The Mill Hill Music Festival

For the next week, this blog will be exclusively given over to being my diary of the Mill Hill Music Festival. I am one of the organisers of the the Festival and for the next week I'll be busy every single day, rigging up sound systems, puttin up gazebos & carrying drinks and glasses in and out of venues. If any of you want to see me in action playing, I'm appearin with my band the False Dots on Friday 26th at The Mill Hill Sports Club on Graham Park Way. The Tigers of Rushmore will be supporting us. Please come down and say hello.

The full programme is here :- http://www.millhillmusicfest.co.uk/programme.htm

I won't be covering the usual topics at all as I need to focus on the festival. Normal service will be resumed on Monday week. If you want to know how to run a festival keep reading, if you've no interest in the festival, come back on Monday week !

Here's the program for the week
SATURDAYDAY 20 JUNE
8.00pm
ALLAN GANLEY JAZZ LEGACY
with special guest Elaine Delmar
Quench Cafe, Salcombe Gardens, Mill Hill, London, NW7 2NT

Opening this year’s Festival is the seventeen-piece all-star big band directed by Andy Panayi with international star vocalist, Elaine Delmar. The band will present an evening of the late Allan Ganley’s arrangements and compositions to celebrate his immense talent. Allan, a musician for all seasons, performed as a drummer at the Festival a number of times, including concerts with American jazzmen Harry Allen and Warren Vaché, as well as at our own Mill Hill Jazz Club. He was a long-time associate of Sir John Dankworth, playing in his first big band and latterly in the Dankworth Quintet, often with Cleo Laine, until his untimely death last year. Allan won the British Jazz Awards on many occasions and pianists and singers alike appreciated his talent as an accompanist, including local singer Elaine for whom he wrote a number of arrangements and played on many of her recordings. A newly recorded album, June Time, by the band will be available, and the profits from the sales will go to the Allan Ganley Bursary Fund to sponsor a different under-privileged young musician to attend The National Youth Music Camp each year. Certain to be a sensational evening for lovers of quality music played and sung by the best.


Trumpets: Henry Lowther, Martin Shaw, Tony Fisher, Derek Watkins(tbc)
Trombones: Mark Nightingale, Gordon Campbell, Cliff Hardie, Bill Geldard
Saxes: Andy Mackintosh, Julian Siegal, Vic Ash, Alan Barnes, Roy Willcox
Piano: John Pearce
Bass: Malcolm Creese
Drums: Ian Thomas
Vocals: Elaine Delmar
MD: Andy Panayi

Tickets: £20. Cash bar. Doors open at 7.30pm.
TICKETS FOR ALLAN GANLEY CAN BE PURCHASED ON THE DOOR ONLY.
for more information call Daniel on 07946 640 799


SUNDAY 21 JUNE
12.00pm-3.00pm
FATHER’S DAY JAZZ LUNCH AT THE THREE HAMMERS
The Three Hammers Pub, The Ridgeway, Mill Hill, NW7 4EA

Come and join us for a spot of lunch as The Three Hammers plays host to the Ian Brameld Dixieland Jazz Band. Playing from a repertoire of unforgettable classics, the Dixieland Jazz Band recreates the golden age of jazz bringing a little Mardi Gras to Mill Hill. Get in early for lunch!

Food served. Free entry.



SUNDAY 21 JUNE
3.00pm
PIANO RECITAL Maiko Mori
The Chapel, Belmont School, The Ridgeway, Mill Hill, NW7 4ED

Some of you may remember Maiko Mori’s wonderful Festival performance in 2005, so it is a great pleasure to welcome her back this year. Maiko began her piano and composition studies at the age of five at the Yamaha School with Reiko Amai. Maiko was announced as the first prize winner in the 23rd Robert William and Florence Amy Brant International Piano Competition in England in 2002. She made her orchestral debut in the UK with the RCM Symphony Orchestra conducted by Vasily Petrenko and quickly went on to debut internationally with the Bombay Chamber Orchestra in Mumbai, India. Maiko will play pieces from Bach, Beethoven, Chopin and Liszt.


Tickets: £10 (£8) including a glass of wine/soft drink.

