Our Jazz Appreciation Group met on Tuesday 26 March 2024 with a guest speaker Peter who has a very impressive collection of Jazz music on some 10,000 vinyl records. His 23 visits to the USA to scavenge in the many downtown record stores has resulted in him holding some very rare discs indeed. Peter had transcribed the recordings to a form that allowed all those present to enjoy the finest detail in the sound.

The collection of music was particularly wide and detailed, and almost entirely in the Big Band genre of music. We started close to home with Ted Heath and His Music from 1959, then we heard Bobby Burns quickly followed by the Syd Lawrence Orchestra.

We then moved on to Don Costa and Barbara Russell, Gus Bivona, Hymie Schertzer, Jack Haslett, Frank Comstock and Keeley Smith. After the break, we moved on to Phil Coleman, Kevin Gavin, and many more finishing with Jean Goldkette and his Orchestra.

For those that remember these artists, this was a warm trip down memory lane. For those that are new to them, it was an interesting selection of different approaches to the Big Band Sound.