Isomatic UK Weblog

This evening we went to the Ambassadors Cinema in Woking to see Revolutionary Road. The story is sad and rather depressing but it is well-told and the production and acting are excellent. Kate Winslet's performance was worthy of her Golden Globe although I still think her role in The Reader, for which she has an Oscar nomination, was even more deserving.
There has been some internet chat line criticism of Zoe Kazan's body, fleetingly seen nearly naked. It looked OK to me.

Labels: Film

People ask us what do we do when we are at home Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings. Selina's friends were horrified to hear we watch Top Gear repeats on the Dave channel. Our favourite episodes are those where caravans are destroyed, e.g. by dropping from a great height or by fire (see picture). Yes, we know these are stunts but who ever thought Top Gear was anything but lots of fun.

Labels: Television

This evening we went to the Berrylands Hotel in Surbiton, to see The Magna jazz band with the standard line-up. The picture shows Pete Towndrow (cornet), with Richard Lyons (bass) and Rex Bennett (drums) in the background. There were too many enjoyable numbers to list so here are just those about which I have something new to say:

'Washington and Lee Swing', the official fight song of Washington & Lee University, written in 1910 by Mark W. Sheafe, Clarence A. (Tod) Robbins, and Thornton W. Allen;

'Down in Honky-Tonk Town', by Chris Smith and Charles McCarron, one of the numbers recorded by Louis Armstrong and Sidney Bechet (May 27, 1940);

Alan Dandy's solo feature 'Stratford Hunch' by Jelly Roll Morton AKA 'Chicago Breakdown' according to Alan. Wikipedia believes that Chicago Breakdown was composed by Big Maceo Merriweather (1905-1953). However, Kevin Scott saw this post and e-mailed details of a Louis Armstrong recording date where Chicago Breakdown is credited to Jelly Roll.
The audience was actually quiet during Alan's performance !

Labels: Jazz

This evening we went to the George & Dragon in Thames Ditton to see the John Barnes quartet, comprising John Barnes (baritone sax, alto sax, clarinet and vocals), Alan Dandy (keyboard), Mick Durelle (bass guitar) and Don Cook (drums).
The numbers we enjoyed most from the quartet were:
'Deep Purple', composed by Peter DeRose in 1933 as a piano composition, with lyrics added by Mitchell Parish in 1938;
'Someone to Watch Over Me' composed by George Gershwin with lyrics by Ira Gershwin from the musical Oh, Kay! (1926), where it was introduced by Gertrude Lawrence.
'Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered' from the 1940 Rodgers and Hart musical Pal Joey originally with much sexier words than are used today.
We also enjoyed Alan's Feature 'You're Driving Me Crazy' by Walter Donaldson for the 1930 musical comedy Smiles. Alan dedicated it to those who talk during the keyboard feature.
Guests were Geoff Cole (trombone, pictured), John Shepherd (trumpet) and John Lang (trombone, in picture background), playing 'That's a Plenty' 'I May Be Wrong', 'Jazz Me Blues' and 'Ring Dem Bells'.
We were pleased to see five of the Europa regulars at the G & D; Roy & Mary Stokes, Peter & Jan Tallent, and Colin Lewry, who played keyboard during the break.

Labels: Jazz

With no previous experience, I bid for six lots from hundreds offered via an on-line auction. It was easy to understand how some people get carried away with the excitement of the bidding. I had prepared limits for each lot and did not exceed them (Rule 1) and as a result succeeded with just 3 lots; a 50% success rate. They were:

A binocular microscope for one of our electronic design consultants
A Rogowski current sensing probe
A rack full of reels of equipment wire.

In future I would have Rule 2, do not bid for anything large. We were very lucky that the rack for the wire just fitted in the company van and we were able to borrow a trolley to carry items in batches from the building. It could have been a disaster.