Full/Concession


SUNDAY 21 JUNE
6.30pm
CHORAL EVENSONG AT ST PAUL’S
PLUS THE LONDON SINGLE REEDS
St Paul’s Church, The Ridgeway, Mill Hill, NW7 1QU


The recently renovated church of St Paul’s is tonight’s venue for a delightful Evensong, featuring the renowned O for the wings of a dove from Mendelssohn’s choral masterpiece, Hear my prayer and other choral favourites. After some light refreshments, you are invited to stay on to listen to the London Single Reeds who charmed audiences with their woodwind arrangements at the last Festival. The programme will consist of short pieces ranging from classical to jazz. The group likes to interact with the audience and will introduce the various pieces and give brief demonstrations of the individual instruments.
Free Entry


SUNDAY 21 JUNE
from 8.00pm
'LATER' AT THE ADAM & EVE
GARDEN PARTY WITH THE GOOD OLD BOYS
The Adam & Eve Pub, The Ridgeway, Mill Hill, NW7 1RL

From 8.00pm. The band recently sold out at Mill Hill Jazz Club as a Saturday night special. Bringing us the very best of 50’s and 60’s rock & roll and some rhythm & blues it’s time to party in the garden, and these stalwarts of rock really know how to party! The band features Alan Barratt (ex Jo-Jo Gunne, Cliff Bennett); Nick Simper (ex Deep Purple); Pete Parks (Rick Wakeman, BB King); Simon Bishop (ex Renaissance, The Monks) and Richard Hudson of The Strawbs.

MONDAY 22 JUNE
7.30pm
A PASSION FOR OPERA
The Large, Mill Hill School, The Ridgeway, Mill Hill, NW7 1QS

It has become somewhat of a tradition to have opera as part of the Music Festival programme. This year we are very excited to present this extremely talented quartet of up-and-coming professional singers. Whether you shiver to the low snarl of the baritone, swoon to the arching high notes of the tenor, thrill to unrestrained mezzo madness, or melt at the sweet sound of the sighing soprano, there is something here for everyone to enjoy. Centred around the unmatched operatic music of Verdi, with its unmistakeable melodies and high drama, the evening will be presented by mezzo-soprano Katherine Marriott (pictured). Katherine recently sang Ulrica (Un ballo in maschera) at Guildford Opera. Three more glorious voices join her to make this an evening of opera not to miss.


Tickets: £10. Cash Bar.



MONDAY 22 JUNE
from 8.30pm
'LATER' AT THE ANGEL AND CROWN
THE WARNER MANDELL BAND
Angel & Crown Pub, Bittacy Hill, Mill Hill, NW7 1BJ

From 8.30pm. An evening of good ol’ fashioned yee-ha at this newly refurbished public house! Our great band has two of our favourite front men, in the shape of Alan Warner (The Foundations) and Derek Mandell (The 60’s All Stars). It’s gonna be some down-home, bottleneck, rockin’, Southern fried country blues! So our hosts will be complementing the style of music with a special all American BBQ menu.


Free Entry



TUESDAY 23 JUNE
from 7.45pm
STEWART CURTIS’ K-GROOVE
Quench Cafe, Salcombe Gardens, Mill Hill, NW7 2NT

Winners of the 2007 Jewish Chronicle’s Klezmer Idol, Stewart Curtis’ K-Groove brings us an evening of jazz and Klezmer with Latin undertones. The band features Stewart Curtis - saxes, clarinet, flute, piccolo; Paul Jayasinha - trumpet, flugelhorn and percussion; Rob Terry - keyboard; Brad Lang - bass; Hans Ferrao - drums. Stewart and the band have worked with a variety of stars including Nina Simone, Whitney Houston and Michael Ball. K-Groove is firmly established as one of the UK’s finest and most infectious Klezmer crossover bands.


Tickets: £10. Cash bar.



WEDNESDAY 24 JUNE
8.30pm
'LATER' AT THE MILL HILL SPORTS CLUB
HERE COME THE GIRLS
Mill Hill Sports Club, Grahame Park Way, NW7 2AL
From 8.30pm. Wednesday night’s Mill Hill Jazz Club brings us Here Come The Girls. The band is made up of some of the finest professional musicians on the circuit, so you can guarantee that this will be a fantastic night of musical entertainment with a mix of classic swing jazz standards combined with some soulful arrangements. Hilary Cameron on piano and vocals (has worked with The Steve Taylor Big Band); Clare Hirst on saxophone (David Bowie, The Communards, Mica Paris, Maxi Priest, The Bellestars); Julie Walkington on bass (Gillad Atzmon, Anita Wardell, Jim Mullen, Claire Martin) and Michele Drees on percussion and vocals (Marc Almond, Seal, KD Lang, Kirsty MacColl, Susanne Vega). The ladies will be joined by some special guests throughout the evening.
Tickets: £5 Jazz Club Members (£8 Non-Members) on the door only at Mill Hill Jazz Club
Over 18s Only. Cash bar. Seating limited.


