coffins are lined up sadly, now united in defeat

We always need to hear both sides of the story

And the lights are all on, the world is watching now
People looking for truth, we must not fail them now
Be sure, before we close our eyes
Don’t walk away from here
’til you see both sides
No no no no no no

White man turns the corner, finds himself within a different world
Ghetto kid grabs his shoulder, throws him up against the wall
He says “would you respect me if I didn’t have this gun
‘cos without it, I don’t get it, and that’s why I carry one”

We always need to hear both sides of the story

While revising this afternoon Man at the Top by Bruce Springsteen came on my player and the lyrics sounded worth posting, so here they are. They go much better with the music though.

Here comes a lawyer,here comes a cop.
Here comes a rich, here comes a car-hop.
Goin’ on forever, ain’t ever gonna stop.
Everybody wants to be the man at the top.
Everybody wants to be the man at the top.
Everybody wants to be the man at the top.
Well, name your gun, son, shoot your shot.
Everybody wants to be the man at the top.

Now rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief.
Doctor, lawyer, indian chief.
Don’t ever start to ask them why.
Everybody wants to be the man at the top.
Everybody wants to be the man at the top.
Everybody wants to be the man at the top.
Well, name your gun, son, shoot your shot.
Everybody wants to be the man at the top.
All right (All right). Oh yeah (Oh yeah)
All right now (All right). Oh yeah (Oh yeah)

Man at the top says it’s lonely up there.
If it is man, I don’t care. Build a big white house.
Build a parking lot. Everybody wants to be the man at the
top.

Here comes a banker, here comes a businessman.
Here comes a kid with a guitar in his hand.
Dreamin’ of his record in number one spot.
Everybody wants to be the man at the top.
Everybody wants to be the man at the top.
Everybody wants to be the man at the top.
Well, name your gun son, shoot your shot.
Everybody wants to be the man at the top.
Say right now (All right). Say yeah now (Oh yeah)
Say right…Who’s the man at the top?
Who’s the man at the top, now?