Labels: Auction

This evening we went to The Europa in East Molesey to see the Urban Gin House Band. The line-up comprised Alan Brock (trumpet, vocal), Mark Aston (tenor sax, trombone), Derek Sutton (keyboard, pictured), Mike Bennett (bass) and Eddie Kettle (drums, pictured in background). Our favourite numbers with the base band were:
'I Want a Little Girl' by Murray Mencher with lyrics by Billy Moll;
'I Can't Get Started' by Vernon Duke with lyrics by Ira Gershwin, first heard in Ziegfeld Follies (1936).
Colin Lewry played keyboard during the break and Derek asked him for the title of a number he usually plays; 'Hall of Fame'.
We did not stay long after the first break due to tiredness, made worse by the stuffy atmosphere of the packed pub; good for business so good for jazz.

Labels: Jazz

After a day out in Bournemouth we were too tired to do anything in the evening except watch television. We were pleased to find the film Before Sunrise. This is a romantic story of a young couple meeting for the first time and spending the day and night in Vienna before going their separate ways. Julie Delpy plays the opposite role from the evil Dominique in the great film 'Three Colours, White'. It is also a very different role from Leni in an even greater film 'Europa, Europa'. The conclusion we must draw is that she is a very versatile actress who has played in some top films. It should be noted that we did not particulary like Colours Blue and Red, but that was not her fault.
We must now seek out the sequel 'Before Sunset'.

Labels: Film, Television

After twice watching the television programme celebrating Les Paul's 90th birthday (he is now 92) we searched the HMV site and bought the Very Best Of Les Paul & Mary Ford.
It has now arrived and is delightful. It includes Mary singing, in her beautiful voice, tracks such as:
'How High The Moon', by Morgan Lewis with lyrics by Nancy Hamilton and first featured in the 1940 Broadway revue Two for the Show;
'The World is Waiting For the Sunrise', by Ernest Seitz (pseudonym Raymond Roberts) with lyrics by Gene Lockhart and first published in 1919;
'Vaya Con Dios', by Larry Russell, Inez James, and Buddy Pepper, and published in 1953.
The wonderful Les Paul instrumentals include:
'Little Rock Get Away', by Joe Sullivan with lyrics by Carl Sigman (1938);
'Mammy's Boogie', a Paul original boogie-woogie guitar version of 'Mammy's Little Baby Loves Shortening Bread' originally written by James Whitcomb Riley in 1900;
'I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles', Jaan Kenbrovin (James Kendis, James Brockman and Nat Vincent) with lyrics by John William Kellette (1919) and now the West Ham football anthem, originally referring to Billy J. 'Bubbles' Murray who played for the local Park School and resembled the boy in the famous Bubbles painting by Millais used in a Pears soap commercial of the time.
Browse the Very Best Of Les Paul & Mary Ford for a listing of all 25 tracks.
Pop music from the 1950's is still alive and well. Don't expect the same to be said of today's pop music in 50 years time.

Labels: Pop Music

This evening we went to the Berrylands Hotel in Surbiton, to see The Magna jazz band with Keith Brown deputising for Rex Bennett on drums (pictured in background). The foreground shows Pete Towndrow (cornet), who also sang 'Am I blue'. Other numbers that we particularly enjoyed were:
Pete's beautiful Duet with Alan Dandy (keyboard) 'For All We Know', by J. Fred Coots with lyrics by Sam M. Lewis, published in 1934;
'Mandy Make Up Your Mind', by Arthur Johnston, better known for 'Pennies From Heaven', tonight's version featuring a dog-leg ending by Keith, praised by Pete as the best ever;
'Weeping Willow Blues', unknown origin but made famous by Bessie Smith;
Alan Dandy's two for the price of one feature 'My Very Good Friend the Milkman' by Harold Spina with lyrics by Johnny Burke, followed by the lovely 'Someone to Watch Over Me' by George Gershwin with lyrics by Ira Gershwin from the musical Oh, Kay! (1926).
Selina waved Peter Winn's yellow card at Brian for singing 'Ja Da' without first warning us.