THURSDAY 25 JUNE
7.30pm
THE HUMPHREY LYTTELTON BAND
WITH BRIAN PERKINS
The Large, Mill Hill School, The Ridgeway, Mill Hill, NW7 1QS

The concert will celebrate the man and his music. It will be performed by his last regular band with a special guest trumpet player, Tony Fisher. 'Humph' was a patron of the Mill Hill Music Festival and this evening’s performance is the Festival’s way of remembering his support with affection. A wonderful evening of jazz from one of the foremost British jazz bands will feature the music associated with Humph during his years as a leader and include many of his favourites. It will be compered, complete with anecdotes in true Lyttelton tradition, by the well known newsreader and broadcaster Brian Perkins. The band comprises Jimmy Hastings and Robert Fowler, reeds; Ray Wordsworth, trombone; Ted Beament, piano; John Rees Jones, bass; and Adrian MacIntosh, drums.


Tickets: £20. Cash bar.




FRIDAY 26 JUNE
7.30pm
VIVA VARIETY
Quench Cafe, Salcombe Gardens,Mill Hill, NW7 2EJ

The Sue Nieto Theatre School presents an evening of song, dance and drama, performed by students and ex-students of the school. Everything from musical theatre to hip-hop will provide an entertaining evening for all ages. The students have performed at the Royal Albert Hall, Her Majesty’s and, in November 2008, at a star-studded charity show for Breakthough at the Savoy Theatre in the West-End. In October 2006 the senior troupe won the “Producer’s Prize” in a prestigious dance competition at Sadlers Wells.


Tickets: £6. Cash Bar.



FRIDAY 26 JUNE
from 8.30pm
'LATER' AT THE MILL HILL SPORTS CLUB
Mill Hill Sports Club, Grahame Park Way, NW7 2AL

From 8.00pm. The False Dots host our indie and rock night (featuring Roger Tichborne, one of the Festival’s organisers, on guitar). We will also have some great rock sounds from The Tigers of Rushmore featuring the superb Lauren Barry on vocals. With special guests joining the bands its sure to be another great evening of live music.


Tickets: £5 (£6 on the door) Over 18s only.
Mill Hill Music Complex is kindly sponsoring this evening’s events.



SATURDAY 27 JUNE
Doors open 6.00pm, music from 7.00pm
PARTY NIGHT
featuring THE BIZZARROS
Mill Hill Sports Club, Grahame Park Way, NW7 2AL

Doors open 6.00pm, music from 7.00pm. The evening is kicked off by the fantastic 5-piece band, Recollection, with another of our Festival organisers, Gerry Keane, on guitar. The band play material from several eras and cover different styles of rock and pop. Our main act of the evening is The Bizzarros, a fantastic 10-piece kicking soul - rhythm & blues - rock band who always get the joint jumpin’. Members of the band have played with: Fleetwood Mac, Aretha Franklin, Jools Holland, Paul Kossoff, and Talk Talk?to name but a few! The electrifying, young front man on vocals is aspiring actor Dan Rosen. Also in the band is world champion blues harp player, Jim Darby, sax man Tony Ardin from Bad Manners and lead guitarist Dave Howman who wrote and produced musically for Showaddywaddy and Monty Python. You’ll be caught up with the infectious power of this hard hitting, brassy little big band from the first note. “Imagine Santana meets Jools Holland...a band that brings the roof down and a must see...” - The Gig Guide January 2008.


Tickets: £6 (£8 on the door). Over 18s only. Cash Bar.


SATURDAY 27 JUNE
7.45pm
FESTIVAL CLOSING CONCERT
The WALLACE ENSEMBLE
St. Michael & All Angels Church, Flower Lane, Mill Hill, NW7 2JA

A programme of favourite classics for string orchestra, alongside Pergolesi’s much-loved work, Stabat Mater, the evocative eighteenth-century masterpiece for orchestra and soprano/mezzo-soprano soloists. Performed by The Wallace Ensemble, a young, professional chamber orchestra comprising former Trinity College of Music students, conducted by Benjamin Wolf. The programme includes the Minuet from Boccherini’s quintet, Mozart’s engaging divertimento in D-major, Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No.3, as well as Samuel Barber’s hypnotic Adagio. The Wallace Ensemble has performed at many of London’s principal concert venues, including the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Purcell Room, St John’s, Smith Square, St James’ Church, Piccadilly, and locally at the Arts Depot in Finchley. Do join us for this now traditional night of sumptuous music and sparkling wine that brings the Festival to its formal close.
Tickets: £12 including a glass of sparkling wine.