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George Melly at Appuldurcombe House
As a rule I am not much of a jazz fan but the prospect of the legendary
George Melly playing at an open air jazz festival on the Isle of Wight was
too good to miss.
Every year at the ruins of the great house just north of Ventnor there is
a festival of jazz. This year, 1998, in June Kenny Ball entertained on
Friday night and George Melly headlined on Saturday.
The show was supposed to be on an open air stage with the audience enjoying
picnics on the grounds outside the ruins of the great house. The English
summer had a different idea however. There was enough rain on the first
night to make the stage unsafe. The weather was in a fitful mood for the
second night. A set of marquees held the audience with a stage set up in
the bottom corner. It was quite cosy but good fun with everybody eating
and listening to the great music.
Support was provided by the Castle Jazz Band whose original members were
a group of teachers from Carisbrooke High School on the Island. There have
been changes in personnel over the thirteen years the band has been playing
and the programme states that their gigs have ranged from playing to a
drinking club in Newport which proceeded to empty, to entertaining at the
Royal Yacht Squadron. They provided the support for Humphrey Lyttelton and
Terry Lightfoot last year at Appuldurcombe.
George Melly plays with John Chiltern's Feetwarmers, musicians of
impressive pedigree. The team have entertained throughout the world and
did a grand job in difficult circumstances on the make'shift stage in the
tents. The jokes and music flowed along with the wine in the picnic
hampers. George Melly was bedecked in one of his trade mark suits. Imagine
the loudest deck chair you have ever seen, mainly yellow and red. Now
make it half as bright again and you have the suit sported by our star
attraction. I am afraid that my woeful knowledge of jazz does not allow
me to give much information about the numbers played. I did recognise
"Minnie the Moocher" made memorable for me by Cab Calloway in the film
"The Blues Brothers".
We enjoyed good food and wine from our picnic basket, and great music from
all concerned. The
Appuldurcombe Midsummer Jazz Festival is well worth a look.
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