Labels: Jazz

This evening we went to the George & Dragon in Thames Ditton to see the John Barnes quartet, comprising John Barnes (baritone sax, alto sax, clarinet and vocals), Alan Dandy (keyboard), Mick Durelle (bass guitar) and Don Cook (drums).
The numbers we enjoyed most from the quartet were:
'The Way You Look Tonight', by Jerome Kern with lyrics by Dorothy Fields (at this point John Barnes told us how Jerome Kern married the landlord's daughter from The Swan at Walton-on-Thames);
'Can't Help Loving Dat Man', also by Jerome Kern but lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II from the 1927 musical Showboat;
John's vocal 'It's a Sin to Tell a Lie' by Billy Mayhew and originally introduced by Fats Waller.
We also enjoyed Alan's Feature 'Alaskan Rag' by Joseph Lamb, despite some background talking by MUSICIANS, who should be ashamed.

Guests were Pete Skivington (bass guitar, pictured), John Shepherd (trumpet) and John Lang (trombone), playing 'That's a Plenty' and 'Black and Blue' (pictured);
Pete Skiv with the normal quartet playing 'Wave';
The two Johns without Pete (Mick returning) playing 'Nobody's Sweetheart Now' and 'Ring Dem Bells.

Labels: Jazz

This evening we went to The Europa in East Molesey to see the Urban Gin House Band. The line-up comprised John Shepherd (trumpet), Les Dyos (trombone), Caroline Cooper (keyboard), Mike Bennett (bass) and Mike Knipe (drums). John kept suggesting numbers that Caroline did not know, followed by a frantic search through all the music books. Numbers that could not be found were substituted. After the first five, John began to select aphabetically to aid paper search so we had:
'All of Me', 'Body and Soul', 'Careless Love', for which John confused himself and started to play 'China Boy', etc.
Guests, mixed in various combinations, were:
Aileen May (bass), Roy Stokes and Peter Tallent (trombone), Trevor Dockerill (clarinet), Fred Shaw (cornet) and Roland (tenor sax).
I told Fred about the E-mail I had received, stating that he was a legend in the Oxford area, and asking if he could be heard playing at the Europa every Sunday. Fred laughed when I said my reply was "yes, but come along anyway".

Labels: Jazz

This evening we went to the Ambassadors Cinema in Woking to see the film Defiance. This was a gripping story about survival in the forest of Belorussia during German occupation. Daniel Craig and Liev Schreiber were very convincing in the lead roles and the true story was as believable as could be. After months of poor films we have seen two that we recommend in just two weeks.
One word of warning about the Peacocks multi-storey, multi-section car park. I have helped people who have lost their cars in the past so I know it is difficult. Despite this I made a tiny mistake on entry that led me to park in a section I don't know. We made a careful note of the colour code of the section and the alphanumeric floor code, plus the position of the car. It took still required some aimless wandering before we found it again.

Labels: Film

Following my post 'Is This Goodbye to The Cricketers' in Horsell Birch I have received two e-mail messages from other customers of this pub. One was very supportive of our firm stand against a venue that gives priority to a large noisy party over its regular Monday jazz fans. The other says that we are wrong and should apologise to the staff.

Let us state our position beyond any misunderstanding:

1) Making excessive noise while musicians are performing is insulting to them and is hurtful to those who wish to listen.

2) Those who do it are selfish, thoughtless, people who care nothing for others; they share this characteristic with burglars, thieves, drug addicts, hooligans, etc. who care nothing for the affect of their actions.

3) Large parties and other large groups (e.g. Surbiton commuters) automatically become a mob with the above characteristics so they should be isolated from other people.

4) If a business does not accept the above responsibility because of the nature of its premises and/or because it wants the instant surge of income, then that is its right.

5) Equally, it is our right to withdraw our custom from that business, be it a pub, a railway station or anywhere else; we offer no apology for this and will continue such action whenever appropriate, publicising it as widely as possible.

6) We do not accept Christmas, Birthday, large family or rush-hour as excuses for mob behaviour.

