Jetlag had well and truly set in by 8.30pm London time when I found myself in front of the thundering “Surrey Jazz Orchestra” at their Christmas bash/concert. I’d just been picked up at Heathrow airport following a 24 hour flight from Melbourne and transported by my sax playing mate Terry Bowen to deepest Surrey, home of cricket (oh why did we give them the ashes?) to catch up with old and not so old musician mates and colleagues. The band is made up of professional, semi-professional, ex-professional and amateurs who share a passionate love of good quality big band jazz and they rip through the toughest charts with enthusiastic gusto once a week. However despite the good music I was glad to hit the hay ‘round midnight.

The next day Terry proudly showed me his new tenor sax, a beautiful silver and gold keyed “Borgani”, which he came to own by swapping for one of the late Ronnie Scott’s original instruments, a “Lady Face Conn”. Terry owns many saxophones. He collects them and repairs them for sale but usually finds it impossible to part with them. Ronnie Scott was one of England’s most distinguished tenor sax players and also the founder and owner of one of the most famous jazz venues in the world called, you guessed it “RONNIE SCOTT’S”. (www.ronniescotts.co.uk) Terry anguished long and hard before giving up Ronnie’s sax but consoles himself with the fact that it’s now on display at the Allegro-Oxford Music Shop alongside his other sax, a Selmer MVI for all to share. (www.saxophoneheaven.com)

Terry Bowen

While in Surrey I caught up with an exceptional ex-student of mine Tonya Edwards. Apart from whizzing through her practical music exams with high distinctions she is now really getting the feel for jazz and this year will be joining The Surrey Youth Jazz Orchestra. With a tone reminiscent of Stan Getz and good sight- reading skills I’m sure she’ll be welcomed with open arms. “Onya Tonya!”

Tonya Edwards

Opportunities abound in the UK for those interested in developing musically which brings me to NYJO. (National Youth Jazz Orchestra) Musical Director, the chatty and affable Bill Ashton MBE has been tireless in his efforts to steer young musicians along the path of excellence for some forty years now and I have to say that the results are impressive indeed. With the aid of such jazz luminaries as Johnny Dankworth, Cleo Lane and Phil Woods this band of teenagers sounds like an accomplished and exciting professional unit.(www.nyjo.org.uk)

“The Bull’s Head” pub was the next jazz stop in my London excursion to hear the Stan Tracey Quintet. Stan Tracey is Britain’s answer to Thelonius Monk and needless to say the music was original, “out there” and technically brilliant. I arrived almost two hours early and lucky I did because it was packed out and many were turned away. The Bull’s Head in Barnes is a typical London style pub and it has an exclusive jazz program seven nights a week.(www.thebullshead.com)

All that jazz, and only the tip of the iceberg but I’ll be back. That is after visiting Arnies birthplace in Austria for a bit of skiing: Schladming. (www.sportregion.cc)

Paul Dion