Jazz musicians are rarely enthusiastic about playing al fresco gigs, but our annual visit to Barrington Court - a truly idyllic National Trust property - never fails to give us a whole lot of pleasure, and hopefully pleases the audience, too! As with any outdoor event in the UK, the weather tends to be crucial, but the Barrington Court crowd manage to turn out year after year in their droves, completely undeterred by whatever the Weather Gods may throw at them ... add to this

We are sad beyond words to announce the death - after a long illness - of Eddie Edwards, our very talented banjo player, key member of the band since 2010, and the nicest bloke any of us have ever had the pleasure of working with. You can read a brief tribute to Eddie by going to the BAND page and clicking on the relevant button.

Much silliness usually accompanies us on our long journeys to gigs around the South-West, and we've discovered that Dorset, in particular, is full of names which we believe to be taken from the cast list of a Victorian melodrama - Litton Cheney, Burton Bradstock, Bradford Newton and Lychett Matravers (along with that dissolute reprobate Okeford Fitzpaine) probably all toured together in the 1880s, and here we were at Melbury Osmond ... possibly the more famous brother-in-law

It had been a few years since our last concert in the beautifully maintained church of St Peter, in the idyllic Dorset village of Stourton Caundle, but those of us who played that concert were still talking with nostalgic longing of the utterly mouth-watering sausage rolls presented to us on that evening - along with other delicious comestibles - by the veritable Queen of sausage rolls, Vinny Taylor! Tonight, the band was making a welcome return appearance here ... but would