Labels: Grumpy

This evening we went to the Berrylands Hotel in Surbiton, to see The Magna jazz band with the standard line-up. The picture shows Brian blowing a kiss to fans of his vocals, who give him a standing ovation every week. Numbers that we particularly enjoyed were:
'Home (When Shadows Fall)', composed in 1931 by Peter Van Steeden, Harry Clarkson and Jeff Clarkson;
'Yellow Dog Blues', composed by W C Handy, it being a vernacular name for the Yazoo Delta Railroad;
Alan Dandy's feature 'What'll I Do', by Irving Berlin in 1923 and introduced by singers Grace Moore and John Steel but I always remember it from the 1974 film adaptation of The Great Gatsby starring Robert Redford and Mia Farrow;
'Magnolia's Wedding Day', by Jimmy McHugh with lyrics by Dorothy Fields.
There was amusement when the band played 'The Lady is a Tramp' to which Selina responded "well 8 0'clock is rather late for dinner".

Labels: Jazz

This evening we went to the George & Dragon in Thames Ditton to see Pete Cook (alto sax, pictured), Alan Dandy (keyboard), Mick Durelle (string bass) and Don Cook (drums). The alto is not usually our favourite member of the saxophone family but Pete played it beautifully.
The numbers we enjoyed most from the quartet were:
'East of the Sun (West of the Moon)' by Brooks Bowman, an undergraduate member of Princeton University's Class of 1936, for the 1934 production of the the Princeton Triangle Club's production of Stags at Bay; he died in a car crash before his 24the birthday;
'For All We Know', a lovely song by J.Fred Coots with lyrics by Sam M. Lewis, published in 1934.
'How Deep is the Ocean' by Irving Berlin in 1932, played here with a great keyboard interlude by Alan Dandy;
'Ghost of a Chance', another lovely song, this one by Victor Young, Bing Crosby and Ned Washington.
Guests were John Shepherd and John Lang, playing:
'Broadway', 'In a Mellow Tone' and 'Ring Dem Bells'.
The George & Dragon is known for pretty young bar staff but tonight one scored 10 out of 10 for exceptionally pretty face, bright smile and a cheery wave as we arrived.

Labels: Jazz

I have just noticed, somewhat belatedly, that Surbiton scooped the title of Rail Station of the Year at the 2005 London Transport Awards. The Royal Borough of Kingston and South West Trains were presented the award in recognition of a programme of improvements carried out at Surbiton Station during 2004 to enhance accessibility for cyclists and pedestrians.

There was a period when I used Surbiton Station for trips to London. I had to stop because I could not stand the selfish mob behaviour from the regulars. The stairs were divided in two with a narrow section reserved for those coming down to catch the train when the majority were those leaving the train. Having most of the stairs available was not enough for the mob; they had to use it all, risking injury to any frail person coming down. I just cannot understand the minds of such people. Were they human beings once but lost all humanity through commuting to London by rail every day ? I tried battering them with my brief case as I came down but I was so heavily outnumbered that mob rule won and I just gave up on Surbiton for rail travel.

Labels: Grumpy, Travel

This evening we went to The Europa in East Molesey to see the Urban Gin House Band. The line-up comprised John Shepherd (trumpet), Bernie Holden (alto sax, clarinet; pictured from archive), Andrew Clancy (keyboard), Mike Bennett (bass) and Mike Knipe (drums). Our favourite numbers with these musicians were:
'Polka Dots and Moonbeams', music by Jimmy Van Heusen and lyrics by Johnny Burke, published in 1940;
'Girl From Ipanema', music by Antonio Carlos Jobim and Portuguese lyrics by Vinicius de Moraes with English lyrics written later by Norman Gimbel; Alan claimed it is the only latin number he knows, despite having played Blue Bossa on 12 Oct. 2007.
Guests were:
John Shepherd (trumpet) and Terry Ede (tenor sax), playing 'All of Me' and 'Lover Man';
Fred Shaw (cornet), Roy Stokes (trombone) and Aileen May (bass), 'How Come You Do Me Like You Do Do Do' and 'Deed I Do';
Roland, Terry and Peter Tallent, playing 'If I had You' and 'It Don't Mean a Thing if it Ain't Got That Swing'.
Colin Lewry played keyboard during the breaks.

