Though most of us had many miles to travel, criss-crossing the South-West with our SatNavs desperately searching for a small village somewhere near Dorchester, our Glorious Leader had only to pop his piano onto his wheelbarrow and stroll a few yards from his stately home, for - at last! - jazz had arrived in Broadmayne ... Under the ambitious and challenging banner of Jazz Arrives In Britain, we had been invited by Dorchester Arts to put together a programme illustrating - for the most part - the beginnings of jazz in this country around the end of the First World War. Clearly, we had to put on our Original Dixieland Jass Band hats, at least for the beginning of this concert, for it was the

It seems a lifetime ago that we posted a Blog about our (very occasional!) cake-fuelled band rehearsals ... it still amazes us that some of our audiences seem to think we rehearse regularly - indeed, frequently! But such are the demands of golf commitments for certain members of the band that rehearsals are - at best - somewhat infrequent! However, when we do meet, we thoroughly enjoy the rehearsal process, and the enthusiasm for witty banter is exceeded only by that for cake, or - as was provided on this occasion - a magnificent spread of quiche, coleslaw, lemon drizzle cake and shortbread lovingly created by Pete Middleton's wife Rachel, who happened to have a few minutes to spare this wee

Only a day later than our previous Blog, proudly boasting of our sixth annual visit to East Burton, we found ourselves back in Gussage All Saints - in deepest Dorset - to play for the jolly villagers at their yearly Jazz Supper, a splendid event involving a lavish sausage-based meal and copious desserts at half-time in addition to a festive atmosphere with plenty of enthusiastic encouragement from a host of familiar faces. In the course of the evening, it transpired that it was hardly surprising that many of the faces were indeed familiar, for - with much ceremony - it was announced that this was the twentieth visit of the band to this bijou venue ... and a large, chocolate, 20th anniversar

It transpired that this was our sixth annual visit to this venue - oh dear, how the years fly by! A major advantage, of course, in returning here each year, is that we now spend slightly less time trying to locate the venue via multiple circuits of sundry level crossings and winding lanes ... at least one member of the band even claimed to have driven here without recourse to his SatNav! It proved to be just as much of a treat as in previous years to play in this splendid hall for such a friendly, welcoming and supportive audience, and - as on our previous visits - we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves ... and the assembled throng seemed to enjoy our offerings, too, so an enjoyable evening was ha