Labels: Jazz

This evening we went to the Berrylands Hotel in Surbiton, to see The Magna jazz band with the standard line-up. The picture shows Brian (clarinet), with Rex Bennett (drums) in the background. Numbers that we particularly enjoyed were:
'St Louis Blues', by W C Handy, with great cornet, trombone and keyboard solos, although my all time favourite version remains the duet between Chris Barber and Roger Hill (blues guitar);
'There'll be Some Changes Made', by Benton Overstreet with lyrics by Billy Higgins (of which I still think the definitive version is by the 1950s Dutch Swing College with its slow introduction);
'Autumn Leaves' with no quotes from MASH (Alan Dandy claims to have introduced this quirk before Pete Towndrow adopted it);
Brian's beautiful feature 'Nanna Tim', composed by one B White;
Alan Dandy's great solo feature 'Alaskan Rag' by Joseph Lamb, only published after his death in 1960 at the age of 72. Achieving silence was easier with the small audience as was winning the raffle. I won second prize, a King Oliver CD.

Labels: Jazz

We have been reading messages from those who extol the virtues of rail travel in place of the motor car. Clearly to use the car is grossly irresponsible of us so we should research other options. Firstly, let us be clear that working from home is best and this should be encouraged with local telecottages. However, it is not always possible to work like this, particularly those of us who work with heavy equipment.

Our 21 mile journey to Park Farm by car most weekdays takes an average 40 minutes in a car that averages 46 miles per gallon. There are no traffic jams. We carry a desktop computer in the car on Monday and Friday. To get there by public transport we will:
Buy a laptop computer (even though we don't need any more computers)
Wait at local the bus stop in all weathers for a bus that might be late or not arrive
Take the bus to the rail station on the other side of Guildford
Take the train to Wokingham
Then train or bus from Wokingham to Bracknell
Finally a brisk, healthy, 20-30 minute walk from Bracknell station to Park Farm in all weathers.

I estimate 2-3 hours so 4-6 hours of each day would be spent travelling, an increase of between 2 hours 40 minutes and 4 hours 40 minutes. Clearly the best use of time and energy. We should be fit and ready for a hard days work after this journey.

We go out at least 3 nights a week to pubs with live jazz. Berrylands Hotel is next to Berrylands railway station so let us start there. Only the slow trains to Hampton Court stop there, not the Guildford trains, but we must not be discouraged. Neither must we be put off by the difficulty of returning from Guildford station, 3 miles away, after the buses have ceased to run. A taxi is a car so that is out; we will just have to walk.

Selina, my wife, likes to get out of her unfeminine work gear when we go out and show off her fabulous legs in mini-skirts and high heels. We have to think of a way of avoiding hypothermia on the exposed high-level platform at Berrylands Station. The jazz club has no facilities for hanging outdoor clothes but perhaps we could pile them in the corner with the instrument cases. There are no changing facilities but I am sure the randy old men won't mind Selina changing in front of them.

Having succeeded with the Berrylands we must consider the Europa and the George and Dragon. By an amazing coincidence the nearest stations are also on the Hampton Court line so we will become accustomed to travelling up to Waterloo from Guildford than back to the venue. We will also be accustomed to the 3 mile walk back home so the 2 mile walk to the Europa from Hampton Court station will seem easy.

Obviously we will need to leave work early to allow for the extra evening travel time. We also have to manage with less sleep after arriving home so late. Oh, I forgot; we will be taking 4-6 hours to travel to work and back on public transport. We will have to be absent from work on jazz days. Perhaps we could work on Saturday and Sunday to make up the lost time. Oh dear, Sunday is a Jazz night; there are not enough days in the week.

Happy New Year to the rabid train fanatics.

Labels: Travel

This evening we went to the George & Dragon in Thames Ditton to see the John Barnes quartet, comprising John Barnes (baritone sax, alto sax, clarinet and vocals), Alan Berry (keyboard, pictured), Mick Durelle (string bass) and Don Cook (drums).
The numbers we enjoyed most from the quartet were:
'The Touch of Your Lips' by Ray Noble;
'Lover Come Back to Me' by Sigmund Romberg with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II for the Broadway show The New Moon in 1928;
'You are My Lucky Star' by Ray Henderson, coupled with 'Who (Stole my Heart Away)'by Jerome Kern, a 6-week no. 1 hit for George Olsen & his Orchestra in 1925;
'A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square' by Manning Sherwin and Jack Strachey with lyrics by Eric Maschwitz, published in 1940, first performed in the show New Faces by Judy Campbell (later the mother of Jane Birkin).

The only guest was John Lang (trombone) playing the following three numbers with the full quartet:
'I May be Wrong', by Henry Sullivan with lyrics by Harry Ruskin and published in 1929;
'It's a Sin to Tell a Lie', by Billy Mayhew and introduced by Fats Waller in 1936;
'Ring Dem Bells' by Duke Ellington.

Labels: Jazz

This evening we went to The Europa in East Molesey to see the Urban Gin House Band. The line-up comprised Alan Brock (trumpet, vocal), Dave Allison (baritone sax, clarinet, pictured), Alan Dandy (keyboard), Mike Bennett (string bass) and Mike Knipe (drums). Our favourite numbers with the base band were:
'Sugar';
'Bill Coleman's Blues';
'It's You or No-one for Me';
Alan Dandy's feaures 'Little Darling' and 'Sleepy Time Gal';
Dave Allison's feature 'Autumn Leaves' with Alan Dandy including a snatch of "Suicide is Painless' in the manner of Pete Towndrow.
Guests were grouped as follows:
John Shepherd (trumpet), Trevor Dockerill (clarinet), Peter Clancy (trombone), Andrew Clancy (keyboard), David Clancy (drums), Aileen May (bass), playing 'Rose Room' and 'I Can't Give You Anything But Love';
Fred Shaw (borrowing Alan Brock's trumpet), Trevor Dockerill (clarinet) and Roy Stokes (trombone), playing 'Who's Sorry Now' with a snatch of 'All of Me' and (with Fred vocal) 'Kiss to Build a Dream On';
Peter Tallent (trombone) and Roland (tenor sax), playing 'September in the Rain' and 'Mood Indigo'.
Colin Lewry played keyboard during the breaks.

Labels: Jazz

This evening we went to the Ambassadors Cinema in Woking to see The Reader. This film deserves all the accolades and would win a few Oscars if they were awarded on merit. Kate Winslet gives a sensational performance, the part starting at around her current age and finishing 30 years later. The 18 year old David Kross from Germany is also excellent as the young Michael Berg. Ralph Fiennes has a much less meaty role as the older Michael Berg. The story is serious and thought-provoking with some harrowing scenes. There is also quite a lot of very convincing sex. We strongly recommend this film to all serious cinema enthusiasts.

Labels: Film

This afternoon Brian Hicks, Selina and I went to a concert at the Musical Museum in Brentford. This featured the recently restored Mighty Wurlitzer (console pictured), played both by a musician and from piano rolls. We also had recitals from a pianola, a female singer and a piano-accordion. Bucks fizz was included in the price. Our intention had been to have lunch in the pub across the road but this proved impossible due to the absence of the chef. Instead we ate in Cafe Rouge near Kew Bridge. The food and wine were excellent, although we had to tolerate a blast of cold air as the main door was frequently opened.

In the evening the three of us went to the Berrylands Hotel in Surbiton, for Brian White's Magna jazz band, with Keith Brown (drums, pictured) replacing Rex Bennett. Numbers that we particularly enjoyed were as follows:
'The Old Stack o' Lee Blues', original composer unknown, celebrating the murder of William 'Billy' Lyons by Lee Shelton in 1895;
'The Georgia Grind', by Spencer Williams in 1915;
'Goody, Goody', composed by Matty Malneck in 1936 with lyrics by Johnny Mercer, sung by Brian with the usual standing ovation by his fans enhanced by me standing on my chair (Alan Dandy's suggestion);
'Shimmy-Sha-Wabble' again by Spencer Williams;
Alan Dandy's feature, combining 'Ghost of a Chance', about which we know nothing, with 'Willow Weep for Me', composed in 1932 by Ann Ronell. This is the number that Fred Hunt played as his solo feature at every performance of the Alex Welsh band that we ever saw, and there were many.

Labels: Concerts, Eating out, Jazz